Mortal Siege

by N. Isabelle Blanco

  There’s only two of them left, but they will suffer the sins of every degenerate human alive if Lexi and I have a say.

  Which we do.

  “The police are no doubt watching us now, Drew. Even if it’s just out of curiosity. We’re going to have to be smart how we infiltrate Kaylee’s building and workplace.”

  I see Mateo, twenty-feet away over by one of the large trees, turning his back on us as he takes a call. Already the stress of the situation is threatening to get to me, my first that being that that’s someone from his team, perhaps my mother or my uncle’s main guards, and that Menahan has gotten to them.

  Another reason he needs to die.

  “I know, baby—”

  Lexi doesn’t let me finish. “I signed up for the cross-fit class in the gym on the ground floor of her dad’s company. Also got a guest pass.”

  If it weren’t for Mrs. Rhines’ cries for her daughter, begging a God I’m not sure is even there to hear her, I’d smile at my girl’s brass. “Guess we’re doing CrossFit, then.”

  “I already downloaded the building’s blueprints. There’s a perfect ventilation system within both locker rooms that leads to the rest of the building.”

  “I love you, Lexi. You know that?”

  Sad, gray puppy dog eyes focus on mine. “I know. You never stop telling me. And I love you, too. Every time I imagine him getting to you . . .”

  “He’s not going to, baby. You have me by your side now, remember? And he might succeed in fucking up our press conference, but thanks to that the goggles are getting even more publicity.”

  Mateo begins walking towards us and I tug on her head to get her to face him with me.

  Lexi lets loose a wry, mirthless chuckle. “Knowing him, he’s drinking himself into sheer stupidity in his impotent rage.”

  “Let’s hope he keeps doing that.”

  Mateo stops in front of us, nodding respectfully. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I just got word that a package was intercepted on its way to Drevlow Systems.”

  Another surprise attack attempt?

  Lexi seems to think so going by the way she tenses.

  “Any idea what’s in it?”

  Mateo removes his sunglasses, dark eyes meeting mine. “We never had a chance to check it. As our team approached the delivery man, the package blew up, killing the poor guy. Thankfully, he was the only one injured.”

  “Drew . . .” Lexi growls under her breath, vibrating with suppressed wrath.

  “Come on, baby. Let’s pay our respects to the family and head out. We have an infiltration to finish planning.”

  And, unbeknownst to her, I have a small side project to check up on.

  Namely, the very public humiliation of Shereen Bailey.

  AKA my ex-lover that Stephen would think would be cute to flaunt in front of Lexi.

  My girl hesitates. “I don’t know how to face them, Drew. Not knowing what I know.”

  “Baby, they don’t know and we’re going to avenge their daughter. You know that.”

  Nodding, she tightens her hold on me and together we head towards the grieving crowd, our purpose following us the entire way.

  If everything goes according to plan, Stephen Menahan only has two weeks in power left.

  I don’t voice this to Lexi, but I know the thought it with us both.

  There’s just no telling how many people he’s going to end in that time, yet for each one I swear I’ll make him pay.

  Even if it means reneging on my deal with Shell and killing him after all, consequences be damned.

  chapter 47

  w hat I suspected would happen has happened. It’s true.

  Some losses follow us to the grave and beyond.

  The hole remains, gnawing at me.

  Reminding me I’m without her in the abyss.

  There’s no peace. No blissful silencing of the loss. I’ll be in this eternal darkness

  without her, conscious in the afterlife of what was taken from . . .

  Beep.

  What the hell?

  Beep.

  Beep.

  I’m straining to locate the source of that sound.

  Suddenly, the heartbreak transforms into a remorseless inundation of anguish that floods

  my entire body—

  Fuck. My. Life.

  I’m still alive, aren’t I?

  The thought is more than I can handle, so despairing, that I hear my own voice

  breaking with a groan.

  “Drew? Oh my God, Drew!”

  Mom?

  If I can hear her, that means I’m definitely here. Alive without Lexi by

  my side.

