by Ella Miles
My tongue darts out of my mouth to taste hers.
She closes her eyes as my tongue brushes against her lip. They fly back open a second later.
“No.” She puts her hand on my chest and pushes me hard. “You can tease me, tempt me, lust after me, but it’s a waste of time. I don’t regret what we did. I thought we were going to die in that tower. But things are different now. I won’t hurt the mother of my child.”
The mother of her child. The mother of my child.
I take a deep breath and sigh.
“Then I guess I’m the bigger monster between the two of us because I want to sin with you no matter who it hurts.”
5
Liesel
I’m stronger than I ever imagined. It took every bit of my strength to resist Langston. The wetness of his tongue against my lip, the heat from his breath, the pull of my soul. My body comes alive when I’m with Langston. I’ve never felt so alive as when he’s inside me. And I’ll never feel that alive again.
I meant what I said—never again.
I will take the memories with me forever, but that’s all I’ll take.
Langston’s words will taunt me, though. They beg me to give in, and I’m sure his latest attempt was only the beginning. I can’t be alone with him. I’m strong, but I’m not strong enough to keep saying no. Especially not now that I know how it feels to be with him.
I hear footsteps upstairs—Phoenix getting the kids ready. If I could make him fall in love with her, I would. It would be better for everyone.
All I can focus on now is the threat made against Atlas. My entire life has been about keeping him safe. It’s the only thing I’ve succeeded at, and I’ll do everything I can to keep him safe.
Langston is desperate to know what the note said, but it’s my burden to bear. It’s my fault Atlas is in danger. And Langston knowing will just get him killed.
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, but they all hide in the dark. Creeping through the shadows, pretending that they have the power to destroy, but that makes them easier to catch. This monster left a clue as to who he is. Now, all that’s left to do is to decide if I want to set a trap and catch the monster or give in to his demands.
There’s a rough knock on the door.
“Beckett got here early,” Langston says, running to the door.
Thank god.
I hear footsteps coming down the stairs, and I creep back. This isn’t how I’ll meet my son, not like this.
I run out back before the kids make it down the stairs. I exhale sharply as the sun beats down on me, making me sweat. My hands are clammy, and my nerves shot. I need to run to get some energy out and make myself feel better, but I can’t.
Instead, I do something that might actually help protect my kids. I call Siren.
“Hello?” Siren answers.
“Hey, it’s Liesel. I need your help.”
“I’m out of the faking my death business. Besides, I don’t think Langston would fall for that one again.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. The kids...” I find I can’t finish before tears fill my eyes.
“Say no more. What do you need us to do?”
“Make people believe that you all are moving precious cargo. Beckett will be the one who has them, but anything to make people believe that you or Kai or someone else might be hiding them, the safer they’ll be.”
I hate asking. They all have kids that this could be putting at risk as well.
“Done.”
I exhale sharply after holding my breath, waiting for her answer.
“We all have kids. We know how terrifying it can be to be worried about your children. Don’t worry about what was said or done before. When it comes to our kids, we will always protect them.”
“He told you then?”
“That Atlas is your son? Yes. He told us, but I’ve always suspected.”
“Thank you,” I say before we hang up.
I hear voices and the opening of a car door. It’s safe to go back into the house now and hide until they are gone. Saying goodbye as my son is driven away is not the way I should meet him. I haven’t earned the right to meet him, not until I know he’s safe from this world forever.
But I can’t fight the pull. Maybe I’m not as strong as I think? Or maybe I just love my son more than I care about Langston?
I walk up the side of the house, following the sound of the sweet little voices. One is thrilled about the new adventure she’s going on. The other concerned and dubious of why the adventure is being sprung on them.
I force my feet to stop when I get to the side of the house, where a row of bushes gives me a spot to hide. I crouch down, blending with the greenery.
And then I look through the branches and leaves.
I see a scrawny fair-haired girl in a pink dinosaur shirt, black shorts, and sparkly shoes. She has a black bandana in her hair, and she’s talking Langston’s head off about how he has to promise he’ll be coming with on the next adventure.
He promises.
I smile. She has him so wrapped around her little finger. He gives her a tight hug, and I see how clearly her hair color matches his. She didn’t get her coloring from her mother unless Phoenix’s darker hair is dyed that way. She moves to hug Phoenix next while Langston moves to Atlas.
His hair is much darker, and he’s more reserved. He doesn’t say much. I find myself afraid that Langston is going to behave differently toward him since he’s not his biological son, but he kneels down in front of him in the same way he did to Rose.
“Keep Rose out of trouble for me, okay?”
“I promise.”
He wraps Atlas in a hug and then whispers something into his ear that makes him smile.
I gasp when I see Atlas’ eyes and smile. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s my son and that Langston loves him as his own. My only role in my child’s life is to ensure that he’s safe. I don’t get to know him—that will only bring more danger into his life.
Phoenix is his mother.
Langston is his father.
And I, I’m his protector.
