by Alexis Anne
“Most of those people are middle men. People we worked with in the process of either stealing or selling. The ones that aren’t crossed out yet are the more complicated relationships.” He ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it up, frustration wrinkling his brow. “They’re people we worked with directly. I’ve shaken their hands, had drinks, fought beside them.”
“Meaning they hate you with every fiber of their being.”
He nodded.
I stared down at the nine lines still uncrossed. “And you’re going to meet with them personally?” I turned the paper toward Darcy.
He nodded again. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. So far I’ve found my powers of persuasion to be more than adequate.”
He’d certainly used those powers on me several times in the last week.
Not that I minded one bit.
“What about Dan?”
At that, Darcy stood and moved around the desk, coming to sit beside me on the couch. I turned so we faced each other. “I can’t make any guarantees,” he said carefully. “Now that Dan’s out of prison there are too many variables. But we’ve prepared for this.”
I appreciated his open honesty. If he lied and said everything would be fine I’d worry even more than I already was. “Is there anything I can do?”
His answer was to pull me into his arms and settle us lengthwise on the couch with my back to his front. “Are you ready for this?”
I held my breath while I thought of all the possible implications of his words. I wasn’t ready for any of it and yet, I’d been waiting my whole life. “I don’t think it’s possible to prepare for this. I think anyone who’s been controlled the way I have looks forward to the day they know they are really and truly free of ever having to go back into the dark.”
His arms tightened around me. “I know, love.”
“I haven’t seen Father in years but I’ve felt him. He’s always out there pulling the strings. A car that drives by too slowly, eyes in the shadows, a gallery that suddenly cancels a show, a bill mysteriously paid…those were all Father reminding me that he had the power even from a distance.” I shuddered. “I am in no way prepared for what you and Theo will do in the next few days, but I am very much ready for it to be over and done with.”
He turned my head to the side so he could see into my eyes. “I want you to know the truth. I told Theo he can run this any way he wants on one condition—your father doesn’t walk out alive.”
I knew that, deep down inside. It had been Darcy’s mission since the car accident.
“Okay.” It was all I could say.
“Okay.”
There wasn’t much either of us were capable of saying or doing after that so I let Darcy hold me. We had dozed off in that exact position when Theo came storming into the office. “How do you have time to sleep?”
“Some of us take the opportunity when it comes. Especially when it involves beautiful women. Something you’d know if you weren’t such as asshat,” Darcy said, yawning.
I stretched, still in his arms and blinked my eyes open. “Why are you an asshat, Theo?”
He was rumpled, his tie askew and his hair a mess. He scowled down at me. “Doesn’t fucking matter. C’mon Higgins, I need you.” He started for the door.
“He broke up with Allison,” Darcy murmured in my ear.
“You what?” I shouted, sitting upright, fully awake now.
Theo froze with his hand on the door and shook his head, swearing. “Just stay out of it, Nik.”
I would not stay out of it. He was my brother and he was in love. Anyone could see that. “Tell me why you left her. You did leave her right, not the other way around?” He didn’t have to explain, I already knew because he was doing exactly what I’d done to Darcy.
We were a pair.
“I don’t have to tell you anything.” There was defeat and exhaustion mixed in his voice.
“Then I’ll go see her myself and find out.”
That got his attention. He narrowed his eyes and practically sneered. “You’ll stay far away from her or you’ll have me to deal with.”
“Hey now,” Darcy warned, moving in behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. “Just tell her what’s going on.”
After a few painful moments of silence his eyes flicked to mine. “You know. She’s better off away from me. Especially now.”
But this confused me. After everything—including days in a safe house under guard—why now? “But she already knows everything and has stayed by your side. Why would you let go of that?”
And that’s when I knew how wrong I was. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “She doesn’t know everything.”
“Oh Theo.”
“Would you tell Higgins about Father if he didn’t know? It’s one thing to swallow the idea that Higgins and I made bad choices, it’s something else entirely to accept generations of bad choices.”
“Theo, don’t make the same mistake I did. And to answer your question, yes, I would tell Darcy because I can’t imagine keeping anything from him.”
I could see the heartache in his eyes and the sag of his shoulders. Theo’s heart was broken. “Allison isn’t Higgins. She has nothing to do with this life except me.” He shoved his index finger into his chest, eyes blazing with self-hatred. “And I will not drag her any further into this hell. She’s better than this.”
I caught his arm just before he walked through the door. “Just do one thing for me, Theo.”
He glanced back and nodded once.
“Let her decide.” If there was anything I’d learned from Darcy it was to trust the people you love to make their own choices.
He walked away and Darcy pushed the office door shut with a bang, then flicked the lock.
“Don’t you need to go with him?”
He pulled me back to the couch. “He needs ten minutes to cool down and I need ten minutes with you. I know where to find him.” He sat and I straddled him. “Oh yes. Just like this.”
“Aren’t you feeling a bit ambitious for ten minutes?” I gasped as his hand slid between my legs.
