Stolen Hearts: A Dark Billionaire Collection

by Elizabeth Knox

  “Alright,” she replies and pauses for a moment, approaching me. “There’s something you should know.”

  “I already know and I don’t care that you’re pregnant.”

  “What do you mean you already know?” She sounds shocked, worry laced through her voice.

  “I have people who can get information for me. I haven’t told your brothers. Figured you can do that.”

  “So you don’t care that I’m pregnant? Do you have some weird fetish or something?”

  “Who knows. I’ve never minded curves. They’re hot as hell.”

  With that, our conversation ends with a smile on Madigan’s face. The world is our oyster and all of that. At least, we’re on a level playing field now. Tomorrow will come here quickly and we have a couple of things that need to be done. “I’m going to get settled upstairs and go to bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow,” she says, almost like she’s read my mind.

  “Yeah, me too,” I respond, following her up the stairs and we head in opposite directions toward our rooms. As I walk to bed, I can’t help but wonder how many worms are in the can I just opened.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Before you get attached to anyone, be prepared if they leave

  ~ Unknown

  Madigan

  As much as I haven’t wanted to avoid Reggie, I have been. My mind is running rampant with thoughts of regret. Constantly thinking about why I was honest. Why didn’t I tell him no or just tell him now wasn’t the time, that we didn’t know each other? Ugh, I have no clue! Although, somehow, I was able to get a decent bit of sleep last night. It’s well past four in the afternoon and I’ve already gotten ready for dinner with Christian and Selena.

  The sound of determined footsteps coming up the stairs makes me suck in a deep breath. My door is thrown open and I see Reggie with the phone. “Stall them, please. Have they heard us? Okay. I’ll call you back in five minutes.” He throws the phone on my bed and glares at me.

  “Did you bring anything with you that Vinny gave you?”

  “Huh? What?”

  “There’s someone at the gate named Vinny, so I’ll ask you again, did that fuck give you anything and were you dumb enough to bring it with you?”

  I’m taken aback with how Reggie’s just spoken to me, cocking my head back in disgust. “No, I don’t think so.” I turn around, trying to think. I only brought the necessities, including my ID, passport, and social security card. I left the car in South Carolina . . . and that’s when it hits me. The second I glance in the mirror I see the diamond earrings he bought me. Immediately, I take them off, handing them to Reggie.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t think that—”

  “It’s fine. C’mon, we need to leave now. Carlos is heading toward the gate and going to throw them off our trail.” Reggie takes my hand in his, tossing the earrings onto the bed, grabs his phone and we rush down the stairwell and go out the back door.

  “Why didn’t you smash them?”

  “Because the moment I do that, they know we’re onto them. Right now, they don’t have a clue and by the time they realize it, you and I will be in the city.”

  He opens the back gate to my fenced in yard and shuts it behind me, taking us through a wooded runners trail. “Why aren’t we going to one of my brothers?” Naturally, that would be the place to go.

  “Because if they don’t already know whose name is on the deed of the house, they will soon, and going to your brothers is the first thing they’ll do. We need to make sure they don’t already have eyes on all three of them, and in the meantime, I need to get you somewhere safe. I wasn’t expecting this shit.”

  Reggie jerks me to the left and we walk off the trail into the woods. He’s careful to keep all of the tree limbs and twigs out of my way but misses a cobweb and I get a spider to the face, shrieking bloody murder. Immediately, he covers his hand over my mouth and flings the thing off me. “You couldn’t have been quiet? We’d better hope we’re far enough away!”

  “Sorry! I don’t like bugs.”

  “No one likes bugs, Mad” I smirk at the way he’s shortened my name. It gives me butterflies inside.

  We keep going until I see a blacked-out sedan nestled in the woods between some trees. It’s located right off an unpaved road. “Let me guess. It’s yours?”

  “Yep,” he says, going to the front passenger side tire and pulling the key out. I hear the click of the car being unlocked and immediately get in, knowing that would probably be the next thing from his mouth.

  Reggie gets in the other side, presses on the brake and pushes the button to start the car. “You didn’t think it was risky to leave a car like this in the middle of the woods with the keys here?” I question, wondering where the common sense was in making that decision.

  “No one comes back this way, and it’s technically still Christian’s property, so we’re fine.”

  He tears out onto the dirt road and flies down it, making a left onto a street and drives continuously. The windows to the car are blacked out so no one will be able to peer in. He speaks via the car’s Bluetooth system and orders it to call Logan. The two of us wait while the ringing comes through the speakers of the car.

  “Hey. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Is everything alright?”

  “Not really. That Vinny Falcone fellow showed up at the gate. I have Madigan and we’re in the car heading south. We can’t go back to the house, and we can’t head to any of yours. We were supposed to meet Christian for dinner around six, but I don’t think that’s a good idea given that we’re unsure if he has men tracking any of you.”

  “Alright. Don’t meet up with them for dinner. Go to Esme’s house. I’ll text him and tell him he needs to meet you both there. His detail will ensure he isn’t followed.”

  “Are you sure? It’s risky. I don’t like it.”

  “Yes, I’m telling you what needs to be done, unless you feel that it’s not a good enough plan.”

