Dangerous Secrets (The Kingpin Book 2)

by Brooke Summers

  I close my eyes in pain. "No I'm not okay, Lace, the worst thing that could ever happen to me, happened. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. All I want to do is cry but what's the point, it’s happened and I'm scared that is going to happen again. He said he'll be back, Lacey. I just laid here and let it happen." My tears start to fall thick and fast again.

  "Don't," she growls. "Don't you ever say that. You did not ask for it, you did not want it. He had no right doing what he did. Never ever think this was your fault. It's going to get better, I promise you it will."

  "You really think so? Because I don't. If by some miracle, we manage to get out of here, how am I supposed to live? How am I supposed to move on, am I meant to act as if nothing happened? That I wasn't violated, that somebody didn't rape me?"

  Her sobs fill the room. "I'll be with you every step of the way. No one said that you'll have to pretend it never happened. You don't have to be ashamed, it wasn't your fault and everyone will understand that, Mia. The worst thing you can do is hide, lock it away and let it fester inside of you. I will help you through this. I love you Mia."

  I smile, it's good to have her with me. “I love you too, Lace, I don't know what I would do without you."

  “You’d be fine. You’re the strongest woman I know. When we get out of here, please tell me that you’re going to see Hudson.” Her voice is soft, but hopeful.

  “He’ll be my first stop. I want to talk to him, I owe him that much. God, Lace. I miss him so much.” He’s the one thing that has kept me sane since I’ve been here. Every night that I close my eyes and images of what that monster did to me begin to play out in my mind. I push them back and think of Hudson. I think of the way he loves me and it helps.

  “I know, Mia. I know you do. What about your mom, are you going to have a conversation with her?”

  I sigh. “I guess I’ll have to talk with her but I have no idea what to say to her. She hates Hudson, she doesn’t want me to be with him, she’s never once said anything good about him and I don’t want to listen to it. Not anymore.” I don’t want to listen to it, I know now that Hudson doesn’t like mom, but he never said anything bad about her even though he had every opportunity. It just showed me that he has more respect than she does. He respects me and the relationship that I have with her.

  “What about you? Are you going to talk to Barney?” I ask, there’s something about Barney that makes me think that he deserves another chance.

  She’s silent for a moment. “I don’t know Mia, I want to see him, talk to him and see what he has to say. But at the same time, he’s hurt me enough and I can’t take another hit like he’s given me already.”

  I feel for her, unlike Sarah and I, we’ve found our guys, they knew that we were the ones but Barney doesn’t or if he does he’s too afraid to admit it. “I guess the question you have to ask yourself is will you regret not talking to him if you get the chance? Do you love him?” I think she does, but she’s never admitted it before.

  She hums. “I think so, I wouldn’t have slept with him if I didn’t like him. But I think I kind of more than like him.” She sighs. “I don’t know, Mia, I’ve had enough heartache, I can’t take anymore.”

  “Lace, if you never saw him again how would you feel?”

  Before she answers the door to the room opens. My breath catches as it does. How did we not hear footsteps? How long had they been there? I pray that it's not the monster that’s back. Footsteps sound as whoever it is moves into the room, I can't make them out, all I can see is their shadow. I hate this darkness.

  "Ladies." That deep gravelly voice makes the hair on my neck stand up.

  No…no….no. He’s back. My entire body freezes and I’m transported back to the other night, the night when he raped me. I’m so still as I wait for whatever is yet to come.

  "Leave her alone!" Lacey shouts, she still sounds like she's crying. “You’ve done enough, just leave her alone. Don’t hurt us.”

  "I hate to disappoint you,” he tells us and I’m pretty sure that he’s toying with us. “That is no longer an option." His voice is full of anger. "Things have changed. You two are the bane of my existence.”

  I lick my lips, my body won’t stop shaking. "What the hell does that mean?" I ask with a frown, my voice as shaky as my body.

  “It means that this shit is done,” he growls.

  “Are we going home?” Lacey asks, sounding more hopeful than I’ve ever heard her before.

