Page 163 of Taint My Soul

“Virgil has been missing for weeks now. He was with his father when Cyrus’s men attacked. I have been to the Red Island a few times, and I haven’t found him, but I have our men scouting the territory.”

“Hmm. Double the reinforcement. I need him found.”

“Right.”

“And the company?”

“Olivia took on the role of CEO. She’s been leading all operations in the company, and she’s doing a phenomenal job.” He explains. “Our associates got our products about a month ago, and we’ve been getting our returns.”

“And Prince Kane. I know I didn’t hold up the end of our bargain.”

“Virgil went to Genesis in your absence, but Prince hasn’t contacted us at all.”

“I’ll take care of it, don’t worry.”

“We still have Vincent in custody, but Madame has been disposed of and replaced by someone else.”

“Can we trust her?”

“Yes, we can.”

“Good.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to know or like me to do?”

I rise from the throne and watch the fields through the window. “No.”

“Alright.” Cross regains his footing.

“Wait.” my voice stops him. “Elio, does he know everything about us?”

“He’s been by your side after we got out of the Red Vault. I thought he deserved to know, but I didn’t tell him everything. It’s left for you to decide whether he’s going to be a part of our family or not.”

“He is.” I grunt. “I love him.” I finally face him, expecting to see some sort of admonishment in his eyes, but my little brother looks me in the eye with love.

He inhales sharply and moves toward me, pulling me into an embrace with a grunt. I chuckle, taking the impact of his embrace. “Don’t forget we have a family dinner this weekend.” I whisper and tighten my hand around him.

“Hopefully, before then, we must have found Virgil.” Cross steps back and smiles.

“Well, off you go.” I chuckle, and he shakes his head with laughter as he walks away.

Father might have raised his family the way he believed was right, but I’m going to do things differently. This family is so important to me, I’ll make sure we’ve always got each other’s backs.

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

ELIO

After we left the Red Vault and moved Saint to the hospital, Cross thought it was wise for me to move into the family home, where it’s safer for me. He had also told me a little about their family’s business since I’d played a part in taking down Tobias King. I haven’t heard from Cyrus, Blessing, or any of the men I trained with in the underground facility since then. Hell, I didn’t want to hear from the man who played a role in my kidnapping. I have moved past those horrors and have been speaking with Dr. Khadija about how I feel and the progress I have been making since we started working together.

I just got out of the shower, and I’m putting on my shorts when I hear a loud, broken cry coming from the other side of the room. I hurry out of my room. The door slams against its hinges as I barrel through Saint’s door. My eyes dart around the bedroom, and I find him crouching down in the dark corner, legs pulled up to his chest, body trembling violently as he hunches over.

I approach him, steps slow and careful. “Saint.” My breath expands for air as I look at him.

He gasps, heavy, disturbed gaze snapping up at me. He edges backward until his back rests against the wall. I go on my knees when I’m close enough to him.

“The lights flickered. It flickered. I might have broken something. I wanted to change my bandages.” He sputters, voice barely audible as he tries to explain himself. “I’m sorry. I thought I could…”

I take his cheeks in my palms, and he flinches. I try to pull back, but he snatches my hand and fastens around my wrist.