She took a deep breath as she glanced out the window for a brief moment.
“This isn’t just about the money, Sully. I want to keep the family business. It means a lot to me. Please.”
“I know,” I said calmly, trying to soften my temperament. “Which is why I came back from California. And as much as I fucking hate it, it’s why I’ll go through the Initiation.” I looked Jasmine straight in the eyes so she could see just how serious and committed I was. “I’ll do this for you.”
2
Sully
The Oleander Manor.
My new home for the next 109 days.
Opulence, wealth, and a history so rich in cloaked secrets you could hear the steps of our forefathers still roaming the rooms today. I used to love this estate as a child until I learned to detest it. It used to be a special place my father took me to back when I thought the man walked on water. I had friends I would play with while my father conducted business. It all seemed so normal… on the surface.
But beneath the murky waters of a membership open only to the kings of Georgia lurked pure evil. No way to dress up that fact.
I went from wearing all-black attire to all white in a matter of hours. I hated the white tuxedo look which was the required dress code for the evening. Actually, I hated being in a tuxedo period. I much preferred worn jeans and a cotton shirt. When I was forced to wear a tuxedo or expensive suit, I felt like nothing more than a dressed-up Ken doll.
“I’m surprised you actually agreed to your Trials of Initiation,” Montgomery Kingston said, as he approached with two drinks in hand, offering me one with a smile. He wore a silver cloak that only the members of the Order of the Silver Ghost wore, and it was odd to know that, although he was my friend, he was no longer exactly the same as me. He had completed his Trial. He was a full-fledged member now. “I expected you to be a no show.”
“If I could be anywhere else, I would,” I said, grateful to drink from the liquid courage provided. “Any tips on how to survive this since you just suffered through it?”
“Don’t count the days, because trust me, 109 days is a long fucking time,” Montgomery answered. “And I’m not saying you have to fall in love and want to marry the girl you’re paired up with like I did with my belle, but you have to get along. You’re a team whether you like it or not. It’s the only way to pass these Trials. And trust me, some of them are beyond brutal.”
“I don’t see that happening. Let’s be real,” I said. “You lucked out with Grace. You know as well as I do these belles are nothing but high-priced hookers. They’re here for a payday and nothing more.”
“The same could be said about us, man.” Montgomery shrugged. “It’s all how you look at it.”
The rest of my friends, and fellow recruits, walked up to join Montgomery and me since we were approaching the midnight hour. It was no secret I wasn’t a fan of Darlington, of the Oleander Manor, or The Order of the Silver Ghost, or basically anything of late.
But I liked these guys. We had history together and had grown up side by side. We each marched to our own beat, but I knew they were good guys deep down. If I had to do this Initiation, I was happy I didn’t have to do it completely alone. Montgomery Kingston, Beau Radcliffe, Rafe Jackson, Walker St. Claire, and Emmett Washington were as close to brothers as I would get.
“You ready for this?” Rafe asked.
I shrugged. I could keep standing here and bitching, or I could power through it. I was pretty sure the guys were sick of my pissed-off attitude and didn’t need or want to hear any more of it.
“We all gotta do it,” I said as I finished the last of my drink and placed the glass on a nearby table.
“What’s it like being a true member of the Order now?” Emmett asked Montgomery.
“Odd,” he answered. “To be honest, it doesn’t feel that much different other than I don’t have to worry about jumping through all the hoops and tests to get where I am anymore. I know I’m expected to be at all the events from now on, which frankly, I’m not thrilled about. I don’t want to be part of Sully’s Trials at all. I think it sucks that I’m going to have to witness them. But it is what it is. The price I have to pay, I suppose.”
“Just don’t become like those monsters,” I said as I closely watched the white grandfather clock that mastered the pristine white ballroom. “You’re not an Elder yet, but still. Don’t emulate them.”