  The sound of his laughter makes my blood run cold.

  His laughter is followed by a rustling sound, like he’s moving. "One of you will be getting out of here," he taunts.

  “What?” I choke out, why would only one of us get out of here?

  Bang.

  My heart skips a beat as recognition hits me that was a gunshot. I don’t hurt, I’m not hit. “Lace?” I croak. I’m met by his laughter." Oh my God. What did you do?" I cry. My ears are ringing from the loudness of the shot. "Lacey?" I call out but there's no answer. "Lace? Please, Lace, talk to me." I beg. "What did you do to her?"

  A whimpering sound fills me with a bit of hope. Lacey’s still alive.

  "She was never part of the plan. She was collateral damage," he says cryptically.

  “Why, what did Lacey ever do to you?” I can’t believe he shot her. Lacey wouldn’t harm a fly, and he shot her!

  “Lacey isn’t the problem, but she is my way out of this.”

  Lacey groans in pain and I move to get to her but my shackle stops me short. “I need to check on her,” I cry pulling at the damn chain.

  Something clinks against the floor. “Find the key and you can help her,” he laughs.

  Shock hits me, he’s thrown the key on the floor. I need to find it and when I do, I can get to Lacey. My hand reaches out and I touch the cold tiled floor, my fingers stretching out as far as I can, searching the floor to find the key.

  “Good luck Mia, by the looks of things Lacey doesn’t have very long. Oh and Mia, if you manage to get out of here. Tell Hudson that this is a message.”

  My hand stills. “What’s the message?”

  “Tell Hudson, this is on him. He really needs to watch out who he fucks over.”

  Bang.

  “No!” I cry out, as the sound of the gun shot ricochets around the room. “You’re a monster, leave her alone.” But my anger is only met with silence. He’s gone.

  Getting on my knees the shackle pulls tight against my skin, biting into the flesh but I ignore the pain and search for the key.

  “Lacey, please listen to me. I’m going to get us out of here.” Tears fall as I search, I try not to think of the filth that lies beneath my hands, and my goal is to find this key. “Lace, talk to me please,” I beg.

  “Mia,” she whispers, pain lacing her voice. “Mia, are we really getting out of here?”

  Panic rises in me at the sound of her voice. “Yes, we’re going to get out of here,” I promise her, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to. I’m finding it hard to find this key.

  “Promise me that you’ll talk to Hudson.”

  My eyes widen at her words. “Lacey!” She can’t talk like that.

  “Shh, Mia. Listen to me okay?” Her voice sounds so fragile. “You and Hudson, you belong together. He makes you happy and vice versa. Don’t be stupid, talk to him but don’t try and change him.”

  I frown. “Change him? Why would I want to change him? I love him just the way he is.” My hand scrapes against something crusty. Shit, where the hell did he throw this key?

  “If he said to you, Mia, for you I’d give up everything. Change my ways. I’ll be a model citizen. What would you say?”

  I don’t even think about it. “God no, it is who he is and it’s not fair for me to have him change who he is because I may not like the choices he makes.”

  She hums again, the sound so painful that it makes me grit my teeth. “That’s good. Have you found the key yet?”

  Tears sting my eyes and I will them back. “N
ot yet Lace, I’m going to find it.”

  “Its okay, Mia,” she whispers. “I’m dying. I’m not leaving here alive. I know that and I know that you know it too.”

  I do but I don’t want to believe it. My hands are searching as fast as they can, but so far I’m coming up empty. “Lace, don’t talk like that. You have to have faith, we’re going to get out of here.”

  “Lacey, don’t stop talking.” I beg her, knowing that if she does, she may not speak again.

  My hand comes into contact with something metal and cold. “Oh God. Lacey I found it.” I cry out but my happiness is met with silence. Picking the key up, “Lacey!” I yell and try and find the damn lock to this shackle. She’s not answering me. “Lace, please Lace, talk to me.” I cry as I place the key into the lock and unlock the shackle.

