Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“No money, no home, and no other skills, they linked up and started offering their services. I don’t need to tell you that even with safety in numbers, that was a dangerous move. This was the second time their home was burned down.”
I didn’t want to go there. “It’s supposed to be a secret. That’s what Victor meant when he said he couldn’t publicly throw in with the guys. No one can know that the Wilsons are Rogues.”
“They’re not.”
“But you just said—”
“I said it started with Elmer Wilson. The Rogues aren’t like the Royal line. You’re not born into it. It’s a choice.”
“A choice?”
Alistair tipped his head. “Well, I say choice. There are certainly some within our group who’ve raised their children to be one thing and one thing only. But you can be a Royal who chooses to become a Rogue. The same as if you’re a regular citizen who chooses a life of crime. Bad choices aren’t owned by anyone.”
I slowly stood up, moving behind and putting the couch between us. “Is that what you did?” My voice was barely above a croak as I looked into his hooded eyes. “Is that why you keep saying we and our?”
“You’re in no danger from me, Luna. I would never hurt you.”
“How do I know that?” I demanded. “Who are you? Why does Everleigh want you dead? Why did she kill my sister to do it!”
Alistair winced like my shout slapped him. “This is what I’m trying to explain. The Rogues are a secret criminal organization with ties that spread across the country and overseas. Knowing the members of the organization is valuable currency, but running the entire operation...” Alistair trailed off, whistling. “It was just a game to us at first—me and Everton Starling.”
My spine stiffened. “Everton Starling. Everleigh’s biological father.”
“Yes,” he said, turning back to the window. “Growing up, we were best friends. The only one wilder and more reckless than me was him. We wreaked holy terror on Regalia and no one could stop us. I could wipe my boot on someone’s back and they’d bend down and ask if I’d like to do the other one. No one told us no. That kind of power goes to your head fast.”
“I’ve seen it,” I said, tone flat.
“Everton and I liked being on top, but we never would be. We were both the youngest sons. Our older siblings were going to inherit the companies while we were left with whatever scraps they tossed our way. We wanted more. We wanted the Rogues.”
I frowned. “Isn’t that a bit of a leap? You can’t take over the company, so you join a criminal organization? If you couldn’t reach the cookie jar back then, did you burn the house down?”
He chuckled. “I was quite the brat, but I stayed away from the matches. Listen, I know how it sounds, but it wasn’t a tantrum that made me seek out the Rogues. I was always... different... from my family. Everyone around me played the game. They smiled, schmoozed, and oozed doublespeak, backstabbing, and point-scoring.
“All of it seemed pointless to me. It’s like... say, there’s a playground that’s taken over every night by inconsiderate shits who smoke and drink and leave their trash and broken bottles for little kids to stumble over. Dario’s way of solving the problem was writing a letter to the city council, organizing a volunteer cleanup, and posting a sign that said, please don’t litter.
“My way was beating the shit out of them and promising to do worse if they came back. I know this because that’s exactly what the two of us did all those years ago when Seven’s daughter cut her leg open on a broken beer bottle in the sandbox.” He met my wide eyes. “It didn’t occur to either of us to try the other’s method. Dario was always peace. I was the chaos.”
“But... why does that mean you had to become a Rogue? You’re a Burkhardt. You could’ve done anything.”
“I couldn’t, Luna. The more I rebelled, the more my father tightened the chains around me. He refused to pay tuition for an out-of-state school. I got an internship in London, and he bought the business and shut it down just to stop me going. The more I tried to get away from him, the closer he held me.”
Understanding tried to trickle in. “I’m guessing it’s not easy to break free of a man like William Burkhardt.”
“It’s impossible. He’s tied to everyone in Regalia, but no one was bound tighter than his children. At least Dario would take over the company until he was ready to follow his political aspirations up the ladder. The only thing I had to look forward to was endless days of filling my boredom with booze and women because my father made it clear he wasn’t letting his troublemaking son out into the world to embarrass him and blacken the Burkhardt name,” he said. “I was looking for a way out, and the Rogues were it.