Dangerous Secrets (The Kingpin Book 2)

by Brooke Summers

  Dangerous Secrets

  Brooke Summers

  Contents

  Untitled

  1. Hudson

  2. Mia

  3. Hudson

  4. Hudson

  5. Mia

  6. Hudson

  7. Mia

  8. Hudson

  9. Hudson

  10. Mia

  11. Hudson

  12. Mia

  13. Hudson

  14. Mia

  15. Hudson

  16. Mia

  17. Hudson

  18. Mia

  19. Mia

  Books by Brooke

  All the ways you can follow Brooke

  Acknowledgments

  Dangerous

  Secrets

  Part Two of the Kingpin Series

  Brooke Summers

  DANGEROUS SECRETS

  First Edition published in 2020

  Text Copyright © Brooke Summers

  All rights reserved.

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  Cover Design by Lee Ching of Undercover Designs.

  Formatter Kristine Moran of word bunnies.

  Editing by Lisa Flynn of Simply Writing.

  Proofread by Kristine Moran of word bunnies

  No part of this publication may be reproduced,

  stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or

  transmitted, in any form or by any means

  (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording

  or otherwise), nor be otherwise circulated in any

  form of binding or cover other than that in which

  it is published without the prior written permission

  of the author. Any person who does any

  unauthorized act in relation to this publication

  may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil

  claims for damages.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious

  and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  One

  Hudson

  Pain, that’s all I feel. An emptiness inside, as though I’ve lost everything. My pulse is pounding. Ringing in my ears is all that I can hear. I’m standing here in silence, looking at the blood on the floor, she’s gone. That’s all that’s going through my mind. Someone has taken her, and I need her back. She’s been gone for God knows how long now and I already feel as though I’m drowning. I’ve never felt this way before, like I have no control over what’s going on.

  “Jag,” I call out through gritted teeth.

  “Boss?” he replies, his voice deep and his eyes menacing. “What do you need?”

  “Find me Juan,” I demand. I know I have everyone on this but I need Jagger, right now he's the only man I trust to help me find her.

  “I'm on it boss. I'm going to find her. Hudson, we will get her back.” It’s a promise

  I nod, she left our parent’s house because of the shit that she found out. She didn't call me; she ran, it’s something I didn't think she would do. I thought she would at least talk to me first, let me explain everything but she didn't. Now she's gone.

  “Boss you need to call Tina, she needs to know that Mia is gone. Get Barney and your Dad here. We need every available man on this.” Jagger tells me, but quickly straightens himself after he realizes that he’s gone too far.

  I shake my head. “Dad and Barney are to stay where they are. Unless Barney wants to swap with someone so that he can be here to find Lacey? If someone's taken Mia, then there's a good chance they’re going to go after the rest of my family. I can't let that happen, I won’t let that happen. But right now, I have to make a phone call.”

  He nods agreeing with me. “I guess you're right. The last thing we need is for others to go missing. Although I don't think Barney needs to be there, your dad's more than one capable of taking care of himself. Are you going to call your mom? I’ll make some calls. Juan can’t be too hard to find. The man’s a bastard.”

  “I’ll visit her soon. It’s funny, mom wasn’t surprised when I told her about what Mia means to me and she's been looking forward to meeting her.” She’ll understand what it means that Mia’s been taken. She’ll also know what it's doing to me, and what kind of man this will turn me into, after all I am her son. I am my father's son. She never wanted me to be this but she accepted that it was who I was destined to be. I’ll tell her about Mia and knowing mom she’ll want to help find her. First things first I need to call Tina.

  “Okay boss, call me if you need me.” Jagger says as we walk out of the house, he walks to his car and climbs in.

  I glance to the empty space where my car should have been, shit, I should have realized that Martin would have used it. Walking to Mia’s car, I try the handle, a silent prayer on my lips. Thank God, it opens instantly. The keys are dangling from the ignition, the black and yellow ASU college keyring grinning inanely at me as it dangles, mocking me. Why don’t you know where she is? It seemed to say. Weren’t you supposed to protect her? She would have been safer if you weren’t in her life. All the things that have been running through my mind continuously.

  I shake my head at her leaving the keys in the ignition that shit has to stop. She can't be doing shit like that, especially in a neighborhood like this

  As soon as I climb into the car, I’m surrounded by her, my jaw clenches as I smell her perfume, Lady Millions by Paco Rabanne. The seat being so far forward reminds me of her petite frame, my mind spins with different scenarios of what’s happening to her as I adjust the position of the seat. The engine purrs and I put it into drive. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my cell and place it in the cell holder. I dial my dad and hit call, putting it on speaker as it calls. “Son, did you find her?” He asks, not sounding too worried.

  “Is Tina there?” I ask, my voice tight, it’s her fault that Mia’s gone. She was safe in Hidden Hills, but Tina had to open her mouth and she fled.

