by Kenya Wright
“Why do they want to kill her?” I asked.
“She knows too much.” He sighed. “Or at least enough to connect the dots on some top-secret fucked up shit.”
“Like what?”
“You don’t need to know because no one is trying to kill you. It also helps that they can’t touch you because of who you are.”
I hadn’t doubted that at all. It wasn’t the fact that my family drowned in love, it was the simple fact that the world needed to know that no one could touch us. The second reason was that everyone expected me to carry on the family name. Max looked nowhere close to settling down. I was the one who would provide the heir. The future owner of everything my family had built. Nothing could happen to me. If anything happened to me, my uncles and father would scour the earth to find my killer. They would be sending a lesson to all. And they’d never give up on finding the truth.
“For now,” Caden said. “You are safe. So how do we get Dawn safe?”
“You’re asking me?”
“You should know. Think.” Caden tapped his head. “Out of the two of us, in this moment, who could really keep her safe?”
“Me.”
“Yes.”
“But how?” I asked.
“Marry her.”
“What?” I almost choked on my own saliva. “Did you just say marry Dawn?”
“Yes.” Caden’s hands remained to the sides as he fisted them. “Yes. Unfortunately, I said that.”
“Marriage? Is this another game?”
“No. I can’t think of a game where your marrying the love of my life would be fun.”
I backed away and ran my fingers through my hair. Anxiety hit me. I needed a minute to breathe and get it together.
Marriage?
“If Dawn marries you, then she’s untouchable also,” Caden said. “Then it just leaves me and I have no problem taking care of myself. It’s Dawn that I’m worried about. She needs money and resources guarding her. Some fucked up shit happened. She’s possibly the only person that could tell the truth about it, whether she understands this or not. You either marry Dawn or prepare to watch her die.”
“Don’t say that.” I gritted my teeth.
“It’s the truth.”
“Give me a fucking minute.” I let out a long breath. “Everything is moving so fast.”
“We don’t have time. We’re heading to land by the morning and a chapel by the afternoon. Either you marry her or I take her away and hopefully I can keep her safe and—”
“No, you don’t take her anywhere.”
Caden clapped. “It seems the boy is ready to be a man.”
“Fuck you.”
Rage blazed in Caden’s eyes. “Are you going to marry her?”
“Yes.”
“That was easy?”
“No.”
“Of course not, but good you should be scared.”
“I’m not scared about marrying her, I’m scared about keeping her safe.”
Caden laughed. “Oh no. You thought I was going to trust you to keep her safe? No. You just marry her and give her the title. I’ll be in the shadows.”
“No.” I stepped toward him. “You stay out of our lives. No games. No more contact with her. Don’t forget that some of your enemies are my friends.”
Anger edged Caden’s eyes. “You don’t ever want to play that game with me, Freddy. You’ll find that you’ll lose your pieces before you even get to roll the dice.”
“You’re a bit too comfortable with Dawn and I marrying. Should I be worried?”
“Of what? An elaborate game of my trying to marry you two?” He laughed. “First show me what my intentions and benefits would be, and then maybe I could sign up for that game.”
“So, you’re fine with us marrying?” I asked.
“Never, but for now it’s a quick band-aid to the problem.” He stepped close to me. “In the end, I will miss her. Not the physical parts of her, but actually Dawn. The inside of her. The scent of her. The moments we’ve shared. Even though most were based on lies, they were still real to me. Still our reality. I would miss her. Her voice. Her laughter. Her smart comments. The way she made me question my wrongs. The way she inspired me to be better. I would miss her.”
I had nothing else to say. If he was acting, he was doing a damn good job.
I can’t forget that he is a great performer. He’d sold me on Smoke, even the accent.
Caden returned to his maps. “Get some rest. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
“Apparently.” I turned off and walked away.
“Congratulations.”
I paused in the doorway. “For what?”
“You won the game.”
I didn’t even turn around. “That’s your problem. No one wins when they play games with Dawn’s heart. We all lose as soon as we step on the game’s board.”
“Very poetic.”
“I was never playing a game with you, Caden. I was always coming for my lady. For Dawn.”
After I left the room, I turned my phone on. There was no signal out here in the ocean, but it gave me some hope. Max could help or maybe I could beg Lotus to help me again.
She’s probably just sitting back and laughing at my texts.
Chapter 32
Dawn
Someone held me in their arms.
I opened my eyes. The room was dimly lit by a lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. I had no idea where we were. Nothing in the space looked familiar. I wore nothing but a thin, white nightgown covering my body.
Where am I?
I lifted my head.
Yawning, Freddy loosened his hold on me but didn’t let go. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’d been given a date rape drug or worse.” My head boomed. “I’m. . .just so. . .tired, but. . . what happened?”
“Someone bombed Caden’s house. The table slammed against you and knocked you out. Caden and I escaped while I held you the whole time.”
I tried to get up, but he wouldn’t let me leave his arms.
“You have to rest.”