“I like a challenge. Besides, after that lovely speech I want to show you how much I appreciate you.”
And so I let him.
25
To my great relief my stubborn brother got back together with Allison. Sort of. It was a bit tenuous and confusing and I really didn’t want to know the details but Theo was nervous as hell about the whole thing and working like crazy, so Darcy and I volunteered to attend her Thanksgiving feast and keep an eye on things while Theo kept working.
This was a huge step for me considering I hadn’t attended a party of any kind in years—something Jenni was continuing to give me a hard time about.
Allison made all the traditional food and we ate off disposable plates. It was a party and it was fun, even if it was strange to celebrate the American holiday. More importantly, I had fun meeting new people. Aside from Darcy and Allison, there was Allison’s sister Lily, her best friend Elizabeth and her boyfriend Adam, as well as several people from Allison’s office.
Basically a whole bunch of people I’d never met before in my life. My skin felt alive and I was hyperaware of every single thing I said and did to the point of exhaustion. I had to fight the urge to slide into my old “Nicole Sutherland” costume that I used to wear around when I left the house. I didn’t want to pretend anymore. If I was starting over in a new life then I was going to be me and feel confident in whatever that was.
Which at the moment was overwhelmed and a little excited. There was so much going on, so much newness, and my head was buzzing, but it was a good buzz. These were good people and I felt comfortable even when I didn’t know what to say or where to put my hands.
“Allison tells me you’re an artist,” Ava, one of Allison’s colleagues, said.
“I am. And you’re an architect?”
She held up her glass. “That I am.”
And because I’d had a lot of new tho
ughts in the last few days I decided to start a conversation. “Did you always want to be an architect?”
She laughed. “Um, no. I didn’t think about it until college. And you? Were you always an artist at heart?”
I nodded absentmindedly because the easy answer was yes, I was always drawing and painting from a very early age, but it was so much more than that. “I think I always assumed I’d find a way to make art part of my life.”
“That’s an interesting thing to say,” she mused. “What else would you do if you could?”
Ava had an easy smile and genuineness about her that I instantly liked.
“Honestly? I always wanted to do what my father does, but my way.”
“And what does your father do?”
Such an innocent question. “He runs companies.” Like a super villain, but I left that part out.
Her eyebrows shot up. “And you’d like that kind of power and responsibility? Because I’ve got to tell you, our boss never looks like she’s having fun. And she’s kind of mean.”
I stifled a giggle at her description of Margaret. I also didn’t bother telling her that she was describing my nearest and dearest friend. “Perhaps she just hasn’t found the right man to distract her.”
Ava shook her head. “Heaven help the man who falls for her.”
I thought of Margaret getting lost in her work more and more and hoped that if not a man then at least a new hobby. All work and no play…
“No, I don’t want to spend twelve hours a day at the office, but I do think I could be very good at helping a company develop long term goals and strategies.”
“Interesting…and not very artistic.”
I smiled. “But it is, in it’s own way. People buy products based on loyalty and gut reactions, and those are guided by having a good product and even better marketing strategy. All of that is built around the visuals.”
“Well, good luck if you decide to do it. Now, I need some more of that turkey.” I watched as she raided the food table, then decided I was thirsty and missing my boyfriend who happened to be in the kitchen.
It was amazing how in a few short days we’d fallen into a relationship that felt as old as time. I’d gone to visit my old therapist twice to start working out my confusing feelings about the future and it was helping so much. So much that I’d started to wonder what the future held for us. We hadn’t talked about anything other than our living arrangements. Would we have kids? Get married? A dog? Anything seemed possible at this point.
Of course everything also felt very tenuous.
I poked my head around the corner and found Allison on one side of the small kitchen talking to Darcy. “You two okay in here?” I asked, trying to read the situation. Allison had been attempting to seem happy and carefree for the sake of her guests, but the worry was tattooed on the back of her eyeballs and in here, alone with Darcy, her anxiety was plainly written across her face.
Darcy held out his arm and I immediately went into his embrace, burrowing into his chest. “We’re just fine,” he murmured. “I was explaining how your big brother wanted me to make sure the women he loved were taken care of.”
I don’t think Allison realized it, but she sighed with relief.
I stood up on my tiptoes and planted a kiss on Darcy’s lips. “He should have come.” Theo needed to slow down or he’d be too tired and nervous to be any good.
“I shouldn’t even be here, love,” he said against my lips.
I frowned and burrowed back into the comfort of his chest as if I could somehow keep him from slipping out later tonight to help Theo. He’d been nervous and jittery all day, not that it was surprising, but it made me want to hold him closer and longer.
“You two look like you’re happy,” Allison said, and I couldn’t help grinning.
“We’re trying to let the past go. It’s amazing what time and a lot of therapy can do. It’s different this time.”
Darcy grunted his agreement. “It’s different and I’m not taking no for an answer this time.”
The hair on my arm rose up. “No to what?”
“To you marrying me of course.” He said it with a nod as if it were a total given.