  He is silent for a moment. “Yes, is everything okay?”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose, not wanting to listen to him right now. “Put Tina on the phone.” I growl through gritted teeth, my fingers clenched around my cell holding it tight.

  “Hudson, what is it?” The disdain in her voice is still there but it’s mixed with worry.

  “I got to the house and she was gone. There’s blood on the ground and the door was ajar. Someone has taken her.” My breathing is ragged as I tell her.

  “Gone?” She breathes.

  “Yes.” I say through gritted teeth, “She’s gone.”

  A wail rings out and I bite my tongue, “Hudson, what’s going on?” My dad asks and I roll my eyes at the over dramatic wailing coming from Tina.

  “Mia was gone when I got to the house.” I’m so fucking pissed right now, if Tina gave a shit about her daughter this wouldn’t have happened. “Calm her down, I need to talk to her, having her screaming and wailing isn’t going to help.” I know that I sound harsh but I don’t care, I need to find Mia.

  Dad sighs, "Hudson her daughter is missing what do you think she's going to do?"

  I scoff, "Dad, she didn't give a fuck when she was telling Mia everything about me. I told you before, Tina is selfish and she doesn't care about anyone but herself," I say through gritted teeth, why the hell am I having to say this shit? "Just get her to compose herself, I need some questions answered."

  I hear whispering in the background, a couple of moments later he's back on the phone. "Okay son, you're on speaker, ask any questions you have."

  I don't waste any time. "After you spoke to Mia, what happened?" There's a bite to my voice, one that I've used many
times before and each and every time I get all the answers I need.

  I can hear sniffing and I know that Tina is about to say something. "She didn't really say much. Then she ran out the house and I haven't heard from her since."

  "You shouldn't have said anything to her. This is on you, she's gone because of you." My tone is quiet, I'm seething, Mia would have been fine had Tina not opened her damn mouth.

  "Me? This is all on you. Mia would be here with me if you hadn't come along. Hudson you are the reason my daughter is gone. I just pray you find her, when you do I want you to keep the hell away from her."

  I grind my teeth, biting back my response, this isn't the time to be arguing. "I'm going to find her and, make no mistake, when I do hell is going to be paid." My nostrils flare as I intake a sharp breath, trying to keep my composure.

  "Dad?"

  "Yes, Son?" he says instantly.

  "Take me off speaker," I tell him, not wanting Tina to hear this part. This is business and she has nothing to do with it.

  "Done." I can hear him walking, "What's going on?"

  "Something isn't sitting right."

  "Talk to me." Yeah he understands, he knows that there's more to this than meets the eye.

  "When I first got into the house and realized that Mia and Lacey were gone I assumed that was Juan."

  "And you don't now?" There's no judgment in his voice. That makes a change.

  "I'm not sure. This is too sophisticated to be Juan's idea. I think there's more to play here and I can't figure out what." I’ve never been so honest with my dad before about my feelings. I'm the boss, I should have seen this coming, I should know who has her.

  "Son, you're going to find her." I shake my head in disgust, he didn't say we, he said you're. He has no intention of helping me. I shouldn't be surprised, but yet I am. I didn't think my dad could stoop so low, and yet here we are.

  "Yeah I will," I say with so much conviction I will not rest until I find her… find them.

  "Call me if or when you have any news," he tells me sounding disinterested.

  "Sure." I end the call. My temper is rising but I should’ve known that my dad will be no help. There is one person though who is always guaranteed to listen and offer a bit of insight.

  Ten minutes later I'm pulling into my mom's drive. After switching off the engine I see she's sitting on the porch in her little rocking chair. Noticing me she looks up, a frown marring her face. When she recognizes it’s me, her face lights up. She's wearing makeup, it's been a very long time since I saw my mom look so polished. Her hair is done for the first time in months, gone is the grey that grew from the roots, it's now replaced with black. Not only has her appearance changed but so has the color of the house. It used to be a dirty white color and unkempt whereas now, it's a bright white. I frown when I realize that the lawn has been mowed. Damn, have I entered the twilight zone?

  "Hudson, what a pleasant surprise," she says with a bright smile as she gets up off the chair and walks over to me with her arms open wide waiting for me to walk into them. She’s wearing a fitted dress and heels. They look out of place. When her and dad’s marriage ended she started wearing sweats. I don’t remember the last time I saw mom looking so well.

  I smile at her as her arms enclose around me. "Hey, Mom."

  She makes a tutting noise. "What's your father done now?"

  I fight the urge to smile. "What hasn't he done?" Mom laughs. I take a seat on the chair beside her rocking chair. "Mom, Mia's been taken." It guts me to say it. I still can't believe she's gone. I can't believe I wasn't there to protect her. I should have been. She was supposed to be safe.

  Mom gasps. "Hudson?" Tears swimming in her eyes. "How?"

  I shrug. "I've no idea. Mom, I don't know who took her. I feel useless I don't know where to look. I have my suspicions, but even then I don't think they’re right. My gut’s screaming at me that there's more to it, but my brain can't think. It's like I'm in a fog. I can't see clearly, Mom."