Blinking, I struggled out of his grip and sat up. “Who dressed me?”
“I did.”
“Good.” I adjusted the thin gown. “I didn’t want to hear that Caden had touched me.”
“No, I wouldn’t let him near you.”
“Thank you so much.” I focused on the room and the odd movement of the bed. And then after a few more seconds, I realized that it wasn’t the bed moving, it was the floor. “We’re on a boat?”
“Yes.”
“Whose boat?” I asked.
“Caden’s.”
I frowned.
“We have to talk, Dawn.”
“What has Caden done now?”
“This isn’t about him. At least not all about him. This is more about us.”
I lifted up. “What?”
“The people who bombed Caden’s house. . .they were trying to kill you and him.”
Fear took over every corner of my heart. “Why?”
“Because you know something or at least could know something if you took the time to think about it.” Freddy studied me. “It looks like you already know what I’m talking about. It looks like you’ve already figured this secret out.”
Even if I’d tried, I couldn’t get rid of the terror.
The Miami attack. It has to be about that.
Ice struck my veins. Every part of me went cold in distress. The people who did that would have no problem with taking me off this planet. Part of me wanted to know who they were. The other part was too scared to even think about it. And now they wanted me dead.
My hands shook. “Damn it. I’m so sorry, Freddy. I almost got you killed.”
“No. Stop it. Besides, they won’t kill me,” Freddy said. “They won’t come after me.”
“How do you know that?”
“These people happen to run in the same circles as mine. I’m safe, but Caden and you are not.”
I
was relieved that Freddy was safe. He didn’t ask to be involved in this mess. My being targeted was more my fault. I should’ve gotten rid of Caden long ago.
But if I’d gotten rid of him, I would’ve been dead from the attack.
“These enemies will not stop looking for Caden and you. Do you understand me?” He targeted me with his gaze. “They are big and evil.”
“Rich and powerful families that rule the world.”
“Yes. And they wouldn’t touch me because I’m a part of this rich and powerful world. So Caden and I decided—”
“No.” She shook her head. “Absolutely not. Did you just say Caden and you?”
“Yes.”
I rose from the bed. “No, don’t listen to him. God, is this a game too?”
“No, it’s not.” He left the bed too and stood in front of me. “Listen. I believe him.”
“You also thought Caden was Smoke.”
“Doesn’t matter. This is for real. The explosions were real. The running away from danger was real and the fear coming off Caden was very fucking real. Besides, I know some of the people who are trying to kill him. They’re a ruthless, yet powerful family. He should be scared. We should be scared.”
“No, Caden and I should be scared.” I hugged myself. “Freddy, I want you to get out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying with you and I’m never letting go.” Freddy lowered to his knees as if he were about to propose. “In fact—”
I raised my hands in the air. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I don’t have a ring, but—
“What are you. . .”
“I’m scared.” His eyes watered. “I’m scared of the people coming after you. I’m scared that I won’t be enough to keep you safe. I’m scared that you’ll say no and not yes. I’m scared that this is crazy, but most of all. . .I’m scared that you’ll walk away before giving us a chance.”
Silence fell between us. Shock kept me frozen to my spot. I’d just had my head spun around, over and over the whole week. Next, I survived a fire only to wake up on a yacht sailing somewhere around the world. And now Freddy kneeled in front of me.
“Marry me,” he whispered.
My heart damn near froze in my chest. I swallowed. “Umm. . .what?”
A tattoo was one crazy thing. The last time he’d surprised me, he took off his shirt and showed my name in ink on his skin. But a marriage proposal? This was a whole other area of insane.
“Freddy, you can’t really be—”
“I would make you so happy, but most of all, I will keep you safe.”
“Freddy—”
“If you’re my wife, they won’t come after you,” Freddy said. “Even Caden admitted that. And he’s gone if you’re with me. He knows I have the resources and the connections to keep you safe.”
I opened my mouth and could only say one thing. “Marriage?”
Maybe I hadn’t woken up. Perhaps this was some odd dream. There was no way that Freddy and Caden had gotten together and decided that I should be married to Freddy.
“Where did you get this idea from?” I asked.
He gave me a nervous smile. “That’s not an answer.”
“Freddy, I’m serious.”
“Me too and this isn’t one of Caden’s games.”
“How do you know?”
Terror flashed in his eyes. “I’m more certain about this than anything that’s happened to me all year.”
“Then, it’s definitely a game. The more you’re sure it couldn’t be a game, the more it is. Never, ever think anything around Caden is really happening unless you’re the one that’s making the moves.”
“His house was bombed.”
“Notice what you said.” My bottom lip quivered. “You said, ‘His house.’ That can’t be a coincidence.”
“You almost died.”
“But I didn’t.”
“We were damn near close to being trapped in the house.”
“But Caden saved us?”
“No, Dawn.” Freddy shook his head. “I was there. You were knocked out.”
“And how did I get knocked out?”
“The table.”
