Kade laughed, taking me by surprise. I sat back, looking up at him in confusion. I certainly hadn’t been thinking “funny.”

“Princess, look at me,” Kade said, his lips twisting in a half smile. “I’ve got gunshot scars, knife scars, and scars I don’t even want to remember how I got from a life I didn’t give a shit about living until I met you. The last thing I’m going to worry about or dwell on is your past lovers, even if I share a bloodline with one of them.”

What could I possibly say to that? He loved me, didn’t care about my past, and wanted to be with me. He was right. I needed to let it go. Blane and Branna didn’t concern me anymore. Kade and our unborn child were my world now.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him the best I knew how. He held me close and it seemed the past finally slid off my shoulders.

* * *

I eyed my reflection, nerves making me bit my lip. I was dressed in a somber black-and-white dress that hit just below the knees. A thin belt circled my waist and I wore sensible black heels.

“I feel like we’re going to a funeral,” I said to Kade, glancing over my shoulder to see he was tying his tie. He was also dressed formally, in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. I moved in front of him and brushed his hands aside as they fiddled with the tie.

“Now I know why you never wear a tie,” I teased, undoing the uneven knot and starting over.

“We are going to a funeral,” Kade replied, allowing me to fix the silk. “Figuratively, anyway. Time to put a nail in the coffin of Uncle Robert.”

“Is Blane going to be able to do that?” I asked. I knew how much Robert meant to Blane, and I’d yet to ask him how he really felt since he’d realized all his great-uncle had done to control him—to the point of putting Kade and me in mortal danger.

“He has to,” Kade said grimly. “If he doesn’t, I will—only my solution will be much more permanent.” His smile was thin and cold.

“I thought we couldn’t just kill him,” I said.

“Blane can’t,” Kade replied. “But I can.”

I grabbed his arm. “No, you can’t,” I said. “I need you. The baby needs you. You can’t throw yourself in harm’s way anymore. Not even for Blane.”

Kade’s eyes narrowed.

“Promise me,” I said, taking his face in my palms. “Don’t do something that could leave me to raise this baby alone.”

His piercing blue eyes searched mine. “I promise,” he said finally.

We met Blane and Branna in the lobby, where Blane was checking all of us out of the hotel. Branna was the only one not dressed up, instead wearing jeans and a shirt. She gave us a nod as we approached her, taking a sip of coffee from the paper cup she held.

I sucked in a breath when Blane joined us, the marks on his face mirroring Kade’s. He glanced at me, then slid his sunglasses on.

“Your eyes look better,” he remarked. “No other ill effects from the tear gas, I hope?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

We headed outside and that’s when I realized we were within walking distance of the Capitol building, which is precisely where we headed. Except for Branna. She branched off toward where we’d parked last night.

“Isn’t she coming with us?” I asked.

“Thought we might need a quick exit,” Blane explained, “so she’s going to be nearby with the car.”

“So why am I coming along? I’m not exactly family.” And it wasn’t like I trusted myself to be in the same room with Senator Keaston without trying to hurt him.

“Aren’t you?” Blane asked. I glanced up at him. A soft smile played at the edges of his lips.

Reaching down, he took my hand, and that was how we walked up the Capitol steps and into the building—Kade on one side of me, my hand firmly clasped in his, and Blane on the other. I hoped I was able to give something to them in the same way they both gave strength and courage to me.

We went through security, Blane showing them a special ID he took from his wallet, then we were allowed to pass.

There were throngs of people everywhere, but Blane seemed to know where he was going. Before long we stood in front of a large wooden door with a bronze placard, emblazoned with Senator Robert W. Keaston, on the wall next to it. Underneath his name was MASSACHUSETTS. Blane rapped twice on the door, then walked in.

An older woman sat behind a large desk made from cherry wood. Two flags stood in a corner of the room, one an American flag, the other the state flag of Massachusetts, I assumed. The woman glanced up.

“Mr. Kirk,” she said with a smile. “It’s been a while since you’ve been up to see the senator.”

“Hi, Jackie. Been a while since I’ve been to Washington,” Blane replied, his easy smile making the dimple appear in his cheek. “Is he in?”

“He’s in a meeting at the moment,” Jackie said, “but you’re welcome to wait in his office.”

