Promises (The Kings of Guardian Book 14) Read online

  Promises

  The Kings of Guardian, Book 14

  Kris Michaels

  Copyright © 2020 by Kris Michaels

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, then you are reading an illegal pirated copy. Make sure that you are only reading a copy that has been officially released by the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  The Kings of Guardian Family Tree

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Also by Kris Michaels

  About the Author

  The Kings of Guardian Family Tree

  Patriarch & Matriarch of the Marshall-King Family:

  Frank Marshall is the widowed father of Victoria and Keelee Marshall. Amanda King is the widowed mother of Joseph, Justin, Jasmine, Jade, Jason, Jewell, Jared and Jacob King. She and Frank are now married to each other. She is now Amanda King-Marshall.

  Marshall & King Children

  Jacob (Skipper) King is married to Victoria (Marshall) King. They have four sons, Talon, Trace, Tanner, and the baby, Tristan.

  Joseph King is married to Ember (Harris) King. They have one son, Blake King.

  Doctor Adam Cassidy is married to Keelee (Marshall) Cassidy. They have one daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzy) Cassidy.

  Jason King is married to Faith (Collins) King. They have two sons, Reece and Royce King.

  Jared King is married to Christian (Koehler) King. They have one son, Marcus.

  Jasmine (Jazz) King is married to Chad Nelson. They have one daughter, Chloe Nelson.

  Jewell King is married to Zane Reynolds.

  Jade King is married to Nicolas (Nic) DeMarco.

  Justin King is married to Danielle (Dani Grant) King.

  Drake (Simmons) Marshall, is married to Doctor Jillian (Law) Marshall.

  Dixon (Simmons) Marshall is married to Joy (Moriah) Marshall.

  Mike White Cloud (Chief) is married to Tatyana (Taty) Petrov.

  The founder of “Guardian” and boss of most of the people mentioned above:

  Gabriel Alexander (David Xavier) is married to Anna. They have four children, Gabrielle (Gabrielle Jacqueline), the oldest daughter, twin sons Deacon and Ronan (David Ronan), and Charlotte (Charlotte Jacqueline).

  Happy Reading!

  Kris

  Chapter 1

  “I hate fucking parties.”

  Jacob King choked on his bourbon at his brother Joseph’s words. Joseph gave him a side-eyed glare, but damn it, the guy was hilarious. When he could suck air, he replied. “You hate everything.”

  Joseph rolled his eyes. “Not true.”

  Pushing Joseph’s buttons probably wasn’t smart, but the bourbon was going down easy tonight which, according to Tori, always made him a bit stupid. He grinned. Stupid was fun, especially around his brothers. He pointed at his brother with the same hand that held his glass of bourbon. “Name one thing.”

  “Ember and Blake.” Joseph rasped his wife and son’s names. A rare smile appeared. “That’s two.” A satisfied sneer crossed Joseph's face.

  Jacob shook his head. “That’s a given, and it wasn’t what––”

  “Miss Amanda,” Dixon piped up.

  “Frank,” Drake added.

  “Knives.” Chief sniggered the word and lifted his damn snifter of cognac.

  “Fighting.” Adam leaned back in his chair and let a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

  “Family and, believe it or not, I think that even includes you, Jacob,” Justin added as he sat down in the plush back room of a club in Charlottesville, Virginia.

  Jacob straightened. “Hey––”

  “That godforsaken desert,” Christian said and nudged his husband, Jared, who nodded and added, “Torturing the people who go through the training courses in that godforsaken desert.”

  Maliki Blue laughed and grabbed the bottle of bourbon that was behind him. “That’s the truth, but I’ll admit I know one thing this man is madly happy about that none of the rest of you do.” He poured the men gathered another round except for Chief and Jason. Jason had his ever-present soda and Mike drank that damned frou-frou cognac that he’d taken a shine to when he was undercover as David Xavier.

  The door opened, and Zane Reynolds ushered in Nic DeMarco and Chad Nelson. “Son of a bitch! Do you get that everywhere you go?” Zane shut the door behind him and motioned to Chad, the rumpled country singer. “The high-class clientele out front mauled Chad. I could only imagine what would happen if he walked through a honky-tonk.”

  “It’s part of the job.” Chad tugged on his shirt and tried to see the back. “Did she rip it?”

  “No, but it was a close call. Man, those fans need rabies and distemper shots.” Nic ambled over to the bar and grabbed three tumblers.

  “I rarely enter through the front doors. Jazz arranges for us to enter and exit through other entrances. She keeps us out of the public eye and safe.” Chad tugged on the sleeves of his shirt and took an empty tumbler from Nic. They dropped into chairs and held out their glasses. “What did we miss?”

  Jacob answered, “About four rounds of great bourbon and Joseph declaring he hates parties.”

  Zane chuckled. “What about the one in Belfast?”

  Joseph barked out a laugh. “That wasn’t a party, that was a melee, and it was one of the best times I’ve ever had.”

  “Your definition of a good time needs work,” Jason chuckled and turned back to Maliki. “You were going to say something?”

  “Not if he values his life, he wasn’t.” Joseph leveled a stare at Mal.

