Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable Book 7) Read online

  Trials and Tiaras

  Untouchable Book Seven

  Heather Long

  Copyright © 2020 by Heather Long

  Cover by Crimson Phoenix Creations

  Editing: Bookish Dreams Editing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For #TeamMadAtHeather

  Sorry about that cliffhanger.

  Well, no, not really.

  Admit it, you loved it.

  Series so Far

  Rules and Roses

  Changes and Chocolate

  Keys and Kisses

  Whispers and Wishes

  Hangovers and Holidays

  Brazen and Breathless

  Contents

  Trials and Tiaras

  Foreword

  1. Chapter One

  Valentine’s Day

  2. Chapter Two

  Valentine’s Day

  3. Chapter Three

  Valentine’s Day

  4. Chapter Four

  5. Chapter Five

  6. Chapter Six

  7. Chapter Seven

  8. Chapter Eight

  9. Chapter Nine

  Something to Talk About

  10. Chapter Ten

  Laugh a Little Too Loud

  11. Chapter Eleven

  Thinking About It Every Day

  12. Chapter Twelve

  13. Chapter Thirteen

  14. Chapter Fourteen

  15. Chapter Fifteen

  16. Chapter Sixteen

  17. Chapter Seventeen

  18. Chapter Eighteen

  19. Chapter Nineteen

  20. Chapter Twenty

  21. Chapter Twenty-One

  22. Chapter Twenty-Two

  Be Nice

  23. Chapter Twenty-Three

  24. Chapter Twenty-Four

  25. Chapter Twenty-Five

  26. Chapter Twenty-Six

  27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

  28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

  29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Graduation and Gifts

  Afterword

  About Heather Long

  Also by Heather Long

  Trials and Tiaras

  It’s not true.

  It can’t be.

  Four DNA tests.

  Only one positive.

  The man claiming to be my father is quite literally the worst option imaginable. This isn’t happening to me. For the first time in my life, I know who I am and where I want to be and, in the blink of an eye, everything is spinning so utterly out of control.

  I thought the fight with Maddy was the worst thing I faced.

  It’s not.

  I’ve grown up in a house of lies and it’s all crashing down on the five of us, and I have no idea how to protect the ones I love best from the fallout. They’ve all made it clear, they’re not going anywhere.

  Worse, I don’t know how to keep them from wading into this fight.

  I can’t imagine my life without all four of them. I don’t want to.

  We can survive this, right?

  *Please note this is a reverse harem and the author suggests you always read the forward in her books. Contains some bullying elements, mature situations, and is recommended for 17+. This is the seventh in a series and the story will continue through future books.

  Foreword

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for picking up Trials and Tiaras. If you haven’t read the first six in the Untouchable series, I caution you to go and grab those right now and read them first.

  It’s funny, I have said for months that this would only be a ten book series. (Yes, yes, I know: only!) Yet, as I wrapped this book and looked forward toward the future, I considered how much of the story I had left to tell.

  Could I do it all in three books? Would I have to sacrifice some of it? Or worse, would it all feel rushed and too heavy? I didn’t want to do either of those things. So after some serious contemplation, and discussions, I’ve decided to add two more books to the series. This will let the story breathe.

  The good news, books will continue to come out on schedule (still shooting for every 2 months). The even better news, you’re getting more Frankie and the boys!

  This series wouldn’t be complete without the enormous support system I had in place from the Heathens in the pack to #TeamMadatHeather to my beta readers and editors to my friends who just cheer me on and occasionally kick my ass. The fact that this list has grown with every book is amazing to me and I couldn’t be more grateful.

  I have to take a moment to also say thank you to my family even though the chances are they won’t read this. I know I’m a hermit, hiding in my office, lost in this world. I know you miss me and occasionally roust me out for human contact. I promise, as soon as the world gets back to some sort of normalcy, I’ll still be exactly like this. So, good to know some things don’t change, right?

  Thank you to every single reader who has given this series a shot and to those who left reviews. Thank you to the readers who recommend the series to their friends and to every single person who has reached out to me about it. I see and hear all of you. Thank you to the readers who make the beautiful collages and cast who they see as the characters in this series.

  I get such a thrill for every single one I see.

  Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  And now, as always, the housekeeping notes:

  For those of you who have never read a reverse harem before, first let me thank you for picking this up and giving it a shot. Second, a reverse harem means the heroine will not make a choice in this book or any other between the guys in her life. It may take her a while to reach that conclusion, but it’s the journey that drives it. There are many ways to frame this kind of relationship, currently reverse harem fits it very well.

