by Ella Miles
Stolen by Truths
Truth or Lies Book 4
Ella Miles
Copyright © 2019 by Ella Miles
EllaMiles.com
[email protected]
Cover design © Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
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Truth or Lies Series
Prologue
1. Kai
2. Enzo
3. Kai
4. Enzo
5. Kai
6. Enzo
7. Kai
8. Enzo
9. Kai
10. Enzo
11. Kai
12. Enzo
13. Kai
14. Enzo
15. Kai
16. Enzo
17. Kai
18. Enzo
19. Kai
20. Enzo
21. Kai
22. Enzo
23. Kai
24. Enzo
25. Kai
26. Enzo
27. Kai
28. Enzo
29. Kai
30. Enzo
31. Kai
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Also by Ella Miles
About the Author
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Truth or Lies Series
Lured by Lies #0.5
Taken by Lies #1
Betrayed by Truths #2
Trapped by Lies #3
Stolen by Truths #4
Possessed by Lies #5
Consumed by Truths #6
Prologue
Kai
Enzo promised to protect me.
He promised to save me at all costs.
To risk his life to keep me alive.
To sacrifice everything to keep me safe.
Enzo promised.
And when Enzo Black promises, he keeps his promise. He never breaks a vow. Never breaks his word.
But sometimes, you don’t have a choice.
Sometimes, you can’t help but break a promise. No matter how great the promise is—you break it. Not through any fault of your own, but because the world is working against you. Or in this case, the person you are trying to save won’t let you save them.
That’s what happens when you set someone free. You can no longer control them. No longer protect them. The cage Enzo created for me was safe, but he let me out. And now I’m free to make my own choices even if it risks my life.
I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be sacrificing everything to keep Enzo safe. But love will do that. I love him. I can’t let him get hurt. I can’t let him sacrifice himself to protect me.
Enzo made his decision.
I made mine.
And Milo chose.
But Enzo is safe, and to me, that is all that matters.
So that is why I walk willingly into another cage. This cage is beautiful, expensive, grand. Milo’s mansion is dripping with wealth. Gold coats the banisters and chandeliers. Valuable and exotic paintings hang on the walls and ceilings like this is the Sistine Chapel or something. And servants stand at attention ready to brush a crumb off Milo’s jacket or jump up to lay their life down for him if a bullet were to head his way.
“Come,” Milo says.
I stand motionless in the entryway, not believing my eyes. Enzo’s home was grand but modern and simple at the same time. Milo’s home is a castle in every sense of the word. I'm surprised I didn't have to cross a moat, drawbridge, and dragon to get here.
I force my legs to move again—a difficult task since I don’t want to go anywhere Milo Wallace is, and my leg is fractured. The amount of suffering it takes to move is intense. My blood boils with fever with each step, my muscles quiver with weakness, and my bones crunch, further amplifying each break.
But I walk.
I walk to protect Enzo.
Everything I do is for Enzo.
The man I love. A man who is worthy. A man who deserves to be Black.
My arm burns as it falls out of the sling I’m wearing. My shoulder is out of its socket.
I should regret falling in love. Most people at one point in their life or another do. Because the only way you end up with a broken heart is if you fall in love in the first place.
I’ve had a broken heart. But following Milo now, my heart has healed. Because Enzo isn’t the one here suffering. I am. And I can’t handle the man I love being in pain.
Maybe I’m stupid for falling in love—especially with a monster.
But I don’t care. Because even if I only had a second to enjoy that love, it was worth it. Enzo will always be worth it—always.
I lift my swinging arm and gently put it back into the sling as a drop of blood skirts down my cheek and runs over my lip. The blood tastes cold in my mouth. It tastes bitter and sour.
But my blood saved him.
Enzo may be equally as hurt, but not as damaged. He will get a chance to heal, while I will end up dead.
Not today. Today I will live and wish I was dead. But someday soon, I will breathe my last breath at the hands of Milo.
Milo stops at a door leading down to a basement. His head cocks as a slow grin forms on his face.
I don’t want to see what’s behind the door, but whatever it is, it won’t scare me nearly as much as the man himself does.
“You realize how foolish you are, correct?” he asks.
“Saving the man I love isn’t foolish.”
He shakes his head. “Falling in love is foolish.”
I search Milo’s eyes. He’s fallen in love before. He wears the same scars I do. He carries his pain as he bears the scar I sliced onto his cheek, like a badge he will never get rid of no matter how much time passes.
“You were once foolish, too,” I say.