  You would’ve lost her permanently anyway had you died.

  That burst of common-sense shocks me to the core and my eyes fly open with panic as I realize how fucking true that is.

  At first, I can’t see anything, only my ears functioning and every nerve-ending in my body wailing with unholy agony.

  “Drew. Drew. You’re awake,” Mom sobs from somewhere on my right.

  Another groan leaves me. What sounds like, “Lexi.”

  “Just wait, honey. Wait. I’m calling the doctor. Please stay with me. Please.”

  As if I have a choice. I tried to make the opposite one and clearly that didn’t work out for me.

  Fuck. Why can’t I move?

  At some point while my mother is gone in search of the doctor, the edges of my vision

  begin to return. Of course, I’m in a hospital room, I knew that before I was even fully awake. Yet there’s this huge, white mass covering me, and I can’t fucking move no matter what I do. Not only is it impossible, but each attempt sends extra waves of agony pulsing through me.

  Someone runs to my bedside, stopping next to me and leaning down.

  Mom. The rest of my vision returns in a rush, her face crystalizing in an instant.

  She’s pale, tears leaking from her brown eyes. I almost don’t recognize her—no makeup, hair loose, dressed in regular, everyday clothes. “Oh God, my baby. Thank you. Thank you.”

  “Mom?” I croak, trying to lift my neck.

  Nothing moves. This time, instead of feeling pain, there’s only a strange numbness that sets off alarms blaring in me.

  Chest racing, I stare down the length of my body—

  I’m in a body-cast.

  From head-to-fucking-toe, I’m in a fucking body cast!

  “Drew, calm down, honey. Please. Don’t strain. It’s a miracle they got you out of that

  car before it exploded.” Her hand lands on my cheek.

  Because the case is covering my entire neck and the upper portion of my forehead.

  I’ll never walk again. Even if I find Lexi, I’ll be useless to her.

  The doctor hasn’t come in to confirm it, maybe it’s too early for that, but the thought nearly emotionally paralyzes me as much as my body is.

  You idiot. You did this to yourself. How will you ever find her if you’re gone? How

  could you even think of leaving her unprotected? And look at your freaking mother! Look at how you’re killing her!

  I am.

  Her haggard expression is out of place on a face that once looked so young. It’s like she’s aged ten years since I last saw her the day she caught me in the bathroom and saw my track marks.

  The day I tried to end it.

  How long has it been?

  A group of people rush in behind my mother, one of them a man in a white lab coat. “Mr. Drevlow, welcome back.” He seems surprised I’m alive.

  Considering the condition of my body, he’s not the only one.

  “Can’t move,” I grit out.

  My mother and he share glances, setting off a cold sensation in the pit of my stomach. Not like this. Don’t want to live like this. How will I ever find her now?

  “Mr. Drevlow, my name is Dr. Aaberg. I’m your main physician. Do you understand everything I’m saying?” He stops by the bed, pulling a small light out of his poc
ket.

  Instead of answering his question, I ask one of my own. “Why can’t I move?” There’s that palpitating, diabolic torment in certain areas of my body, but most of it is numb.

  Frighteningly numb.

  “Mr. Drevlow, you’re in an all-body cast due to your injuries. We also had to do emergency surgery to repair the muscles and tendons in your left thigh, as well in your back to suture the ruptured tendons in your back. We won’t know the true extent of the damage until we get you out of the cast.”

  I’m barely hearing what he’s saying. Staring at my mother, I sense myself being sucked into the spiral. The parts of my that aren’t numb flare with those chills, my mind screaming with multiple voices, each hammering me with a different point.

  I’m tearing my mother apart.

  I can’t move.

  Lexi’s still gone.

  Fuck, I need a hit. I need one so bad my teeth start chattering.

  “He’s shaking, Dr. Aaberg? Why is he shaking?” my mother rushes to ask him.

  “We’ll need a dose of Methadone for him right away,” he tells a male nurse behind him without answering my mother. “His levels were extremely high when we ran the bloodwork once he was brought in. He’s only been out for a week. His body must be registering the withdrawal for the first time.”

