The Prince and the Pawn

by Reid, B. B.

  “I should have told you,” Wren conceded.

  “It doesn’t matter now.” I could almost picture the emphatic shake of Ever’s head. I dared not move to see for myself and risk ruining their little moment. Four and Lou would probably kill me, and I was already high on their shit list. “I understand why you didn’t. I would have done the same if it meant protecting you.”

  There was a beat of silence and then, “Nothing has to change. Not if you don’t want it to.”

  Willing the ache away, I pressed a hand to my chest. Wren was giving Ever permission to ignore the blood that tied them. It didn’t matter what it would do to him—not as long as Ever was happy. It was hard to believe Wren hated Ever once upon a time.

  I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until Ever finally spoke. “I always wanted a brother. It sucked being an only child.”

  Something like relief had me sagging against the wall. I walked away before either of them could say more to give them privacy, but I didn’t wander far. Ten minutes later, Ever walked out, and I watched him leave before slipping inside.

  “You were right,” I greeted Wren as I watched him spoon pudding from a cup. Pretending I hadn’t been listening to them proved harder than I thought. “You were bait.”

  Slowly, he sat down his pudding cup before nodding. “I guess that means your father did us a favor then. There was no other way we could get them all in one place without any of them getting suspicious.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him.

  Setting up his own father? Risking his life? That couldn’t have been an easy choice. I hated my own with every fiber, and I was still having a hard time not backing out. I wondered if that made me weak. Spineless. Jeremy would sure as fuck think so. I could hear him now calling me a pussy.

  “First, it was Thirteen, and then it was Exiled. My father spent my entire life choosing them over me. I won’t hesitate for a second to do the same for Lou.”

  I nodded, and for some reason, I felt better about what I’d sacrifice for River and Tyra. And I wasn’t just talking about my father. I’d have to live with my decision for the rest of my life. “When are they letting you out of here?”

  “A couple of days.”

  “And if Crow or Fox shows up before then?”

  He paused, seemingly mulling it over before shrugging. “Is Franklin secure?” At my nod, Wren turned his head, appearing grim as he stared out the window. “Then we improvise.”

  I was too afraid to know what he meant by that to ask.

  Neither Lou nor Jamie made an appearance, so Wren and I spent an hour going over our plan until it was damn near fail-safe. Of course, when it came to fate, there was no such thing. Only when Wren seemed to be losing energy did I finally leave him.

  On my way to the bank of elevators, I noticed Tyra’s little boy toy a few feet away, pushing a mop. When our gazes met, he stiffened, his grip tightening on the mop handle as he looked around, ensuring himself that we weren’t alone. We hadn’t been alone when I kicked his ass the first time, but I wouldn’t waste my breath pointing that out. In fact, rather than waltz over to him and issue threats, I stepped onto the elevator. Tyra may not have gotten the message, but Oliver sure as fuck did.

  I used the time I spent at the wash station outside the NICU to reflect on what the hell I was doing. I already knew what I wanted. Destroying my father and everything he hoped to build wasn’t just for River but for the chance to offer Tyra what I couldn’t give her before. Go fucking figure. The biggest obstacle turned out to be convincing her to take the leap with me. I could always shove her ass off the cliff, but that wouldn’t be satisfying for either of us.

  I didn’t want a captive.

  I wanted someone who couldn’t wait to wake up to me in the morning. I wanted to feel my heart beating inside my chest again. I wanted someone who laughed at my jokes even when they weren’t funny, someone to share all of my secrets until we were old and gray and in the grave. I wanted a wife. Unfortunately, I’d waited too long to realize it, and even when I did, I couldn’t admit it to the one person who made me want it.

  It wouldn’t have been possible without Tyra. I would never surrender and allow myself to feel those things for anyone else but her. And if I couldn’t convince her of that, I suppose I could settle for her tying her to bed. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than living without her.

  Sighing, I dried my hands before stepping into the NICU. I wasn’t sure I’d ever grow used to the sound of crying babies. Two seconds and I could already feel my head splitting.