  Taking the key I crawl off the mattress and over toward Lacey. She’s so silent, it’s scaring me. “Lace?” I ask, as I crawl onto her mattress, my hands reaching for her. “Lace?” I whisper as my hand grazes her face. She’s not breathing.

  Pulling her into my arms I hold her. “Love you Lace,” I whisper as the tears fall down my face. Pain like no other hits me as I kiss her cheek. I sob as I hold her close to me, not wanting to let her go.

  This is all my fault. She wouldn’t have been here if I hadn’t told her to meet me at the house, hell if I hadn’t made her come with me to moms this summer.

  Eight

  Hudson

  It’s been three weeks since Mia was taken. I’ve not been able to sleep properly. I’m not eating, I’m like a zombie. I’ve done what I promised, I’ve torn this city apart, and every criminal is on my shit list. I don’t give a fuck if we had a deal going on, if you weren’t helping me find my girl then you are part of the problem. I’ve gained a nickname amongst my men; I’m now the grim reaper. I don’t give a shit if I have that name, it shows me that they know I mean business. The past three weeks, I’ve killed more men and women than my men have since I took the reins from my dad. It’s about time we showed this city that we mean business and you do not mess with what is mine.

  Dad and Tina are staying in my house, I came to the conclusion that if I'm going to get to the bottom of who the rat is then I'm going to need to have everyone close. Every day my mind changes. I was told it was Barney, and I believed it was him, now I'm not so sure. I thought it was Martin but his actions have said otherwise. It could be anyone and yet it could be everyone, the one thing is I'm not going to lie. I will find out who it is and when I do, they are going to die the most painless death ever.

  Jagger is the only person besides me that knows that Carina is still alive. After I fired that shot, I told Jagger to clean up the mess and sent the rest of my boys home. Carina and her mom are currently in Texas, they have new identities. Carina has been warned, this is her last chance. She fucks up, there's no helping her. I will kill her. Her mum is determined to keep her on the straight and narrow, although that works out or not is yet to be seen. I did however instil the fear into her, she knows that I have men watching over her. There's no way she's got to step out of line and if she does she pay the price.

  “Boss,” Martin says entering my office without looking, a laptop in his hand, his eyes narrowed as he glances at his cell. His mom died two weeks ago and since then he’s buried himself in trying to help me find Mia and Lacey.

  "What is it, what have you found?" I question him. His sole focus is on Mia, so when he speaks I expect that he has found something that can lead me to her.

  "A discrepancy Boss."

  "What discrepancy?" I hate this shit, if you've found something, just say what it is. Trying to build up some anticipation is bullshit. I don't need anticipation, I need the truth and I need to find out what the fuck has been going on.

  "Boss, its Barney. I've found discrepancies with his bank account."

  I clench my fists. "Talk to me." Is there no one that I can trust?

  Martin places his laptop down on my desk, he turns the screen so that I can see it. "He's had four deposits of fifty grand into his bank account over the past six months."

  My jaw clenches. So much deception, my organization needs a complete overhaul. "Where's the money coming from?"

  "I haven't been able to find out, there's dummy corporations after dummy corporations. Whoever has sent him the money, they're good boss. So fucking good. I haven't been able to trace them."

  "Right," I say through gritted teeth. "Jagger!" I yell, Barney is a dead man. He's played me, I'm a fool, I should have seen it.

  The door opens and in walks Jagger, his eyes narrowed on Martin. He doesn't trust him, neither do I but right now, he has the only lead we have to find Mia. "Boss?"

  "Get me Barney. I want that fucker and I want him now."

  Jagger's eyes widen before he smirks. "My motherfucking pleasure. I'll call you when I have him for you, Boss. I can't guarantee that he'll not be harmed."

  I shrug. "That fucker has had fifty grand deposited into his account four times in the last six months. Martin's just found out."

  His jaw clenches, he knows what this means. Barney is the rat.

  "Have Aaron go with you. He's dying to unleash some of his rage too."

  Jagger nods. "The best thing is, we've got the upper hand, and he doesn't know we know about that yet so he won't see us coming." He glares at Martin as he leaves my office.

