Riled (The Invincibles Book 4)

by Heather Slade

  “No, but thanks so much. I’ll see you later.” I gave the driver my address, and as he sped away from the building, I realized I’d probably just made it really bloody hard for whomever was on my detail today to keep up with me. I turned around, but didn’t see any cabs following directly behind. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.

  When the driver pulled up to my grandparents’ house—mine now, it was hard to remember that—I handed him a few euros and raced to the front door. Chills went up and down my spine when I put my hand on the knob and it opened. I didn’t hear the alarm beeping either. Something was very wrong.

  “Teagon?” I called out. “Hello?” I was about to turn around and walk back out when a hand went over my mouth.

  “Kenzie, édesem, I’ve been waiting for you.”

  I almost wretched, hearing Konstantine’s voice.

  “Where is Teagon?” I cried when he moved his hand.

  “Your friend? She and I hadn’t met, Kenzie. Why is that? Do you think I’m not good enough to meet your friends?”

  “Where is she, Konstantine?” I tried to move my head, but he’d moved his hand to my throat, and his grip was too tight. “Tell me where she is, or—”

  He gripped harder, cutting off my windpipe, just like he had that night in the hotel room.

  “You’ve made things very, very difficult for me, Kenzie. You know this, yes?”

  “I…” It was impossible to try to talk. I grabbed at his fingers, trying to loosen his hold on me. I was losing strength quickly, and soon I’d lose consciousness. I was beginning to see black spots and feeling dizzy when I heard a commotion at the front door.

  “Konstantine, let her go!” I heard Rile yell.

  Konstantine’s grip loosened. Not enough for me to get away, but I could breathe. I cried out when he jammed something into my side.

  “Come closer and I’ll kill her. Don’t think I won’t.” He turned so I was staring directly at Cortez. Konstantine moved his arm around my neck and tightened his grip. He shoved whatever was at my side in harder. “I know you. You’re one of Otto’s men,” he shouted. “My fucking cousin won’t give up. You tell him that she is mine. I’ll kill her before I let him get his hands on her,” he screeched.

  “Didn’t you hear? Otto married last week. He doesn’t want Kensington.”

  I heard Konstantine’s voice hitch at the same time I saw Cortez’s eyes shift for a split second. Someone was behind us. Maybe Teagon?

  “You’re a liar!” shouted Konstantine. “You’re trying to trick me.”

  “Kensington is all yours now. You don’t want to hurt her. If you do, you’ll lose everything. Your money, your family…Drop the gun, Konstantine. We both know you won’t kill her.”

  “You work for Otto. I know you do. You’ll soon be out of a job because I’m going to kill him too. It didn’t work the first time, but I found someone better this time.”

  Cortez’s eyes flared, and I could feel his rage. At the same time, he reminded me to stay calm. He’d protect me. He’d always protect me. Because he loved me.

  I calmed my mind, forcing everything out but him. I slowed my frantic breathing so it matched his. Kept my eyes on his.

  He took one step closer, and I groaned when Konstantine shoved what I knew was a gun, harder into my side. I blinked and then refocused. Could Cortez read Konstantine? I couldn’t, but I wasn’t meant to. I had to stay open only to Cortez, so if there was something I needed to know, feel, do, I could.

  “Don’t come closer!” Konstantine shouted when Cortez took one more step.

  “You couldn’t do it, Konstantine. You wanted to, but you couldn’t.”

  “I could have. You don’t know anything!”

  Cortez shook his head. “You couldn’t. Somewhere deep inside you, you knew you couldn’t kill. Not Otto, not Kensington.”

  “He doesn’t have to, because I’m here. Don’t worry, my sweet boy. I will kill her. Once she’s gone, the madness will end,” I heard a female’s voice say. I tore my eyes from Cortez’s and saw Konstantine’s mother step inside the side door. She held a gun pointed at Cortez.

  The tension in Konstantine’s body eased as though a great weight had been lifted. “It won’t stop, Mother. It’ll never stop.”

  “It will, precious. Trust me. I know.”

  His hand trembled.

  Kensington, stay with me.

  My eyes snapped back to Cortez.

  Breathe, my darling.

  “No!” shouted Konstantine, as if he was in some kind of pain. “No.” This time, he groaned.

  “Konstantine!” his mother shouted. “Look at me!”

  “No, Mother. It won’t stop.”

  Cortez’s eyes were no longer on mine. He was laser-focused on the man who had me trapped in his arms. The look on his face conveyed the rage I felt seeping off of him.

  Konstantine’s body jerked, and he let out a gut-wrenching cry.

  “Now!” Cortez shouted.

  I heard a loud crash. Konstantine’s mother jerked the gun in the direction of the sound of footsteps running from the back of the house. Shots rang out, and she fell to the floor. At the same time, Konstantine shoved me from him. Another gun fired, he fell to the floor, and I raced into Cortez’s arms.

  “Teagon?” I tried to pull away from him, but he held me tight.

  “Where’s Angel?” he shouted to the men who were checking the two bodies lying on the floor.

  “Here!” one of them answered from the kitchen.

  I tried again to break free of him, but Cortez tightened his grip.

