Invincible (A Kingpin Love Affair Book 3)

by Beck, J. L.

  As soon as I was free, I scrambled away from him, gulping in precious oxygen. “I see the liar is still knocked out cold.” He kicked at Devon as if to see if he would actually move. A groan sounded from him as he stirred slowly.

  “The only person who is a liar is you,” I hissed. I felt like a cornered cat, and you had better believe your ass that I would claw someone’s eyes out before I allowed them to do something to either of us.

  Tony turned his attention back to me, a sneer on his face that caused a sick shiver to run down my spine. The man who had helped me, given me a job, and made sure I had a place to stay was the same man who had been hunting me down. What a fucking contradiction he was.

  Every conversation I had ever had with Tony replayed in my mind. All those moments he comforted me when Jamie first left. I was questioning everything, and it only made me wonder if Jamie actually left, or if Tony made him disappear.

  “Get him on his knees, remove the bag, and keep her seated,” Tony ordered his men as he made his way to what I now know to be his desk.

  Immediately, hands gripped my shoulders firmly, placing me back into the chair I had previously occupied. I wanted to react, act out, do anything, but be forced to remain in this seat.

  As I caught a glimpse of Devon, I gasped as all the air in my chest left me. Dry blood was matted into his hair as fresh blood trickled down the side of his face. One of his cheeks was swollen, and his eye was barely open. All I wanted to do was to run to him and make sure he was okay, hold him in my arms and reassure him I was right there with him.

  “Welcome back,” Tony mocked, greeting him while sitting on the edge of his desk. My insides churned, burning me like acid. These people were sick human beings, and for them to have put Devon and me through all of this for no reason was a cruel fucking joke.

  “I would say it’s a pleasure, but it’s really not,” Devon said as he tried to smile. Even in his rawest moments, he still managed to keep his morale up. Tony looked between us, a sinister smile forming on his face. He was dressed to the nine. His face was clean shaven, his eyes were dark and shaded, almost as if he didn’t want me to peer into them for fear I would see the real person he was.

  “How sad. I was really looking forward to seeing you both in the same room. One would be struggling for their life while the other screamed to save them.”

  I clenched my teeth together and rolled my shoulders causing the man to grip me harder as I tried to shrug his hands off me. Devon’s gaze swung around the room, his eyes growing big as they landed on me.

  “You look slightly shocked that I have her,” Tony spoke his words slow. My mind was a slurring mess. I couldn’t see the man behind me. All I could see was Devon’s face growing paler.

  “You could say that. Then again, you could say I’ve seen more surprising shit or maybe less surprising.” Tony looked bewildered, his gaze flicking between the two of us.

  “You’re talking in circles, and it’s starting to piss me off. You don’t want to do that, trust me. So shut your mouth and listen up. I brought you both in here because I have a need that needs to be fulfilled. Tegan has always been mine, even when she was with that low life Jamie. Which, by the way, sweetheart…” He turned his attention to me, his white teeth glistening as he smiled. “I killed him.”

  I could picture Jamie’s lifeless body on the ground, covered in blood, and even though I didn’t love him like I did Devon, he was once such a big part of my life.

  “You’re a monster,” I spat at him on the verge of tears.

  “Are you kidding me? He dragged you into this mess, granted, I had a lot to do with it.” He shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal.

  “But could you blame me? I needed to find a way to get rid of him. He had a drug problem, and he would eventually bring you down. So, when he found himself in a pickle with the casino, I loaned him some money… Funny thing is…” He laughed humor evident in his voice. He found this funny. It amused him, which only caused my blood to boil more. “I own the casino. I own the diner, and I own everyone in this fucking town. Including you two. You see, my parents kept borrowing money to keep the diner afloat. They ended up owing the man who runs the next town over a lot of fucking money. They got in too deep, and I had to pull them out. I did some jobs for the big guy and got really good at it. He taught me a lot of things, showed me a lot of ways to get the job done, and in return, he wiped my parent’s debt. I kept doing jobs for him, even after they had a clean slate because, let’s be honest…the feeling you get when your hands are covered in someone else’s blood is fucking exhilarating. I made so much money doing something that made me feel complete. That’s how I became the Boss here in this shitty town. Money fucking talks and I had plenty of that, so it was too easy to get people doing whatever the fuck I wanted them to do. Of course, I couldn’t let people know who I really was, so I kept working at the diner, acting as if my parents owned it, and no one ever suspected a thing. This town would be nothing without me and my people. I saved this fucking slump and now, well, now it’s time for Tegan to take her place beside me.” He was spewing so much bullshit, I felt like I was drowning.

  “You’re way beyond therapy, man. You’re fucking delusional,” Devon grunted out through clenched teeth.

  “The only person who will need therapy is Tegan after she watches me slit your fucking throat right here. How’s that for delusional?” The feral look in his eyes said he would do it.

  “Any last words?” he asked Devon as he ran his fingers through his hair.

  Devon smiled devilishly before saying, “If you are expecting me to beg someone like you for my life, you’ll be waiting all day. Let’s not waste any more time. Slit my fucking throat, Tony, and get it over with already.” The words he said sliced my heart in two. How could I live if they took my reason for breathing away? If they stopped his beating heart right in front of me? All I felt was pain as my eyes filled with tears.