  I bite down, my fingers—the only part of my body not in the case—flexing open and closed. Next to me, the heart monitor starts going crazy, my mom not too far behind.

  “What’s happening, doctor? Oh my God, his pulse is going crazy! Help him!”

  “Ma’am, step back. We’re going to. Please just remain calm. Andrew—may I call you that? Focus on me. Breathe.” He flicks on the light and flashes it into my eyes. “I’m giving you a sedative to help calm you until we can get the Methadone in you, okay? Once we get your symptoms under control, we can discuss what’s happening.”

  I wish I could tell him there’s no need. My current wake-up call is a mind warp of universal proportions. My mind, although under the weight of this heinous withdrawal, is still screaming.

  I’ll never find Lexi if I can’t work my way out of this.

  I almost killed myself because missing her was more than I could bare.

  The fact I’ve survived is proof—I’m meant to have my girl back and the only way I’m going to accomplish that is to fucking survive the hell I’ve unleashed upon my own damn self.

  chapter 48

  “s hereen Bailey was arrested on five counts of bank fraud and arraigned this morning. She was released on $250,000.00 bail and forced to surrender her passport. Three hours ago, she was found dead in her penthouse, a victim of apparent suicide. More to come shortly.”

  There’s a German term for the evil feeling in my chest, this dark glow that continues to spread: Schadenfreude. The act of deriving pleasure from someone else’s suffering. Does it make me wrong? Hell yes.

  But I never pretended to be a paragon of virtue. I’m the first to admit what a sick motherfucker I am.

  Running my thumb along my bottom lip, I pull up yet another live newsfeed mentioning my ex-lover.

  Although, honestly, I’m pretty sure I only fucked her twice.

  Wonder how many times Stephen had her and how he feels about me destroying another of his toys?

  The elevator dings and my heart skips with anticipation. Already know it’s Lexi. She text me five minutes ago.

  Lexi: Was this supposed to be a gift?

  I didn’t respond. The bottle of Taste of Diamonds champagne—roughly two-million per bottle if I’m not mistaken—chilling in the bucket on my desk is answer enough.

  Told her I’d bring down anyone that threatened to hurt her thanks to Menahan. My girl is just going to have to accept that this is my sick version of giving her gifts.

  If her reaction the night we killed Mr. Harris is a clue, I think deep down she’s into it.

  Lexi’s heels click in a mad rush and she appears with Mateo on her heels. I left the glass sliding door open in preparation of her arrival, so I have no problem hearing her when she sweetly requests of him, “Please wait here.”

  Mateo heads over to the sitting area near the reception desk without another word.

  Eyes narrowed, my girl rushes through, dressed in her black blazer, tight black knee-length skirt, and an indecent scrap of material serving as her shirt. It’s practically a band-aid across her breasts, leaving an inch of skin bared between her chest and midsection. Her curls bounce with each hurried step.

  I fuck her twice a day. Sometimes three. It doesn’t make any goddamn logical sense how she can make me this hard simply by appearing in front of me.

  “It was you, wasn’t it?” she asks as soon as the door slides closed behind her.

  “And if it was?” I retort softly, leaning back in my seat to eye her up and down slowly. She’s a fucking snack, a seriously delicious one, and I have no problem letting her see where my head’s at, even if she intends to chew me out for what I’ve done. “Don’t tell me you’re upset she’s gone.”

  Lexi places her hands on her hips. “I thought we were going to keep each other updated on any plans.”

  “I wanted to give you a gift, baby. Now come here so we can celebrate.” I lean forward to bring out the already opened bottle and pour us each a glass. “She took pleasure in hurting you that night at Menahan’s request.”

  “If you hadn’t fucked her, maybe that wouldn’t have happened.”

  “Lexi,” I chide in a low tone, because I understand her ire.