  “I don’t agree with it. Going to Esme’s will do nothing for us if you plan on sending one of your brothers there. The point is to not draw attention to any location by having them follow one of us.”

  “Regardless we need to meet, so go to Esme’s. They wouldn’t know we trust her in the ways we do. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can and we can reconvene.”

  “Fine.” If I’ve ever seen anyone press a button with anger, it would be Reggie. He slammed his index finger down on that touch screen.

  “Is everything going to be okay?” I ask in a worried voice, trying my hardest to hide my concern, but it’s evident.

  “Yes. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I hope you know that.”

  I don’t say a word, letting the words he just said sink in. There’s not one part of me that thinks I will be harmed with Reggie watching over me, but you never know. I don’t doubt his capabilities, but I’m fucking terrified right now.

  Out of nowhere he grabs the side of my face and turns to me while he drives. “I mean it, you’re safe with me.”

  “Okay,” I mutter lowly, turning my head to look out the window, trying not to imagine the awful things the Falcones will do to me for betraying their family. One thing Vinny always told me is that no one has ever gotten out alive. The Falcones will always find you. For some reason, I thought I could outsmart them. It’s ironic, coming from the girl that led them straight to her fucking door.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Ignoring the red flags because you wanna see the good in people will cost you later.”

  ~ Unknown

  Reggie

  I’ve been in positions like this with other clients and my determination to keep them safe is always the same. It’s more than about it being my job, it’s my purpose. I will never lose a client and will take a bullet for them again and again. I’ve taken one for Brooklyn and I’ll sure as hell take one for Madigan if need be.

  I obeyed Logan’s command and have brought her to his assistant Esme’s house. It’s smart and stupid at
the same time. The Falcones would never think to come here because the Steeles aren’t associated with her any more than being her employer. Little does anyone know that Esme is more like a mother to them than their actual mom.

  Madigan and I get out of the car and into the humid hell that is the south. I should be thankful, though. It’s not nearly as bad as it is in Louisiana where I was born and raised. The heat and humidity there smack you straight in the face like a hot redneck in a country bar. We walk from the driveway to the white paved path, encompassed with flowers. I haven’t been to Esme’s home in a couple of years, forgetting about her love of botany. I think she’s one of those ladies who like plants more than people.

  The short Hispanic woman opens the door with a worrisome look, “Come inside, quick!” She waves her hand, urging us to get inside the safety of her home.

  “Thank you,” I mutter, placing a hand on the small of Madigan’s back. Not really sure why I do it, but it feels so fucking natural.

  “I promise not to be a monster to you today, Madigan.” Esme giggles, “I was only protecting my boys. I love them like they’re my own and I’m sure with enough time, I’ll feel the same with you.”

  “It’s okay.” Madigan has a habit of saying things are okay when I can tell she just wants to wrap her hands around someone’s neck and choke them out. She’s kind of the master of faking it ‘til you make it. Madigan turns her body toward me, “What do we do at this point?”

  “We wait for your brothers. I’m sure one of them will be here if not all.”

  “Yes, come inside the living room. I’ll bring out some sweet tea, lemonade, and some snacks. What would the two of you like?”

  “Sweet tea would be fine, thank you,” I tell Esme.

  “A lemonade, please.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” Esme disappears off into the opening that leads to her kitchen while Madigan and I take a seat on her plush couch.

  “I can tell you’re worried. You don’t have to be. I’ve got you,” I tell her, trying to get it through her brain that nothing bad will happen to her. I simply won’t allow it.

  “I’m scared of what might happen. You can’t promise that they won’t find me, torture me, or kill me.”

  I nod, understanding her fear, but now I need to ask her a question. One that she might not want to tell me. “Does Vinny know that you’re pregnant?” I ask in a hushed whisper, not wanting Esme to overhear our conversation.

  “No, he doesn’t have a clue. Of course, he never paid attention that much. I doubt he even noticed I missed a period. Hell, I didn’t even realize it until a few days ago,” she confesses, looking a bit embarrassed by it. Hell, she has nothing to be embarrassed about. In the town I grew up, the captain of the cheerleading squad hid her pregnancy and left her baby at the fire department and got caught. Now that is something to be ashamed for.

  “Okay. I needed to know what it is that we’re dealing with. So, they’re just pissed you left?”

  “Yes, they’re . . . manipulative, controlling . . . and extremely deceptive. They want everyone to be under their spell and when those people see them for what they are . . . well, they’d rather kill those who see the truth than allow them to live their own lives. I’m pretty certain they want to slit my throat and toss my body into some open water.”

  I breathe slowly through every word she speaks, not wanting her to see how much her words are really affecting me. If I come face to face with these men, I’ll shoot them down on the spot. There will be no questions or judgment, nor going to her brothers to ask their opinion before I act. I have the strongest need to make sure nothing hurts her at all in this life, and so I’ll do what’s necessary to ensure that, including execution— or in other terms, murder.

  Esme comes back into the room with two sweet teas and one lemonade, plus a variety of cookies on a plate. “I hope you two have a sweet tooth. I made these last night after work. Lacey had come over and we had dinner.”

