by Piper Stone
The sound was overwhelming. I tried to pull my hand out of his, but his hold was far too strong.
“Acadia. Calm down,” he growled.
“I’m getting the nurse,” Angelique said, immediately rushing toward the door.
“Listen to me, baby. You’re very lucky. The bullet missed your spine and all your major organs. There is nothing wrong with your legs.”
“You’re sure?”
“Hell, yeah, I’m sure,” he huffed.
I finally managed to focus, his gorgeous eyes something I would never forget. “O-kay.”
“Dear God, I thought I’d lost you.”
A sudden flash of images pulsed into my mind, a single sound of a gunshot echoing. Dear God.
“Someone wants me dead.”
“The hit was meant for me,” he said, anger remaining in his tone.
I nodded, as if that meant anything. “You’re okay?” My entire body ached, but there was no pain. “Are you certain I was shot?”
“You were in surgery for several hours. I’m fine. You need to stop worrying about me.”
There was the anger I remembered from earlier. “You’re so mean.” I was so woozy.
He laughed, pulling my hand to his mouth and kissing my knuckles. “You have no idea.”
“Who?” Coughing, I fought to catch my breath. “Who did this?”
“That’s what I’m going to find out, but nothing matters right now. It can wait. However, you need your rest.”
“I’m okay.” Memories of the lovely dream floated into my mind. Love. That wasn’t in the cards, at least not for me.
As the door burst open, I closed my eyes, exhaustion settling in. Everything felt as if it was in slow motion, breathing becoming difficult. I was afraid, but not of dying.
Of losing him.
“Mr. King. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Ms. Chenault needs her rest.”
I knew without opening my eyes that he was fuming from the nurse’s demand. I could hear it in his ragged breathing. When he pressed his lips against my fingers again, I shuddered.
“I’ll be just outside. Sleep and dream, little rebel. Everything is going to be all right. I’m going to make certain of it. That much I promise you. No one will ever be able to hurt you again.”
No matter his strong words or the pledge he’d just made, I knew in my heart that everything wasn’t going to be all right. We were from different worlds, ones far removed from each other. While he would stop at nothing, turning over any rock until the person responsible was dead, I wasn’t certain my heart could take the guilt of having blood on my hands.
I also knew I couldn’t handle being tossed asway. The pain of loving him and the knowledge he could never reciprocate was too much to bear.
Some day. Some way. I’d simply disappear.
Maybe then I could find a life.
Or a man like Vincenzo, only the kind who could actually learn to love me.
Vincenzo
“Come with me,” Angelique said in a hushed voice as she guided me out of the room.
“Fuck, no. I need to stay here.” I’d lied to her. I’d told Angelique that everything was okay and that she would be fine, but I wasn’t certain of that. Hell, I wasn’t certain of anything except the asshole behind this bullshit had advanced his game. Anyone in the family could be on his hit list. The hit could have been meant for my sister.
“Acadia isn’t going anywhere. The family is in the small waiting room. You’re going to need to get some rest.”
“I’m not resting until that son of a bitch is cut into ribbons.”
“Dimitri went after him, just like you ordered.”
Hell, I couldn’t remember a damn thing other than the moment she’d been shot in the back, the light drifting out of her eyes.
And the rush of rage that threatened to drag me into the pits of hell. I loved her. Nothing was supposed to happen to her. The motherfucker was going to beg for death by the time I was finished with him. “He damn well better have found the asshole.”
“Jesus. Try and get control,” she chastised.
Control. As if that was going to happen. “Stay right here,” I told Alejandro, giving him a nod. What a fool I’d been to give my soldiers the goddamn night off. Was it a coincidence the hit was ordered on that very night? Doubtful.
“Not going anywhere, boss.” Alejandro shifted closer to the door as we walked away.
“Stop being a shit, Vincenzo. Dimitri is chasing the man because he gives a shit about you. God, you’re such a hardhead,” Angelique continued.
“He did so because he works for the family.”
She jerked me to the side, keeping her fingers digging into my arm. “Listen to me. Leave Dimitri alone. I know you’re upset. What happened is horrible. It’s easy to tell how much you care about Acadia but lashing out at the world isn’t going to keep her safe. It also isn’t going to bring Bella back.”
I bristled, snapping my head. “Don’t you… Dare…”
Angelique had tears in her eyes. “I loved Bella too. Breathe, brother. Acadia is going to be all right.”
“You don’t know that.” I closed my eyes. She was right. I was snapping out at the world. “I’m sorry. That was shitty.”
“Yeah, it was, but I’m used to it. However, you’re not going to ruin my life. I won’t allow you to do that. Concentrate on finding whoever is responsible but think, don’t act like an asshole.”
Hissing, a part of me was ready to reaffirm my admonishment of her, but I realized my behavior was bordering on ridiculous. “This isn’t about your love affair. This is about the woman…”
“Yeah, I get it. The woman you love.”
“It’s not… love, for God’s sake. Cut the crap, Angelique.”
“Christ, Vincenzo. Lie to yourself. I don’t care.” She let out a long breath. “I do care. You deserve to be happy. We all do. I know you’re going to tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I do. Hear me for once. Maybe I actually know more than you do.”
