Chapter Seven

Caspian

Five years later

I leaned back in the leather chair. A wave of tiredness washed over me as I rested my elbows on the arms of the chair. I would rather spend the evening here at home. I was tired of pretending to be something I wasn't. I was tired of everything about my fucking life.

Our father had died of a heart attack three years ago. One day, he was with us, and then he collapsed on the golf course and died instantly. I'd taken over more and more of the family business with Ezra and Jude helping so he could take life easier. I think we all sensed his heart condition was worse than he was telling us.

But yes, I could see how organized crime could take its toll. I felt ten years older as it drained the life from me. I would quit if I could, but this wasn't a job you walked away from. All of us knew too much, and other families knew that. There would be a hit out for the three of us if we even attempted to walk away. So, you stayed…or were eliminated.

I automatically began to rub my fingers across the scars on my left hand until I realized what I was doing and stopped, but I couldn't help looking at my right hand. Forever seared on my palm was the single heart with three smaller ones dangling from it—a reminder that for a little while, Rissa was ours.

My hand curled into a fist.

The scars never let me forget about her, or how we were too late to save her. Not a day went by that I didn't see her face or remember her laughter. She was our angel now.

Maybe that was what was wrong with my life. She wasn't in it. Nothing about our lives had been the same since the accident.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Gina said when she came to the door.

I relaxed, smiling at her, and she blushed. I knew she was a little infatuated with us, but intimidated at the same time. Gina was of average height and rather plain, but she had warm brown eyes. Our cook, Harriet, described her as kind, loyal to the family, and a hard worker.

I cleared my mind of the past and focused on the present. "No, we'll be gone for the rest of the evening. Why don't you go on home."

She smiled timidly. "Thank you, sir."

Gina was the only employee who lived off the estate. She had an apartment in town. I think she wanted the independence. Something she'd never had until she came to work for us. Either way, we always gave them the choice.

"Tell me again why we're going to the fundraiser tonight?" Ezra asked as he entered the den, just passing Gina on the way out, and flopped down on the sofa across from me. "The bastard has been trying to take us down since he was elected senator. Like he has any morals." He snorted.

I loved my brother, but sometimes his anger got away from him. He wanted the senator's head on a silver platter. Not that I blamed him. Senator Jameson was corrupt. But as far as the public knew, he was honest as the day was long. He was a damned good speaker, and Ezra was right. He'd been trying to put us out of business for a long time. He'd gotten close a few times, but we always managed to turn the tables.

"So why are we going?" Jude asked as he joined us, catching the tail end of our conversation.

"Not only are we all going to the fundraiser, but we're going to contribute generously to his campaign."

Ezra jumped to his feet. "Why the hell would we do that?"

"Sometimes it's better to feed the one trying to bite you. We've always gone against the senator. There's been talk about putting in a port at Sinclair. If we had better access, getting our shipments into the country would make it much easier."

Ezra took a seat. "Do you think it'll work? There's no love lost between us."

Jude smiled. "Until it comes to money. Even the most saintly will crawl into bed with corruption if it pads their pockets."

"Exactly, and we already know the senator is no saint." I glanced at my watch. It was almost time to leave. I drained the scotch in my glass, then set it on the table beside the chair as I came to my feet. "It's almost time to go. Don't forget to grab your mask. They're on the entry table."

"This is stupid," Ezran grumbled. "Everyone will recognize us, as we will them. The same people go to these parties."

He was right about that, but tonight, it was business.

We arrived at the fundraiser an hour later. Ezra was correct. Most of the people there knew who we were, even with masks. The rumors would fly in the morning. Some people thought we were demons. The stupid ones dismissed us. We were a force to be reckoned with.

We began increasing our wealth as we became more involved with the business. We had taken our father's advice and become immersed in it to forget our pain. With it, came more money than we would ever spend. People never fucked with us. If they did, they died a slow and painful death. We'd gained a reputation for being unforgiving. It didn't seem to matter, though. There was still a hole in our hearts.

