by Goode, Ella
“She may be diseased,” I murmur quietly to Parker.
He snaps to attention and barks out a protection order. The two valets move into her path to prevent her from reaching me.
“Sov, it’s me, Milly.” The girl pats herself on her exposed chest. It’s midday, but she’s dressed as if she’s going out, in a low-cut sparkly dress paired with thin stiletto heels and nothing else. Whatever weapon she likes to use, she must’ve left it at home. There’s little to hide in her outfit.
Parker pulls the chair around and holds it for me. I take a seat and tell the valets to be at ease.
“I do not remember you. Did Karin send you?”
Milly’s face falls. She looks older in the bright light of my suite. I think her looks are designed to show the best during the late evening hours when things are disguised by the veil of smoke and strobe lights.
“No. We met at the ball. We connected, you and I.” She waves a finger between us. “I think I might be too far away, and you can’t see me from there.”
“Are you suggesting Charmont’s eyesight is not perfect?” Parker interjects with real outrage.
“What? No. I never said that. I just said—”
Beside me, I can feel Parker’s inhale of rage at being challenged like this. This could go downhill quickly, and Parker still has a number of pins to jab into me. “Yes, of course, I remember you now,” I lie smoothly. “The girl from the ball. Go on then. What is it that you wanted to tell me?”
“It’s about Mackenzie. She’s not a true Vieth. She has family. Her father is Kenyon Ward. He’s involved in everything from the arms trade to sex trafficking of minors. Her brother went to prison for trying to bring over a whole boatful of underage girls, but the conditions were so terrible they all died.”
Parker gasps. “I remember this.”
“Yes. It’s terrible, right? Mackenzie did all the books for their organization. Not only did she know what was going on, but she helped them by processing payments for human beings! For girls! I didn’t realize she’d be so brazen as to try to get her hooks into you, but once I heard about it, I had to come tell you even if it meant risking my own safety.” Milly bows her head and lays a small device on the floor. “It’s all on this flash drive. I’ve compiled as much as I could, but I’m sure there’s a lot that never made the news.”
“This is awful. Awful,” cries Parker after Milly has left. Josh brought out a throwaway laptop and plugged the USB drive in. After scanning it for viruses, I started reading. Milly had done quite the job. There were dozens of articles, particularly related to the brother along with crime scene photos of the young girls. It was stomach churning. The Wards had three kids—two boys and then the girl. Mackenzie was seen in a couple of shots with a jacket tossed over her head, going to and from the courthouse.
There were mentions that the Ward princess would be married off to the son of another powerful family, but nothing came of it because one day, the girl disappeared. In the middle of her brother’s trial, she was gone like a puff of smoke. Karin Vieth had stepped in, obviously, although none of the papers would say this, only that Mackenzie was no longer associated with the Wards.
Had Karin spirited Mackenzie away for the safety of the girl or as a bargaining chip against the Wards? Was Milly correct in that Mackenzie knew of all the dirty deeds her family was engaged in and actually facilitated the vile acts?
“You cannot sully the Charmont line with someone like this,” Parker squawks.
“Parker, I want you to know that you, like anyone else, can be replaced,” I say quietly. “You best watch your tongue.” I don’t know what to believe about Mackenzie, but I will not stand for slander of her—even if she is in deep with the Wards. She’s still the woman I want to make mine. If she has a little dirt on her nose, I’ll wipe it clean. The Charmont name is that golden. This information, however, is a tool I can use against Karin if she tries to withhold Mackenzie from me. As for Mackenzie herself, perhaps she sees this as an impediment. It’s time to go confront her personally. I’m tired of waiting.
Chapter Twenty
Mackenzie
I rub my tired eyes after shutting down my computer. I know it’s time to head back to my condo, but I don’t want to go. The past forty-eight hours have been so lonely. So much so that I’d come into the main warehouse to work today so I could see Jewels and Paulina. I also keep telling myself I’m going to confront Karin, but I’ve been avoiding that. I think I’m scared of what she is going to say to me. I have a ton of respect for her, and I’m not ready for that to change.
I already have a hole in my heart that is growing by the second. I’m not sure I could handle another. I was confident that when I went with Karin my days of heartache were over. I am only now learning how wrong I’d been. I’ve never been in love before. If the last forty-eight hours taught me anything, it was the fact that I am in love.
The door to the office opens before Karin steps through it. It’s as if my mind conjured her up, giving me no chance to slip out to head back to my place. Well, I guess this is technically what I’ve waited to do all day. It’s better this way because I’m forced to confront her.
“You’re avoiding me.” She walks over, taking one of the two chairs in front of my desk. Everything about her is always functional and in place.
“Yes,” I agree, unable to lie to her. “I didn't want to.”
“I know.” She tilts her head to the side to study me. The tight ponytail she has her hair in sways. “How long are you planning to hold out? He’s going to do something stupid soon and get someone hurt.”
“Please don’t hurt him,” I rush to say, my stomach tightening. I don’t want anything bad to happen to Sov. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“I know that, Mackenzie. You always try and do what is right.” My throat feels tight at her appraisal.