I snorted, rubbing my tired eyes. “Not a chance.”
My sister sighed. “Have it your way. Come on. I’ll get you some damn coffee.” She left me standing where I was after giving me a nasty glare.
After my phone vibrated, I hissed before dragging it into my hand.
The assailant was found. He remains within these walls.
Dimitri’s text made me snarl in the back of my throat. The bastard had been found. The motherfucker was going to die. As I stormed down the hall, I remembered exactly why I loathed hospitals. The stench. The sounds. The pasty walls. Everything.
It was all about death.
Well, not today. The freaking doctors had better save her.
“The woman you love.”
Angelique’s words rang in my mind. Hell, maybe I did after all.
Dante was the first to notice me. He whistled through his teeth as he shook his head. “You look like shit.”
Dried blood covered the front of my shirt, remnants likely staining my face. I could have sworn I felt the last of her heartbeats as life began to ebb out of her beautiful body. The next few hours had been nothing but a blur.
When I noticed Dimitri, I took long strides in his direction. “Where is the bastard?”
Dimitri smiled as only the Russian could do. “In cold storage. He’s not going anywhere.”
I was torn before going and torturing the fuck out of him and my need to remain by her side. “Damn it. Did the fucker say anything?”
“Nothing useful. It would appear just another hired gun. I found no identification. Not even a phone. I took some time with him, but he’s not going to talk.”
“Like hell he won’t.”
Cristiano approached, exhaling before looking over my shoulder. “I’m sorry about what happened.”
“At least we know we were right to assume the asshole is using hired guns,” Dante stated as he paced the room.
“That means the mystery player is just getting
revved,” Christian hissed. “Right now, we worry about our brother. You should stay here. We can handle this.”
I shook my head. “No. Acadia is in good hands. We need to extract information out of the assassin. That’s something I’m going to handle personally.” They knew better than to argue with me when I’d reached a certain point.
“How is she?” Cristiano patted me on the shoulder. “And how are you?”
“She’s fine. Resting. I don’t really know. The doctors aren’t certain yet. She came through surgery fine and she’s awake. I couldn’t give a shit about how I am.” I dropped my head, my blood pressure skyrocketing. “The asshole behind the attacks isn’t going to stop. He’s enjoying making us sweat.”
“I think you’re right. It’s a game to keep us on edge so we’ll make mistakes. But this time, someone almost died. You shouldn’t have been without your men,” Lucian said quietly, but there was a sharpness to his tone.
I took a deep breath, every freaking muscle in my body tense.
“Give him a break, Lucian. This isn’t about who should have done what. It’s time we take the ball back into our court,” Michael huffed.
“He’s right. We can sit around and wait for another attack, but I for one refuse to live my life that way.” I shifted my gaze back and forth. “I’m done being patient.”
“We should return to Texas,” Dante offered. “I still think trying to broker a new deal with the mystery buyer is a good idea.”
Cristiano turned his head in my direction. “That’s not a bad thought. I don’t like waiting around any more than any of you do.”
“This asshole is too smart,” I said, half laughing. “If he takes the bait, he’ll send another operative. The last thing we need to do is expose our hand. Besides, we can’t be certain the Los Pirados aren’t fully behind this.”
“Yeah, maybe. But what if it forces this entity to escalate his plans?” Dante pressed. “Maybe he’ll get cocky.”
“Maybe,” I murmured. “Did Pops make contact with Luciano?”
“Yes,” Cristiano said, “but there’s nothing concrete at this point.”
“Then I say we go to Texas,” Michael stated.
The tension was worse than before.
“Why do I feel like you have more thoughts than you’re ready to tell us?” I asked Cristiano, tired of feeling like this was nothing but a huge game of chess.
He walked closer, his expression one I couldn’t read. “As you might imagine, I’ve been checking my various sources to ascertain a list of people who could be behind this. At this point, there is nothing more I can offer.”
I wasn’t buying it, but I also wasn’t at the point of pushing him. Not yet. However, if my brother was hiding any details, he would feel my wrath.
“We need to figure this out,” Lucian growled.
“And we will,” Cristiano huffed.
I thought about the options. “First, I deal with the assassin. Then we make a decision.”
While I’d often sparred with the Russian, Dimitri Kristoff had proven himself on several occasions. I’d been grateful for his presence the night before as well as his dogged determination to catch the asshole. The assassin had been taken to one of our warehouses in Port Nola. The location was fairly soundproof and isolated, even in the middle of the day. I wouldn’t be disturbed while interrogating him.
When I’d left, Acadia had been sleeping, a second soldier instructed to remain near her room. While she hadn’t been the target, I wasn’t taking any additional chances. Just staring down at her sleeping form had fueled my anger. She appeared fragile, attached to far too many medical devices for comfort.
I would never forgive myself for placing her in harm’s way.
Dimitri had offered to come with me, likely to try to remain in my good graces. Why the hell not? His expertise in convincing our enemies to talk had been overwhelmingly successful.
As we walked into the building, I removed my weapon, attaching my silencer. There was no need to draw any unnecessary attention. Cristiano had his hands full attempting to keep the shit from in front of the gallery out of the press.
