by E. M. Gayle
Love had not been part of the plan.
Love made for bad decisions and stupid choices. He had to look no further than his mother for confirmation. She and his father had not been in love. Although he did believe that they cared for each other. But their union had been more about business, not emotions.
His father had been all but obsessed with wealth. Specifically, the amassing of it. So when the deal had been right, he’d taken a wife because to do so meant he could close on the most significant transaction of his life. That deal had apparently been life changing and gave his father the freedom to venture into any boardroom he liked and take over.
How many times had he heard that story or the many that came after it? Too many times to count. Even on his deathbed, ravaged by the sudden onset of cancer, his father reminded him of the lessons he’d instilled in his son.
There was nothing more important than the deal. Never give up and do whatever it takes to complete.
He could take a wife, but always choose one who would complement his life not disrupt it. And make sure she could bear him sons. Creating a legacy depended on it. His mother had readily agreed. In his eyes she’d been the perfect partner for his father.
And then he’d died and his mother subsequently lost her mind.
Less than a year later she married into the mob and everything about their life changed. Ronin and his father moved in, and while violence began to gradually spill into their lives, his mother had not stopped smiling since. Although her references to her sex life made him shudder every time.
Alex dropped into his leather desk chair and faced his computer. Despite all of the changes to their lives, his father’s words still echoed in his head on a daily basis. Business had to be his priority. And it had been, or so he thought, right up to the moment Harper had confessed she was falling in love.
That he’d not been ready for.
Love was a weakness he couldn’t afford. And for the first time in his life he’d kind of appreciated Ronin’s interference in his life. Only because it gave him some time to think through what he wanted to do next.
Of course, his acceptance of Ronin’s involvement in his business died only hours later when the Italians insisted on a renegotiation of their deal. That headache had taken a week to pick through item-by-item and fix. Fucking troublemaker had nearly cost him a billion dollars.
He leaned forward and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out the bottle of scotch he kept there and a tumbler with it. If ever there was a time that called for a drink. He poured two fingers and quickly downed them, welcoming the slow burn of good whiskey that sizzled through him.
Love.
Why did it have to come down to the one thing he knew nothing about?
It killed him now that he’d not been more upfront with Harper about his limitations. Especially when it came to relationships. She deserved to know that information sooner rather than later.
Only there was something about that woman. She made it impossible for him to think completely straight in her presence. And he couldn’t stop thinking about her when he wasn’t with her.
Not that he tried.
For all the weeks they’d been together thus far, he couldn’t get enough. The sight of her made him crave. Her scent pulled him closer. Her taste made him wild. But her touch, that was the ultimate experience in perfection that he couldn’t get enough of. And now he had none of that.
Alex cocked his arm and threw the glass across the room, smashing it into a million crystal pieces. Only nothing changed.
He had a hundred business deals in the works, each one guaranteed to double or triple his money. And none of it fucking mattered.
Is that what love did? Or was this something else?
Screw love. Love fucked everything up. The only emotion he needed right now was anger.
Ronin had taken what didn’t belong to him.
He wanted her back.
“Gerard,” he growled, his grip on his sanity slipping fast. “You need to give me something now.”
“I’ll call you right back,” he said to the person on the other end of the line. “Be ready.” He pressed the receiver at his ear and turned and crossed the room.
“Good news, sir. I’ve got a line on the location of Viktor Sokolov’s yacht. He’s safely into international waters now so he is going to be hard to get to.”
Alex stood, his fist slamming on the desk. “I don’t give a shit where he is. We’re going after him.”
Gerard nodded. “I assumed you would say that. I am already assembling a team. We will be ready to leave in three hours.”
Three hours. It sounded like an eternity.
However, that gave him some time to fuck up some of Ronin’s shit. The little piece of shit wanted to play games. Fine. He would play games and the moment he got Harper back, he’d show his stepbrother exactly who had the control in this fucking family.
But first, he was going after what was his.
Chapter 5
Harper
“You are in fine predicament now, Mrs. Bennett. What will you do to save yourself?” Viktor smiled before scooping cantaloupe topped with something dark into his mouth. Caviar, if I had to guess. What a combo.
“I thought we agreed to just call me Harper,” I said through clenched teeth. It was impossible for me to sit still here much longer. The drugs they had given me were mostly worn off and I was seething for my freedom. Not that I had anywhere to go while at sea.
“You agreed, not me. If you don’t want me to use your real name, you should give me reasons why. I am most eager to hear the story from your perspective.” He pointed to a file folder on the table next to him. “Although it was fascinating to read.”
“Fuck you.”
“Such language from such a pretty mouth. Did Alexander not teach you manners yet? I can correct that for you if need be. In fact, if you continue, I will consider it invitation.” he tsked and I’m pretty sure whatever he had in mind to teach me would not be pleasant for me.
“Why am I here? How do you know who I am? Did Bill put you up to this?”
Mr. Sokolov shook his head. “No, I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting your Bill Bennett. Although I believe it would be a fascinating conversation. He has unusual obsessions. Sadly, I understand he is stuck in American jail or I would have invited him to join us. Now, that would be a fun party.”