  When I stepped inside of River’s room, the first thing I noticed was the photos.

  Every single one was of Tyra and covering the floor, arranged in chronological order. The girl in question was kneeling before them with a deep frown on her face, not in disbelief of what she was seeing but in concentration. The empty folder I’d place them in had been tossed aside.

  Hearing me, she looked up, her pink lips parted. I wasn’t sure how long we stared at each other before she spoke. “What is this, Vaughn? Why do you have these?”

  Kneeling, I wordlessly started collecting them. The first one I grabbed was a photo of Tyra crossing the street. Her hair had been blowing in the wind, her eyes downcast as if she didn’t care whether or not a bus ran her over. The second was a shot of her entering her dorm. The third… I inhaled and exhaled. The third was her sitting alone on a bench, crying her eyes out. I didn’t have to question whether each one of those tears had been because of me.

  The rest of them were much of the same, and in each one, she’d been sad. Not a single one held a smile, and I knew from the gauntness of her face she’d lost weight despite her being pregnant and not knowing it at the time. I wondered if River’s early birth had been because of me. Because I’d reduced Tyra into not caring whether she lived or died.

  The irony that I’d given up everything so she could live wasn’t lost on me.

  “My father had them taken,” I finally told her after I’d gathered all of the photos and shoved them back into the folder.

  “Why would he do that?”

  I almost blinked in surprise. I expected shock, tears, screams, and accusations. Instead, she seemed almost resigned.

  “Up until two months ago, I’ve been his prisoner. He kept me locked up, but he didn’t use chains. He hurt me, but he didn’t use his men to make me bleed. This…” I waved the folder full of surveillance photos—all of Tyra seemingly safe and sound. With one phone call that could have easily changed. “This was how he tortured me.”

  “The last one was taken some time after Thanksgiving. Harvard’s holiday committee didn’t hang Christmas decorations until after everyone was back.”

  I nodded, remembering how insane it had driven me, not knowing whether Tyra was still alive or not. My father had taken more pleasure in that than anything. “I didn’t realize why until I saw you again. Until I knew about River. My father didn’t want me to know you were pregnant.”

  It also explained his toast the day he finally let me free. He’d known about Tyra having my baby and had been waiting for me to lead them both right to him. It was all I could do not to rush home and slit his throat. The plan be damned.

  “The silver BMW,” she whispered so low I almost didn’t catch it. “I’d been noticing a silver BMW everywhere I went for months. At first, I thought it was just a popular style until I realized the license plate was always the same. I reported the car to campus police, but they blew me off. After that, I never saw one with that license plate again.”

  “He was having you watched.”

  She gave me a hard look. “You still haven’t told me why.”

  I returned her look as I stood. “Because if it weren’t for your sister, I’d be at USC playing football right now.”

  Tyra shot to her feet before planting her hands on her hips. Hips that had birthed my kid. Hips I wanted to hold onto while I bent her over and fucked her from behind. “My sister? What does she
have to do with this?”

  “She told my father about my feelings for you.”

  “You didn’t have any feelings for me. At least, according to you.”

  Tyra folded her arms over her chest, pushing up her breasts. Luckily, she was too pissed to notice me staring. They were bigger than I remembered. I guess I had my kid to thank.

  “Keep telling yourself that, Bradley. It’s not going to help you get over me any faster.”

  River let out a cry before she could let free the barrage of curses I knew where on her tongue. As much as I wanted to console my son, I chose that moment to grab my shit and escape while she was distracted.

  “TIE HIM TO THE CHAIR.” My tone wasn’t the most patient, but I’d spent the last couple of days guarding my father in order to avoid Tyra, which meant not seeing my kid. Needless to say, it had made me a little crabby.

  “I’m pretty sure I don’t work for you, and I didn’t come from his shriveled-up nut sack. You tie him up.”

