by Stone, Piper
“I’m glad I caught you,” Castillo said in a hushed voice.
“Just spill it. I’m in no mood for crap tonight. What did you find out?”
“Did you have a man employed by the name of Danton?”
“Yeah, what the fuck does he have to do with anything?” I demanded, nearing the door.
“And you killed him.”
I huffed, growing furious. “He was a traitor. Get. To. The. Point.”
“Seems he had a brother. That’s who’s been attempting to take you out, including that girl you’ve been spending time with.”
* * *
With no traffic on the roads, I’d arrived at the penthouse within ten minutes, finding the door ajar, Sylvie knocked out cold, and no sign of Valencia. While every soldier had been dispatched to start looking for her, I knew in my gut I’d be the only one to find the woman I loved.
The asshole responsible wouldn’t be easy to find, but I had one idea in mind where the fucker just might go.
I’d been such a fool, swallowed up in the concept of turf wars and the destruction of illegal drugs that I’d allowed into my life that I’d forgotten that the majority of true enemies were ones you considered your friend.
Or your family.
My grip on the steering wheel was tight, my mind reeling. I’d decided to do this one alone. When I drove onto the street, I almost laughed. The once up and coming location had been turned into little more than a ghetto, the small houses no longer cared for. I’d often wondered why he’d kept the place. Now I had my answer.
My father always told me that revenge could make or break a man, no matter their level of power or influence. That much I knew to be true.
I turned off the lights before pulling down the street. Morning was right around the corner, the soft glows of light over the horizon indicating another glorious day. It was, after all, a good day to die.
I’d taken a few minutes to change into black jeans and a matching polo, an ankle holster holding my Beretta, and a loaded Glock in my hand as I walked close to the house. Even though the ratty blinds were closed, I could tell there was a light on, and some type of noise from either a television or a music system of some kind.
I walked around the perimeter of the house, finally finding the back door unlocked. I wasn’t fool enough to believe he’d been careless. He was hoping and expecting that I’d figure it all out. I opened the door cautiously, the gun in both hands as I darted my head just inside. There was no one but I could tell the single light was coming from the front room.
I eased all the way inside, merely closing the back door without latching. While my footsteps were silent, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. The moment I walked through the doorway, the sight of her made my skin crawl. She was tied, gagged, and I could tell she’d been roughed up. My blood boiled.
Valencia...
She whimpered again, her eyes darting to the side.
“Baby, I’m going to get you out of here. Just hang on.” I held out my hand and hearing the single creak coming from another hallway, I shifted, pointing the gun in his direction.
“Hello, Winston, or should I call you by your real name, Carter Gregory, brother of Danton Gregory, a man who used to be in my employ.”
He laughed, moving out of the shadows. “I’m surprised you were smart enough to figure that out. You always thought you were so much better than me.”
“Tell me, why did you feel it necessary to change your name?”
Snorting, he moved closer, pointing the barrel of the gun at Valencia’s head. “Are you kidding me? Danton has worked for some member of a cartel or other shit organization his entire life. I couldn’t afford to take the chance of being associated with him. So, I took my middle name and my mother’s last name. Nothing so many others haven’t done.”
“I’m certain it was difficult for you when I hired him.”
“Wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t allowed him to be one of the guards at my damn wedding.” Winston shook his head. “I had a perfect life until my shit for brother came into my life again, threatening me and my career.”
“That’s why you allowed him to stay in your house.” I inched closer.
“Exactly. Keep your enemies close,” he huffed.
“And that’s why you set him up. He wasn’t working behind my back.”
This time, Winston grinned. “I knew enough about your operation. Hell, your damn father liked to brag about certain things early on, until you turned him against me.”
I took a deep breath, my skin crawling. “You wanted your brother out of your life. You knew what I’d do with any sign of betrayal.”
“Worked like a charm.”
“You got what you wanted, your fake identity back. Why attempt to kill a woman you didn’t even know?”
“That was a mistake. The idiots I hired figured both of you needed to be taken out. I knew it was only a matter of time before you figured out everything. I couldn’t take that chance.”
I smiled, realizing exactly what he’d planned. “The truth is that with me gone, Elena would have inherited my share of my portion of the trust my father established, making her a very wealthy woman. What were your plans, Winston, have her killed shortly after my death and after you took possession of her money?”
“Something like that. It’s still going to work. I really don’t want to hurt the girl, but I have no issue doing so at this point.”
“And you know I’ll kill you if you try.”
“I don’t think you want to lose her. By the time you pull that trigger, the bullet will have already entered her brain. Why don’t you put the gun down and we can talk about this?” Winston grinned as he glanced in my direction.
I gave my beloved Valencia a look, offering a slight smile and I did the only thing I could do.
Pop! Pop!