My mouth fell open in surprise. “Wh-what?”
“You’re marrying me,” he locked eyes with me and I swear I could feel him inside me. “As soon as possible. We’re going to be ridiculously happy and spend the rest of our lives together. I refuse to spend any more of my life without you.” There was no waver. No doubt of any kind.
“Is that a proposal?”
The corner of his lip twitched up as he dropped to one knee. “I love you, Nicki. We’ve been stupid and horrible for too long. Life is short. Take a chance on me and let me make you happy. Please marry me.”
I stared down at him completely and utterly dumbfounded that he chose now of all times to propose. But then again, I loved that he didn’t want to waste another second.
“I don’t know what to say,” I shook my head, dazed.
“You’ll say yes. No isn’t an option.” There was love, and then there was what Darcy and I had. I truly think it was something beyond what other people had. It was adoration, need, and hope mixed up with resilience and a deep desire to survive.
“Yes,” I started nodding and couldn’t stop. “Yes!”
The cocky bastard slid a beautiful art deco ring onto my finger and bounced his eyebrows, but I didn’t want to look at the ring. I could feel it where it had always belonged on my finger. What I needed in that moment was his body pressed up against mine.
We may have gotten a little out of hand because it wasn’t long before the group was begging us to leave so we could celebrate alone.
So we did. We celebrated in the car, in the foyer, on the couch, and, now, the kitchen. “How do I still have clothes on?” I looked down at the disheveled pair of underwear and skirt that was bunched up around my hips. Noticeably absent were my bra and blouse.
Darcy shrugged. “We were efficient.”
I’d say. I’d had three orgasms already to his one and yet somehow…clothes. “You really have to lose the shirt.”
“You really need to slide to the edge of the counter.” He tossed his black t-shirt onto the floor and came to stand in front of me. “Perfect.” The counter was the exact height we needed. He rolled on another condom and positioned his cock at my entrance as I slid my hands around his waist.
With my right foot on the counter and my left leg dangling down, I was wide open and ready for one last round before he had to leave. He took my face in his hands. “I know it’s fast and it came out of the blue, but I wanted us to head into tomorrow together. No doubts about where my commitment lies.”
I pulled him closer, forcing him inside me—just a little. I had to crane my neck back to look at him and he ran his hands further up into my hair. “No doubts. I promise I won’t ever push you away again.”
He kissed me and entered me from above and below at the exact same time, consuming me. I was a very different person than the girl who seduced Darcy by surprising him in his bed. That girl had been desperate for love. She didn’t know what she wanted or how to get it. And while I was still a little desperate for Darcy and I was still figuring out what I wanted, I was doing it with confidence now.
When I pulled him closer it was because I knew I needed to feel his skin against mine—not because I thought it was what I should do.
When I moaned into his kisses it was because I was lost in pleasure. I never had to pretend when I was with him, and he didn’t want me to. He wanted the real me, and he wanted me to be happy.
It seemed like such a simple thing, but I knew all too well that sometimes it was the simple things that were the hardest to find.
“Faster, Darcy,” I breathed.
He nodded, rocking into me, sweat forming on his skin, making it slick. He kissed me again and again until suddenly we were both moaning and breathless. He broke the kiss to hold us nose to nose, and watched as I fell apar
t in his arms.
26
Things were absolutely crazy after that. Darcy came and went more times than I could count—sometimes angry, sometimes gleeful. I didn’t want to know the causes of either. He confided everything to me in whispers and took me with him to briefings with Martin and his own team.
And because of that I knew they had lured Dan Christie and Toni to the new construction behind Theo’s building—the same godforsaken building where I’d overdosed so many years ago.
What I hadn’t known until it was almost too late was that they were planning so much more.
So. Much. More.
I stood in shock, staring at Darcy. “You’re joking. You have to be joking. Is this a joke?”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing funny about killing your father.”
I sat down hard on the chair behind me. “Theo wants to draw him out. On purpose.”
Darcy nodded, hands thrust in his trouser pockets, dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. “He wants to have one last talk with Donald,” he shook his head, “to get some things off his chest. Then he’ll inform Dan and Toni that Donald had set them up from the very beginning. Then he’ll lead Donald into the same room and let things happen.”
“What does that mean? Let things happen?” It sounded like a wild, uncontrolled mess.
“It means that hopefully they’ll kill each other and if not, Theo and I will.”
I balked. “If you don’t get yourselves killed in the first place.”
“Babe. I’m not dying today.”
“This is insane.”
He dropped into a squat in front of me, taking my hands in his. “It’s not insane. Getting your father out in the open with only a handful of bodyguards is impossible. We had to get him feeling overconfident and then push him into doing something impulsive. We also had to get Dan out of prison and into a position where he could understand that it wasn’t Theo and I that played him. It was Donald. We have the means and opportunity for the very first time. And,” he tugged on my hands, bringing my eyes to his, “we have the most at stake. We’re not going to lose.”