  I glared at Jeremy, but it made no difference to him as Antonov leaned against the wall of the living room, making himself comfortable. Snatching the coil of rope from one of the end tables, I proceeded to tie my father’s feet to the legs of the chair.

  “Son, you don’t have to do this,” my father pleaded. I guess that after a few days of being held captive, he’d finally decided he wasn’t too proud to beg.

  “Shut the fuck up.” I finished tying his right leg and moved onto his left before he spoke again.

  “Do you honestly think Antonov won’t kill you as soon as you give him what he wants? Look at how he’s betrayed me.”

  Jeremy paused from cleaning his nails with his knife. “I was never loyal to you, bitch.”

  My father wisely ignored him. “I can protect you.”

  “You had eighteen years’ worth of chances to do just that. I can protect myself now, but thanks.”

  I was checking the knot I tied to make sure it was secure when I heard Jeremy sigh. “You’re not a killer, but you’re definitely no Boy Scout, either. Give me the fucking rope. Even your father could break free of this pitiful-ass knot.”

  I didn’t argue as I stood back, letting Jeremy take over.

  “Thirteen will never follow you if you kill me,” my father warned Antonov. His voice was no longer pleading, although he hadn’t managed to return to his typical cold cruelty. “You might as well dig your own grave next to mine.”

  “My grave was dug a long time ago, old man. You’re just catching up.”

  Panic flashed in my father’s eyes before his lips pulled back in a snarl. “I knew not to trust you. That’s why I kept you close.”

  “Not close enough apparently. I would never have managed to convince the others that you needed to retire if you’d been more careful. To be honest, it wasn’t even that hard. You’re a joke.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Afraid not. You should have taken a lesson from your own history book. I thought Mr. Palmer would be the hardest to convince since he was your glorified secretary. Turns out, you should have treated him better.”

  “What makes you think they won’t do the same to you?”

  “They can’t if they’re all dead.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach hearing that. Siko, Eddie, Mr. Palmer…the entire round table had been executed. Killing my father’s men hadn’t been something we’d discussed. I had their deaths on my hands now, too. I shuddered.

  “If I could convince them to turn on you, then I obviously can’t trust them now, can I?” Jeremy questioned.

  For once, my father had no immediate response. Jeremy finished tying him to the chair before stepping from the room to do God knows what. When we brought my father here, he’d sneered in disgust at the loving photos Wren and Lou had filled their home with. A home that was no longer because of him. Once Crow and Fox come up empty in their search for Wren at the hospital, they’d come here where they’d find my father gift wrapped and waiting.

  “What exactly is your plan, son? You think my enemies will go quietly into the night once they kill me?”

  “I know they won’t, which is why you’re here.”

  With Wren’s help, I used the bait my father had ruthlessly dangled to set a different trap. If there was anyone Fox wanted dead more than Wren and Lou or that Crow hated enough to override concern for his son, it was Franklin Rees. My father would be the diversion we needed to end this once and for all. All I needed was to get the three of them in the same room for the first time in thirty years and let nature take its course. Fate would decide who was the last man standing and so would begin part two of my plan.

  “And once I’m dead? Do you actually think there’s anywhere you can run? You’re a loose end. Crow and Fox won’t make the same mistake I did.” He paused, a twisted gleam in his eye. “Neither will Antonov.”

  “I have no intention of running. Blackwood Keep is my home, my real birthright, and I’m going to make it my business to keep it safe from people like you.”

  My father’s lips curled. “If I’d known how weak you’d be, I would have ripped you from your mother’s womb when I had the chance.”

  His cruel words that would have normally left me feeling empty missed their mark. The place inside of me that had been hollow for so long was now overflowing. I wouldn’t dwell on the reasons why. Not until I knew they were safe.

  Seeing this, my father’s sharp smile had me freezing. “Or maybe I should have done you a favor and put that sickly little bastard of yours out of his misery. You should have seen him when he was born,” my father continued with a disgusted shake of his head. “Frail and useless like his father.”

