King of Hearts: An Arranged Marriage-Mafia Romance (Rake Forge University Series Book 2)

by Ashley Munoz

  I just needed to clear my fucking head and figure out how to convince her. December was days away, and Ivan had stopped calling…which made my gut churn. When I’d told him that Taylor had the baby and we needed time to recover, he had made a comment about how that had no bearing on this and I needed to man the fuck up.

  He was right, but only in terms of how I consistently chickened out around Taylor. I was worried she still felt the way she had that night she went into labor…like this was fake, and she just wanted a way out. If she was looking for a way out, that meant she didn’t want me in, and that nearly ripped my black heart out.

  Still…fuck.

  What did I have to lose just explaining this shit to her? I supposed more rejection, but maybe if I hadn’t dicked around about a sloppy marriage proposal, she would have taken me seriously. Now, Holden was going to come over and start playing daddy? Fuck him.

  I stared at the different flower options for nearly an hour, not knowing her favorite kind. All this time with her, and I didn’t fucking know what kind of flower she liked. It was then that I got the phone call that nearly made my blood go cold.

  “Yeah?” I snapped. It was nearly midnight—why was my cousin calling me?

  He let out a sigh, and fuck that made me panic. “Why did you text us to leave? I’ve been trying to call you.”

  I turned on my heel, grabbing a bouquet before I left. I dropped cash on the counter right as the clerk’s eyes went round and I pushed into the glass door to exit.

  “What the fuck do you mean?” I was almost to my car.

  “I got a text from you telling me to pull the men back…that you got word Ivan was hitting the restaurant.”

  Fuck.

  I started the car, tossing the flowers in the passenger seat. “Where is Taylor?”

  The silence on the other end was deafening.

  “Where the FUCK is she?” I gassed it, the tires squealing as I peeled away from the asphalt.

  “Primo…you said she was with you.”

  I slammed my hand into the steering wheel as rage and panic began to seep into me. “Get back to the house NOW!” I tossed the phone and pressed on the gas, praying I wasn’t too late.

  The house was empty. My men slowly began to filter back in, helping me search…but both the baby and Taylor were gone.

  My stomach was tilting so much I was on the verge of losing everything inside of it, but I wouldn’t let anyone see that. I just kept pushing forward, knowing we needed to check footage in the house to see what had happened. The study held several computer monitors that were connected to the security feed around the house. Currently there were feeds in the halls, near all the exits, and along the perimeter of the house. Pulling up the footage from earlier in the day, I began scrolling through times and sections of the house, then I suddenly stopped.

  There, by the front door, stood Taylor, looking through the window while I was out there talking to Angela.

  Dammit.

  She saw Angela kiss me, and what was worse, she saw that I didn’t push her away right away. Shit, she thought I wanted Angela? What a joke. I nearly laughed as a frustration so low in my gut nearly made me cry. She had left; I knew she had. I confirmed it as I scrolled through the feed. She hadn’t left right away; she had waited for me for over two hours before finally giving up and leaving with Alex.

  I couldn’t hold back the anger ripping through me at a forceful rate. It had taken so much work to get the progress we had made with one another, and this was…shit, this was going to set us back, maybe even drive her into Holden’s arms.

  I had to fix this immediately.

  Running upstairs, I made sure there was nothing I had missed, like her phone being left behind…and fuck, there it was on the dresser next to a note.

  Gently I picked it up and inspected, reading without really processing.

  Juan,

  You should know that I have loved you far longer than you probably know. I kissed you back in March because I wanted to know what it was like, at least once before we graduated. Then you kissed me back and acted like I was the air you needed in order to breathe, and it scared me because I could never endanger your life…so I lied to you.

  I was never expecting Holden. It was always you.

  It’s been you forever. It destroyed me when I saw you with Angela at the wedding. I thought…see, it doesn’t even matter what I thought, because there was never a future with us.