  “What in the bloody hell?” I heard her groan and exhaled the breath I’d been holding.

  “Hang on,” the man with her said. “Let me look you over.”

  Cortez released me when we both heard her say, “Crash, I’m fine.” I raced over and knelt down beside her.

  “Not you too? Gawd. I’m bloody fine.” She smiled, but then turned serious. “I’m so sorry, Kenz.”

  “Don’t be. I’m the one who started this whole mess.”

  “Are they dead?”

  Crash nodded. “They are.”

  I could feel Cortez standing behind me. “Come, let’s get you both out of here. Angel, Crash will take you to the hospital to be checked over.”

  “Rile—”

  I’d seen him level that particular gaze before, and evidently, Angel had too since she didn’t argue further.

  “What about you? Tell me how he hurt you.” Cortez cupped my cheek with his palm.

  “I’m fine,” I said, repeating Teagon’s words. “I thought you were in Italy?”

  “I was.”

  I didn’t know where to look, his gaze was so intense. “Kensington, we must talk.”

  “What else is wrong, Cortez? I don’t think—”

  32

  Rile

  I lifted her into my arms like I had the first night I’d whisked her out of Konstantine’s clutches, and held her as close to me as I could.

  “Cortez?”

  “Soon, my darling, I promise.”

  I carried her outside to where Casper was waiting with the SUV. I wouldn’t bother taking her to my flat. I needed to get her farther away from here.

  Before I told Casper where to go, I turned to where Kensington sat beside me in the back seat. I cupped her cheek with my palm like I had a few minutes ago. “Will you come with me to Mallorca?”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, now, Kensington.”

  She studied me, her eyes boring into mine. She had so many questions, but she and I needed to figure out the answers together.

  “Is this for my protection, Cortez?”

  “No, my love. It is for us.”

  “Then, yes.”

  We didn’t talk en route to the airfield nor did we once we were on the plane. As soon as we were able to, I led her to the stateroom and held her in my arms.

  I pushed away the memory of the pain I’d felt earlier when I couldn’t escape seeing her
life without me in it. Now I knew that wasn’t what I was envisioning at all. I was seeing our life play out like a movie. There was no heartbreak. I knew this story would have a happy ending because I’d already seen it. I wondered if she had too.

  My Mercedes, the one my valet had pulled out of the hanger early this morning, was still parked outside. As soon as the steps were lowered, I led Kensington to it. Before I opened the passenger door, I put my arm around her waist and kissed her. I was about to speak, but she put her fingers on my lips.

  “Wait until we’re home, Cortez.”

  The sun was setting when the plane landed, so it was dark by the time we drove through the gates of the house.

  “Someone lit the fireplace,” Kensington murmured while we waited for the garage door to open.

  “Marta,” I said, so she knew. “She did it a few minutes ago, before she left for the evening.”

  “We’ll be alone?”

  “Yes, my darling.”

  We rode the lift up to the solarium and sat side-by-side on the outdoor sofa, watching the moonlight play on the waves crashing on the shore below us. It was a perfect night made more so because the woman I’d love until I took my last breath, sat beside me.

  I turned to her, and she turned to me. “I hope you can find a way to forgive me for breaking your heart, Kensington. I was so wrong.”

  “You were so wrong, Cortez, and yes, I forgive you.”

  “So easy on me. I don’t deserve it.”

  “It’s because I love you.”

  I closed my eyes and brought her hand to my mouth, kissing her palm. “I love you, my darling.”

  “I’ve known that all along.”

  I raised my brow and smiled. “I thought you’d given up on me.”

  She turned her body and rested her head against my shoulder. “I almost did.”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  “It was a dream I had. I saw us, Cortez. The day we married. When our children were born. I saw you, by my side, for the rest of our lives, and I knew it would happen.”

  “When did you have this dream?”

  “Last night. Yesterday, too. I never nap, but I kept falling asleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw more of our life together.”

  “Would you believe me if I told you I had the same dreams?”

  “More than I’d believe you didn’t.”

  “You said you saw me with you?”

  “Not just you, our children too.”

  “How many children?”

  She looked over her shoulder. “Four, Cortez. I’ve always known we’d have four.”

  “Will our oldest be a boy or a girl?”

  “You know our firstborn is a boy, Cortez. We had the same dreams.”

  I smiled when she nuzzled into me.

  “Not the same.”

  “No? What makes you say they were different?”

  “You saw me in your dreams.”

  “You didn’t see me?”

  “I didn’t see myself.”

  “But we were here.”

  I breathed in her scent, wrapped my arms around her, making sure I wasn’t dreaming now. I kissed her cheek and down her neck. “I will be right back, my love. Will you wait for me?”

  “I would’ve waited forever, Cortez. I’m so relieved you didn’t make me.”

  I slowly ran my fingers down her arm until we no longer touched and hurried into the bedroom. In the corner, there was an old wooden chest that had belonged to my grandmother on my father’s side—also a queen.

  I pulled out a small wooden box and a smaller one from inside it. I put it in my pocket and went back out to where Kensington waited.

  Rather than sitting beside her, I got down on one knee. She gasped and brought both of her hands to her mouth.