  Also, this is the seventh book in a series. If you haven’t read the first six, I encourage you to pause here and go grab them. While there may be no specific happy endings at the end of each of these books, there will be one to the whole series, that I promise you. Some of these books will have cliffhangers, largely due to the size of the story, but the happy ending has to be earned as part of the journey.

  Thank you again for reading Frankie’s story and I truly hope you enjoy it!

  xoxo

  Heather

  Chapter One

  Living with Lies

  Archie

  As soon as the car came to a halt, I slid over and opened the door without waiting for the driver. Jake exhaled as he followed me. I’d told him he didn’t have to come with, but he’d just glared at me. Two plane tickets later, we were on our way to New York. With both of us gone, that left Bubba and Coop to keep an eye on Frankie.

  My heart fisted as I headed for the main doors. I couldn’t focus on Frankie too closely right now. My temper was still on edge, and if Bubba and Jake hadn’t sat on me, I’d probably be in jail for murder. I had a plan. I just needed to stick with it.

  Phillip, the doorman, gave me a nod as he opened the doors to let us in out of the frigid February air. Instead of spending Valentine’s weekend with our girl, we were here in New York on a Sunday morning to track down my mother. Inside, I pulled a keycard out of my pocket and swiped it at the elevator before pressing the call button.

  Jake let out a low whistle as the doors slid open to reveal a comfortably appointed elevator where no expense had been spared to make it appear as opulent as the building it served in. Inside, I pressed th
e penthouse button, then ran my swipe card again and entered the code. Only then did the doors close.

  “You didn’t have to come,” I reminded him.

  Arms folded, Jake shot me a smirk. “Fuck off.”

  “Right. So what?”

  “Nothing, just forget how much money your family has sometimes.”

  “Good,” I said. “I don’t want to be known for the money.”

  “But you’re more than willing to use it.”

  I shrugged. “It’s an asset. Right now, it’s a powerful one we have to protect her. You really complaining?”

  “Fuck no,” Jake said. “Just makes me think about our plans and I’m glad you’re on my side.”

  I nodded. “Ditto.”

  Then the elevator doors opened to the penthouse. Express access never took long. The interior was lit from all the windows facing out over the city. Unsurprisingly, a butler greeted us.

  “Mrs. Standish is still in her room, Mr. Standish…”

  “Is she alone?”

  “Sir?”

  “Is she alone or does she have a guest over?”

  “I’m afraid I couldn’t—”

  “That’s fine, I know where it is,” I said, waving him off. Whatever, if she had someone in there, Jake would help me throw him out so I could talk to her. “You should probably make coffee and get the vodka out if she needs a shot after this conversation.”

  Across the living room to one of the halls tucked just out of sight, I followed it to the master suite. I knocked twice and then gripped the handle. Deep breath. It would hardly be the first time I walked in one of their dalliances.

  It was how I’d figured out the Maddy equation in the first place. Not that they’d seen me.

  The interior of the master was much darker, with only one window offering partial light through the drapes. Jake paused at the doorway.

  “Archibald,” Muriel said with an aggrieved sigh. “What is so urgent you can’t even wait a polite fifteen minutes for me to make myself presentable?”

  Robe on with her hair already coiffed, she held her phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

  “This isn’t a social call, Muriel, and I couldn’t care less if you are presentable.”

  “Don’t take that tone with me,” she began, and I sliced a hand through the air to cut her off.

  “Not in the mood, Muriel. We need to talk, and I have questions. You’re going to answer them.”

  She arched a plucked eyebrow. “And if I refuse?”

  “I can make life very unpleasant for you. I’m sure you want those accounts to stay accessible, but since they are part of a larger Standish estate funding, I can redirect that entirely or tie it up in enough paperwork, you’ll have to jump through hoops to order a cup of coffee.”

  I’d come prepared.

  She lowered her cup and eyed me. “You’re serious.”

  “Yes, Muriel, contrary to your opinion, I’m quite often serious. But right now, what I want are answers and you have them. So the only thing you need to decide is whether we’re doing it in here or out there.”

  “Let me get my coat and my shoes.”

  With that, she turned back into her closet, and I walked out to the hall to wait with Jake.

  “Coat and shoes?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s gotta be bad. She wants a cigarette.”

  Muriel didn’t keep us waiting, surprise. She had indeed pulled on a heavy coat and warm shoes. I motioned for her to go past, and she barely even glanced at Jake. He mouthed ‘Wow’ to me, and I shook my head.

  Sometimes, I forgot the guys didn’t have as much experience with my parents as Frankie did. They were so rarely around. Just thinking of her sent a muscle twitching at the corner of my eye.