“Yes, and I regret it every day.”
“I don’t regret falling in love.”
His eyes grin at me with all the evil of the world. “You will.”
“Open the door, do your worst, I will never regret falling in love with Enzo.”
Milo’s hand stretches out, and his thick fingers graze my cheek.
I flinch.
Dammit. Don’t show fear. Not so soon. Not from the simplest of touches.
“I know everything about you, Kai Miller. I know you can’t stand being touched. I know you’ve endured more pain than most people can survive. And I know you are strong enough to become the true heir of Black.
“I know the more pain I cause you, the stronger you will become. You will turn your body into ice. Your heart into stone. And your mind will block everything out—Enzo included. When I’m finished with you, you won’t know what love is anymore. I will bleed you of your weakness until you have none left.”
“No,” I whisper. He can’t. It’s not possible. I won’t let myself shut down again. I’d rather die and feel everything than give up my love for Enzo.
Milo tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and I shatter. A low growl of my voice warns Milo to stay away. But instead, it only goads him on.
“We are goin
g to have so much fun together, you and I. I’ve never had a woman react so strongly to the most comforting of touches.”
The only way to protect my heart is to throw up my icy shield and hope if I ever get free, Enzo will be able to crash through my walls once again.
“I will take everything from you, Kai Miller. Everything. And when I’m finished with you, you won’t have a heart left to give. No love left to protect Enzo with. You will be mine. And together, we will steal the Black empire and rule the world together.”
No.
You won’t get my heart.
Lock it away.
But the gleam in his eyes tells me that’s exactly what he wants me to do. To lock it all away. Because if I do, my love will be gone. I’ll become hardened to the world. I’ll no longer care about Enzo Black. And Enzo isn’t here to break me free. I’ll be trapped in my own body with no way out.
Whatever I do, I’m fucked.
My choices are feel everything and hope I’m strong enough to survive it.
Or throw up my shields, lock away my heart, and surrender my love.
Neither option is easy.
But when Milo pushes open the door, I know what I must do. I won’t let the devil win. Love wins. Enzo will win. Not by stealing me back, but by keeping this monster from stealing anyone else. I will be Milo’s last prisoner. And I will make sure he regrets taking me every fucking day.
1
Kai
All I should feel is pain as I pick up the phone. Instead, all I feel is peace.
I’m free.
Enzo set me free.
But he lied.
He is still trying to protect me. I’m sure Langston is watching me right now in the coffee shop I ducked inside. I order an iced coffee, and then I pull my cell phone from my pocket—the one Enzo gave me. One I’m sure is embedded with a tracking device. Enzo knows exactly where I am, which is why I’ll have to ditch the cell phone soon, but not until I make the call.
I dial the ten digits I memorized and then wait.
An intense rage rests in my gut, begging me to let it out. I want to yell, scream, and curse. The man who answers is the man who killed Zeke. I stare at the black scrunchie on my wrist as tears threaten in my eyes.
Why did Milo have to kill Zeke? Why? Why? Why?
Why did Zeke have to die?
Why didn’t I stop it?
Milo Wallace will pay for Zeke’s death. I will make sure of it. But for now, I have another mission. Ensuring Milo chooses me instead of Enzo.
“I’ve been waiting for your call,” Milo answers without a hello.
“Where do you want to meet to make the trade?” I ask.
“I think you owe me something first,” he says.
The tiny amount of coffee in my stomach swirls, threatening to come back up at the sound of his voice. If this is how my body reacts to his voice, how am I going to react when I see him in person? When he touches me? Hurts me?
“I don’t owe you anything,” I hiss into the phone.
“I almost died. Before I make any deal with you, you must apologize to me.”
“If you expect me to apologize, then you must really not want to do this deal with me. I’m hanging up now,” I threaten.
“Wait,” he growls hungrily into the phone. His voice is filled with want and desire.
And the coffee that was in my stomach burns its way back into my throat. I can’t do this. I need to hang up and find another way to save Enzo. To keep the Black empire safe from Milo. To keep our enemies from touching us.
I don’t speak; my throat is like lava. But I don’t hang up either. Milo knows I won’t. I’m too desperate to save Enzo. I’ll do anything he wants.
“I’ll text you the address. I’ll meet you in the VIP room,” he says.
“Time?”
“Midnight.”
My feelings overwhelm me, vibrating and trembling through every cell in my body. Fear, rage, love, pain all crash together into a force inside me that whirls through my blood. It’s too much. All of it. But I won’t let the feelings go. I won’t lock them away even though it will be easier for me to do what I must. Because despite all the painful feelings, the love shines through the brightest, even if that love is what will be the end of me.