  Before I could react and mete out proper justice, Antonov appeared, seemingly from thin air. Gripping my father’s face in a hold harsh enough to make him cry out, Jeremy rammed his head into the wall behind him. The blow had been hard enough to knock my father out cold. Only then did I feel my hands relax from the fists that had formed.

  “Thanks.”

  As expected, Antonov didn’t bother responding as he placed a piece of duct tape from the roll he’d found over my father’s mouth. Once he was done, Jeremy turned to face me, his visage black.

  “They’re here. We need to move.”

  I quickly ran through everything that could possibly go wrong as I followed Jeremy into the night. Crow and Fox were both in Blackwood Keep, and it was only a matter of time before their paths converged. The best-case scenario was that all three men ended up dead. The worst case was that we did. Me, Antonov, and everyone we cared about. It didn’t seem like much of an issue for Jeremy, though.

  “They know your friend isn’t at the hospital,” he announced once he finished picking the lock on the house across the street. According to Lou, the residents were away on vacation for the next few days. Luckily, she hadn’t bothered to ask why I’d been curious since she wasn’t interested in speaking to me longer than necessary. “They should be here any minute.”

  Wren had been discharged this morning and had been busy making sure part two went according to plan. We hadn’t told anyone else about our plan because too many moving parts meant too many chances for something to go wrong. This wasn’t a game of chess where lives lost meant resetting the board and starting over.

  Once inside, I followed him upstairs and stood by quietly while Jeremy set up his sniper rifle in the open window. He made quick work of it despite the room and house being dark. We couldn’t risk turning on any lights and alerting Crow or Fox. It was well after midnight, and everyone in the neighborhood was out for the count.

  I wasn’t sure how much time passed, my stomach in knots as we waited for a car I didn’t recognize to slowly appear. I knew well before the man cloaked in a dark suit stepped from the car that the show had begun. He scanned the street, his face a cold mask, and his blond hair streaked with gray blowing in the breeze as he ensured himself he was undetected and alone.

  “That’s Fox,” Antonov announced.


  I didn’t respond as I watched the man round the side of the house, his gun already out. Leaving the door unlocked would have been too obvious, and I imagined a man like Fox would have been sharp enough to be suspicious. Instead, we’d left the tiniest crack in a window. Small enough that it could be waved off as simple carelessness. Barely a minute passed before I heard the sound of another car approaching. I turned my focus from the house, expecting to see another unfamiliar car.

  My heart stopped at the army-green SUV, slowly making its way toward the house.

  What the hell was he doing here? Spring break had ended two days ago. I watched, feeling helpless as my best friend parked his G-Wagon behind Fox’s car. Ever was none the wiser of the danger he was about to enter. It wasn’t until he was out of his ride and halfway up the drive that my feet remembered how to move. I made it to the door before I felt myself being grabbed.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I roared at Jeremy. I didn’t care if anyone heard us or not. The plan was as good as blown as far as I was concerned.

  “If you go down there, it’s over.”

  “If I don’t go down there, my friend dies.”

  “I’m okay with that,” he easily replied. I could have broken every bone in his body when Jeremy shrugged.

  “I’m not.” Putting all my considerable strength into freeing my arm, I rammed my elbow into his face, missing his nose by a hair and hitting his cheek. It was enough to dislodge his hold, though, and I was out the bedroom door.

  What if I was already too late? What if Ever was already dead?

  I hadn’t heard any gunshots, but that didn’t mean anything. I reached the bottom of the stairs and was almost to the front door when a blow to the back of my skull sent me crashing to my knees. I tried to fight the ringing in my head and the darkness closing in, but a moment later, I was out.

  I awoke sometime later, surprised to find that I hadn’t been tied up. Groaning, I held my head, knowing this headache wouldn’t be clearing anytime soon. I blinked to clear my vision and found Antonov standing by the window, peering out with his brows bunched. It took me a few seconds to remember why he’d knocked me out.