Stolen Hearts: A Dark Billionaire Collection

by Elizabeth Knox

  Carlos told me he drove Jordan to a BDSM club in the city a few weeks back, so that might have something to do with it. Meanwhile, Steele Enterprises overheard the rumor Christian started about Jordan being with Lacey, Esme’s much younger granddaughter. I’m betting Lacey is in her mid-twenties at this point, maybe a little bit older but she can’t be much older.

  The guys’ mom up and left from what I know. She said she was going on a girls trip to Paris and never returned. Mr. Steele was able to tell them that their mother was well and alive and in no imminent danger. Christian and Logan loathe her for what she did. Whereas Jordan loves and hates his mother. It would make sense though, considering she was the one in the hospital with him when he was a kid. It still doesn’t give anyone an excuse to abandon their children. Shit, it’s probably why Christian and Selena work so well. Her mom jumped ship too.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Where did you want to meet?” Madigan questions her brother, nodding as she types an address into the GPS in the vehicle. I immediately start driving into the city.

  “We’ll be there in about twenty minutes,” I say to her, concentrating on the road.

  “Reggie says we’ll be there in twenty. Is that alright?”

  I’m so focused on the road that I don’t notice when she hangs up the phone. “It’s a little odd that he’d call you, isn’t it?”

  “A little bit, I guess. He was texting me for a bit while I was recovering. I don’t think he likes me, but I could be growing on him.”

  “You probably are. That or Logan had a serious discussion with him on accepting your place in the family.”

  “That’s not like Logan at all,” she sarcastically laughs. “Oh, crud . . .”

  “What?” I ask.

  “I just realized. Did Logan ever handle the launch like the fact he was using that as the opportunity to out my identity to the world?”

  “Yes, Logan and his PR team handled all of it.”

  “Wow. I had no idea.”

  “You wouldn’t have. Logan is very good like that, managing things in a very professional manner. Most of the time, it’s completely under the radar, even when it’s supposed to be public.”

  “Yeah, I’m seeing that. The media must’ve been pretty receptive.”

  “They were. I’m not worried about that, though. Now that it’s public who your family is, it means the Falcones know too. It puts the bullseye on Atlanta and we all need to be prepared for that.”

  “Why do we need to worry in general? My family should be the one reason they stay away now.” I’ll give it to her, she sounds like she’s talked herself into the idea she’s safe. She’s not a stupid woman, but that’s a damn stupid thought.

  “From what you’ve told me and I’ve found out through my own research their family is relentless. While being a Steele does offer a certain level of protection, being blind to the risk in front of your face is dumb. In the Falcones’ eyes, you aren’t the victim, they are. Do you really think these people will stop?”

  Instead of answering me, Madigan is quiet through the rest of our trip to downtown Atlanta. We’re in the heart of the city, but on a side street that houses a series of offices mixed with brownstone townhomes. I pull up to the address, assuming we’d be going to one of the offices but see a brownstone with the numbers next to the door and a “For Rent” sign in the window. The door comes open and Jordan walks down the few steps, waving the two of us to come inside.

  We both step outside the vehicle and meet Jordan on the sidewalk. Immediately, I can tell something isn’t as it seems. Call it a gut feeling, a hunch or whatever you’d like.

  “What have you done?” I growl out, looking right to Jordan. I catch the bothered look Madigan has at my tone of voice, but I’m not here to play Mr. Nice Guy. I’m here to protect her and something isn’t right.

  “I’ve dealt with our Falcone situation, now come inside and we can discuss it.”

  “What do you mean?” Madigan asks in a low tone, curious to what her brother has done, but also cautious. She’s right to be cautious. Out of everyone, Jordan is the most unpredictable.

  “As I said, come inside and we’ll discuss it. It’s too hot out here.” Jordan walks up the steps and goes inside the brownstone. Reluctantly, I follow him blocking her body out of view with a hand on my gun.