“Is that what this is?” I asked. “Some kind of—” I hesitated choosing my words wisely as to not test his threats on teaching me manners. “game?”
He sat back in his chair and wiped his mouth before answering. I didn’t know what to make of this good-looking man from Russia with a fancy boat, wild sex parties and goons with guns. The only real details I had about him were from the story about his yacht and the few tidbits Alex mentioned. I had no idea if he was a cruel man, although I suspected he was considering what he went through to get me here, or at least a dangerous one. I decided to go with both.
“Life is always a game, Harper. Whether it is business or personal. If you want to win you have to play the game.”
“I don’t want to be a part of your game.” I lowered my voice and looked down. I had a feeling aggression would get me nowhere with this man.
“Ahh, but you are the one who started this one. The night of Ronin Kavanaugh’s birthday party, yes? Or maybe it goes back even further. It is hard to tell at the moment since you use a false name. There could be more aliases for all I know. Do you have a string of broken hearts in your past, Harper?”
I was beginning to tune out some of Mr. Sokolov’s diatribe. Once he mentioned Ronin’s birthday party, I got kind of stuck. What in the world did that have to do with anything?
“I am not following you at all,” I interrupted. “What does one thing have to do with another? I’m literally a nobody, Mr. Sokolov. I don’t have money like you do nor do I care about it. And my life is not some sort of game. Although I don’t deny it is pretty messed up. But how did I start something
at Ronin’s party? I wasn’t even invited. I came as a plus one with a friend from school after her date canceled at the last minute. I didn’t even know anyone else there.”
An odd smile crossed Viktor’s face and while I had no idea where all this was leading, my gut told me it was going to be bad.
“You do not remember Ronin? I am afraid that would be a pity since he certainly remembers you. And I’m counting on his memory to make things interesting.”
I felt a hot flush creep up my neck and into my cheeks. I did remember Ronin. He was a bit hard to forget. Although his intensity had frightened me that night, it wasn’t until after I let him tie me up and do stuff that I began to feel that way. Not that I would tell this creep any of that.
“I remember meeting him at the party,” I started cautiously. “He and I got a little tipsy together. I think he felt sorry for me that I didn’t know anyone since the friend I had come to the party with bailed on me five minutes after we arrived.”
“That is all?”
I shrugged. I was not feeding any information into this pompous asshole that he didn’t already know.
“What difference does it make? I was there that night and still am a nobody. One person in a city of millions. What’s the big deal?”
“You are too naïve for your own good. You met a rich man named Ronin Kavanaugh who took an interest in you and then another rich man named Alexander Woodman who also took an interesting interest in you. Did you never consider googling either one of them or both?”
I had no idea what one thing had to do with the other. Then a thought struck me and I paused. Did this man know about the Glass Kat? Had he somehow mixed up Ronin for Jeremy?
“Obviously there is something you want me to know. Something I’m missing, right? Why don’t you just tell me what it is so we can stop playing games? If you’re going to try to shame me for having sex with more than one man at a time, you’re wasting your time. Everything I’ve done was consensual among all parties. And the last time I checked, sex for fun isn’t illegal in America.”
Mr. Sokolov was laughing now, his body shaking from it. Despite my words, a fair share of shame and humiliation crept into my mind to torment me.
“I like you, Harper. You are more open-minded than most American women I meet. Most of them expect to be paid for the kinds of things you like to do.”
My mouth dropped open and I was too stunned to shut it. He had made me out as worse than a whore. I jumped out of the chair and started to turn away when a hard grip captured my wrist and pinned it to the table.
“I have not invited you to leave my table, Mrs. Bennett. I’d advise you to retake your seat and try to be more gracious that you are here on beautiful yacht and not in some stinky jail cell with real whores.”
I tried to jerk my arm free, but Viktor Sokolov was more than just a pretty foreign face. He was also very strong and I couldn’t budge his grip. With the renewed realization of my predicament and the stab of fear that brought on, I sank back into my chair.
“What do you want?” I asked. “Am I supposed to sit here quietly while you insult me? Is that what this is for? Or do you have a point?” I knew I shouldn’t taunt him, but I couldn’t help it. I might actually prefer death than to sit here and do nothing.
“I want you to use your brain. According to your test scores you have good one. But I see no other evidence of that. You let smart mouth and big dick rule your world. In my experience it is not a good combination for a good woman. Not that I have any objection to a woman who enjoys what she enjoys.”
I sat there feeling thoroughly confused and offended. One minute he was taunting me with clues for a game and the next he was inferring that I was a good woman. Did he have a sanity issue? Because I was beginning to wonder.
“Why do you have so much information on me? I don’t understand your interest.”
Viktor laughed and the sound scraped down my spine with annoyance. Maybe if he wasn’t a creepy, kidnapper everything he said and did wouldn’t bother me so much.
“Would you care for breakfast?” he asked, waving his hand to someone behind me.
Before I could answer, a waiter appeared at my side with a pitcher of orange juice. I wanted to say no, but after throwing up earlier and my stomach still feeling a little unsettled I decided turning it all away now might not be the smartest idea.