  This was always going to end like this, because I already made a deal for my future, and the only thing that could possibly bring me peace is knowing that you go live yours.

  Sign on with Chicago. Give Angela a real shot. Live your life free of this place, of the dark thing your father left you…I know you hate it. So, cut ties, baby, and be free.

  I love you.

  I’ll always love you, Juan.

  Think of me from time to time, because I’ll always be thinking of you. I’ll always be yours, in that place neither of us can touch but will always feel. We’ll always be together there, in that place where the sun breaks through the dark and shines when it shouldn’t. I’ll be there loving you still.

  Taylor

  Fuck. That. Shit.

  I crumpled the note in my fist, shaking my head, refusing to get emotional. Rage shuddered and quaked inside me like the way the earth shuddered before an impending war.

  I knew of one person who could tell me where she’d gone, and if I was fast enough, I’d grab her before she did something stupid, like agree to go back to her father’s.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Rain whipped against my windshield as I pulled into the gravel driveway. No one was expecting me, so there was a small chance I had missed my opportunity to see Kyle entirely, but even if no one was here, I’d just sneak into Mal’s old fifth wheel that she and Decker had stayed in when they lived here.

  The side garage looked like it was open with the lights on, a sleek black car was parked inside with the hood open, and Decker’s kid brother hovered over the engine.

  Bingo.

  I flicked my lights off, and right as I was about to pull in front of the garage, and my foot was about to transition to the gas, I saw a girl appear on the other side of the hood. She smiled at Kyle, tossing a dirty rag at his face, which he caught…gosh the smile he gave her was so sweet. I wondered if she was his girlfriend.

  I smiled, only for a second, before I realized that girl looked around the same age as Kyle, which meant she was likely seventeen or so…which meant Kyle was endangering her by working for my father. I wondered if she knew about that…or wondered where that expensive car came from. She seemed more like Mallory with her flannel shirt and ripped jeans. Her long dark hair was like a glossy sheet of perfection that surely belonged in a Pantene Pro-V commercial.

  The girl’s smile faltered when her eyes flicked in my direction and saw my car just awkwardly sitting in the driveway. Kyle’s head peeked out a second later, his brows caving in confusion.

  Shit.

  I put the car in drive and pulled up closer so it didn’t seem like I was spying on them…at least not any more than I already was.

  “Taylor?” Kyle opened my car door for me, holding it while I got out.

  The girl in the garage folded her arms in front of her, not defensively…more like she was afraid of me and those arms were supposed to protect her. Did she know who I was? It only worsened when her eyes went big and round when I grabbed my baby from the back.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Grabbing Alex’s bag and my own, I shut the back door and walked toward the garage so I was out of the rain.

  “I need to talk to you.” I let the carrier hang in front of me while my gaze bounced between Kyle’s furrowed brows and the girl’s fearful composure.

  With a heavy sigh, Kyle ran an oil-stained hand through his hair. “Yeah, okay…head inside, I’ll be there in a second.”

  I nodded, giving the girl a small smile before walking away. Before I
got to the door, I heard the girl mutter.

  “That’s his daughter…my dad showed me a photo once. She’s dangerous, Kyle…why is she here? What’s going on?”

  So, she did know who I was.

  Kyle let out another sigh.

  “Rylie, just…chill, please. I’ll call you later.”

  Oof. Wrong thing to say to a girl who he looked at like he might love. Not my problem though.

  I walked into the small, attached entry and slipped off my shoes before settling into a chair in the living room, where I waited for the only boy who had a one-way ticket through the back door into the underworld.

  Kyle sat across from me on a couch that had a flower pattern similar to something found in the seventies. He kept glancing at me then looking up, like he was uncomfortable. I could tell by the way his knee bounced in place and how he kept checking his phone.

  “It’s just breastfeeding…it’s normal, Kyle,” I said, looking down toward my daughter, who was feeding like a champ. She’d had a difficult time latching the first two weeks, so the fact that she was going to town made me ecstatic.

