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The Cost of Power is set in an alternative universe from the main Martiniere Legacy series. In this book, I take a closer look at the mind control technology and…the relationship between Gabe and his father Philip ends up being different.

Additionally, Gabe tells Ruby who he really is much, much earlier than in the main Martiniere Legacy series.

Most of all, I’m freeforming this story. I somewhat know where it’s going to go, but how it unfolds depend on what happens with Gabe, Philip, Ruby, and Justine once they get on a roll in this particular setting.

The entire series—The Cost of Power: Prodigal’s Return; The Cost of Power: Prodigal’s Crucible; and The Cost of Power: Prodigal’s Redemption—will be available in early 2024. This book is finished and the next two are outlined. It’s going to be quite the ride.

Enjoy! This is part four of Chapter Eight. There will be five parts to this chapter.

July 2033

RUBY

The screen door slammed behind her, startling Ruby back awake. Philip Martiniere joined Ruby, carrying a plate with crackers and chunks of her favorite cheese, Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar—a treat that Gabe had picked up just a few days ago. Philip put the plate and a tall glass of water on the redwood side table next to her, then sat in the chaise lounge on the other side of the table.

“Gabriel sent this out.” He eyed her. “You need protein right now. Side effect of untrained tone usage. It’ll make you feel better.”

Ruby restrained the urge to roll her eyes at Philip. The last thing she expected was for this Martiniere man to be fussing over her. On the other hand, she was pregnant with his grandchild.

She reached for a chunk of cheese—then froze.

Gabe never sends me food or drink by anyone but Gramps. Not without code phrases. She had laughed once at his caution, but the haunted expression on his face after he said Ruby, you just never know. Especially with a beautiful woman like you, had changed her mind.

Then, she had thought Gabe was worried about someone dispensing roofies—for which she used to wear nail polish that helped her discern safe and not safe drinks. He had clarified. His concern wasn’t rapists, but kidnappers who would sell her into indenture. Something that resonated much more deeply with her than she had felt comfortable sharing with him at the time.

But how much of that worry was fueled by a Martiniere upbringing? Especially given now that she knew he had been forced into accepting mind control programming—using psychotropics?

And here I am, a wild card with some of those mind control abilities, but no programming. That we know of. What would Philip do? I could be seen as a potential threat.

On the one hand, Philip had sworn to do them no harm. On the other—well, it wouldn’t hurt to go through the protocol. It was probably going to be yet another facet of Martiniere life, especially around the Family. Might as well get into practice.

She dropped her hand back in her lap without touching the cheese. Philip leaned forward, not reclining, watching her closely, carefully, a glint in his pale blue eyes.

“You know much about rodeo?” she asked.

He shrugged, that watchful expression fading slightly. “Never been my interest. Gabriel said something about a saddle bronc named Skydancer at some small-town rodeo where he met you.”

Skydancer. Small-town rodeo. He’s slick—just slipped the first code phrases in smoothly.

Ruby suspected they would need to change the code, because that knowledge about their early meetings wouldn’t be private for much longer.

“The Sweets Rodeo, and that was actually the second time we met.” She let herself smile—a fond memory. “I was appearing there as part of the Pendleton Round-Up Court.”

She could be as smooth as Philip.

“The beginning of the Ice Princess’s thaw.”

The last part of the code phrasing, and the final confirmation that the food was safe, the deliverer considered reliable.

Now she let herself pick up a chunk of cheese. “Did Gabe tell you the entire story, or just enough for you to run the code phrases to let me know the food’s safe?”

Philip chuckled, this time a real laugh, no bitter tones. “Just enough for the code phrases. I’m very, very glad he’s taught you that protocol. He said you would go through the confirmation before eating anything. I wasn’t sure. Now seemed to be a good time to find out.”

“His explanation left an impression.” And that was all she intended to say on the subject. “Why is it a concern? He didn’t seem to be worried about ordering pizza for lunch—and we know that the owner of the place isn’t exactly friendly to us. You’ve sworn that you won’t harm us.”

“It was a test that I wanted to run,” Philip sighed. “Your biggest danger at the moment will come from Family members, in private settings such as this. But with the Brauns coming into play, that changes the equation entirely. I wanted to ensure that you understand the danger. Gabriel assured me that you would respond as you did. I wanted—no, needed—to see it for myself. Your response is a relief.”

“Oh?”

“You’ll need to develop even more caution once you and Gabriel become more prominent, but at that point, other strategies will become available to you.” Philip reached for a chunk of cheese and popped it into his mouth.

Ruby took a bite of her cheese. “I see.”

He raised his brows. “And you waited until I ate from the same plate. Very good.”

“Things are that complicated?” She finished her bite and grabbed another, putting it on a cracker.

Another sigh from Philip. “I let my caution slip about what I ate or drank when I shouldn’t have, which now makes me more attentive to lapses in others.”

“Oh?”

He shook his head. “I want to save that discussion for the long talk with Gabriel, Gerard, and Justine. And you, I suppose. Just go through it once.”

She had to grant him that.

“So how did you happen to be in Portland in such a timely manner?”

Philip scowled. “That’s more of the same business.”

