Just Between Us (The Kings)

Three weeks after my father’s arrest, life outside of Outtatowner moved on. Our world, however, had been completely upended. My only constant was that Veda was living with me, and life with her was fucking good. We worked hard to not let my family’s drama impact the cozy bubble inside our cliffside cottage.

In true Russell King fashion, he denied any wrongdoing and lawyered up immediately.

He and his impressive legal team were eager to fight, but we were already prepared for war.

Despite the recorded confession, Dad was doing everything in his power to save face. We denied every phone call that he attempted from jail, and the whispers in town only intensified. The empire that was King Equities, which my father had built on a foundation of lies and corruption, was rapidly crumbling.

The brunt of the fallout would land squarely on JP’s shoulders, and I felt sorry for him.

My brother’s quick steps clacked on the sidewalk as he approached where I stood at the door to the tattoo shop. He was dressed in a suit, without a hair out of place.

You’d never know he was carrying the stress of managing a multimillion-dollar company in the face of a scandal the likes of which the country had never seen.

I held out my hand in greeting. “JP.”

He nodded and shook my hand. “Royal.”

“This fucking town . . .” He exhaled and squinted against the sun as we watched the tourists filter in and out of the downtown shops.

Shock and disbelief at what my father was accused of had made its way through town like wildfire. Many went out of their way to express their support for us. Others stood by the man they had thought my father to be and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

I assumed there’d be more that was uncovered, but for the time being I was doing my best to hold on to the fact that my siblings and I would make it through, together.

I studied JP’s profile. His entire life he’d been groomed to take over our father’s business. Once the dust settled and King Equities was sold to the highest bidder, there would be nothing holding him here any longer.

“You could do it, you know,” I said. He only glanced over. “Get out of here,” I clarified. “Start over in a big city where you can make a new name for yourself.”

He nodded slowly, looking at his shiny, buffed shoes. “I could.” He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I might.”

My chest squeezed. He deserved a new life—a fresh start. It felt wrong to see my little brother go, but if it was what was best for him, I wouldn’t stand in his way.

“Who am I kidding?” JP sighed. “There’s too much shit here to take care of. Who’s going to help you keep the Sullivans in check, if not me?”

I chuckled and clamped a hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate that. You know, I have been thinking Wyatt is due for a little pestering.”

JP smiled and shook his head. “You are such a child.”

I pushed his arm. “Nah, I guess they’ve been all right.”

In fact, the Sullivans had been more than all right. Over the past three weeks, the Sullivan family had rallied behind us. Together we petitioned the DNR to allow Wabash Lake to be dredged. We didn’t know what we might find, but if there was any chance our mother’s remains were there, we wanted to know.

She deserved as much.

“The Sullivans and Kings working together.” JP shook his head. “It’s weird, though, right?”

I laughed. “So fucking weird.”

My brother crossed his arms. “I don’t know. Maybe a little change around here is a good thing. Speaking of change . . .” He checked his watch and avoided my gaze. “You planning to keep Veda around for a while?”

I suppressed a grin. If I had my way, Veda wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. “Thinking about it. Why?”

“She’s fucking smart. And a hard worker too. I want to bring her onto the team full-time, but I don’t need you breaking my new employee’s heart and fucking with my plans.”

Pride for my woman swelled in my chest. She was damn good at her job, and I loved that I wasn’t the only one who could see it. If JP wasn’t careful, Veda would be running the show in no time.

“If I get my way, she’ll be my wife, and then you’ll be stuck with her for the foreseeable future,” I assured him.

JP grinned. “Fantastic.” He shook my hand again. “Think she’ll want to officially sign on with a company that’s completely going to shit?”

I laughed, because what the hell else were we supposed to do? “I’m sure she’ll consider it a welcomed challenge.”

He sighed and shook his head at me. “How you ended up with a woman like her is beyond me, brother.”

I couldn’t agree more.

JP’s phone rang, and he held up his hand for me to wait while he answered it. I rolled my eyes but studied his face as his brows pinched down and his scowl deepened.

“Wait, wait. Slow down. What the fuck are you talking about? Where are you?” JP pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Yes—no.” He huffed. “Of course it’s not mine.” He sighed again. “I don’t know—Jesus, I will be right there.”

JP quickly ended the call and shoved his phone into the pocket of his slacks.

“Everything all right?” I asked, watching the stress roll off him in waves.

“I have to go—that was Whip. Apparently some kid at the fire station thinks I’m his dad.” The muscles in his jaw flexed, and a vein bulged in his forehead. “I do not have time for this bullshit.”

I stood, stunned, as my brother walked away without saying goodbye.

What in the actual fuck just happened?

“A child?” Veda’s jade-green eyes were round as she crunched on a carrot from the corner of the couch. “No way.”