  “Dude, lose the grump, I wouldn’t actually say anything to them unless you brought it up first.” Maliki finished the bottle and headed to the bar to get another one.

  “Brought what up?” Jacob turned to stare at his oldest brother.

  A slow smile spread across Joseph’s face. Jacob had seen that pride before. Hell, he saw it in the mirror every time he thought about his boys. Jacob blinked. Could Joseph and Ember be… “No.”

  Joseph nodded.

  “No way!” Justin hooted.

  “Yeah, we’re pregnant.” Joseph’s smile lit the room up.

  “Holy hell! Congratulations.” Jacob gave his brother a bear hug and then got the fuck out of the way as the rest of the men took their turns congratulating the oldest King.

  Joseph flipped off his best friend. “You were told not to mention it tonight, asshole. This weekend is about you and Poet.”

  “It still is! There is more than enough happiness to go around. Just don’t let our mothers find out about the baby or they will plan the world’s largest baby shower.” Mal pulled a box of Cuban cigars from behind the bar. “Besides, now I can smoke one of these bad boys.”

  Joseph narrowed his eyes and grabbed a Cohiba Siglo VI. “Damn straight, and as this is your bachelor party, sho
uldn’t we be doing some drinking and smoking anyway?”

  Jason took a cigar and smiled. Jacob loved to see his brother be able to partake in the camaraderie. His addictions didn’t extend to smoking, so watching him get involved in the festivities was a damn good experience. Jason clipped the end and lit up before he spoke, “Yes, but now we are celebrating both occasions.”

  “Besides, it’s much more fun to irritate you. Mal just laughs the shit off,” Drake said and then clinked his glass with Dixon.

  Joseph slowly turned his attention to Drake. “Boy, you better back up, or we’ll talk about a certain cabin that no longer exists.”

  Jacob laughed along with everyone else as Drake’s face flamed. “I offered to pay for the damage.” The sullen, muttered reply ignited another round of laughter.

  “Where are you and Poet going for a honeymoon?” Nic’s question settled the commotion to a low roar, although Dixon and Drake continued to mutter between themselves while glancing at Joseph. Well now, that could be of interest. Get those two plotting together and more than a mere cabin could blow up.

  Jacob tuned back into the conversation as Mal replied, “An all-inclusive resort on Aruba. Beachfront, all the alcohol, food, sun, and surf we can stand for two weeks.” Maliki raised a glass and nodded to Joseph. “His idea.”

  Joseph’s head whipped around. “What? So not my fucking idea!”

  “Yes, it was. All you could do was go on about having Ember to yourself for two weeks in Aruba. Sounded damn good, so I looked into it. Should be heaven.”

  Joseph rolled his eyes. “Just don’t stop by, if you know what I mean.”

  “No worries, I’ll have better things to do than find your grumpy ass.”

  “Aruba for two weeks. Damn, that sounds like heaven, especially after all these snowstorms.” Justin leaned back. “Coldest winter in the last three decades. I hate the snow sometimes.”

  “Aruba, isn’t that another desert?” Christian lifted his glass. “The man loves the desert.”

  “But it is a tropical desert island with beautiful beaches, and it’s fucking warm.” Zane lifted his glass and downed it in one go. “I could deal with two weeks laying on the beach.”

  Jacob couldn’t help laughing at the glare Joseph sent Zane’s way. This shit was getting fun. “I’m due vacation time. Aruba sounds fucking phenomenal.”

  Joseph slowly turned his head toward him. “Do not start.”

  “What?” Jacob smacked an innocent expression on his face. “Like you own the fucking island?”

  “Last time I checked he didn’t, but that mansion he lives in could be the Governor’s Palace.” Justin shrugged. “It has, what, ten bedrooms?”

  “Yeah, we got lost when we stayed there last year.” Chad nodded. “Ten bedrooms, thirteen bathrooms, a pool the size of a small lake, plus a beach-side kitchen. That place is lit.”

  “I think Marcus would love the beach.” Jared glanced at his husband and smiled.

  “Oh, man, that would be amazing. It has been so damn cold here.” Christian leaned into Jared.

  Jason shook his head. “Unfortunately, I’m too busy. Mopping up the fallout from the New York situation.”

  “Thank God, that’s all I’d need, the entire family showing up on my doorstep.” Joseph gave an exaggerated shiver, tossed back the rest of his bourbon, and held out his glass toward Maliki. “I need another. I have to wear a fucking tux tomorrow.”

  “We know, that’s why we’re here. Well, that and wishing you well, Mal.” Jacob lifted his glass.

  “The people in this room and your spouses are the only ones Poet and I know, so we are very grateful you came. Our mothers have lost it. I swear it upset them when we capped the invitations. They had a list of over six hundred. Six hundred! Poet’s mother wanted to invite relatives she’s never met. And my mom? God, everyone she ever met would have an invitation. I’m so looking forward to Aruba. But in deference to our jobs and the people we wanted to invite, they agreed to a drastically smaller ceremony. Thank God.” He glanced at his watch. “We leave the reception in twenty-three hours.” Mal poured another drink. “To sanity, may it reign forever.”