“Thank you,” Blane replied. He held open another door, allowing me and Kade to step inside the senator’s office. Jackie eyed me curiously but didn’t ask any questions. Blane softly closed the door behind him.

The office wasn’t terribly large, but then again, I thought space was probably at a premium in this building. There was a gray marble fireplace situated between two windows. Another cherry wood desk took up a good amount of space along one wall and a thick oriental-style rug covered the floor. A large portrait painting of John Adams hung behind the desk.

Two leather armchairs flanked an antique table along the wall opposite the desk and that’s where Kade sat. He slid his sunglasses into the inside pocket of his suit coat and crossed an ankle over the other knee. Taking a small device from another pocket, he flicked a tiny switch.

“That should take care of any listening devices within a twenty-foot radius,” he said, sliding it back into his pocket.

Blane nodded. He seemed restless, moving around the room, stopping to gaze out the window. My heart hurt for him. The look on his face was stark, grim. I went up to him, resting my hand on his arm. He glanced down at me and it seemed I didn’t have to say anything. He read my face, then lifted a hand to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing gently across my skin. Sliding his hand underneath my hair to the back of my neck, he drew me closer, brushing a kiss to my forehead.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly.

The door opened and the man I hated walked in.

Senator Keaston looked like any other powerful politician, and his expression said that while he wasn’t surprised to see us, he wasn’t happy about it, either.

“Did I miss the memo on a family meeting?” The senator’s words were chiding, but his gaze was calculating as he took in Kade, me, and Blane. He settled into the chair behind the desk.

“I prefer not to claim you,” Kade said, his lips twisting into a chilly smirk.

The senator glared at him. “Likewise, boy,” he said, his voice rife with contempt. He turned and gazed my way. “And I see you’ve brought the trash in with you.”

Blane stiffened and Kade’s eyes narrowed dangerously. I tightened my grip on Blane’s arm, but he didn’t make a move toward Keaston. Instead, he turned to me, solicitously taking my hand and drawing me across the room to sit in the chair next to Kade. My knees were shaking, so sitting down seemed like a great idea. After I sank into the seat, Blane’s hand brushed my hair back before he turned again to face Keaston.

“I think it’s time you and I had a talk, Uncle,” Blane said, approaching the desk. He leaned one shoulder against the fireplace and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve lied to me, manipulated me, tried to hurt the people I love. Why?”

“It sounds like you’ve been listening a bit too much to Kade,” Keaston replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Matt Summers confessed,” Blane said. “He said you were behind Kathleen being taken. You know, by the sex traffickers who would have sold her to the highest bidder for a life of misery, for however long she lasted?” His voice was hard. “And before you start saying he was lying, Matt had a gun to his head, so I think he was pretty intent on telling me the truth.”

Now I knew that Blane hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger on Matt and that Matt had actually confessed to me and Lucy, though I’d been too drugged to remember it. But I wasn’t about to contradict Blane’s story.

Unbelievably, Keaston smiled. “Well, it all worked out, didn’t it? She’s sitting right there, healthy as can be. Now, when can I expect the wedding bells?”

“Kathleen and I aren’t getting married, Robert,” Blane said. “You helped see to that. And I’m through with politics. The games you’ve been playing with my life have . . . Well, let’s just say it’s all left a bad taste in my mouth.

“You’ve had your fingers in some pretty nasty pies, Robert,” Blane continued. “All the way back to the TecSol case, only you weren’t the one rigging the election, but the one helping to sell access to China—and using a teenager and her captive parents to do it.”

My eyes widened. I’d had no idea Keaston had had anything to do with imprisoning CJ’s parents or her subsequent blackmailing.

“You worked with Matt Summers to try and intimidate me into losing the Waters case, threatening Kathleen, hurting her. You sent someone to try and kill Kade, my brother, then lied to me about my fiancée!” Blane’s voice had risen, fury filling each syllable, until he stood in a towering rage that made me shrink back in my chair.

None of this seemed to have the least effect on Keaston. “Are you through having a temper tantrum?” he barked. “You’re a soldier. You know that sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do in order to achieve an end result. The end justifies the means, and I am not going to explain myself to you.”