  “I know, it’s just…” Kyle let out a sigh, keeping his eyes on the ceiling.

  “She’s almost done, anyway.” I rolled my eyes at his dramatics. Closing my nursing bra, I lowered my shirt and set Alex up on my shoulder to burp her. “Okay, it’s safe.”

  Kyle let out a dramatic sigh and lowered his eyes. “Finally. No offense, but that was awkward as hell.”

  I laughed. “Maybe for you. I created a fucking human—you’re going to try to tell me it’s weird when I feed her?” I raised an eyebrow. “Besides, most of my breast was covered by her blanket. You’re being really dramatic. Have you ever even seen a boob before?”

  Kyle’s face flushed a violent red. Oh my god. Was he a virgin?

  “Just tell me why you’re here.”

  I bit my lip so as not to laugh at how his voice cracked. He was still just a kid. I hated that he was working for my father and mixed up in grown-up shit he had no business being near. Yet, to get what I needed, I was willing to drag him into it.

  “I need a meeting with Markos.”

  Kyle tossed his head back, laughing.

  I frowned in response. “You don’t have to be an ass.”

  “Sorry, it’s just…the shit you’ve put me through—do you have any idea what sort of shitstorm has gone on behind the scenes? Ivan is pissed. He wants nothing to do with Markos, Juan, or any other fucking guy. He’s got a price on your head.”

  My heart stalled in my chest.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, he wants to fucking list you on the black market, the sick fuck. Your only hope is to hide behind El Peligro.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not an option.”

  The boy across from me leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “Taylor, you’re fucked. If El Peligro isn’t a choice, then…” He shook his head back and forth.

  A few tears threatened to fall as I held Alex tighter against my chest. Maybe I could just leave. Maybe if I started over, he’d never find me…but what would he do with Juan?

  “Markos will want the meeting, trust me…please just try,” I pleaded.

  I had no idea what sort of man Markos was now, but I was banking on the fact that his pride had been bruised by me exiting the marriage contract. He’d want me back if just to brag. That would place me under Mariano family protection, which was about as good as being behind El Peligro.

  “I’ll see what I can do.” Kyle stood, grabbing his cell from his pocket, already pulling it to his ear.

  I wondered what the day would bring while I watched the darkness wrap around the house. I was still in the living room, pacing with Alex cradled in my arms while I waited for Kyle to come back down. He’d mentioned in passing that his mom was on a shift at the hospital so I could make myself at home, but that was impossible. I felt like I was waiting for the Grim Reaper to come and claim me.

  Kyle finally came down the stairs, looking exhausted even though it had only been about thirty minutes since I had arrived. He didn’t look defeated though, so that was something.

  “Good news and bad news.”

  I walked closer, lowering Alex into her carrier so I was more prepared for what he was about to say.

  “Markos agreed. He has an address for you to drive to.”

  “Okay, that’s good…” It wasn’t. It was about the same as being sold, but at least I knew who I was going to with Markos…and at least it would still piss my father off. “Bad news?” I asked, buckling the straps in the carrier.

  “Decker called me, and Rylie called him…” His hand came up to his hair again, tunneling through it. “He’s on his way here. I don’t know if Mal will be with him or not, but he’s not happy.”

  Well shit, I had better get going then, and fast.

  “Send me the address for where I’m supposed to go. Here’s my new number.” I handed him the note I’d already prepared. I had a burner phone I’d bought on one of my trips to see Fatima.

  Padding back toward my bag, I shoved it up on my shoulder. If I didn’t beat Decker, he’d never let me leave, and depending on when Juan found the letter…I had no idea if he’d come after me, but part of me hoped he wouldn’t. I meant what I’d written in that letter. I wanted him to have a happy life. I wanted him to have everything.

  “Kyle…thank you. By the way…” I turned with my hand on the doorknob. “The second you get a chance to kill my father, you should take it. It’s the only kill you’ll ever make that won’t make you feel like a monster.”