6
Langston
I plant my feet firmly on the ground on my driveway as I watch Beckett drive away with my kids in the backseat. Every instinct in my body tells me to run after them. I’m their protector. I’m supposed to keep them safe. I need to be with them.
My feet don’t move, though. The weight of the world is the only thing keeping me from running after Beckett’s bulletproof SUV. The only way to protect them is to get the damn treasure and destroy our enemies. If they stay with me, they will be a target.
So I let them go, even though I physically feel pain letting them out of my sight. Even though I trust Beckett. Even though I know the rest of the Black empire—Enzo, Kai, Siren, and Zeke—will protect them. We would all lay down our lives to protect the kids.
I turn around just as the SUV turns a corner and escapes from sight.
Liesel.
She’s standing on the side of the house.
I smile—she couldn’t help herself. She took a peek at the kids.
I wish she had done more, met them, but that’s her decision. The monster inside me isn’t satisfied with that, though. I can forgive Liesel for a lot of things, but not when it comes to her child.
She looks back to the house and walks over to where Phoenix and I stand.
“We should go now,” Liesel says. She rushes toward the car in the garage.
Phoenix and I exchange glances before we follow her to the car. I sit in the driver’s seat, Phoenix next to me, and Liesel behind me. Phoenix tosses Liesel a change of clothes as I start driving us to the airport.
We aren’t out of the garage for two seconds when a nearby explosion rocks our car.
Phoenix shrieks.
My heart stops.
Liesel just stares down the road, completely unfazed.
“It’s gone,” Phoenix says, drawing my attention away from Liesel and back t
o the house.
Flames dance across the shattered remains. This house is where my kids have grown up. It’s where I first brought them home, where we became a family.
I try to push out the dozens of stuffed animals, bikes, and pictures that were just taken from us. We are all safe—that’s what matters.
But my blood boils. Liesel isn’t surprised at all that the house just exploded. The letter threatened us, but did she hide details from me? What else is in that damn letter?
I grip the steering wheel in rage and look back at Liesel through the rearview mirror. I’ve only been this pissed at her one time before. But this time, I’m not going to let her get away with it.
Phoenix is still sobbing and carrying on next to me. It’s just a house, just stuff, but I feel her pain. Something was taken from us today, and whomever it was is going to pay—even if the woman in the back seat had something to do with it.
I reach across and find Phoenix’s hand. I lift it to my lips and kiss the back of her hand.
“It’s going to be okay, Phoenix. We are all safe. Everything inside is replaceable. And I’m going to make every person who had anything to do with this suffer.”
Liesel’s eyes meet mine when I say those words, intending her to know that whatever has happened between us doesn’t matter. I don’t care that we survived hell together. I don’t care that she’s Atlas’ birth mother. If she had anything to do with this, if she hid this from me, then I’ll make her pay.
I watch as her eyes drop to where my fingers are intertwined with Phoenix’s. She doesn’t react, at least not on the outside, but I suspect Liesel is raging with jealousy.
For the next few minutes, the only sounds that fill the car are Phoenix’s quiet sobs and hiccups.
“We’re being followed,” Liesel says carefully.
I glance in the rearview mirror and force myself to look beyond Liesel to the road. A blacked out sedan creeps after us.
I make a last-minute right turn onto a side street, and sure enough, the car turns as well.
“Shit,” I say.
“Oh my god! We are going to die. I should have gone with the kids. The kids are going to grow up without parents,” Phoenix howls.
I let go of Phoenix’s hand and grip the wheel. I don’t have time to deal with her hysteria. I have to get the car behind us off our tail.
I make another sharp turn, and Phoenix screams at my sudden speed.
“Slow down!” she shouts.
I don’t.
I take my gun out, preparing to shoot the tires of the trailing car behind me.
“Langston! Don’t shoot them! I—”
Slap.
Liesel has unbuckled herself, climbed in between us, and slapped Phoenix in the face.
“Stop it. Now isn’t the time to freak out. It’s not helpful. If you want to be helpful, shut up and do whatever Langston tells you to do. If you do that, your kids will grow up with a loving mother and father. If you don’t, then I’m going to throw you out of this car to ensure that your kids at least grow up with a father,” Liesel says, getting into Phoenix’s face.
I raise an eyebrow, not sure that’s the best technique to get Phoenix to stop.
Phoenix sniffles then nods.
Then both women turn toward me.
“At the next intersection, I’m going to spin us. Then, I’ll fire some shots out my window that will stop the car from pursuing us. I need you both to duck down. The car is bulletproof, but the windows are the most vulnerable.”
Phoenix sucks in her snot and then ducks down, flinging her arms over her head.
“Seatbelt, then duck,” I say slowly to Liesel.
Liesel rolls her eyes, then digs under my seat before coming back up with a gun in her hand.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Stepping up.”
“You could get killed.”
“Then I’ll die doing something good for Atlas.”
My heart swells. Maybe I was wrong about Liesel.
I give Liesel a look of preparation.
She grabs onto the door, and we both lower our windows.