  “Talk, Jordan,” I order out, not liking any of this.

  “For the last week, I’ve been speaking to Mr. Falcone,” he admits. Immediately, I have confirmation in how I’ve been feeling.

  “Hello, Madigan.” A man comes from the entryway on the opposite side of the room. He’s clad in a suit that costs more than the car we drove here. He’s obviously Italian with salt and pepper hair. Gold rings line his fingers with a matching chain around his neck.

  I turn to look at Madigan and see the deer in headlights look crossing her face. Fuck! I knew something wasn’t right but had no idea Jordan would do something like this.

  “Logan, Christian, and I have different ways of handling business. While Logan is always so prepared to be on the defensive, I’m a man who prefers to go straight to whoever is causing our troubles. Needless to say, Logan has been protecting your life and I’ve been speaking directly to the father of your tormentor.”

  “Why would you do such a thing?” she hisses out, obviously feeling betrayed by her own blood.

  “Because it’s the only way to effectively handle the situation. Mr. Falcone and I have done a lot of talking, and he sees the errors of his ways. Isn’t that right?” Jordan looks over to our enemy, who nods once.

  “Blood is blood, and family comes above everything else. As you should understand, given that you were to be my famiglia. How the tides have turned in such a short span of time, girl. Vincent had an obligation to marry a prestigious woman. I wasn’t blind to what he was doing to you, however, I didn’t care much about his process so long as the job was done. He is my eldest and therefore will take my place when I am ready to step back.”

  “You could’ve acted and you didn’t,” Madigan states. She went from an innocent and scared deer to a rage-filled bull ready to trample someone.

  Jordan cuts in as the room grows silent, “Mr. Falcone has agreed he’ll tug his dog of a son’s leash back home, keeping him away from us. He simply wanted to speak to you face-to-face.”

  I call bullshit. This doesn’t add up. Not one bit of it.

  “Had I known you were part of such a prominent family, I might have interjected and made sure we could’ve had an alliance between our families. Is that something you’d be open to, Madigan?”

  “Fuck off. She’s not a pawn to use in your game,” I snap out, earning a chuckle from Jordan.

  “As you can see, my dear sister has her own watchdog, who will protect her at any cost. He’d even gun you down right now if he felt you posed an immediate threat,” Jordan states, basically telling Mr. Falcone to back up.

  A sick smile crosses our enemy’s face. “Ah, there’s no use to intimidate me. I’ll be on my way.”

  He turns around and exits the entryway. Within a minute, I hear what I assume to be the back door being shut.

  “What in the actual fuck was that about?” I rush up to Jordan, shoving him against the wall. “You could have led her into a fucking death trap, you idiot!”

  “But I didn’t. I highly doubt the man I paid one million dollars would do such a thing, not when it’s terms of our agreement.”

  “You bought me, like a dog? I’m a person. I can’t be bought!”

  “I didn’t buy you, Madigan. I purchased your safety.”

  “Jesus!” Madigan rushes out the front door onto the street and I’m quick to follow her. If anything, we both needed to escape this room.

  Chapter Thirty

  “She loves her independence, and yet sometimes she likes to be told what to do. That’s part of her contradiction and part of her magic will be when you understand.”

  ~ JM Storm

  Madigan

  “I wan
t to fucking kill him!” I yell at Reggie, who wraps his arms around me, trying in his best way to calm me down.

  “He shouldn’t have done that,” Reggie states, taking my side.

  “No, he shouldn’t have. I’m a person, not an object. People can’t be bought, and having me go face-to-face with him? What the fuck was Jordan thinking!” I did a damn good job at keeping my shit together inside, but boy, I can’t anymore.

  I grab the keys to the car from Reggie’s pocket and unlock the vehicle, hopping inside the passenger side. He’s quick to get in the other side and put his hand over mine.

  “I can’t believe any of this, and the audacity Mr. Falcone had in offering me some sort of alliance? Jesus!” I scream it out, unable to keep my voice down after all the bullshit that’s just transpired.

