Kingdom Fall

They didn’t. I’d blamed the initial press about me being married to some unknown person on Hans’s proposal. I’d told them I said anything to get out of it. When the press lost interest in the story so quickly, they hadn’t asked more.

I sighed. “No.”

“It’s your life, but he can’t be in it right now. I have to go.”

It was my life. “Stay safe, butthead.”

“You too, barbiehead.” I hadn’t heard that one in a while.

I felt sick when we hung up. I trusted my brother implicitly, but I also trusted Striker. Matt had to be wrong about this. Still, I knew Striker wouldn’t want me anywhere near him if he was arrested. Matt was right about that. So I ordered an Uber, grabbed my bag, wrote a quick note, and left it on the island in the kitchen before fleeing the house.

The Uber was there when I closed the door as softly as I could, like a thief in the night. I got in the Uber but found myself watching the front door as she drove away. Part of me hoped he’d come for me. If he had, I would have stayed.

When I arrived at Kalen and Bailey’s place, Kalen was waiting for me. His pensive gaze made me wonder if he knew about Striker’s impending arrest. Once again, I felt like a traitor for not telling Striker.

“Aye,” he said, folding me in a hug. Even though he wasn’t my big brother, he felt like one, and I choked up in his arms. “It’ll be okay. Connor’s a good lad. Whatever he’s done, he’ll apologize.”

He had no idea. Connor had done nothing. I wiped a stray tear because my emotions were that high.

“I’m leaving you alone with Bailey for a few hours. I need to run to the office anyway.”

“It’s late,” I said.

“Yeah, but with Father in the hospital, there’s much to be done. It will give you two a chance to talk.”

I nodded.

“One thing—you must tell her about you and Connor being married, aye? I won’t keep this from her if you don’t.”

I nodded again.

“Chin up. This too shall pass.”

I hated breaking up their honeymoon. They didn’t often have a lot of alone time. They’d only planned a short honeymoon that had been cut shorter because of her father-in-law’s hospitalization. It hit me then—Royce King was my father-in-law too.

Kalen did some things with a card, a keypad, a screen, and said something to the elevator before bidding me a goodbye. Only then did the thing move and take me up. Their security was tighter than Connor’s.

Bailey must have been notified I was on my way up because she was there when I stepped out. We hugged as if it hadn’t been a few days since I last saw her.

“What happened? When Matt called, I figured it must be bad.”

I almost told her about the pending raid and stopped. She wouldn’t tell a soul outside of her husband. And if I asked her to keep something from Kalen, she would. But then I’d put her in the same position Kalen was in right now, knowing I was married to his brother. “Matt thinks Connor’s into something bad.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Bad? Like what?”

“I don’t know. Something with his club.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I believe Matt believes. But I don’t think so.”

“But you’re here,” she said.

“I guess I need time to think. There’s also something I haven’t told you.” When her brow lifted, I continued. “Remember when I told you about Hans’s proposal at the gallery?”

“Yes.”

“And I told you Striker…” I paused. “Connor suggested he was the one I married.”

“That was true?”

“Not that day. But the next, we actually got married. It was kind of sweet, if you think about it. He was trying to make sure the media wouldn’t call me a liar.”

She held up a hand. “Let me get this straight. You married him months before my wedding and kept it a secret?”

I bit my lip before saying, “Yes. But we intended to get it annulled a few weeks after. Only the next day, I learned he was Connor King. And I couldn’t think. I was so mad…”

“But you didn’t get it annulled?”

I shook my head.

“You’re in love with him.”

I hadn’t thought in those terms. “What is love? I don’t even know what that means.”

The last time I was in love, the guy, Beau, had broken my heart and my body. Clearly my judgment in that area needs to be questioned.

“And maybe that’s why you’ve been running away from it all these years. You never let anyone get too close. You’ve picked guys you could hook up with but could never bring home to your parents.”

“Hans?” I said in my defense.

“Didn’t I mention guys you could bang?”

I let out a desperate bark of laughter. “Connor’s that guy.”

She bobbed her head. “He’s a little dark and dangerous, yet your parents would probably love him. You used him not telling you who he was, when you told him not to, as an excuse to get away.”