Chasing Fire (The Fire Duet Book 1)

by Billie Lustig

  “What don’t I know, Kane?” Her voice is controlled, but she’s still pissed. Still sexy. Still demanding as fuck. It reminds me of a few days ago when her feisty ass was on my deck, surrounded by my men, but still fearless as fuck.

  I exhale loudly and close my eyes for a second.

  “Kane,” Liam grumbles.

  “Shut up, Liam,” I grate out while I shoot my eyes to Callie. Her breathing has finally steadied, and her strawberry blonde hair is hanging over one shoulder. She is patiently waiting, but I know her patience is only there until it isn’t. Gone within seconds.

  “Cristina made him fall in love with her,” I finally say. Her eyes widen in confusion while she quickly glances at Liam.

  “Why?” she whispers. I look at my brother, and I see a sense of shame washing over him. He didn’t just get his heart broken, he feels ashamed that someone got to his heart in the first place. That someone tricked Liam Carrillo. My big brother has always had more empathy in his little finger than I have in my entire body. But after Cristina, he built up a wall. An impenetrable wall that keeps empathy tucked away at all costs.

  “She made him fall in love to gain his trust. After six months of dating, she isolated him, demanding some alone time by taking him to the Pyrenees for a romantic get-a-way. When they got there, your brother was waiting for him with an army. She’d tricked him.” Callie closes her eyes for a moment, disappointment covering her face.

  “But why?” she whispers again, obviously confused and eager for answers. Her eyes tell me her feelings are genuine.

  I can see that, because it’s a look I’ve never seen on a human being with the name Reyes before. She isn’t faking this shit. She is genuinely confused as to why her family members are the way they are.

  “Your brother wants our pipeline.”

  She blinks, trying to comprehend what I’m saying.

  “Drugs? But my family doesn’t do drugs.”

  “Your brother wants to expand,” I explain. “And we are in the way because we control all the drugs coming from Europe to the States. And there ain’t no fucking way I will ever get in bed with your psychotic brother.”

  “Yeah, no shit,” she mutters. She keeps quiet for a few seconds before her eyes trail back to me.

  “How did he survive?” She’s asking me, not looking at Liam.

  I hear him exhale, annoyed and frustrated that he has to listen to me have this conversation with her. I purse my lips, waiting before I reply because I know she isn’t going to like the answer about to come from my mouth.

  “The Reyes family is known for their scamming skills. I would never let my brother really be alone with a Reyes.” Her face falls, and I can tell that my words went straight through her heart just by looking into her eyes.

  She’s hurt.

  Even though she shouldn’t be, because she is nothing like them.

  “When they arrived in the mountains, they didn’t expect me to have them surrounded. Junior and Cristina are the only ones who got away.” Her face pales at my words.

  My eyes glance back to Liam, who is still scowling at me before we both move our gaze back to Callie. She is quietly taking deep breaths while looking at the floor.

  “Are you okay?” I cock my head and watch her closely. I’m a heartbeat away from closing the space between us when she looks at both of us, then starts walking towards the door.

  “Where are you going?” I ask as she walks past me.

  “I need a minute,” she mumbles.

  “Where are you going, Callie?” I repeat, agitated this time.

  “Give me a goddamn minute, Kane,” she growls without looking back.

  I crack my knuckles in frustration, watching her walk through the door before my focus moves back to Liam.

  “She is a goddamn Reyes, Kane.”

  “Except she is not!” I snap, getting in his face. I’m getting really sick of his tunnel vision. I know he wants his vengeance.

  Hell, I want his vengeance.

  But beating the girl to death is not going to help at this point. If he would look past his anger for two fucking seconds, he would see she is different in every way. The way she acts, the way she talks, the way she is blunt and straightforward about everything she does.

  Even the fact that she hasn’t said one good word about her family since she’s been on the yacht. Sure, it could all be an act.

  But if it is, I ain’t buying it.