At a loss for words, I shrugged and let my hands slap on the outside of my jeans. “Apparently.” I sighed. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Come here.” Veda patted the couch next to her and flung a throw pillow to the floor to make room for me.

I sank onto the couch with her, taking up the entire space. Veda moved her soft thigh over mine, and I hiked it higher before burying my nose into the crook of her neck.

She stroked the hairs at the base of my skull, and I groaned, sighing into her and letting my body fully relax.

“Any news from the attorney?” she asked.

I grumbled and shook my head. “Nothing yet.”

Bootsy and Bowlegs had crumpled under questioning following their arrest. In all likelihood, depending on their involvement over the years, their statements would only hurt my father’s case. There was nothing more we could do, other than wait and allow it all to unfold in court.

“I saw his wife—the one from Chicago—on television.” Had it not been for Veda’s soft fingers, my frustration would have simmered over.

His wife had been making the rounds on television and local newspapers. It was unbelievable, but she was actually defending the man who’d led a double life for decades.

Hell, maybe she had known and didn’t care.

The kids he’d fathered were notably absent from those interviews. That fact picked at my brain. “What do you think about his kids? The other ones,” I asked.

Veda was quiet, her breaths steady. “I think I mostly feel sorry for them.”

“Do you think they knew? About us?” I listened as her heartbeat lulled me away from completely unraveling.

She shrugged. “It’s hard to say. They certainly know now. Do you think you should . . . talk to them?”

I wasn’t ready. My insides were too raw. I sighed. “Maybe one day, but not today.”

Veda patted my back. “You know what I saw earlier?” She leaned behind her and scooped up the local newspaper.

I shifted to sit up next to her as she handed it to me. On the front page was a stunning picture of my mother. She was sitting on the steps of a large front porch, surrounded by all six of us as children. In the photograph, Mom was mid-laugh. My chest pinched at how lovely she was.

True to her word, Cass had honored our mother, and her story had morphed into a memorial piece. Outtatowner residents had shared long-forgotten photographs and stories about my mother’s kindness and laughter. My vision grew watery as I read their memories and sentiments. The exposé touched on her disappearance and our father’s recent indictment. My fingers brushed over the title: A Mother Gone, But Not Forgotten.

I cleared the emotion from my throat. So much had been taken from me—from all of us—when my father stripped her from our lives. Slowly that gaping hole was being filled with things that reminded me how good life could still be—spending time with my siblings, creating new tattoo designs, fucking with the Sullivans, Veda.

Always Veda.

I released a final breath, deciding that I was wholly finished with feeling sorry for myself for the day. My hand slapped against my knee.

“Okay, let’s go.” I rose to my feet. “I’ve got something to show you.”

She eyed me as I nearly skipped down the hall toward the bedroom. From the bottom drawer of my dresser, I slipped out a long, skinny jewelry box. It had been hidden for two days, and while I had wanted to wait for a special occasion to give it to her, the anticipation was killing me.

When I walked back from the bedroom, Veda was standing near the kitchen island.

“Close your eyes,” I commanded. “And hold out your hands.”

“Yes, sir.” A smirk lifted at the corner of Veda’s mouth. If I wasn’t careful, she’d playfully dance her way into brat territory.

My cock thickened at the mere thought of it.

I placed the box in her hands. “Go ahead.”

Her eyes opened, and when she saw the jewelry box, her face grew serious. She opened the slender box, revealing a stunning gold necklace. It had two rows of delicate gold and a ring in the center of one chain.

“Oh.” She sighed as her fingers brushed over the necklace. “Royal, this is gorgeous.” A hand came to her throat, and I grinned.

I slipped the necklace from its case and motioned for her to turn around. I gently slipped the necklace onto her neck and clasped it.

She faced me with a bright smile as her fingers toyed with it. “I really love it. It’s so unique.”

I grinned, knowing she hadn’t quite figured it out yet.

Veda turned as I continued: “You deserve to wear something almost as beautiful as you. Something that makes you feel good.”

I teased the skin at her neck before slipping my finger through the circle in the center of the necklace. “But that also makes you mine.”

With a sharp tug, I pulled on the ring, and the collar tightened around her neck. Her eyes went wide with shock before they melted into heated pools of desire.

“Do you like it?” I asked as my mouth brushed the corner of hers. We hadn’t discussed the idea of Veda wearing a collar for me in public, but I had a sneaking suspicion she would be open to the idea.

Veda leaned into me. “I do.”

“That’s good.” I chuckled. “You’ll wear it because you’re beautiful, but also because you know you’re mine.” My lips found her earlobe and teased. “But that can be something that’s just between us.”

Veda melted against me, and I sank to my knees, lifting her skirt and vowing to honor and worship her for the rest of my life.