I hope that I do. I’d put my own brother behind bars. My other brother and father are gone. I don’t know if they’re dead or not, but they’ve left me alone. I know Karin made some kind of deal. She had to, of course, but I didn't ask. She’d taken some of the girls my father was trying to hide. I’d feared he’d kill them if he thought he’d get caught with them.
I don’t think I want to know what that deal entailed, but in it I’d gotten my freedom too. I’d reached out to Karin after I’d learned about her. She felt like my last resort. My father had too many cops in his pocket, and there was no other way for me to get them all help. I have to give it to the old man, he was smart when it came to covering some of his tracks. He made sure his underhanded dealings with the cops were the one thing I didn't have records of. He never did trust anyone.
It wasn't more than twenty-four hours after I’d reached out to Karin that our house and all of our businesses were flooded with police. I can’t tell you the relief I felt when I realized she had kept her word to me. I wish I could say I felt bad for what happened to my family, but they brought it on themselves. I could overlook a lot of things, but when I realized what was going on, I knew I had to do something about it and get out of the situation myself. My brother got pinned with everything. My detailed recordkeeping helped with that. I tracked everything. He’s rotting away in a cell. He should be rotting away in a grave for the crimes he committed with the rest of my family.
But my father and my other brother had disappeared. Karin must have gotten something from them before they did because when I was pulled in under her protection, there had been girls at her warehouse I thought were past the point of recovering.
Karin might be lethal, but she has a soft spot for women. The only thing she asks for in return is loyalty. That’s why we all have a bond with her. Don’t get me wrong, there have been a few that have turned against her, but she still didn’t toss them to the wolves. She handled it herself.
“But you sold me?” I get the words out past my throat.
“I have never done such a thing.” She gives me a pointed look. She’s right. Sov had made me thi
nk differently. I don’t think he lied. It would be beneath him. He’d feel no need to do so.
“But…”
“There is no but. Men are stupid. I’ve taught you this. They read what they want in a situation.”
“You’re testing him. Testing us.”
“Always. I want what’s best for you. If you’re going to leave me, I suppose it does come with a cost. The cost of me knowing it's the right decision.” She stands from her chair. “For what it’s worth, he’s different with you than anyone. It’s interesting. Plus it’s always fun to toy with a prince. A soon-to-be king.” She smirks before heading for the door.
“He doesn't know who I am,” I say under my breath.
“If he doesn't know by now, then he’s not worth it.”
I nod in agreement. “You’re right.”
“My favorite words.” She teases me with a wink. “You should tell him. We don’t need him digging. When people dig, they often find things they shouldn’t. That we’ve buried away.” I haven't buried anything, but I’m sure she did for my sake.
“You don’t think they’ll come back for me, do you?”
“Anyone that knows better would never come after one of my girls.” She skirts around revealing if they’re alive or not. “But he is a prince, and as I said, soon to be king when he marries.”
Her parting words twist and turn inside my head. As mad as I am at how he was so high handed, it doesn’t make me love him any less. My love for him runs deep, enough to let him go if I thought it was best for him, but I don’t think he’s going to let me simply slip away. Maybe I won’t have to if I let him believe the worst.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sov
“She’s on the move. There are two women with her—Paulina and Jewels. They’re friends, I believe.”
“I’ll be there in five. Don’t hurt them,” I order Zero.
“Yessir. I have everything under control.”
“We need to be at Zero’s location immediately, and by immediately, I mean, five minutes ago.”
My driver nods and speeds up. We break a few laws but none that matter. When I arrive at Zero’s geo-location, he’s surrounded by the three women. I step out of the back of the vehicle and approach with my hands up to show that I come peacefully.
“You definitely are under control,” I joke.
Zero scowls. “You said not to hurt them.”
“I did.”
Paulina and Jewels have tasers drawn while Mackenzie is looking adorable with her handbag raised. I grab Mackenzie, and Zero gets tasered by the two women, who have happy trigger fingers. I stuff Mackenzie into the back of the car and order the driver to go. Someone at the end of the motorcade will take care of Zero.
“You left your man lying on the ground,” Mackenzie squawks, twisting in her seat to look out the back window. “I knew someone was going to get hurt, but I didn’t think it would be Zero.”
She looks upset about this. “He’ll be fine.” I pull her down to the seat and buckle her in. “He’s suffered far worse.”
“That’s not very encouraging.”
“It was either Zero or the girls, and I thought you would be annoyed if your friends got hurt.”
“Annoyed? Yeah, I guess that’s one way of putting it. Wait, where are you taking me?” She notices for the first time that we are moving out of Vieth territory.
“It’s been forty-eight hours, and I told you before I’m not good at waiting. We’re leaving for home.” I pat her knee. “It’s a cross-country flight, but I have superior service on my private jet. You should be able to get plenty of rest.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. It’s a very comfortable way to travel. We have a personal chef along with a masseuse for the long hauls. Our meals are somewhat limited to what is stocked before takeoff, so if you have personal requests, let me know so I can phone it in. We should be at the hangar in about twenty minutes.” I stretch out my legs, pleased at how smoothly everything has gone. I should’ve kidnapped her before, but I was trying to be considerate of her feelings. I reach in between us and pull out the chilled bottle of champagne from the refrigerated console. “Why don’t we toast to our new—”
“Do you know who I am? I’m Mackenzie Ward. My dad ran the vilest, most disgusting human trafficking ring in this country, and I ran the books.” She jabs a thumb at her chest. “I washed his dirty money through restaurant fronts and dry -cleaning businesses and auto repair shops. We bought land and buildings in other countries in dirty cash and then sold them for shiny deposits in real bank accounts. I did that.”