  “Did you not read the file Jeremy gave you? He’s the best for a reason, Liam.”

  “Bloodlines don’t mean shit! She is a Reyes until she proves to me that she isn’t. So far all she did was work her way in to your bed. Remind you of someone?” He chuckles sarcastically, and I want to smack the grin off his goddamn face. Instead, I move my feet towards the door, deciding I’m done with this conversation. “You’re not thinking straight!”

  “Well, I guess that makes two of us, brother.” I retort while I walk through the door.

  26

  Callie

  Present Day

  I walk straight to my bedroom where I flop down on the bed, trying to steady my stomach.

  I shouldn’t feel sorry for Liam. He has been nothing but a fucking dick to me, and he doesn’t deserve any of my sympathy. Yet here I am. Feeling like crap for something my family has done. It shouldn’t even surprise me, and in a way, it doesn’t. My brother has always been a sociopath. I knew that since the day he first put his hands on me.

  He likes to feel powerful. He likes to feed on people’s fear. My brother is not the kind of man who is on the front lines when a war is started.

  No, he is the one grinning in the back, watching his men bleed while fighting his battles.

  The Carrillos are not saints. In fact, they may have deserved whatever my brother had planned for them. But what confuses me is that Cristina was part of it. That she would actually make someone fall in love with her, then throw his heart around like it was nothing.

  That is what’s getting to me.

  Being three years older than I am, Cristina has always been my role model. She’s the one who taught me how to do my makeup. She showed me how to flirt when she came to New York every summer since I was fifteen. She is the one I called when I lost my virginity, asking if it was supposed to hurt like that. She is the one who told me how to really put the Reyes genes to work when you want to get something done. She showed me how to make money, doing what we do best. She is the one who saved my ass when I asked her for a quick target after my grandmother died.

  She is like the big sister I never had.

  I don’t want to put her in the same category as Junior because I always thought she was more like me.

  I know we are not good people.

  I know even I am not ‘good people’ half of the time.

  But I do feel like I still have values and morals, knowing what is crossing the line and what is not. To me, pretending to love someone for six months only to crush his heart before you stab him in the back is crossing a big fucking line.

  And considering Liam is as cheerful as a dead man, that is exactly what she did.

  I hear the door opening and look up to the devil’s eyes that belong to Fernando.

  Oh, just give me a break for fuck’s sake.

  “How’s the neck?” The corner of his mouth quirks up in an evil grin while he closes the door, reminding me once more what a sadistic fuck he is.

  “Shut up, asshole. Why is Junior after the Carrillos? Does my father know?” I ramble, not expecting honest answers but figuring it can’t hurt to try.

  He drops his back against the door, folds his arms in front of his body, and cocks his head while his eyes roam over my body. Goosebumps pepper my skin, and I automatically move up to the headboard with my legs curled in front of me.

  “Watch your mouth, abejita. None of that is your concern.”

  “It is since Liam is ripping my head off because of it.” I scowl.

  “Just get Kane to trust you and make s
ure he trusts you enough to tell you where he wants to meet. Soon,” he commands, turning his body and reaching for the door again.

  “I’m not doing shit until you tell me the whole fucking story. Why is Cristina involved in this? What the fuck are she and Junior up to?”

  He snaps his head my way, his eyes darkening. His energy is palpable, and my palms are getting sweaty, feeling it vibrate my way. If demons exist, this is what I imagine they would look like in their human form.

  Scary as fuck.

  He slowly starts walking my way, every step calculated and more threatening than the other.

  My fear level hit the roof when Liam attacked me minutes ago. Now it’s sky high.

  I take a deep breath, knowing exactly what he’s going to do before I feel his hand grabbing my throat. His long fingers dig into my already tender skin, squeezing like I’m a stress ball.

  Where Liam controlled his grip, giving me just enough room to breathe, Fernando doesn’t give a shit about my air supply or lack of oxygen. He isn’t here to scare me a little in order to obtain information. He is here to keep me in line, even if it pushes me to the brink of death.