  "He has a problem with me, I have no fucking idea why. Want to let me in on the secret?" Martin snaps at me, as soon as my office door closes.

  "Best remember who you’re talking to. Watch your tone, Martin."

  His eyes shutter, losing all the heat he had in them. "Sorry, Boss" he says, sheepishly.

  "Tell me about these dummy corporations. What information do you have on them?" I want everything on them.

  He picks up his laptop and hands me a file. "I'm on it boss. I'll have everything to you by this evening."

  "If they have properties, I want to know about it. Mia is somewhere in this goddamn city and I want to find her, so find me something!" I shout, I'm so fucking frustrated, but my frustration is because I can't help unless I find out some new information.

  "As soon as I find out anything, so will you," he promises, walking out of my office and leaving me alone.

  Picking up the file, I flick through it, sonofabitch. Surveillance images of Barney and a woman embracing. So all the shit that Barney has said is a load of bull. He doesn't give a shit about Lacey, why would he when he has another woman on the side?

  Picking up my cell I call my dad. "Son?" He answers immediately, probably wondering why I'm calling.

  "Dad, you at home?"

  "Yes, is everything okay?" he replies instantly.

  "I'm on my way home. I've got some information, but I need some advice." I'm not too proud to do that, if it helps me find out where Mia is, I'll do anything.

  "Of course, anything you need."

  Making my way out of my office, I tell him, "I'll be there soon."

  Twenty minutes later and I’m walking into my house, coming to a stop when I see Tina standing the kitchen. She has not once asked how the search is going, if I've found anything out. All she's done is look at new houses so that she and dad have a place here. She bosses my men around like they're her slaves. The shit she does grates on my nerves, I'm close to snapping and when I do, I'm going to snap her neck.

  "Son, I'm in here," Dad calls from my office. Glancing at my watch, I see that it's almost midnight. Yet another fucking night that there's no Mia.

  "Dad, thanks for waiting up," I begin as I walk around the room to my chair. I turn on the laptop and wait for it to boot up.

  "Hudson, what's wrong? What's happened?"

  I log into my laptop and face Dad. "I assumed when Mia was taken that it was Juan that had orchestrated it, if it wasn't Juan then Carina had something to do with it. Especially after seeing a picture of the two of them looking rather cozy."

  He raises his brow, this is more information
than I have given him in a long time. "But it wasn't them."

  I nod. "Nope, they had no idea about Mia. So that got me thinking, who knew about Mia? Not only that, who knew where Mia was heading that day?"

  He frowns. "No one, Tina had only given her the keys to the house moments before the argument. So how did they know where she'd be?"

  I give him a pointed look. "That's what I've been trying to figure out. See, Dad, there was only a handful of people that knew that Mia was mine and those people are in my inner circle."

  Realization hits him. "You think one of your men betrayed you? That they have Mia and Lacey?"

  "Yes, that's what I think. I've been trying to find out which one of my men has done this and I've come to realize that I don't trust any of them. I received some Intel today that Barney is the one who has been betraying me. He'll be dealt with."

  Dad listens on intently. "Dad, I need to find out how they got to Mia."

  "Hudson, do you really think that Barney has done this?" He too feels the betrayal.

  "He's had four deposits of fifty thousand into his account in the past six months. He's not innocent, Dad, far fucking from it."

  He shakes his hand in disbelief. "Shit, he's got to go, Son."

  "Jagger and Aaron are getting him as we speak."

  He nods. "So, what do you need from me?"

  "I had Mia's car searched, I wanted to know if she was followed by having a tracker on her car. She didn't. So the only thing I can think of is that someone had her phone tapped. She spoke to Lacey, she had to have told her where to meet her as Lacey was at the house too. I need you to find out who tapped her phone."

  "Okay, I'll have someone look into it. Someone outside of the men. They'll keep it on the down low so no one will find out."

  "Thanks Dad, I appreciate that."

  He waves his hand. "No thanks necessary. I'm your father, Hudson. I'll do anything for you and in turn Mia. Not just for you but for Tina too."