  “Francesca Alexandra Kensington Whitby, will you marry me?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  I opened the box and took out the ring that had been left to me by my grandmother. “No other has worn this ring since Queen Sofia.” I took her hand and slid it on her finger. The platinum setting held five pear-shaped diamonds and eighteen brilliant-cut diamonds. It fit Kensington’s finger as though it was made for her.

  Tears fell from her eyes as she studied it. “It’s exactly how it looked in my dream.”

  33

  Kensington

  Cortez and I made love all night and then slept past noon. It was the first time we’d been at the house all by ourselves, and I loved it.

  “How long will Marta be away?” I asked when we rode the lift to the lower level in search of food.

  “I’m not certain she will be coming back.”

  “Because of me?” I gasped.

  “No, no,” he answered, cupping my cheek. “She is ready to retire and spend more time with her sister and her sister’s family.”

  “Oh.” I tried not to pout as I looked longingly at the homemade pastries she left for us.

  “It’s one of many things you and I need to talk about in the coming days.”

  “That sounds ominous.” I reached out and snatched a crumble cake. Cortez took a bite of it. “Hey, that was mine.”

  “What’s mine is ours, and what’s yours is ours. Except not everything.”

  I sat down at the table and took a sip of the tea he set in front of me. “That sounds worse than ominous. We just got engaged last night, and we’re going to talk about a prenuptial agreement this morning?”

  “Let me rephrase. What’s mine is ours. Some things that are yours, will remain yours alone.”

  “How is that fair?”

  “Because some of those things were passed down from your family.”

  “The same is true for you.”

  “Not really. I bought this house as well as my flat in London.”

  “What about the plane?”

  “It depends on which plane you’re speaking of.”

  “The first plane.”

  “I bought that as well.”

  “The money came from your family, though.”

  He shook his head. “Some, but not the bulk of it.”

  “You made enough money from working at MI6 to afford two multi-million dollar homes and an airplane? Teagon said MI6 paid well, but I never dreamed it was that well. Which reminds me, have you heard anything about her condition? I’d really like to talk to her today if I could.”

  Cortez smiled. “MI6 does not pay quite that well. I made many good investments with the money I inherited from my grandparents. Angel is fine, and that has been confirmed by Crash. And finally, yes, you may talk with her whenever you’d like.”

  As much as I didn’t want to talk about what had happened yesterday, there were things I needed to know.

  “How did you know to come to my house?”

  “Come,” he said, pulling me away from the table. “Let’s go back to the solarium.”

  “Wait,” I said when he pressed the button for the lift.

  “Good thinking,” he said when I got on carrying a plateful of crumble cakes.

  We sat by the pool and dangled our feet in the water. I raised my face to the sun, wondering if there’d ever been a time in my life when I felt as at peace or happy.

  “I was on my way back from Italy when something told me I had to get to London as soon as possible.”

  “Something or someone?”

  He smiled. “I was already in the air when I received a call from Smoke, alerting me that Konstantine had escaped the psychiatric facility.”

  “There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

  “I’m going to have to get used to this.”

  “They say to marry a woman who reminds you of your mother.”

  The smile that had momentarily left his face, came back, only to leave again. “Siren sustained injuries serious enough she required surgery. She’s stable now. Smoke is with her. He’ll keep me updated.”

  “You knew Konstantine would come to London.”

  “Yes. I also had reason to believ
e his mother aided his escape.”

  “He was stark-raving mad, Cortez.”

  “As, I believe, was she.”

  “Why in the world did he set his sights on me. I hardly knew him?”

  Cortez explained what he’d learned at a meeting that took place at Buckingham Palace and how I was, evidently, the only single woman of marrying age that would fulfill the von Habsburg’s crazy family statute about who heirs could marry. I shuddered at the archaicness of it.

  “What about Otto? You told Konstantine he was married.”

  “And he was. It seems the von Habsburgs are willing to look the other way when the young woman one of the heirs weds is worth billions.”

  “Thank goodness we don’t have to worry about him beating my door down.”

  “You’ll soon be off the marriage market, my darling.”

  “Soon? Do you have a date in mind, Cortez?”

  “Goodness, no. Whatever you’d like to do, I will go along with happily.”

  “Even if we wed tomorrow?”

  He smiled. “Will that be enough time for your family to arrive?”

  “Family?” I gasped. “If you’re referring to Kiki and my father, good God, no. All the more reason for a small, simple ceremony. Your family can come, though.”

  “Is there anyone else you’d like to have in attendance?”

  “Well, Teagon, of course. And maybe that Casper woman.”

  Cortez laughed out loud. “You want someone at our wedding that you refer to in such a way?”

  “She’s not all bad.”

  “What about Lincoln Mulrooney?”

  This time I laughed out loud. “And why would I invite Linc?”

  “So he sees for himself that you are my wife.”

  “You have no reason to be jealous of Linc.” I bit my lower lip. “I do have to ring him, though.”

  “What will you tell him?”

  “Well, specifically, I will tell him what happened yesterday, although it will likely be all over the news.”

  Cortez shook his head. “There will be no mention of it in the media.”

  My eyes opened wide. “Seriously? You can cover something like that up?”