  “To sanity.” The toast echoed around the room as the door opened and platters of food arrived.

  The aroma brought a rumble of dissatisfaction from his stomach. Jacob was so hungry his gut was pretty damn sure his throat had been slit. He hadn’t eaten all day and his stomach was empty… well, minus the deluge of alcohol. He made his way to the first platter that hit the table. Oh, hell yeah. Decent food. He picked up a plate and piled on the eats. Two pieces for his plate, one for his mouth. Fuck yeah, excellent food.

  “Hey, Skipper.”

  Stopping for a moment, Jacob glanced around with his fork halfway to his mouth before he shoved the flakey cheese puff in. “What are you two up to?” He said the words around his food.

  “Want to have some fun?” Drake took a drink of his bourbon.

  Uh, hell yeah! “Absolutely. But if it involves moving from this food, it will have to wait.”

  “You don’t know what it is yet.” Dixon laughed and grabbed a fancy sandwich from one of the trays next to them.

  “Fuck, that looks good. Okay, then tell me what you have in mind.” Jacob pulled two of the small-ass sandwiches off the tray and plopped one on his plate. He took a bite of the other and waited for one of the Wonder Twins to speak.

  Drake lifted an eyebrow. “Well, it involves pranking Joseph.”

  Jacob shrugged. “I’m in.” He devoured the other half of the sandwich in one bite.

  Dixon took a sip of his bourbon. “Got to be honest with you, Skipper. We’re considering taking it to the next level. This could get you killed.”

  “Nah, he won’t kill me.” Jacob swallowed and glanced at his brother who was speaking to Mike and Maliki. He turned back and laughed, “At least I don’t think he would. What are we doing? Switching out his tux?”

  Drake shook his head. “Something so much better.”

  Jacob stopped eating and smiled. “Have I told you how much I miss your devious asses?”

  “Not lately, but we know.” Dixon turned his back to Joseph and company. “It will take some coordination.”

  Jacob picked up his drink. “With whom?”

  “Everyone here, Frank and Gabriel, maybe a few more.” Drake murmured the words. “But it will be worth it.”

  He smiled and grabbed two more sandwiches, making sure Joseph was still across the room. “All right. Fill me in.”

  Ten minutes later, Jacob drew a deep breath. “You’re right. He’s going to kill us.”

  “You. Not us.” Dixon pointed at him.

  “No, if people are dying, it will be an equal opportunity murder scene. I’ll rat you out the first chance I get.” He downed the rest of the alcohol in his glass. “All right. Operation Get Maliki and Joseph Shit-Faced is a go.”

  Drake snickered, “Skipper, you have balls the size of Texas.”

  “Yeah. Hopefully, my brother doesn’t cut them off, roast them, and force-feed them to me.”

  “It’s all in fun, right?” Dixon shrugged. “We need this. All of us.”

  Jacob laughed and lowered his voice. “And the fact that it will irritate the fuck out of Joseph is just the cherry on the top, right?”

  “More like the explosion on the top,” Dixon and Drake said in unison.

  Jacob blinked and shook his head. “Yeah, don’t do that again. Wait until I have more liquor.”

  Chapter 2

  Poet and Maliki’s Wedding Day

  Ember opened the bedroom door and padded out to the living area of the luxury suite Joseph had rented. She stared at the prone form of the man she loved and shook her head. Getting just the right angle, she took a picture before opening the group text between her and the Crazy Coven, as they called themselves.

  >EMBER: Is mine the only one in this condition?

  She attached the picture and hit send.

  Joseph snored light
ly, and she eyed him as she watched bubbles pop up on her screen. Shirt rucked up to his armpits, sprawled out on his back, one leg more off the couch than on with one shoe and sock off, one shoe and sock on. His hair stuck up in angles that the best sculpting wax couldn’t achieve.

  > TORI: Nope.

  A picture of Jacob holding his head at a small table while his boys ate breakfast hit the group thread.

  >TORI: I ordered him sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, sausage, and corn beef hash, and told the boys they needed to spend time with their dad this morning. Strangely, he hasn’t eaten a thing.

  Ember snorted. She absolutely loved Tori. The woman kept her man in line.

  >JASMINE: Chad and his new manager are heading to D.C. for a meeting with his lawyer. He said he nursed one drink all night. Did Jacob say anything about Aruba?

  >JADE: Nic is in the shower. I think he might die in there. What the hell did they do last night? What about Aruba?

  >FAITH: Jason took the boys to the airport to meet Amanda and Frank. He said something about going to Aruba.

  Ember narrowed her eyes and turned her head slowly. “Joey, what did you do?”

  Her husband’s eye opened slightly. “Shhhh. Dying.”

  The croaking words substantiated the fact that her husband was in fact suffering. Poor Joey. “I’ve never heard of anyone dying from a hangover.”

  “Wait for it.” His eye closed again. She shook her head and glanced back down at her phone.

  > JOY: Mine’s in a coma. Damn men can’t hold their liquor. I want Starbucks. Hit me with room numbers and your orders.