  "Hudson," she says slowly as she comes to take a seat beside me. "Deep breath. Take a deep breath, you need to take a step back and be the Boss."

  I stare at her, this isn't what I thought this conversation was going to be like.

  Mom laughs at me. "Hudson you're my boy. I know you better than you know yourself. Right now you're coming apart at the seams. Usually if something happens you know how to deal with it because it doesn't affect you, you know how to deal with everyone else. Hudson this is Mia we're talking about. She's your princess and that means she's yours.” Her hand gently touches my cheek. “Right now you're acting like Mia's man. But baby boy, that's not going to help anyone." She grasps my hand, squeezing it as she looks at me, her eyes full of unshed tears. “Hudson, you’re the Boss for a reason. It’s time to remember that.”

  I understand what she means, it's just difficult thinking about anything else other than getting Mia back.

  "Hudson I don't know how it all works, not anymore. When your father and I first got together, I knew how everything worked but since then it's changed and it's changed even more since you've taken over. But one thing remains the same, you are the Boss. You run this town, so start acting like it." Her smile is wide, she’s trying to help which is a hell of a lot more than what dad’s trying to do.

  "My men are on this, Mom. I have everyone looking for her and looking for the man I believe could have a part in this. I am being the Boss, because that is who I am."

  She shakes her head. "Yes, you are the boss. It is who you are. That's not who you are being now. You’re distraught Hudson, anyone looking at you can see it. You’re still that badass that you have the reputation of being, but to me, your mother, I can see that you're on the edge of breaking. I know what Mia means to you, which means I also know how this is affecting you. You're not in the right frame of mind to focus and that needs to change. If you want to find Mia, your mind-set needs to change."

  I blow out a deep breath, she's right. I'm not in the right mind-set, but fuck if I'll let anyone know it.

  "Talk to me, there's something you’re not telling me. You said your gut's screaming at you. What is it telling you?" she's pleading with me, she wants to help and right now I think the best thing for me to do is take that help.

  "Okay," I tell her and her face lights up. "I hadn't told Mia the truth about me. About what I do."

  Her shoulders sag. "Oh Hudson, why?"

  I'm not admitting to why. I didn't tell her because I wanted her to fall in love with me first, that way she would have stayed. That worked out fucking well didn't it? "Tina told her." I can't keep the contempt out of my voice when I say her name.

  "Why? What did she gain out of telling her?"

  “I don't know, all I do know is that woman is a selfish..." I shake my head not finishing the sentence because as much as I hate Tina she's Mia's Mom.

  "Oh definitely.” Mom’s eyes narrow, no doubt remembering how Tina went out of her way to track my mom down and befriend her, all while she was having an affair with my dad. Tina pleads innocent all the time, when in fact she's a snake. “So tell me what's not sitting right?" That's my mom. She hates the woman, but yet she doesn't take the time to diss her.

  "There's only a couple of people that knew about me and Mia. You, Dad, Tina, Martin, Barney, Lacey, Sarah and Jagger. There's no way anyone else could have known. Lacey's missing too so I'm taking her off the list. Sarah and the girls are like sisters, there's no way she has any part in this. So that leaves Dad, Tina, Martin, Barney, and Jagger."

  Mum's eyes widen. "You never said me."

  I laugh. "Do you really think I'd be sitting here talking to you about this if I thought it was you?"

  She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

  "What I don't understand is how they knew that Mia was going to be at her parent's old house?"

  Mom frowns. "What?"

  "Mia was staying at Dad's and Tina's. No one knew that she was planning on coming to Oakland... She left when Tina to
ld her everything about me. It wasn't planned, so how did they know she'd be there? That's what I can't get my head around. How did they know she was going to be there? When I find that out, I'll be able to find out who has her.” Right now though, my focus is on finding Juan. Once I’ve found him, my next job is finding Carina. Even if they don't know where Mia is, it gives me a chance to get them out of my fucking life. I don't trust them and that means they have to go. I wish I could do the same with Tina.

  Mom's jaw clenches, now I know where I get it from. "I know why your gut's screaming. This smells like an inside job."

  I nod, she now knows everything and she’s jumped to the same conclusion I have. "The question I have is who's done it? Is it a known enemy or one that’s yet to make their presence known?”

  Mum shakes her head, tears swimming in her eyes again. "I wish I could tell you that it's all in your head, that none of your men will ever betray you. The truth is Hudson, people want money and power and they'd do anything to get it. You have to think, who is desperate enough for the power that comes with bringing you down?” This is why I came to my mom. I value her perspective, she thinks logically.

  I’m silent because the truth is that any of them could have done it.

  “Do you think your dad has a hand in this?” Her voice is soft as if she’s testing the waters.

  “Honestly, he has the motive, but do I think he did it? No I don’t.”

  “What about Jagger?” This time her voice is a little more confident.

  My hands ball into fists at the thought of Jagger doing this. “He has too much to lose to do this.”