  With that, I opened the door and headed toward my ending. Whether I lived or died…a life without Juan was no life at all.

  Chapter Thirty

  Gravel sprayed behind my car as I pulled on the e-brake, blocking in Kyle’s borrowed shit from Ivan. Decker’s truck was here, which was good…maybe he’d help me hide his little brother’s body. Maybe not—didn’t matter. The way I was feeling, I was half tempted to murder them both, just for the sake of simplicity.

  I flexed my fingers as I slipped on a pair of brass knuckles and walked toward the front door, knocking politely. I had no idea if their mom was home, but fuck, at this point she wouldn’t stop me…no one would.

  Kyle opened the door casually, saw me, and tried to slam it shut, but my hand was faster. I grabbed the door and pushed it open, causing Kyle to fall. He quickly got on all fours, trying to get back to his feet while crawling to put distance between us.

  “Fuck. Juan, calm the fuck down—you don’t understand!” he screeched, still pawing at the carpet to get purchase. I walked up behind him and kicked him behind the foot, forcing him down again. A few lamps were on, but he nearly knocked one of them over when he tripped. Maybe I could use one and beat him over the head with it.

  I bent down, grabbing him by the shirt and halting his progress. He twisted his face toward me, which was the wrong thing to do.

  I didn’t even hesitate. I drew my arm back, and my fist flew into his jaw.

  I let him go a second later as he groaned, holding his face. I hadn’t broken anything, but it was pretty fucking close. Hopefully I had his attention.

  “Brass fucking knuckles…shit.” Kyle spat blood out on the carpet.

  “Stop it—why are you doing this?” a female screamed, running into the room, her long dark hair swinging around Kyle like a shield. She had pale blue eyes that shone with tears as she looked up at me and held her palm against Kyle’s chest.

  Decker casually wandered into the living room, his hands shoved into his pockets while he watched his little brother. His face was expressionless, like this situation didn’t faze him in the least. His eyes flicked once to the girl, and their gazes seemed to lock for long enough for something to pass between them. The girl suddenly looked down at the person lying under her, and it was as though pain had suddenly been etched into every surface of her skin.

  “You going to do anything?” K
yle yelled, aiming the question at his older brother.

  Decker finally broke his stare with the girl and looked his brother in the eye. “The way I see it, little brother, you’re headed toward an early grave. Not sure how to get your attention, so maybe Juan here can knock a little sense into you.”

  The girl hung her head in defeat, removing her hand from his shirt. “You didn’t stop, did you?” Her whisper might as well have been a trumpet for how loud it felt between us. She was disappointed in Kyle, and the way his face twisted in remorse told me he cared what she thought of him.

  “Rylie, it’s not what you think,” he muttered while trying to get to his feet.

  I moved forward and pressed my boot into his chest to stop him.

  “Are you working again? It’s a yes-or-no question, Kyle,” she yelled, tears glimmering in her wounded expression. There was obviously some story here, but I didn’t currently give enough fucks to figure it out.

  The girl scrambled away from Kyle, getting to her feet and running from the room, and that was when I took advantage and punched him in the stomach.

  Kyle rolled over, groaning.

  I spoke carefully, trying to control my tone. “Where. The. Fuck. Are. They?”

  “Fuck this…it isn’t worth it. She…” He swallowed thickly, trying to catch his breath. I moved to hit him again and he put his hands up. “Okay, okay. Just…Jesus.”

  “Start talking,” I commanded with my fist ready to slam into his nose.

  “She came here, asking for a meeting with Markos.”

  I didn’t want to believe that. She wouldn’t…but…fuck. She would.

  “Did he accept it?” I stood over him, removing the brass knuckles, feeling my anger dissipate for a brief second. Now that I knew where they were, it felt a little easier to breathe. Not that I liked where she was, but not knowing was half the fear.