  “…bring coffee out for all of us,” Muriel said. “And do turn on the heating lamps for me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She had a thin silver case in her hand—a hand that now wore gloves. The wind outside might threaten her hair, but that was the price we would pay. Her butler was already carrying out a tray with large mugs of coffee. Jake grabbed two when I would have left it, but I took the second one from him when he glared.

  Seriously, if he came to be my babysitter, I was gonna give him a black eye the next time we boxed. Once Muriel had her mug, the butler opened the doors to the patio. The wind was definitely brisk, but the alcove off this side of the building offered us a bit of shelter.

  The heating lamps did the rest. Someone had already cleared away the snow and any ice accumulation. We paid people to take care of everything. For the first time in my life, it really seemed like a fucking waste.

  At Frankie’s, we all had chores and they sucked. But we did it, and I kind of liked the fact we all split up the work. It had kind of turned her apartment into our apartment. It had taken us a long time to get here, and I wasn’t going to let anyone…

  Fuck. I shook off the wandering thoughts, even as my gut bottomed out. No. Just fucking no. It was not all going to hell because Edward couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.

  Muriel lit a cigarette and then took a seat on the padded chair just below the patio heater, looking for all the world like we were on vacation and having the most pleasant time. “Well, are you going to send your friend away?”

  “No.”

  “I would prefer to keep private matters private.”

  “Trust me,” I told her as I set my cup down on the table and then braced my hands on the green marble monstrosity, “I would prefer if you’d all kept your fucking private matters private. But guess what, they aren’t anymore…”

  “Archibald…”

  “Save it, you were a womb with a view and a name on my birth certificate. I spent more time with my nannies and my boarding schools than I ever did with you. So sit there, lose the attitude, and answer my questions. Believe me, when I’m done, you’ll never have to see me again. I know what a chore that’s always been.”

  Her lips compressed, and her expression turned icy.

  I took her silence for compliance and began. “Why did Edward marry you?”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “Why. Did. Edward. Marry. You?” I ground out each word. “The truth.”

  Exhaling a stream of blue smoke, she eyed me and then said, “Because I was pregnant. We had a brief relationship, I got pregnant, we got married. It’s what you do.”

  “Brief relationship is that what we call his flings?”

  Another puff of her cigarette. “If you wish. I don’t call them anything but inconvenient these days. And very shortly, they won’t be my problem at all.”

  “You’re divorcing now, why?”

  “Are you seriously…”

  “Muriel, don’t make me repeat myself. I am asking the questions. You’re divorcing now, why?”

  I could practically feel Jake’s gaze boring into me. I hadn’t moved from where I’d braced my hands on the table. I’d done it as much to keep from throttling her as I had for effect.

  Another drag and exhale. “The terms of the prenuptial are no longer in effect.”

  I frowned. Then… “Because I turned eighteen.”

  For a split second, something resembling regret seemed to pass over her features. Or maybe she had gas.

  “Yes. When I got pregnant, I told your father. Three days later, he proposed. We were married a week after that in a quick civil ceremony and then a reception for the couple who eloped.”

  So that part of Edward’s story checked out. I thought I’d feel something at the admission, but it barely even registered.

  “You were a fling?”

  She met my gaze evenly. “I was available and interested. He wanted to punish his girlfriend—he was quite honest about his intentions, and I was quite amenable to it. We were well-matched in that regard.”

  “Save me the gory details. What about the girlfriend?”

  Her smile turned almost pitying. “I wondered if he would ever tell you.” />
  “He didn’t tell me,” I informed her. “He told Frankie.”

  “Why would he tell that—”

  “Choose your next words carefully.”

  Extinguishing her cigarette, she studied me. “Madeline Grayson, now known as Curtis, was engaged to your father for three years. The relationship blew very hot, and they were prone to their…mutual indiscretions. He was rather put out with her over something she’d done, and honestly, I didn’t care. He was handsome and interested.” After lighting another, she exhaled, then shook her head. “I didn’t break them up, but I also wasn’t opposed to the pregnancy tying Edward and I together…”

  “Because you had your meal ticket.”

  “What? You want me to apologize for securing my future and, may I remind you, yours?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of asking you for an apology, Muriel. What I want to know is if you knew he and his ex-girlfriend hooked up after you and he were together?”

  “He could have,” she admitted with a shrug. “He had several affairs in the early years, and that didn’t change. When I chose to move to Texas to get away from the city and your interfering grandfather, I did it because I’d found her and I wanted to put her in Edward’s path.” She flicked some ash away and then took a drink of her coffee.

  “You moved there specifically so he’d run into her?” Who did that?