  “I know, baby,” Reggie agrees, running his hand over the back of my head in a soothing way.

  “I can’t believe any of this. He did everything behind our backs.”

  “He did,” Reggie says, but I can tell something isn’t right. He’s being very blank and monotone in his responses, signaling me that he’s deep in thought.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “I think your brother got played,” Reggie states plain as day. He takes in a deep breath, sighs and takes off. I try to figure out what it is he means but I’ve never been in the security business so I’m not sure.

  “Do you mind explaining?” I inquire.

  “Why would that asshole need to see you in the first place? The answer to that is pretty simple — he didn’t. I think Jordan assumed it was an acceptable thing to do, but it wasn’t. How much do you want to bet the Falcones have people following us right now?”

  “I don’t know . . .”

  “I sure as hell do. It’s what they’re doing. It’s what anyone would do in their position. You’ve explained that these are people who don’t give up, and I agree. They don’t give up. They just nabbed Jordan’s money and they’re going to fuckin’ do something. I just don’t know what that is.”

  “Jesus, and to think all of this could’ve been over.”

  “It wouldn’t have been over. It’s far from being over, babe.”

  Reggie’s words resonate with me, making me wonder what could happen. There are so many possibilities and no matter how much we try, I know there’s no way either of us will figure it out until it happens. Honestly, that scares me more than anything else. The not knowing. I can’t live my life in fear, though. I’ve done that before and I won’t continue to do it.

  We drive around Atlanta and the surrounding area for the next three hours. The thought is that if anyone was following us, they would’ve been caught off guard with the route Reggie was taking. I asked him if he saw anyone on our tail and he said that he didn’t, so we both felt that it was safe enough to come home.

  We’ve been home for two hours and I’m terrified to be here, scared to death that something could happen even though a man fully capable of protecting me is here. I’m in the best position I could, wrapped in someone’s arms who has been trained endlessly. Honey is asleep on the other chair, snoring away while her drool covers the arm of it.

  An hour passes as we watch some trashy tv before Reggie gets up to go make some popcorn. He comes back after a minute to ask me what kind of movie selection we should make. “Scary or comedy?”

  “Do you really think I want to watch something scary right now?” I question, raising both of my brows. He’s lost his damn mind if he thinks I want to be even more on edge.

  “We could watch some sort of dragon movie or something,” Reggie suggests, getting a scoff out of me.

  “Fine, put on some exorcist crap. Alright?”

  “Got it.”

  The two of us munch on popcorn, turn the lights out and get through one scary movie before turning on another. Midway through, Reggie is passed out, snoring with me beside him. The popcorn bowl is empty and I’m hungry so I get off the couch, pick it up, and go into the kitchen. I know I saw some of those yummy fiber bars in here. They taste like an actual cake. The only difference is they aren’t nearly as bad.

  I’m rummaging through the cupboard in the dark, feeling for this box of bars because I’m far too stubborn to turn the light on this late. I feel the cardboard, pushed all the way toward the back and hook my index finger in the top of the box, pulling it forward.

  “Jackpot!” I whisper to myself, eager to shove the yummy treat in my mouth.

  “I could say the same thing.” I hear his voice behind me. Part of me believes this is a nightmare, that there’s no possible way I’m awake right now, but I know better. This isn’t a dream or any sort of screwed up dream. This is my fucking life. It’s awful enough to write into an award-winning screenplay if you ask me.

  Based on my location in the kitchen, the butcher block with knives is right in front of me. Vinny wouldn’t know that. He wouldn’t know a damn thing. It’s pitch black so there’s no way he can see anything. I take this quick opportunity to unhook my finger from the box of goodies and place my hands in front of me. I feel the stone-cold counter and inch my way up to the butcher block, quietly grabbing a knife in each hand.

  “Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?” he asks, sounding irritated.