Senator Jamison looked surprised as he nervously walked toward us. "Gentlemen, I didn't expect you here tonight. I wouldn't have thought you would want to add to my campaign fund by attending tonight's dinner. It is quite pricey."

I smiled, not taking offense at his words. "And here I thought we were unrecognizable with our masks on."

He frowned. "I'm not sure they're very effective, but it still adds a bit of mystery. You still haven't explained why you came tonight, although I always welcome donors."

"We think working with you, rather than against you, could be advantageous to all parties. I think we can be quite…beneficial in your campaign to make sure you get re-elected."

I always hated beating around the bush. The senator was almost salivating now with the thought of how much money we could provide, but he was still a politician and didn't trust many people.

"What about the man running against me? I hear he's quite popular with the younger generation." He stopped a passing waiter and motioned for us to take a glass of champagne. We each took a fluted glass of the golden liquid, and then he took the last one.

I raised my glass, then took a drink. The champagne was flat, and it tasted a lot like vinegar. Wholesale? More than likely. The dinner was twenty-five thousand a plate. You'd think at that price, the senator would order a better brand of champagne. I met his gaze.

"I don't think your opponent is aligned with our needs, but you could be. We want that port in Sinclair to go through. It would be very valuable to the people in the community. You have enough power that you can make it happen."

The senator glanced around the room. "Maybe we should take this to my office. We'll have more privacy there."

"That might be best," I said. I looked at my brothers. "Why don't you enjoy the party." It would look odd if we all went to his office. His more conservative constituents might start to question his ethics. They caught my drift and moved deeper into the crowd.

There had to be at least a hundred and fifty people at the fundraiser tonight. Everyone was decked out in their diamonds and gowns, the men in tuxedos. Some wore elaborate masks with feathers adorning them, and some with fake jewels. The only reason most of them were there was to impress everyone else. It was cutthroat in the major leagues. There wasn't a saint among them.

It didn't take the senator and I very long to cut a deal. We both agreed on a hefty amount that would be deposited into his campaign funds. The bastard was probably skimming off the top. Not that I gave a crap what he did. When we shook hands, I noticed he had a soft touch. I doubted he'd ever worked an honest day in his life.

As soon as we left his office, we parted ways. I think he was relieved when I told him we wouldn't be staying for the dinner. The fundraiser was sucking the life out of me. I was ready to get my brothers and leave.

I found Ezra near the bar. He looked up expectantly. I knew he was ready to go. He hated getting dressed up for anything.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"I'll tell you more on the ride home." I looked around. "Where's Jude?"

Ezra straightened, frowning. "I saw him earlier talking to some woman."

I couldn't stop my smile from forming. Jude was definitely a player. It usually didn't take him long to have women eating out of his hands. Just as quickly, my smile slipped. He never got serious about any of them. Someone else had his heart. I couldn't help him there. Not when I felt the same way.

We walked across the room, searching for Jude with every step. I was starting to get worried, and by the look on Ezra's face, so was he. We'd made some powerful enemies over the last few years.

Where the hell could he be? We both looked toward the patio doors. Would he have gone outside? That might not be good. We started toward the patio doors at the same time.

"There he is," Ezra said as soon as we stepped outside. "Dammit, sometimes he doesn't think. He's going to get himself killed."

Jude sat on one of the benches, looking out toward the grounds. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Something wasn't right. He was too stiff. Not moving or shifting his body at all. When Ezra would've called out, I held up a hand.

We walked closer.

"Jude, are you okay?"

"I saw her," he whispered. He pointed toward a tree. "She was right over there. One minute, she looked at me and smiled, then her expression changed. It was like she was furious with me."

"Who did you see?" Ezra asked.

"Rissa. She was right over there." He pointed again toward the tree.

I scrubbed a hand down my face. "Rissa is dead," I reminded him.