  She, however, clearly understands that fact that she ran from me, because she drops her hands and comes to me, accepting the glass. “Thank you. It just caught me by surprise.” When she leans in to kiss my cheek, I scoff and turn my head, taking that sweet mouth properly.

  Her dazed expression after that kiss turns the black glimmer of pleasure into nothing but bright satisfaction. Sitting down, I hold out my glass to her.

  Sitting on the edge of my desk, she crosses one leg and holds out her glass. Her small smirk tells me she knows damned well what she just did to my insides with that move. “The nanobots have been busy feeding us intel.”

  “All the intel we need, baby. I plan to start having it leaked slowly over the next few days. Kaylee believes she’s still on the Providence project and I offered her a deal to partner on the new building on 14th and River Drive.” It’s a brand-new skyscraper, right on the pier in front of Newport Green Park. A towering apartment complex and business center overlooking Pier 40 in Manhattan.

  A new symbol of my family’s power that my father began construction a few months before his death.

  I’ve decided to continue the project and use it to my advantage.

  Especially now, while the ownership is still hidden by one of my father’s offshore companies.

  An untraceable one. The world won’t know it’s a Drevlow building until I “buy” it under this company’s name a few months from now.

  “That little bitch still wants you, Drew.” Lexi’s anger isn’t directed at me and I understand every bit of it.

  After all, Stephen hurt her much worse and I know he’s determined to have her back.

  Determined to take my woman away again and for what? He could never even take care of her. Could never protect her. Instead he made her pay with tears, blood, and sheer agony for loving me even when she believed I was a villain in her life.

  “I know, baby.” I wheel my chair closer and wrap my hand around her smooth calf, caressing her. “And for a few seconds there, I’ll have to play into that a bit—wait. Here me out. I don’t plan on flirting with her or letting her touch me—”

  “I’ll fucking kill you and her.”

  A lesser man would be concerned about the vehemence behind that hiss.

  Me? My cock hasn’t gone down since she entered the room. I’m leaking pre-come again, like I do every fucking time, heart pounding with the heady anxiety of this arousal. “God, I fucking love when you get all possessive on m
e. But I swear, I’m just asking her to meet me at the building site once I’m done ruining her reputation. Offering her a last line to save herself with Daddy.”

  Lexi slides off the desk and comes to sit on my lap, arms wrapping around my neck. “And then?”

  “And then I’m going to finish her once and for all, baby. See? Kaylee has a few suicide attempts in her hidden medical records as well. And I know a thing or two about being pushed to the edge.”

  “I want to be there.”

  I kiss her stubborn, flexed jaw. “Hidden, then.”

  “Until the final moment.”

  She’s not budging on that one, her possessiveness and desire for revenge too strong. Chuckling, I run my lips along her neck. “Fine. Until the final moment, my crazy woman.”

  “Glad to know you know what’s good for you, my insane psycho.”

  “Damn straight. Yours.”

  And once Kaylee’s gone down, we can focus on Stephen next. The faster this is all over, the faster I can settle into living as normal of a life with Lexi as two damaged creatures like us can have.

  chapter 49

  “k aylee, what do you mean? What’s going on?” Faking concern has become a thing for me the last few weeks as Kaylee’s world has imploded.

  First, there was that little leaked scandal about her shady business dealings. Business dealings she took it upon herself to engage in without her father’s consent in the hopes of winning his approval.

  Life’s nothing if not an ironic bitch.

  And, okay, I’m lying. It’s not “little”. Kaylee authorized the theft of plans for a new surveillance interface from a smaller, up-and-coming start up. Unlike my father and Stephen’s—both men now dead, the world a much better place without them in it—her father has always been a stickler for morality.

  Imagine his disgust when he found out not only is his little girl a shady thief . . . but now there’s rumors of sex tapes involving incest.

  Yeah. You heard that right.

  Even I was taken aback upon viewing them.

  In the videos? Kaylee getting tag-teamed by two of her fucking cousins. Apparently, it’s been their thing for a while and they were stupid enough to record it for their viewing pleasure.