  I don’t answer. Instead, for the first time in my entire life, I take initiative. I whip around, jabbing both my right and left hand in front of me. My right hand comes into contact with something and I hear him grunt in pain. “Reggie!” I scream as loud as I can, moving my left hand in every direction I can until I come into contact with what I believe is him.

  Vinny groans the same time the light is turned on. I see I’ve stabbed him two times in his chest and yank the blade in my right hand out of him, swiftly lining the blade up with his throat and slice it open.

  I run back to where Reggie is holding his gun up at Vinny, waiting to hear a gunshot go off, but I hear something else instead. The sudden sound of dead weight hitting the floor. I turn to look behind me and see his lifeless body on the hardwood floors. “Holy shit. I killed him.”

  “No, you defended yourself.”

  “But I killed him,” I repeat, my voice cracking in the process.

  Reggie embraces me, holding my body close against his. “It’s all okay now. This is over. It’s all over. Okay?”

  I look up to him, realizing the severity of what I’ve just done. “No. I’ve just started a war. When Mr. Falcone finds out what I’ve done . . . none of us will survive.”

  “He won’t find out. I’ll handle everything. It’s a shame Vinny went missing, isn’t it?”

  There’s never been a more prominent moment in my life. This is the man who would do anything for me, including hide a body. Even though I’m terrified right now, I know Reggie and I will figure this out together. Either way, most of this is over. I say most because I’m not counting my coins until this fucked up game is over.

  Please, dear God, just let this be over.

  Epilogue

  “From the first moment we touched, you’re arms felt like home.”

  ~ John Mark Green

  Madigan

  6 months later . . .

  Over the course of my life, I’ve never truly felt like I’ve belonged. Until seven months ago, I still didn’t. What I can say is that now, that’s changed. I have finally found my place. No longer do I feel like an outsider or someone who could only be around on certain days or in specific situations. I no longer feel like the accidental daughter, mistress’s child, or shameful mistake.

  I only feel one thing — acceptance.

  My journey hasn’t been easy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. While it royally sucked, life had a bigger plan. Looking back now, I’ve come to realize that we endure certain things to grow as people. Our experiences don’t define us, but the way we survive them does. Out of everything, that’s what I’m the proudest of. Every action might not have been the best decision, however, some were necessary.

 
Now, I look out to my entire family from Logan and Brook’s living room. Emmett is standing up in front of the Christmas tree staring at the colorful lights, pawing at the endless number of ornaments that he can break. It’s barely been twenty minutes and we’re already seven ornaments in.

  Christian is here with Selena on his lap, drinking a glass of eggnog, telling each other the stupidest jokes I’ve ever heard. You know, the kind that are so ridiculous they’re hysterical. Her brother and sisters are in the kitchen picking at the desserts Brook set out. Selena stopped telling them no because they kept going back in to grab more sweets. If anyone deserves to be a little bratty, it’s on Christmas Eve.

  Jordan sits across the room on his phone, flashing a smirk. “You talking to anyone special?” I inquire, not feeling too awkward since we’ve been working on our relationship since everything happened with Vinny. It’s not perfect, but we’re getting there.

  “No, just a friend.”

  “Sure! A friend,” Christian drunkenly chuckles while Logan chimes in with him.

  “Oh, is it Lacey?” Brook asks, getting an eye roll from Jordan. There’s been a rumor going around for the last few months that Jordan and Lacey are an item. Jordan has told me numerous times that nothing has happened between them for years.

  “No, nothing has happened between them since that summer,” I state, taking a sip of eggnog. My hope is that everyone will get off his back.

  Christian whips his head over in my direction. “What summer?”

  “Yeah, what happened?” Logan asks, looking between Jordan and me.

  I glance over to Jordan who looks like he wants to crucify me. He never told me they didn’t know. “Shit, Madi. I didn’t know you couldn’t keep a fucking secret.” Oh boy, he called me Madi. He’s furious.