“Don’t be late,” I purr into the phone, trying to keep my strength and power in this situation. And don’t take Enzo’s deal first, I want to add but don’t.
“I think you better worry about your own timeliness, Miss Miller. I’m not the one who will lose if you show up late. You will. And I’ll make sure you suffer for your mistake.”
“I won’t be late.”
He laughs. “So much confidence and determination to die, Miss Miller.”
“I won’t be the one who dies,” I threaten back.
“And I won’t be the one who sacrifices my life to save another. Midnight, Miss Miller. Not a second late or you know what will happen. You will apologize for all the pain you have caused me. And I will enjoy taking everything from you. So I would think long and hard before you show up, Kai. Because when I’m done with you, even your name will sound like a curse. You will hate everything and everyone. Death will seem more than a blessing. One I will never grant. Not until death seems like the worst choice again.”
The phone goes silent.
Rage.
Rage wins out through all the other emotions.
Rage for what Milo did to Zeke.
Rage at him threatening Enzo.
Rage at him taking me.
I may give Milo my life, but it doesn’t mean he gets to win. I will not give up that easily.
But first things first, I need to make sure Milo takes me and not Enzo.
I show up at the address long before midnight.
I could have spent my last hours of freedom enjoying them. Spending them on a beach, drinking until I’m so drunk my troubles seem like nothing. I would be numb when I finally showed up to see Milo.
But I did none of those things. All I could think about was Enzo. What was he doing? Did he return to his house by the sea? Is he still on his yacht? Did he try to intercept Milo and make his own agreement? Am I too late? Is he watching me?
My thoughts also drifted to the naughtier side. My lips yearned to feel the scruff of his face on mine as he kissed my lips, neck, breasts, stomach. My toes tingled thinking of how his tongue feels between my legs. My body ached for his cock to drive inside me.
All things I will never feel again—not from Enzo Black.
Not being with Enzo is ripping me apart. My body only feels whole when he’s inside me. When his tongue darts inside my mouth caressing my tongue, when our sweat mixes and our bodies collide in sweet euphoria. Only then am I strong enough to face the world. His touch is the only one I not only can stand but want more of. His grin is the only one I try to earn from a man. His words are the only ones I care to hear.
It may not be healthy to care so much about one man, but I do. Love will do that to you. Make you lose sight of everything else.
But it also feels like more than love.
I stand in a dark alley staring at the club I will enter closer to midnight. This feels like my destiny. Like I was born to save Enzo and also the entire Black empire. Enzo is the one who can build the empire. He is the one who can grow it to provide jobs for thousands. He is the one who can protect our allies. He is the one who can defeat enemies like Milo.
Keeping Enzo alive and leading the Black empire is more than just my love for him; it’s about protecting people who know nothing of the darkness of the world. Enzo’s father may not have cared about innocent people, but Enzo does. He may not like to show his heart often, but I’ve seen it. I know how he cares about the innocent. I know how he cares about protecting those who do not deserve to die. And I know if he were to earn the crown of Black, he would spend the rest of his life protecting those who deserve his protection. Just as he did for Liesel, and he’s strived to do for me.
I glance at my phone. It
’s ten o’clock—two hours until midnight. Two hours I must wait and endure the panic that beats wildly in my chest, threatening to drive me as far away from this place as possible.
I play with the black scrunchie on my wrist—the last thing Zeke gave me before he died.
I wish you were here, Zeke. You would know what to do. You would give me the courage to do what must be done.
I close my eyes, forcing the tears back. If I start crying now, I’ll never stop. I didn’t even know Zeke’s last name. I didn’t know his story. I didn’t know the woman he loved. I hardly knew anything about Zeke. But I did know he was kind, a gentle giant. I knew his heart was purer than most. We had a connection that in some ways triumphed over my link with Enzo. Zeke and I shared a bond that was so different from anything else I’ve had before—friendship.
Zeke was a true friend. One who loved me despite my flaws and protected me fiercely.
The wind blows, and I close my eyes, pretending its Zeke’s arms wrapping around me, providing me strength. I’m going to need you with me to survive the next few hours, Zeke.
When I open my eyes, it seems Zeke sent me more than strength—he sent Enzo.
I watch as he drives his Ferrari up in front of the club. He tosses the valet the keys as he steps out and starts walking to the club entrance.
No.
He can’t be here.
He can’t give up his life and empire for me.