  Lacey is Esme’s only granddaughter. Her parents were killed in a car accident when Lacey was a kid and she barely survived. Esme raised her and she ended up being raised alongside the Steeles in a sense, always around them. Back when I was on Logan’s detail, I had heard a couple of rumors about Lacey and Jordan, but I never dug into it to see if there was any truth behind the rumors.

  Madigan and I both grab our drinks, taking a couple of cookies and nibbling on them, making conversation with Esme as we can. She pries into Madigan as much as she can, wanting to know everything there is to know about the only Steele heiress.

  “And your mother, is she acting at all anymore? I loved it when she starred in Sunshine’s Diner. Out of all her movies, that one put her on the path to stardom.” Madigan smiles at Esme’s sweet words, but little does she know about Autumn Archer’s mental state. Then again, no one does.

  “No, she’s retired from acting and is finding the beauty of finding peace with nature. She prefers a more relaxed lifestyle after living in the limelight for so long.” Madigan is so good at lying it gives me chills. But, she’s had to tell this lie for quite a while, not wanting others to pry.

  “I can only imagine what living with that sort of status is like. I’m sure she barely had any privacy when she was working, so it must be refreshing for her to have it now.”

  “Oh, it is. She can barely remember a time when it wasn’t like this.” I hear the truth behind Madigan’s words, knowing it must feel like a dagger to the heart.

  The front door comes busting open and I pull my Glock from my holster, aiming it at whoever is coming in. Jordan is the barreling bastard, so I lower my weapon.

  “Of everyone, I least expected it to be you who showed up.”

  “Well, I’m who you’ve got so deal with it,” he snorts in my direction, looking over to his sister. “Logan and Christian both had vans following them. Needless to say, the Falcones are going to come in heavy. We have to be careful when moving you. I’ve spoken to our brothers and they agree with me that you need to get out of town. The Falcones will be here for a while before they realize that you’re nowhere to be found. Naturally, they’ll assume you’re hunkering down with one of us and we’ll make it look that way. Reggie, can you go down to bumfuck wherever you came from?”

  “If I had feelings, they’d be hurt.” I sneer. Jordan has always loved to jab at me because of my country roots.

  “It’s a good thing you don’t. Madigan, do you have any questions?”

  “Uh, so what am I supposed to do besides go somewhere with Reggie?” she asks.

  “You don’t draw any attention to yourself and stay with him as much as possible. We’ll deal with shit when it comes to the Falcones, but you have to keep a low profile. Get a disguise, dress like one of those hick girls. Say and do whatever you have to in order to blend in.”

  “Ugh, I’ll be so thankful when all of this is over and I can go back to leading a normal life,” Madigan mumbles, staring out the window. “At this rate, I don’t ever think it’ll happen.”

  “It will. It’ll just take some time,” I assure her.

  “Reggie is right. For now, just do as I say and trust that it’s the right thing. You’ll go away for some off the grid relaxation and we’ll deal with your problem. The Falcones will never try to fuck with our family ever again after we’re done with them.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asks.

  “That’s for us to handle and for you not to worry about. You know, I think we’re handling this big brother shit pretty well if you ask me. Making sure no one fucks with you and all that. Now, I need to get going in case someone’s following me. Leave when it gets dark.”

  “Got it,” Madigan mutters, obviously nervous.

  “I’ll see you later. Be careful and try to relax. It’s not going to be easy, but it’ll be better that way. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I’ll try,” she responds, plastering on a fake as fuck smile at the end. Shit, she’s really tryin
g to not let anything get to her right now.

  Jordan nods, leaving the house as quickly as he came in. A good thing he did. He wasn’t inside for more than three minutes and it wouldn’t look suspicious. Not to me anyway. We just have to wait a couple of hours and we can get the hell out of here. Madigan tossed her earrings on the bed and there’s nothing else on her that isn’t brand new from the shopping trip we took yesterday.

  “Rest assured, sweetheart, your brothers will handle this swiftly like they handle every other scenario going on in their lives,” Esme tries to tell Madigan. I can tell the old woman doesn’t want her to be worrying about anything. It’s sweet.

  “Thank you. Sorry, I don’t mean to look so torn up. I’m just a little anxious.”

  “As you should be. Not every woman has experienced what you have.”

  “I think you should get some sleep before we go, Mad. One of us should get some rest at least, and I’m the one who’s good with a gun, which means you’re off to dreamland,” I tell her, knowing it’s in our best interests if one of us sleeps. We may have to swap driving at some point.

  “I don’t know how I’m supposed to sleep like this,” she confesses.

  “You lay down and close your eyes.”

  Madigan rolls her eyes and huffs, “Thanks, Sherlock. No need to be a smartass.”

  “I’m just trying to be humorous and make you laugh.”

  “While I appreciate it, I don’t think it’ll work right now.”

  “Understood. But, at least try to get some rest?”

  “Fine.”

  “Thank you,” I respond. Standing up, I pull the curtains together so no one can peer in and the sunshine is blacked out. “We’ll get out of your hair in a couple of hours,” I tell Esme.

  “It’s fine, Reggie. Stay for as long as you need to.”