“Yes, please.” I lifted my glass to the waiter, who filled it three-quarters full.
“What about food, ma’am? We have a buffet here in the room, but the chef in the kitchen is also equipped and ready to make anything you desire.”
As much as I kind of wanted to test that out, I chose my weak stomach over my need to rebel. “Just some toast and plain scrambled eggs please.”
The waiter nodded and disappeared.
I turned my attention back to Viktor to find him studying me. “What?”
“I am looking for what has two men tied up in knots and that will cause a big fight soon.”
I scrunched up my face. “I still have no idea what you are talking about. Is this some sort of language barrier thing? Your English is quite good, but maybe some words are mixed up?”
His grin returned. “You are beautiful,” he said, ignoring my questions again. “And obviously smart in all things except men.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” I groaned.
“Do you hide your name and your past because you fear jail, Harper?”
I nearly spit out my juice at his latest insane question.
“Are you going to tell me how you know so much about me?”
He shrugged. “Investigation. When I saw you on boat at my party, I remembered you from birthday party with Ronin. It made me curious. So investigation. Now I know you are weakness and that makes me want to play the game.”
“What game? There is no game.”
“Of course there is, Harper, you just did not know it. Now I get to control it.”
As my scrambled eggs and toast were delivered to the table, I tried to wrap my head around how I was involved in some sort of game that apparently had something to do with Alex, Ronin, me and now Viktor.
“What kind of game?” I asked, forking a small sample of eggs into my mouth as I waited for his answer.
“High stakes, of course. The best kind.”
“And is it dangerous?”
“Life is always dangerous, Harper Allison. You should know that by now. You were married to a man who reveled in danger apparently. I would have liked to draw him in as well. But with Ronin and Alexander involved, the violence will be quite high. And now that you are here with me… I will just say that I expect some level of bloodshed to occur.”
The casual way Viktor spoke of violence and blood left me unsure what to think or how to react. Would he really be this nonchalant if he expected something horrible to happen? Although there were men with big guns onboard, so he was prepared for something.
“Does this game have a name?” I took another bite of my breakfast because oh my God Viktor’s chef was an egg miracle worker. These were amazing.
“Of course it does. It is a classic that goes all the way back to ancient times. Good versus evil. Evil versus evil and so on.”
“And?” Viktor’s unmistakable flair for the dramatic was making me nervous.
A wide grin spread across his face. “Harper dear, we are playing Brother versus Brother. Isn’t that obvious?”
Chapter 6
Harper
My fork froze in mid-air as the words Viktor uttered seeped into my mind.
Brother vs. Brother?!
What the ever living hell was he talking about?
Something inside me broke and my utensil clattered against the plate. My food forgotten, I wrapped my arms around my waist and fought against old feelings of betrayal that never went completely away.
Bill Bennett had seduced me, because I had let him, and then I’d fallen in love. Not knowing that nothing he’d ever said to me was true. The man was an unbelieva
ble con artist and I’d fallen for every lie he ever told.
Anguish tore through me all over again, sending me back to that tiny apartment in a small town where I’d been humiliated. I was a pawn then and apparently, I was meant to be a pawn again.
“Are you saying that Alex and Ronin are—” I couldn’t say the word. Because I couldn’t comprehend what it meant or how I might fit into this game they all played.
“Da. Yes. Ronin Kavanaugh, the man who ate your pussy until you screamed his house down is brother to Alexander Woodman, your current lover whose collar you wear. Exciting, yes?”
My fingers reached for the necklace I wore at my neck. It wasn’t supposed to be a collar, but we both had known what it meant. Alex owned me and he wanted every Dominant I came across to know it. Including his brother.
“I still don’t understand. It’s just a coincidence that I met Ronin before Alex. I didn’t even know who they were, so how could I have planned it?”
“It wasn’t you who planned it, dear Harper. You are the unsuspecting pawn. But like any game in life, there can only be one king in the family and Alexander and Ronin will fight to the death to prove it. In any way that they can. It just so happens that pussy is the ultimate leverage, especially when it belongs to a woman both men crave.”
I shoved back from the table and tried to stand, but my legs tangled and I stumbled to the ground. Someone rushed to my side and offered me a hand that I pushed away.
I could feel the tears building behind my eyes and I was trying to fight them with everything I had. I had seen the pleasure in Viktor’s eyes as he tore my world apart. I wasn’t about to give him more by allowing him to see my tears.
“You are a bastard. Why are you doing this to me? If and I do mean IF any of this is true, why drag me all the way to the middle of the ocean at gunpoint and drugged to tell it to me? You could have just as easily ripped us apart in New York.”
“No. No. Not enough. High stakes game, remember? That means boys must race to find you as they both imagine all the vile things I could be doing to your beautiful body. You see, that is the thing. They think they know me, but they do not really. So they will imagine finding your broken, raped and likely tortured body aboard my ship. They will plot my death as well as each other’s because neither will be able to figure out which one I planned this with. They will blame each other and then they will blame you. Then what will you do? Who will you trust? Neither will believe a word you say and Ronin, well, he is violent man. He will kill everyone.”