  “NO!” I heard my voice scream out, but I couldn’t feel anything. It was as if time had slowed down and forced me to see everything in slow motion.

  A knife landed in his hands, and as Tony was about to place it against Devon’s neck, the tables fucking turned.

  The man who had made me a prisoner to my chair released me, shoving me to the floor while pulling his gun out. Devon was pushed to the side, and the doors to the office were thrown open. Guns were pulled out, drawn at every angle as I found myself scurrying underneath the mahogany desk.

  “Drop your weapons, put your hands where we can see them and get the fuck down, NOW!” one of the men who entered the room yelled, his voice holding an authoritative tone.

  “You have to be fucking kidding me,” I heard Tony muttered under his breath as Tony’s men dropped their guns, raised their hands, and sank to the floor. Adrenaline flowed through my limbs causing my hands to tremble as my eyes sought Devon’s and in them, I found comfort.

  “Nope, sorry, not kidding. Tony Marseille, you’re under arrest for kidnapping, money laundering, drug trafficking, drug distribution… Shall I go on?” an older man said sarcastically. He had blue eyes, and when you looked into them, it was like you were looking through them. They held no life as if he had been through hell and back, simply existing in this world, no longer living.

  “Drop your knife or you’ll make us do something you’ll regret,” he said as he kept his weapon trained on Tony’s head. I watched Tony turn his hand over, dropping the knife as he raised his hands above his head and lowered himself to his knees.

  “Johnson. Read him and cuff him,” blue eyes said, but even then, he still kept his gun on Tony, and I would have, too. Tony was a delusional, crazy asshole who had everyone fooled. If you turned your back on him even for a second, you would regret it.

  One of the younger looking men who had entered the room when the doors were thrown open stepped forward. He circled Tony before stopping behind him and putting his weapon back in its holster. He reached behind his back and when his han
d returned, he had a pair of cuffs. The metal shined as he grabbed one of Tony’s arms and twisted it behind his back, snapping a cuff around it before doing the same to the other arm.

  “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish—”

  I was so focused on listening to Johnson read Tony his Miranda Rights, I hadn’t noticed a hand reaching for me. Turning my attention to the hand that was in front of my face, I realized it was the same lethal hand that had slammed me on the desk. Why isn’t he on the ground? Doesn’t he work for Tony, too?

  “Nice to meet you, Tegan. I’m FBI Agent Alzerro King. It’s safe to come out now.” He gave me a dazzling smile that met his eyes as he continued to hold his hand out for me.

  “You’re kidding, right?” I choked out, my voice full of emotion.

  “No, afraid not, love,” Alzerro stated calmly as he waited for me to take his hand.

  Glancing around the room before I took his hand, I noticed they were cuffing all the men in the room, and Devon was still lying on the floor where he had been pushed with his hands still tied behind his back.

  “Please, help him. He’s beat up really bad and he needs help.” The words slipped from my mouth as I stared into Alzerro’s eyes.

  “Don’t worry about him, he’s strong,” he said with ease as he stood in front of me and we waited for them to clear the room out.

  “You won’t get away with this. You don’t even have proof,” Tony yelled as Johnson yanked him up by his cuffs. Before he could get another word out, the man with the blue eyes headed toward him. He gripped the back of his neck and slammed him against the desk face first as he peered down at him.

  “Should’ve done your research better. That’s the problem with you new wannabe gangsters. You think you know everything when, in reality, you don’t know any fucking thing. You knew we were after you, yet you didn’t take the precautions you should have. You’re an idiot, a two-timing dumb fuck who hired one of my men right off the street. Alzerro King is an FBI agent, and he was wired the entire time he was working for you. So, we will get away with this, and we have more than enough proof.”

  “That can’t be possible. You’re lying,” Tony protested as he attempted to resist the hold blue eyes had on him.

  “Oh, it is more than possible. Take him out of here, boys.” Blue eyes yanked Tony up from the desk and shoved him toward Johnson. When his eyes landed on me, he eyed me curiously.

  Again, for the third time in this room, time stood still as we looked into each other’s eyes. I don’t know what it was about that man, but he seemed familiar.

  Devon’s grunting broke the trance I had fallen into as I watched two men carefully pick him up. They spoke in hush tones, but I could make out one of them telling him to stop dragging ass, they had been through worse shit than that while Devon smiled through his pain. This was his crew or team. The people he worked with. Whatever you wanted to call it.

  Somehow, we had been caught in the middle of a sting operation.

  “Tegan Anderson,” Blue eyes said as I turned my head toward him. My name on his lips sounded foreign to me yet, somewhere, I had heard his voice before.

  “That’s me.” My voice was quiet and distraught as my mind fought my body not to run over to where Devon was. I didn’t want to make any moves without being told to do so.

  “You need to come with me. We have some questions to ask you, and then you can be on your way,” he said firmly, and I nodded in agreement.

  Alzerro moved out of the way, allowing me to walk in front of him. As I passed Devon on my way out, our eyes locked, and my heart started to beat again when he gave me a soft smile. I finally felt like I could breathe again.

