Bloodlines of Deceit

"I don't know, but you wouldn't leave me any choice but to figure that shit out. I'm hoping it won't come to that."

He tipped his drink at me and clasped a hand over my shoulder, which caused a grimace to settle on my face. I was still aching from the fight last night.

"How bad is it?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You just flinched from my hand on your shoulder, Lyle. It's got to be pretty bad. Should I have a doctor on standby?"

"I said I'm fine; let's get this shit over with."

He delivered one last cursory glance, then led the way to a small room in the back of the club. Several large brown leather armchairs, sectioned off, faced a small round stage. There was a pole in the center.

"Eirik Omari." Parker placed his drink on the small black table, stood, and offered his hand. "It's been years. You look well."

I accepted his hand but didn't smile." He turned to Ez. "I didn't think you could pull it off."

Ez cut his eyes my way. "My brother is loyal to our family. I needed him; he's here."

"I see that." Parker smiled as his eyes bounced between the two of us.

Forrester didn't stand. He only nodded, offering a greeting. "Glad that you could join us, Eirik. I assume Ezekiel has filled you in on the importance of you being here."

"He briefly discussed an alliance between our family and the Devereauxs."

I took a seat, balancing my drink on the arm of the chair. Ez sat next to me so that he and I were facing Forrester and Parker.

"Not just an alliance. A marriage to show unity between your families. And an heir that shares both of your blood."

My fingers tightened around my glass as I quickly cut my eyes at my brother. I had no plans on having children ever. He understood why.

"A marriage is one thing, an heir..."

"You do understand that this alliance has to be maintained. Marriages end, but a child is shared between two families, an heir that carries your name.

"It means nothing if two families truly want to sever ties."

"Agreed, however, it's less likely that it will happen. All things considered, we need this to be as believable as possible."

"Believable means that you don't foresee it being more than a lie."

"Isn't that what it will be for you?" Forrester was questioned with an arched brown

"Given the history between your families, one can only assume that this option is on the table for the good of things, bigger than any of us. The balance of power needs to remain even. It will not if your families continue to harbor bad blood between you."

"My family?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes at Parker. Cole Devereux shot my brother in the head because he allowed his ego to get in the way. Daddy wasn't allowing him to be the man he wanted to be, so he decided to buck the system."

"And you in turn tortured Cole for hours, beating him to death with your bare hands and delivering him to his family's property with a note that said, We'll never be even, but this is a good start."

"Allegedly. The Devereaux family had far more enemies than just my family."

"Cut the shit, Eirik. We all know you were the one to kill Devereaux."

"Allegedly," I repeated. "Cole shot my brother in a crowded club with hundreds of witnesses. To this day, not one has spoken up about who tortured and killed Cole."

"Which isn't relevant to our situation at the moment?" My brother cut in, and I turned to him.

"Isn't it, though? He killed our brother, and you want me to marry his sister."