I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to rub the fogginess out of my head. “I don’t feel like I was hit or something bumped into me. My body feels fine. My head is another story, but it’s not that sensation of being hit. I feel like someone drugged me.”
Silence rose in the space as both of us must’ve been going over each detail in our heads. The whole situation had shoved me off edge. This was what living with Caden had done to me long ago. I was constantly analyzing and rethinking everything, wondering if I’d missed a certain detail, and hoping to any being in the sky above that I was not walking in another one of Caden’s games.
“You should get up.” I looked down at him. “I don’t think we need to get married. The only thing we need to do is get away from Caden.”
“And if we’re wrong and Caden is right?” Freddy remained on the floor. “If someone is really trying to kill you, then what?”
“I don’t know.” Shivers ran up my spine.
“So, this is what we have. Three options. One, Caden could be playing another game. If we find out, it will piss us off, but you’ll be alive. Two, Caden could be telling the truth, so if we go along with this, he and I could keep you alive.”
“And the third option?”
“Three, we escape Caden and those bad people trying to kill you.”
I gulped down fear. “I don’t like option three.”
“Me either.” Freddy captured my hand and gazed up at me. “Caden looked sick as he brought up the suggestion of us marrying. In fact, I rather enjoyed the look of disgust on his face.”
“I bet you did.” My heart wouldn’t stop beating. I was scared it would explode out of my chest. “Marriage?”
“Yes.”
I exhaled and inhaled too fast to catch any real kind of breath. Swaying, I stumbled back, not sure if it was my own nervousness or the yacht speeding across the ocean’s surface.
Freddy rose from the floor, grabbed a chair, and guided me down into it. “Relax. It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m just. . .” I sat down and gazed around the room. “Marriage?”
“I’m upset about not having a ring. You know how I am. I want to have you dripping in diamonds. Once we can really go shopping, the ring goes to the top of the list.”
I sighed. “You’re serious?”
“I am. They won’t touch you if you’re my wife. It’s that simple.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is when it means your life.”
“Freddy, are you even ready for marriage? I’m not, but you? Come on.”
“I’m not ready for marriage, but I am ready to do whatever it takes to keep you walking on this planet safe and alive.” He lowered back down on his knees and stared at me. “Take your time. Think about it. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to, but we need to make a decision and fast.”
“How fast?”
“Caden wants us to get married tomorrow.”
Again, there went that whole Caden part of the plan. I didn’t like it at all. It was never good when he had his hands involved in the situation. What was I missing? What did I need to understand?
“We get married and then what?” I asked.
“He could barely deal with us talking about getting married. I did tell him that after our marriage, he had to disappear out of your life. I have the resources to protect you. I don’t need his help or skills. I just need to put a ring on your finger and have my name and money protect you.”
My heart warmed at his declaration. “Freddy, you don’t have to do any of this. I’m sure there is another way.”
“There are probably hundreds of other ways but right now, this is the quickest one.”
“I…I can barely think about this.”
“I know. Do you want me
to leave the room and give you time to think about this on your own?”
“No, just give me a minute.” I blinked. “Are you sure about this, Freddy? I doubt you ever thought about getting married.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“I want you safe.”
“I don’t want to trap you into a loveless marriage.”
“You won’t. Dawn, you are love. You are the beauty of it. You are the light of it. You are the scent of it. How could it be a loveless marriage?”
After what Caden had done to me, I didn’t have a lot of love left to give. He’d emptied me. I was a bare cupboard with no plates or bowls. Just this desolate space with cobwebs and skeletal roach bodies. Echoes of past cries dancing around a dusty surface. I was sure I had nothing left to give Freddy. Caden had gamed the love out of me.
Freddy rose a little and wrapped his huge arms around me. I found warm comfort in that hold and could think of no other way to spend my future days. But marriage? That was a huge thing. Something that no one should take lightly. If we married, he would have to meet my family and I would have to meet his. Would we all even get along? My dad was a cop, a man’s man from the south. Freddy’s father was upper crust, uber rich who’d probably never done anything normal in his life—not sweep a floor or fix a sandwich. I bet he’d never made a bed.
The list of differences between Freddy and I was too long to go over in one night. I cared about him. That was for sure. And since these past days, my infatuation with him soared over the roof. He’d searched the earth for me just on a hunch, just on this idea that I might be in trouble. Where others would’ve given up in DC, he continued, finding a crazy way to sneak on the island. This man had put himself out for me. And once again, he was trying to save my life. In that regard, there should be no doubt to why I would want to marry him. He would not only keep me safe, but I would never want for anything.
I stared at him. “I know why I would say yes, but why would you?”
“I’m falling for you. I already told you this.” And then he held me closer, lifted my head, and captured my lips.
And when he kissed me, when he caressed my skin, when he whispered that he would always be there for me, when he held me close, the broken bits of my heart began to heal. And even though it was only pieces of my heart that moved and throbbed and came alive, hope pooled inside of my rib cage, reviving everything in its space. I felt hope around Freddy. Hope. The brick that builds dreams out of darkness.