  “Take her to the car and shut this place down. I want everyone out,” Blue eyes ordered. The tone of his voice left no room for argument as I was pushed out the door.

  I didn’t take my eyes off Devon, afraid he would disappear if I did. When I couldn’t see him anymore, I closed my eyes and remembered every confession of love he ever spoke to me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Devon

  “I SHOULD PUNCH you straight in the fucking face right now,” Frank yelled, the veins in his forehead bulging as he clenched his fists together. After they had cleared out the casino, I was checked by a medic who they had on standby in case shit went to hell. They re-stitched my gash and confirmed what I already knew. I had a concussion and my abdomen, along with my sides, was severely bruised. Breathing was a bitch. Hell, even moving hurt. Every piece of flesh, muscle, and bone ached, and it was only going to get worse. The healing always hurt more than the actual beating.

  I rubbed at my wrists and poked at the wound on my head. My side was burning and my abdominal area on fire as I breathed in slowly in an attempt to reduce the pain. For some pussy motherfuckers, they sure could deliver an ass whooping.

  Frank was livid with me. I was pretty sure he wanted to kick my ass right out of this place. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. I had fucked up. I lied to my boss and went against everything I was taught. I deliberately ignored protocol and disobeyed a direct order from him.

  Not only had they had the entire place scoped out and under surveillance, but they also knew where I was and what I had been doing the entire time. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to me to see Zerro there, but it was. It wasn’t that he was undercover that shocked me. It was the fact I had become a part of his assignment without even knowing it. There was a slight sting to my trust, but I had done no better than he had.

  “I could punch myself in the face right now,” I mumbled. My head throbbed as if someone had beaten it against a brick wall for hours, which wasn’t that farfetched. I had been knocked upside my head too many times to remember and kicked the shit out of even more.

  “You could’ve cost us a lot of lives. You could’ve… I don’t even need to tell you what the outcome of all of this could’ve been. You know already.” Frank sounded disappointed, and he had every reason to be. He could’ve been hurt, better yet, we all could’ve been and for what? My stupid fucking mistake?

  Zerro stood in the corner of the office where they had transported us. They wouldn’t allow me to see Tegan until questioning was done, not that I wanted to see her right now. She probably couldn’t bear to look at me. I was a lying asshole who royally screwed up. Anyone could look at me and see the shame clearly written all over my face.

  “You should’ve told us. We would’ve helped. You act like none of us knew there was something going on.” Zerro sounded irritated with me, and when I looked over at him, he was lounging against the wall with a scowl on his face.

  “It’s my life. My fucking misery, man. Why would I want to drag more people into my own personal hell? I didn’t plan this shit, I was just going in to investigate, and I saw her. I saw the one person I never thought I would see again. What was I supposed to do? Walk away and leave her in that shitstorm? I couldn’t do that once I found out all the shit that had happened to her.”

  It might have sounded like I was making up excuses, but in reality, it was the truth. When I came here, I expected her to be a million miles away. Not working at a diner, serving shady motherfuckers their coffee.

  “We knew who she was. We were watching her. However, we didn’t know the connection you had with her until Zerro caught you guys getting close with one another…” Frank sounded almost angry as he looked away from me. When they said close, I got the feeling they weren’t talking about the leaning into one another kind of close. More so, the body slick, lips together, panting moans filling the air kind of close.

  “Still, it was my personal life, and I didn’t think I needed to involve any of you. I fucked up, I know I did, and I’m sorry my actions could have changed the outcome of the bust, but I’m not sor
ry for helping her. I’ll never be sorry for that.”

  I felt defeated. Everything I had set out to do blew up in my fucking face and could possibly cost me everything. I had lost the battle, and I wouldn’t get to keep the girl.

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it, Mitchell. You know that. I need your badge. I’ll decide what to do with you once we get back to our station.” Frank spoke miserably, extending his hand out as I gazed down at it.

  This was the man who had given me my chance at freedom, my one and only chance at redemption. I had betrayed him and my team. I deserved whatever the fuck was coming my way.

  “It’s back at the cabin, hidden underneath the broken tile in the bathroom. I took it off and hid it because they were already suspicious, and I didn’t want them to find out.” I hesitated with my words not wanting them to think I had just taken it off because I was done.

  “That’s fine. I’ll have the guys get it.” He dropped his hand and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. I clenched my fists, allowing the anger to overtake me. “You should’ve told me.” I looked up at Zerro from across the room. He didn’t seem angry, but then again neither did a snake before it strikes.

  “Told you what exactly? That I had a girl from the past who I ripped to fucking shreds? That I left this fucking town because my parents were notorious drug dealers? Come on… really? Like you would’ve taken anything I said seriously.”

  I was at a loss.

  Life: Ten Million.

  Devon: Zero.

  “It doesn’t matter if I take you seriously or for a fucking joke. You’re a part of my family. You’re my brother. You should have let me fucking help you.” He paused. I could practically see the memories swarming him. I had saved his ass from spending a life behind bars. I had invested my time and efforts in him and now he was one of the best assets on the team.