* * *
There was no funeral for my lying sack of shit brother-in-law, although his body was cremated to allow Selena to hold some kind of memory of her father. My niece had been told that he’d been called to God and nothing more.
While I’d anticipated anger from Elena, after hearing all that Winston had done, she’d barely even mentioned his name. I couldn’t lie that I was glad the asshole was out of her life and I felt absolutely no guilt. I’d also found his buddies who’d pulled the trigger in the parking garage, thanks to Castillo’s help. They’d been handled in an entirely different way, establishing life far removed from Miami. They had one chance to keep the fuck away from me.
As far as the alliance Santiago and John had mentioned, I’d been called to my parents’ house only two hours before they were to leave for the airport. The story should at least be interesting.
“Come sit by the pool, son. Beautiful day. I took the liberty of making you a drink.” My father looked the epitome of good health, his skin glowing in the afternoon sun.
I sat down, accepting the drink and staring at the water.
“I know you have a lot of questions,” my father finally said.
“I do. Let’s start with why you didn’t tell me everything.”
He sighed and took several sips of his drink before answering. “I knew how you’d feel about Santiago and the truth is I wasn’t entirely certain he could be trusted after all these years. We were kids when we made this alliance together.” He laughed and pulled out his sunglasses. “If our fathers would have found out we were working together, they would have disowned us. We thought it was a good idea and it helped on several occasions. Some good work we all did together.”
“The friends you mentioned,” I said absently.
He chuckled. “I had a feeling you’d remember. That was a very important time of my life and I enjoyed what we shared. Perhaps it was a weakness, but I did consider them friends. Or so I thought at the time.”
“Why did you disband?”
“We were all going in separate directions, some of us already taking the reins of the various organizations. Just didn’t seem right
at that point.”
“I don’t believe that’s the full truth. What happened to Marcus Wallace, President Wallace’s son all those years ago?”
His face fell, his hand shaking as he attempted to take another sip of his drink. “A tragedy.”
“The very regret you talked about,” I whispered.
“My very smart son. Yes, a regret I would give anything to go back and change.”
“What happened?”
“We were all basically friends at that point. Marcus knew who our fathers were and didn’t care, even though he was truly one of the good guys. The group of us often met in Cuba and he wanted to go along. I shouldn’t have allowed it but figured he could enjoy the country while the alliance met. We went out one night and had too much to drink. Curvy roads. Speed. I was... I was driving. He was the only one killed.”
“And so you kept the secret together for all these years.”
He glanced in my direction, nodding. “Yes. What else could we do?”
“Interesting. How far reaching is this alliance?”
My father leaned over. “You might be surprised, son.” When he laughed, he fell into a coughing spell.
“Be truthful with me, Father. How long do you have?”
“A few months. Maybe a year. I really do want to enjoy it with my lovely bride. You’re more than capable of handling every job, including keeping Santiago in line.”
“As long as he’s not double crossing us.”
“I don’t think you have to worry.” He nodded toward the set of French doors. “That’s why I invited him here today. I wanted to hear what he had to say about the person he found to be responsible for the shit that’s gone down.”
I tipped my head and watching Santiago and his men walk in, I had to admit, I bristled as I stood, helping my father to his feet.
“I can do this myself, son. I’m not dying yet,” my father chastised then walked toward Santiago.
As both men shook hands then hugged, I wondered what he would think about the Sons of Darkness. I chuckled at the thought. Like father, like son.
Santiago approached, waving off a drink. “I owe you gentlemen an explanation.” He pulled out what appeared to be a photograph from his pocket, handing it to me. “Does this man look familiar?”
“Rodriguez.”
“Yes,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “I did not lie with what I told you, but I didn’t tell you the entire truth. He was part of the Black Dog cartel that had moved in on the island. They have been a problem for some time. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing just how connected they were to various influencers in South America. Rodriguez had some information that he was using to blackmail all of us.”
“Marcus Wallace’s death,” I said.
Santiago smiled. “You have been talking with your father. I’m glad. And yes. I thought he could be handled. When he started seeing my daughter, I couldn’t allow that to happen.”
“So you killed him.”
“No, I did not. Rodriguez is behind this. The photo you have was doctored.” Santiago glanced at my father. “He is still out there, but I have a lead on where he is.”
“And that lead is?” my father asked.
“Philadelphia.”
I laughed under my breath. “I know how to take care of him. This time, you need to trust me.”
“That much I believe I can do,” Santiago said, giving my father a look of respect.
As I left my father’s office that day, there were two things left to do. I’d call Aleksei and allow him to handle the scumbag. That was easy. The second would tear me apart but had to be done.
I would free the little gilded bird I’d captured, the beautiful woman I’d fallen hard for. If you love something, let them go...
And I would never love again.
Chapter Sixteen
Valencia
Sadness.