“Did you know what your father was doing?” I pour the champagne into a flute and hand the glass to her.
She takes it, confusion pulling the corners of her pretty mouth down. “I knew it wasn’t legal.”
“It’s not the same, and you know it. Everyone’s got a few skeletons. I don’t care what yours are. Cheers.” I tap my glass against hers and take a sip of the Veuve Clicquot.
Mackenzie is flummoxed. With a small sigh, I set down my champagne, take her glass and put it into the console holder, and then gather her small hands in mine.
“I do not care who your family is or what they have done in the past. I do not care what you did in the past. I care who you are today and who your family will be. Today, you are Mackenzie, a Vieth ward. The Vieth Orphans are known for con games, swindles, and the occasional murder, although I think Karin would call it culling the herd. Karin Vieth gave her daughter to Aidon, a man who feeds his enemies his own shit and then burns them alive in the furnaces of the basement of his headquarters. No one in this game has clean hands. Not even the Charmonts.” I bring her lovely fingers to my lips. “And as for your family, it will be mine. Yours and mine, the family we create together.”
“You’re supposed to be a king someday. It matters who you marry.”
I laugh. “Darling, I’m not that kind of aristocracy. The Charmonts rule the west. Our kingdom is more theoretical than physical. We have the money of royalty, and my family’s line can be traced to a royal family tree in Europe, but I could marry a pigeon, and no one would bat an eye.”
She sags against the leather seat. “I think marrying birds is against the law.”
I laugh again. “Which is why I’m marrying you.”
“Are you really unconcerned about my past? Your parents won’t care?”
“My parents will be delighted at gaining a daughter, and my mother has high hopes you are pregnant already.” I retrieve her champagne glass and am about to hand it over when she bolts upright.
“You’ve told your parents about me?”
I swallow a sigh and return the champagne to the holder. I don’t think we’ll be getting a pre-flight cocktail in until we reach the jet. “Of course. I explained I was bringing my bride back from the Vieth celebration and to expect us for breakfast.”
“I can’t meet your mother like this.” Mackenzie pats her beautiful hair. “Oh God, this is terrible. I haven’t packed anything. I have some CC cream in my purse and a bad lipstick color. I’m not getting on the plane. Take me back to my apartment.”
She folds her arms across her chest and glares.
“She’ll love you just as I do.” I drain my glass of champagne and lean against the headrest. The silence in the car grows deafening. I tilt my head to peer at Mackenzie, whose jaw has dropped. “Yes?”
“You love me?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mackenzie
I burst into tears, no longer able to control my emotions. I’ve missed him so much, and I don’t want to spend another minute without him. Sov unclicks my seatbelt, pulling me into his lap. I snuggle into him, breathing him in.
I feel at home whenever I’m with him. I want to burrow inside of him forever and let him take care of me. Karin takes care of all of us to a degree, but there were never any soft cuddles or words of love. It was the same way for me growing up, so I hon
estly didn’t know what I was missing until Sov.
Karin cares for all of us, but I always longed to have her look at me the way she looked at her daughter. There was no missing the love in her eyes. My whole life I’ve wanted someone to look at me that way.
“Did my words of love make you cry, darling?” He cups my face in his hands, not letting me hide from him anymore. I can see the love he has for me in his eyes. I think it’s been there from the moment I ran into him that first day. Maybe I was too scared to see it. To believe that I’d found someone that would love me the way I’d always wished for.
“Yes, they make me cry.” I sniffle, wishing I could stop blubbering already. It's not as if I’m a cute crier. My face gets red and blotchy. “No one has ever said them to me.” I watch as anger flashes across his face for a moment. It’s not directed at me but at the fact that I’d never been told I was loved. He really does love me.
“Then I will tell you until you’re sick of hearing it. I love you, my darling Mackenzie.” His mouth comes down onto mine in a hard claiming kiss. His hold on my face never lessens as he keeps me in place. He kisses me while saying the words over and over again. I’ll never get tired of him telling me.
“I love you too,” I finally get out when he lets me come up for air. “I’ll never get sick of hearing you say them.” I can promise him that.
“Then you’ll stop running from me.” It’s not a question. It’s one of his many orders. That is something else we need to talk about. I need to set some boundaries with Sov. I know he’s used to everyone doing as he tells them. And while I enjoy that aspect of our relationship in the bedroom, I don’t want that all the time. “Come.” The door opens, and I can see the plane waiting for us.
Before he releases his hold on me, he kisses me again. I can tell he doesn't want to let me go, but he also wants me on that plane and heading back home with him. I slip off his lap and step out of the car. He’s not even a half second behind me. I’m thankful when I see Zero getting out of another car. I’m glad Paulina and Jewels took it easy on him.