He shook his head. "No, I don't know anymore. Maybe it was her ghost. Maybe she's trying to tell me something. It was her, though. Remember how she had that way of brushing her fingers through her hair? That's what she did this time, too."

Ezra and I looked at each other. I didn't know what was going on with our little brother. I knew her death affected him quite a lot, as it did all of us. But this was different.

"Come on, it's time for us to go home."

He began to shake his head. "What if she comes back? I won't be here."

"But if she's a ghost, she'll find you."

He sighed deeply. "I suppose you're right. God, I miss her so much."

"We all do," Ezra said sympathetically.

We didn't go back through the house, but instead walked around the side. The valet brought us the car. On the way home, Jude kept mumbling about how beautiful Larissa was. How she looked just the same. I couldn't take it anymore.

"It might have been someone who just looked like her," I said.

"No, you're wrong. It was her. I would never forget Rissa."

"Nor will any of us," Ezra said dryly.

Once we were home, we helped Jude to bed and returned downstairs.

"What the hell is happening with Jude?" Ezra asked as he went to the small bar in the den and poured himself a stiff drink. He poured me a scotch and then brought it to me before sitting on the sofa. "He's been doing so well. I thought maybe he was finally healing."

"Fuck, I don't know. I've never seen him act like this. I know he went a little off the rails after she died, but I thought he was doing okay, too. Now this. I don't know what he saw out there. Probably someone who looked like Rissa."

Ezra tossed back his drink, then stood, going to the bar and making another one. "He's not as hardened as we are. Yeah, I still miss her like hell. Sometimes, I even find myself searching a crowd for her. I know, it's crazy. If he saw someone who looked like Rissa, it wouldn't be difficult to mess with his head. Could someone be doing it on purpose?" He retook his seat.

"Maybe. I don't really know what to think," I said. "We better keep an eye on him just in case."

"Agreed. How did it go with the senator?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Just like I expected. He's more interested in money and getting re-elected than anything else."

"He better not turn on us, or he'll regret it."

"I think he already knows that."

"I'm going up to bed." Ezra came to his feet.

He was restless. Hell, so was I. I tossed back the rest of my drink. "Yeah, I'm going that way, too." We left the den and started up the staircase. "Keep an eye on Jude tomorrow. I don't know what happened tonight. It could be our enemies trying to fuck with us, or it could be nothing at all."

"What are you going to be doing?"

"I have business in town. I'm meeting with Radcliffe tomorrow."

"About that warehouse?"

"Yes, we need another storage facility. His would be perfect."

"Do you think you can make a deal?"

"If I give him enough money."

"That's true about anyone. The world revolves around money and the deals that are made. If people knew how corrupt everything was, they'd be shocked."

"They choose to look in the other direction as long as it doesn't disrupt their lives too much. That's not our problem."

Ezra went into his room. I went down to Jude's and checked on him. Thankfully, he was asleep. I continued to my room, walking straight to the balcony doors, tossing my jacket and tie into a chair before I stepped outside. I leaned on the rail, scanning the area behind the house and soaking in the night breeze that whispered through the trees. It was too dark to see anything.

What was I expecting? That Rissa would step out from behind a tree? That was crazy. She was dead and buried. Nothing would ever bring her back, and I didn't believe in ghosts, but damn, I missed her so fucking much. When she died, it sucked the life out of us. We'd been living in limbo ever since.

I thought after five years, we might actually have a little normalcy returning—until tonight. What had Jude seen out in the darkness? If anyone tried to harm him, I'd take them out without hesitation. Since our father died of a heart attack a few years ago, I was now head of the family. That meant my brothers were my responsibility. I'd be damned if I let anything happen to them.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I was starting back inside when I thought I caught a flash of white. My heart thudded inside my chest. I scanned the area.

Nothing.

For just a moment, I'd wished…

I ran a hand across my forehead. The day had been too long. I went back inside, firmly closing the balcony door behind me and locking it. Rissa was gone. Nothing would ever bring her back. And I didn't believe in ghosts.