Damn it. So were they just going to sit here in silence, if anything she wanted to ask was relegated to specific business discussion? Was this typical for the Martinieres or just for Philip? Neither Justine, Gerard, nor Kendra seemed to be this restrained in conversations about the Family. Ruby munched on more cheese and crackers to keep from saying something she shouldn’t.

“Tell me about being a rodeo queen,” Philip said suddenly. “It’s ironic. Gabriel is the descendant of kings. Now he’s engaged to a former queen—though from what little I know, it sounds like a beauty pageant with horses.”

Descendant of kings. Well, Gabe did say they had royal ancestors. Need to find out more, but that’s something for later. It’s just curiosity, not important right now. I think.

“There’s a hereditary element as well, though it’s more tradition than anything else.” Ruby paused. How best to explain it? “Local rodeos, like Thunder County Days, often have queens whose family history includes mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who earned the title. Those lineages often gain respect, even though supposedly they aren’t considered.”

“Is that true for you?”

“Somewhat. My grandmother Ruth and my great-grandmother Doris were Thunder County Days queens.”

“But not your mother.” That keen expression crossed Philip’s face again, and he studied her closely.

“No. You ran a security scan on me. You know what happened to my parents. Beth Ryder-Barkley was—” Ruby sighed. “I’m sorry. I can’t speak well of my parents.”

“Into meth.” Philip’s voice was solemn. “Heroin. I have the record where they tried to sell you into indenture at age six. They died before the transaction was completed.”

Ruby’s vision blurred and she gulped, burying her head in her hands. She had hoped that last, fatal argument between her parents was merely speculation, that they hadn’t actually started the process to sell her into indenture, but to know this—that they truly were arguing about what to do with the proceeds from selling her—

Philip remained silent as she worked to regain her composure, for which she was grateful. At last, Ruby was able to control her gulps and banish her tears. She raised her head, staring straight ahead at the mountains. God. Would her past ever fade away? It seemed that even becoming Martiniere wouldn’t banish it.

“I killed him, you know,” she whispered. “After he killed her.” She blinked hard, the memory rising once again of the terror deep inside, doing her best to keep from sobbing as she hid in that closet, clutching the pistol her father had sent flying from her mother’s hands with the first blow of his tire iron, hoping it would still work if he found her.

“I saw the record.” Philip’s voice remained solemn and quiet. Non-judgmental, at least. “Does Gabriel know?”

“Yes.” Ruby shuddered, tears threatening to break out again. I have to change the subject or else I’ll break out bawling. “Gabe is—he’s the best man I’ve ever dated. That’s one of the drawbacks of being a rodeo queen and princess. The beauty pageant part is an element, as is horsemanship, selling tickets or getting financial sponsors. But because of—who I am—I ended up being chased by a lot of men. Part of the mess with Nathan Bonham is because he wanted me—maybe the ranch more than me, but I definitely was a factor in what happened with him.”

“I got that impression.” Philip lay back in the chaise lounge. “One of my concerns before meeting you was that you’re the first significant relationship Gabriel has had. Oh, he dated. But one of his complaints was that the most of the women who wanted to go out with him were more interested in his fortune than him, and they certainly weren’t as smart as he is. I wanted to make certain that you weren’t another in that same vein.”

“Therefore, the poking at me earlier to ensure I wasn’t a gold digger.”

“Exactly. I wanted to ensure that loneliness hadn’t reduced Gabriel’s caution. Loneliness is one of his weak spots.”

Ruby snorted. “He hooked me early on with his politeness. His manners. His brains, and his fascination with my mind, as well as my looks.” She paused. “So why are you showing this degree of concern about Gabe now? The Saldivar interest in him, or is this another topic you’re going to put off?”

Philip scowled. Silence fell for a few moments before he spoke again.

All right, then. The Saldivars were one of those topics.

“Gabriel was—a difficult child,” Philip finally said. “Dangerously so at times. Even before his family died. Joseph was problematic as well, and I thought it was simply because he was Saul’s son and not mine—and that Gabriel was a handful because Saul was raising him. So I decided to pound Saul out of Gabriel once Gabriel came into my custody.” The bitter laugh returned. “Oh, Gabriel’s mine all right. I didn’t want to acknowledge it then. He and Justine reacted in much the same way to mind control programming. But his temper is definitely mine. Not Saul’s. Joseph has it too, but he lacks that sarcastic edge that Gabriel and I share. And Justine.” Another bitter chuckle. “I know what she calls me and why, both to my face and behind my back. I was much the same to my parents and siblings.” Another deep sigh. “And my children.”

Ruby rested her hand on her abdomen. “That worries me about this one. I’m as quick-tempered as Gabe.”

“I’ve noticed.” Philip shifted onto his side. “However, you manage it. More importantly—you handle Gabriel well. What happened with Joseph could have been much, much worse.”

“I’ve broken up fights Gabe’s gotten himself into. Not all the time—like when he beat up my cousins. Monty handled that.” Ruby paused. “But it hasn’t been my voice that stopped him. Not in the sense of the mind control tones, like I felt them today. He’s usually been drinking when it happens—this is the first time I’ve seen him react like that when he’s stone-cold sober. Which makes me wonder about those tones Joey was projecting, because I felt them too, at first.”

Philip sighed. “Another issue that needs to wait for all of us to be present.”

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