  I feel useless, like one of those mice he used to trample under his feet.

  “The only reason you don’t have a black eye right now is because I can’t have those Carrillo putas asking questions. This is the last time I’m warning you, little girl,” he growls, his ugly mug hovering above my face.

  “Do as you are told, or I promise you. You will regret it.” His free hand moves up to my thigh while the other pushes me deeper into the bed. He yanks my shorts down along with my thong before he cups my pussy, roughly pushing against my clit with this thumb. I kick my legs up, trying to get him off me while gasping for air, but he anticipates my move and quickly lifts his leg to straddle my hips.

  “Did you know that some people have even stronger orgasms while being choked?” he whispers against my lips. “Did you know that, abejita?” he demands.

  I keep my head still, hoping any second now he will let me catch my breath.

  “Do as you’re told, Callie.” He lets go of my neck, and I suck in a panicked breath before I lunge forward, trying to cough the pain away.

  I watch him walk out as if nothing happened while I’m gasping for air, my hands covering my neck.

  “Goddammit!” I shout minutes later when I can finally breathe normally again. I move my ass to the bathroom, quickly checking if Kane’s door is closed, then stare at my reflection. My neck is red, and bruises are starting to appear from almost being choked twice in the last half hour. I take a few cleansing breaths at the sight of it, pissed at myself for letting this happen.

  For letting both of those assholes lay hands on me.

  I look myself in the eye and promise myself that the next fucker going for my neck will be buried six feet under before they can blink. I’m sick of being the victim in this situation.

  Being the hostage, like I have no choice.

  I always have a choice. I am not a victim. I refuse to be a victim. I close my eyes and take a few more deep breaths, finding all the energy I need to make the choice I feel is the safest. The choice that my gut is telling me to make.

  Inhale.

  Exhale.

  Inhale.

  Exhale.

  When I open my eyes again, I smile. The last few days hit me hard and left me in the gutter. I watch the confidence slowly move back into my eyes.

  “Follow your instincts, Callie girl,” I whisper to myself.

  Convinced that I’m making the right choice, I walk to the closet and put on a pair of black jeans and a gray hoodie. I glance in the full body mirror then run a hand through my hair before I walk out of the room like a girl on a mission.

  Which I am.

  I’m halfway down the hall when Kane enters the hallway from the other side, walking towards me. He looks worried, and I shoot him a pleased smile for his concern.

  He cares about me.

  It’s not even a question for me anymore. I don’t know what is going on between the two of us, but I know I’m not imagining things. He cares about me, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.

  “Are you okay?” he asks with his hands tucked into his pockets.

  “I’m fine. Where is Liam?” I ask while I keep walking past him. His eyes widen in surprise when I don’t wait for him, and he quickly follows me.

  “In the conference room. I came looking for you.”

  “Come on, I need you both for this,” I tell him over my shoulder.

  I feel his hand on my arm, yanking me back. I bump into his hard body, my hand resting on his chest. He furrows his brow, his eyes moving back and forth across my face, trying to understand.

  “You need us for what, baby?” His hands are affectionately rubbing my upper arms, and even though his voice is demanding, I don’t feel threatened by him at all.

  I reach up on my tiptoes and press a soft kiss on his lips. At first I can feel the surprise in his body, but soon his arms snake around my back, and he presses me into him.

  My hands cup his face before I move my head back to lock my gaze with his. His hypnotizing eyes look at me with a longing I would love to see every day.

  “You can trust me, Kane,” I whisper against his lips, my eyes never leaving his. I need him to believe me. I need him to trust me, because right now he is the only thing that feels right.

  His hand moves up and pushes a strand of hair behind my ear before he caresses my cheek. I can see the conflict is still there, but it’s not as thick as it was before.

  “Okay,” he finally replies. “What do you need?”.

  I give him a grateful smile and grab his hand, dragging him behind me.

  “Bring me to Liam. There’s something you need to know.”