After approaching, it was easy to see that Dimitri had worked the unknown assassin over for a lengthy period of time, his swollen face a clear indicator. With his hands tied behind his back, he was certainly no threat. I chuckled at the thought. The man wheezed, the sound strangled, and I couldn’t help but smile. As I approached, one of the soldiers tossed him onto his knees, fisting his hair at the scalp and jerking his head backward at an awkward angle.
I was surprised when the assassin tried to grab a glimpse at whoever was approaching. When I was within two feet, the fucker had the audacity to smile.
Dimitri didn’t hesitate, backhanding him with force.
As the man was pitched to the concrete floor, blood oozing from his mouth, his cry of anguish echoed in the building.
Sighing, I lowered my weapon in front of me, holding it with both hands. The men remained quiet. They’d been made aware of what had occurred and knew better than to engage in chatter.
“Dostatochno,” I growled in Russian, giving Dimitri a hard look. He knew that when I said ‘enough’ I wanted to take my time.
Hissing, Dimitri yanked him upright then took a few steps away.
I allowed a full two minutes to go by.
“It would appear that you refuse to provide us with information.” I kept my voice even, with no particular anger or any other emotion.
The man coughed, his shoulders heaving as he attempted to breathe.
Easing back, I paced the floor for a full minute before approaching again. Then I crouched down, able to look him directly in the eyes. “I’m certain you have a family that you’d like to get home to, so I’ll try and make this as easy for you as possible. If you tell me what I want to know, you’re free to go. If not then your family is going to be planning your funeral, even if they don’t have a body to bury. Are we clear?”
He took several raspy breaths but otherwise made no sound.
“I think we’re clear. This is a simple question and should be very easy for you to answer. Who hired you?”
The asshole dragged his tongue across his lips, taking his time before baring his teeth. “No one.”
“Mudak cheloveka,” Dimitri snarled.
Asshole of a human. The sentiment was a good one.
“While I have no reason to feel generous today given the fact you missed your mark, hitting an innocent bystander, I’ll ask one more time. There won’t be a third. Who hired you?”
“Fuck off.”
I rarely reacted without thinking; however, this time I did so without second guessing myself. Grabbing his nose, the move forcing him to open his mouth, I shoved the barrel of my weapon inside. “I’m sorry that we can’t do business. That’s unfortunate. Rest assured that you will make a fine feast for the fishes.” The single shot was issued without hesitation.
The asshole had been determined to go to his grave without divulging information. Well, so be it. He got his wish.
Acadia
I’d heard it said more than once that love was blind. Maybe I was blind and stupid, the kind of girl who enjoyed inflicting pain on herself. But I couldn’t deny the fact that I was in love.
As the fog of surgery began to subside, I’d tried to remember any details of the night before. While everything after I’d left the gallery was a blur, I knew I’d been furious with Vincenzo for attacking the man kissing his sister. I certainly couldn’t understand the politics behind a grand mafia family, but I’d figured out that the hired help wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a member of the royal family.
What did that make me?
I’d been called trailer trash dozens of times in my life. I’d been silly enough to tell him about one of my favorite meals. Salisbury steak. I couldn’t believe that I’d been stupid enough to mention it. The powerful King brother had taken me out to a fabulous restaurant, yet I’d said little about how much I’d e
njoyed the experience.
While the food had been pretty amazing, what I’d enjoyed the most had been Vincenzo’s company. He’d done everything in his power to make the evening special and I’d acted like a spoiled brat. Although I wasn’t certain that was the right term. I resisted laughing, my body aching all over.
He’d been so sexy in his cobalt blue shirt and light gray trousers, much more down to earth than normal. Just having him by my side without his soldiers hanging around like Secret Service men had been wonderful.
Then we’d been attacked.
I shuddered, tugging on the sheet and trying to focus on anything else. The late afternoon sun shifted in through the window creating shimmers on the tile floor. I wanted nothing more than to be outside, enjoying the fresh air.
With Vincenzo by my side.
Visions of his gorgeous body and engaging smile flashed into my mind. I missed him. It was that simple. His face. His commands. His bravado.
I missed him.
I turned my head toward the machines, a rush of fear pushing into my system. I was terrified of what the lifetime outcome would be. There hadn’t been a doctor or a nurse checking on me since I’d awakened. I’d never felt so helpless or lonely in my life.
And I had no idea where he’d gone, but I could certainly guess.
What struck me as odd is that I wasn’t certain I cared what happened to the gunman. Why should I? Still shivering, I closed my eyes, uncertain I could trust my judgement on anything any longer. It was apparent I’d lost my mind by just loving a man like Vincenzo.
When the door opened, I cringed, terrified that I’d learn my fate all alone.
What I saw allowed me to smile. A single red rose, the flower so gorgeous, but the man carrying it into the room taking my breath away. For some reason, I’d been afraid that he wouldn’t return, abandoning me in one final act of betrayal.
“A rose for my little rebel.” The husky sound of his voice gave me an entirely different kind of shivers. The concern in his eyes was touching. This wasn’t the man I’d called a monster.
And he’d returned.
