“The only option they’re giving you is damage control, to stop it being released further, but if they’ve shown the video to us, to Kent Astor’s family, then I’m sorry to say, it’s only a matter of time before the dissemination of the video becomes widespread. Someone always shares.”
“So what the hell do we do?” James asked, the anger clear in his voice, my hand going to his shoulder. He acknowledged me with a sidelong look, but the expression of pain there communicated his and stirred mine.
Not yet, I told myself, trying to hold it together. After, when we’re home.
“Expose the amateur cameraperson, of course.” Marcus settled back in his chair.
“No one likes their secrets being put out on display,” Orion realised. “If you could bring the culprit to heel…”
“We could expose them,” Cyn said, and for the first time, she smiled down at her alpha, who looked back at her like the cat who’d got the cream—a very obsessive, loving cat, who’d die for his mistress. My gaze flicked sideways to see my own cat, Tristan, watching me, not them.
“The blackmailer has committed the gravest of sins—overreach,” Marcus said. “The Greysons? They are a mid-level family with power and influence, but other similarly powerful families must look at yours, Kit, and ponder where they could be if they had both their own power base and yours. But the Chadwicks? Every hierarchy needs someone at the top, and that happens to be you. Not bad for some ne’er-do-well minor aristocrats who escaped to the colonies to avoid their debtors.”
“You knew about that, did you?” James said with a shake of his head. “No one talks about it anymore, least of all my family. We relinquished the titles but gained a fiefdom here.”
“Exactly, and while the French Revolution seemed like such a good idea to a bunch of disaffected alphas from the lower classes, the subsequent bloodletting as each one fought to take control of the unruly beast that was the republic has always served as a cautionary tale.”
Marcus smirked.
“Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and while others may jockey to get close to it, few actually successfully take it from the reigning king or queen because too many others have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. To unseat the Chadwicks is to unseat this entire unacknowledged aristocracy we have going here, and the ramifications could
potentially reach far and wide. All the business deals tied up with Chadwick Enterprises. All the agreements, preferential treatment, alliances…”
Marcus threw his hands up in the air, as if to indicate the complexity of these arrangements.
“And after the downfall of the Ratcliffe Industries, the appetite for overt aggression has definitely waned,” Orion said, his mouth twisting into a wry smile. “Too many people who were rubbing their hands with glee as we went down ended up losing out.”
“So if we expose the videographer, a sacrificial bloodletting of sorts would take place,” James said, stroking his chin. “Get everyone circling the wagons.”
“Public decrying of revenge porn, blackmail, etc will ensue,” Marcus said. “You may walk out of this stronger than you were before.” His pointer finger tapped his lips. “I will say this though, whoever did the actual file transfer knows what they’re doing. I assume the job was outsourced, because that part was exceptionally well done. We haven’t been able to trace their IP, and from what my people tell me, there’s no electronic signature left on either the communication nor the file itself, which is unusual. This indicates someone with criminal connections or money, and lots of it.”
For a second, there was silence as James stared at Marcus, some kind of weird alpha stare off took place. I began to shift restlessly the longer it went on, Cyn punching Marcus in the arm to break his stare.
“Ow! What the hell was that for?”
“No alpha posturing,” she replied. “We talked about this, Megamind. They’re suspicious of you and us. Of course they are. Who else has buckets of money, connections to some unsavoury types, and the kind of weird genius level intelligence to pull off something like that?”
“There’s the flaw in your argument,” Marcus said, staring at his mate before pulling her down into his lap and hunching over her like the Beast had captured Beauty. “And I am offended you think me capable of botching a job so comprehensively. If I were going to blackmail the wealthy elite, it wouldn’t be with a video of people bravely seeking out love in a place where angels fear to tread.”
All of Marcus’ smugness faded away, replaced instead by a fiery focus.
“You would have my loyalty because Kit and her brother have been constant supporters of what we have made here. You would have my loyalty, Kit and Tristan, because I know well what it is to have a heart that loves what society tells you it shouldn’t. You have my loyalty, James, because I actually think the Chadwicks do a much better job of ruling the elite than a lot of the other bottom feeders. Your family seems to take noblesse oblige seriously, and whether that’s because you want to be seen to be doing the right thing or from a real need to serve the community, the people you help still receive what they need and that makes me happy.”
He stopped as Cyn seemed to melt into him, as he pressed a very gentle kiss to the curve of her cheekbone.
“But most of all, because I watched the video, something I feel I should now apologise for. The quality is execrable, the video obviously shot on a phone in low light, but even so, you all shone through. You’ve chosen a difficult path to travel down.” He frowned slightly, as if the idea caused him actual pain. “One I think we are uniquely positioned to understand. You could be working to bring down my club, blackballing me and mine from any events you organise, and you’d still have my support.”
Sometimes, it was hard to see how Marcus had ended up with the mates that he had. Cyn was sweet and so was Rhys, Brendan always seemed to be rolling his eyes at Marcus’ antics and Orion? Marcus appeared to be the bad boy that had claimed his heart and this seemed to show why. When the mask was dropped, there was someone beneath it that loved and invested deeply in that which he cared about, which would be seductive in anyone’s book.
Right now, I felt faint, shaky, and exposed. That expressed itself in a shiver that started and didn’t know how to end.
“Kit…”
I don’t know which one of them said my name, but they crowded around me, a wall of masculine flesh.
“What’s happening?”
“She’s starting to crash. She…goes away in her head when things get really tough.”