  His feet take two big strides, taking back the lead and bringing me to the same conference room where I talked to my dad. Liam has changed into jeans and a white t-shirt and is leaning back in one of the chairs like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Like he didn’t have his hands around my throat not that long ago. He’s doing something on his phone and there is a white MacBook sitting in front of him.

  I guess being a billionaire crime lord isn’t nearly as stressful as being their prisoner.

  “What now?” he sneers in annoyance when he notices us. He throws his phone on the table beside the computer as I take a seat on his left while Kane sits down on his right. Liam’s eyes move back and forth between the two of us with a bored look before they stop on me.

  “I’m not going to apologize, if that’s why you’re here.”

  I roll my eyes and give him a glare before I look around the room. There are four men who look like guards, one in each corner, and I don’t know if they can be trusted. I move forward, leaning my arms on the table and bringing my head closer to the surface.

  “Do you trust everyone in this room?” I whisper, looking between the two men.

  Kane’s eyes widen while Liam mimics my stance, bringing his head closer to mine.

  “I don’t trust you,” he fires back with a fake smile.

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” I hiss. “Seriously, do you?” I focus my eyes on Liam, trying to tell him how earnest I am. Pleading with him to trust me without words. He glances at his brother, who gives him a small nod. Finally, he leans back and snaps his fingers.

  “Everybody out. Gary, guard the door when you close it behind you.” The four men make their way out, and I wait until the door is closed before I turn my focus back to the Carrillo brothers. They are both breathtaking, with their blond hair and blue eyes, both looking at me in anticipation.

  “Talk, Reyes. Before I change my mind,” Liam growls.

  I take a deep breath, praying I’m making the right choice before I finally spit it out.

  “You have a rat.”

  27

  Kane

  Present Day

  I cock my head, convinced I didn’t hear her clearly.

&
nbsp; "We have a what now?"

  She couldn’t possibly be saying that we have a rat since I was sure she was going to tell me where the fuck her dad is hiding out. I look at Liam who is already glancing at me, unable to hide his confusion. He purses his lips in disbelief before his attention turns back to Callie.

  “You’re lying,” he tells her with an arrogant smirk on his face, leaning back in his chair. He crosses his arms while he gives her a ‘you-are-full-of-shit’ look.

  “Trust me, I wish I were.”

  My eyes watch her closely, trying to detect the lie. The deceit.

  But I find nothing.

  I lean forward, resting my arms on the table while I rub my knuckles. The rage inside me is boiling up, and I’m not sure who I should unload it on. If she is lying, I will knock her around this yacht myself. But if she’s not, I need her to tell me everything she knows.

  “Callie?” I start as calmly as possible. “How do you know?”

  Her eyes move between the two of us before she focuses them back on me. She looks tired, like she has for the last twenty-four hours. But she also looks calm, confident, strong.

  Resolute.

  “The bees.”

  “What about the bees?” I ask impatiently.

  “It’s not just a bedtime story. It’s what I was taught to remember if someone ever took me. Like you did,” she explains, playing with her fingers, doing her best to keep them busy. She obviously can’t control the nervousness flowing through her body, like she is waiting for us to explode on her.

  I look up at the ceiling in impatience and take a deep breath, doing my best to not scare her off.

  “Tell us every fucking thing, baby girl,” I softly command her.

  She exhales loudly and rubs her face before her lips start to move.

  “When I was young, he would tell me the same bedtime story about the bees. The one you heard him tell me on the phone. The part you didn’t hear is the part where he would tell me there is always a bee looking for me. Making sure I get home safely. When he specifically told me to remember the bees, I suspected he was up to something. Yesterday morning, one of your men knocked on my door. At first I didn’t recognize him, but he told me that he was a ‘good’ person and he called me abejita. I let him in, and he told me the safe word I was drilled to remember: bumblebee. When he got closer, I recognized him as one of my brother’s friends from when we were younger. He’s your rat.”