The Kingston's were always more than a family.
They were a dynasty-ruling New York from the shadows, with power flowing through their veins for generations. Nothing happened in their city without their knowledge or control. It was a legacy of power...
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'Vi et animo' With heart and soul
―✧˖° ♛ °˖✧―
Beckett Kingston
I had always been told it was a good thing that Reese was so observant—because without her, I'd likely be neck-deep in chaos, blind to the danger creeping up around me.
But they didn't know that I always knew exactly what I was walking into. Reese is just the rational one between us, the one who stops me from marching straight to my destruction.
After a month away from home at a soccer camp, I wasn't sure what to expect when I got home. Reese and my oldest brother were still on a flight back from Shanghai, and Dad wasn't doing well.
I didn't want to leave the house, not with the news we had received recently. But Dad had insisted, saying the camp was "important for my future"—blah, blah, blah. He'd never been so eager to get me out of the house before, and I had a feeling I was about to find out why.
There was a different energy on the estate today. I could feel it the moment I stepped through the front door. For the first time in my life, I hesitated at the threshold of my own home.
Why? I wasn't sure yet.
But I'd never been scared of a little challenge, so I walked in with all the confidence in the world.
"Father!" I called out unnecessarily loud, tossing my bags on the floor by the entryway. "Where art thou?"
"Beckett," my father sighed, already looking exasperated. I'd barely been home a minute and he was already exhausted with me. Dad looked me up and down, making sure I was okay. He always did that when one of us came home—me, Vaughn, or Reese—checking to see if we were in one piece. "Welcome home, kid."
I grinned at him, but something felt off. Dad looked paler, and thinner, like he wasn't sleeping well. He had the best doctors and nurses around him, so I figured he was fine. Maybe I was just being paranoid. "Did you miss me?"
"Terribly," he drawled, rolling his eyes. My stomach growled, and I headed toward the kitchen. I hadn't eaten since the drive back.
"Wait," Dad called after me. "Do you mind if we talk quickly in the study before you go anywhere?"
My smile faltered. The study? He only ever took me there when I was in serious trouble. My mind raced, trying to think of what I'd done wrong. Sure, I'd gotten into a few verbal sparring matches with some annoying kids at camp, but nothing major, nothing like Reese and I did on a daily basis when we were together, but I hadn't seen her in like a month.
I was halfway to the kitchen when I turned around, walking backwards to face him. He wore a weird grimace, clearly not thrilled that I wasn't heading in his direction. "Can I get a snack first? I'm starving. Haven't eaten in ages."