I’d known such sadness all my life. I’d also known tragedy. To learn about Rodriguez and the fact he’d been using me had taken a piece of my soul. However, I was glad to know the truth. Learning that my father did love me and had tried to protect me had at least given me comfort, even though he was still a brutal monster.
Finding love with Miguel was unexpected and so beautiful, although knowing that both our fathers had decided we should be together years before was unconventional. Maybe they knew we were meant to be together.
As we strolled along the beach hand in hand, I knew there was so much on his mind. We’d both been very quiet over the past few days. While he’d said little, I’d learned that Rodriguez was still on the run, but I knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would be found.
Bastard.
I no longer wanted to look to the past. I was ready to share a future with the man I loved.
The roar of the ocean was calm in comparison to the rapid beating of my heart. There were so many things I wanted to say to him, dreams I hoped would come true, but I didn’t know where to begin.
When I heard the sound of his voice, I leaned against him, my pussy quivering as it always did when he spoke.
“I have something for you,” he said in his usual dominating tone, one I’d come to love.
“You do?”
“Yes.” He reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a folded envelope.
“Doesn’t look like diamonds or furs.” I laughed, more than curious what was inside.
“You know, I don’t see you as that kind of girl.”
He knew me too well. I hesitated before opening, unfolding what appeared to be a letter. After reading, I sucked in my breath. “What is this?”
“Your freedom.”
“But I don’t understand. Don’t you love me? Was this all a game?” I glanced at the letter again, every part of me shaking.
Dear Ms. Rivera:
We are pleased to inform you that you’ve been accepted as a soloist for the Miami Symphony Orchestra for a long-term contract. Please note that we will begin a world tour in one month...
I couldn’t read it again. He was sending me away. Tears sprang to my eyes. “I don’t...”
He took both hands into his, pulling them to his mouth and kissing every finger. “Listen to me. I love you, Valencia. I love everything about you from your laugh to the way your nose wrinkles when you talk. I adore your rebellious side and the love of music that you have. I was selfish in taking you from what you love. I’m not a good man. I’ve done some horrible things in my life but taking you away from your single joy isn’t going to be one of them.”
I could tell he was serious, a man who felt so much guilt. “What if I don’t want to go?”
“The decision is entirely yours, but I encourage you to follow your heart and your dream.”
I was stunned at his generosity and his love. I could see it in his eyes. He was so proud of me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him tightly against me. “I don’t know.”
“Just think about it. Promise me.”
“I will.” I tipped my head as he lowered his and in the next few minutes, the kiss that we shared was unlike any from before. I knew in my heart he was right, that this was my choice and I had to decide carefully what to do. When he captured my mouth, I melted against him. I loved him more than I could say.
This would be the most difficult decision of my life.
* * *
Four weeks later
Miguel had packed my things for me already. My cello was the only thing he’d left for me to carry to the car. I stood outside his office door, the sleepless night more difficult than I could imagine, but I’d made the right decision and I knew it.
I rapped on the open door before walking in. When Miguel turned to face me, I could swear the man had been crying.
“Is it all right if I come in?” I asked quietly.
“Of course. Are you all ready?”
“Not exactly.”
“What is missing?” he asked as he walked toward me.
I inched closer, more in contro
l of my emotions and my life than I’d been in years. “I wanted you to know how much I appreciate what you did for me. I don’t think I told you that.”
“It was the right thing to do. You’re going to be a star, my beautiful princess.”
I took his hand into mine, placing it over my heart. “Maybe, but in my way.”
Miguel narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”
“It means that I am going to be a soloist for the symphony, but I won’t be traveling with them.”
“I don’t understand.”
I could hear apprehension in his voice. “It means that I’m only going to perform when they’re in town and on occasional trips. I told the conductor that while I appreciate the offer, I had a life I wanted to live, one with the man I loved. He was able to make a compromise. He said I was worth it.”
“Valencia. Your dream.”
“Is coming true, thanks to you. I want to stay with you, right here. I mean, if you still want me.”
The apprehension quickly turned to joy, his face beaming as he picked me up into his arms. “Are you certain?”
“More than anything. You allowed this to be my choice and I’ve made it. You are my life. This beautiful place is my life.”
He took a step back. “Does that mean that you’re going to obey me?”
“With reservations,” I said, grinning.
“Hmmm... I think someone needs a reminder of who’s boss.”
“Well, I am a naughty girl.”
When he swept me into his arms, I realized I’d made the right decision. I was no longer the bird in a cage. I was a woman with burning desires, some darker than others and I could have everything I wanted.
As long as I obeyed.
The dark man.
The dangerous man.
The man with a heart.
And there was nothing else I wanted more.
He crushed his mouth over mine, sliding his tongue past my lips. As our tongues entwined, I shuddered from his touch alone, my pussy quivering and my nipples aching. Everything about this felt right and oh-so perfect.