And then I sling us around.
I aim out the window and start firing at the tires. I hit the first before moving to the second and seeing that it has already been blown out by Liesel. Then we both start shooting at the driver.
The men in the car barely get a return shot off before I’m spinning us back around and stepping on the gas.
“Is it over?” Phoenix says from the floor as Liesel and I roll up our windows.
I glance in the rearview mirror; the car behind us has stopped. I look to Liesel, who purses her lips and lets out a slow breath. She’s always said she doesn’t belong in this world and that she hates firing a gun. She hates the violence, but she fits in better than she will ever admit.
“Yes, the car isn’t following us anymore,” I reply.
“Good,” Phoenix pants next to me. Her hair is disheveled, and her forehead is sweaty. Now I’m regretting bringing her along; that car chase is going to be the least dangerous thing we go through.
The rest of the drive is uneventful as I pull up to the tarmac where one of Kai’s private jets is waiting.
“Huntress, go into the jet and tell them we’ll be ready to take off in five minutes. I need to talk to Dunn here.”
Liesel hesitates as she opens the door, but then she climbs out, still holding onto the gun like most women would a purse, completely at ease with herself. She’s turned into a mama bear willing to do whatever it takes to protect her child—fucking finally.
Phoenix carefully watches Liesel climb the steps into the jet.
“We’re on the same side,” I say.
Phoenix pulls the visor down and starts blotting underneath her eyes, where her mascara has run. She pinches her cheeks and then runs her hand through her hair before she faces me with watering eyes.
“We’re not.”
“Yes, we are. Liesel cares about Atlas and Rose just as much as we do.”
She shakes her head. “She hasn’t been around. She gave Atlas up. She—”
“She didn’t have a choice. Giving Atlas up was the best thing for him.”
“I don’t trust her.”
“She’s Atlas’ mother. She knows Rose is my kid. Don’t let your jealousy impede your thinking.”
She slaps me.
“I’m not jealous of Liesel. You can stick your dick into anyone you want. The only people I care about are Atlas and Rose, and I don’t trust your whore. She gave up Atlas, and Rose means nothing to her.”
“You’re wrong.”
“I’m not willing to risk our kids’ lives on your hunch, which is based entirely on wanting to fuck the woman.”
“What do you want, Phoenix? We need Liesel in order to end this. The kids are safe. So you either trust her enough to finish this together, or you go hang out with the kids until this is over—which will it be?”
She huffs like the decision is going to be the death of her, and then she pops open the door. “I’m coming, but it doesn’t mean I trust her yet.”
“You don’t have to trust her. You have to trust me.” I grab onto her hip, pulling her back into the car. “Can you do that? Trust me?”
“I trust you.”
I release her, and then we both get out of the car and walk up the stairs to the plane.
I don’t spot Liesel initially when I step into the aisle. For a second, my heart skips, thinking that she took off. We need her help to get the treasure, to protect the kids.
I need her.
But then I spot her blonde locks peek up over the last seat in the back of the plane. There are a dozen seats between me and her. Phoenix takes the first seat at the front, purposefully making me choose between her and Liesel.
I sigh and take a seat next to Phoenix. I don’t know how to fix the iciness between the two of them, but I’ll let Liesel think she’s safe for now hiding in the back of the plane. She’s not safe—not
from me.
7
Liesel
This is never going to end.
Atlas will never be safe.
And it’s all my fault.
The plane takes off with Phoenix and Langston sitting in the front while I occupy the last seat—the furthest away I can be from them. I quickly change out of my flannel and sweatpants and into new clothes—dark jeans and a tight white T-shirt. At least it’s not a long-sleeved shirt like Phoenix usually wears.
I need to think, and Langston distracts me. My body comes alive when he’s close, and if he touches me…forget it. There won’t be any blood left in my brain to function.
I swore when I gave Atlas up that I was doing it to protect him. Everything I do is to protect him. I won’t let anyone distract me.
The words of the letter burn into my head. There is only one way to protect Atlas now, and I’m not sure I’m strong enough to pull it off.
I close my eyes and lean my chair back so I can be well-rested when we get to Peru.
“What aren’t you telling me, huntress?” Langston asks, jolting me awake.
My body heats, and my pulse races, even though my eyes remain closed.
“You can’t ignore me, huntress. You are trapped on a private jet with me for another two hours. Talk to me, or I’ll make you talk.”
My eyes fly open, and I stare him down as he stands above me. I’m tired of his threats. His harsh words should tamper down the heat in my body, but the heat only rises. I prefer us being enemies to friends, even if we are enemies on the same side. It reminds me that I can never have Langston; he isn’t mine.
“Your threats mean nothing to me.”
“I know, but they should.” He sinks into the chair next to me.
I think I prefer him towering over me to sitting so close. He leans over, invading my space as his hot breath dances across my skin on my neck.
“Won’t Phoenix be missing you?”
“Phoenix is a big girl. She can sit on a plane for a few minutes all by herself.”
