Black Swan

by London Miller

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Kingmaker. I’ve finally stopped playing. You see, I never understood why there was ever an order in place that you were not to be harmed. You’re a nuisance and a constant source of annoyance, and I would have had you put in the ground long before now had she allowed it.”

  What the hell was he talking about, and who the hell was she?

  “It’s been a long while for me, but by God, I think I’m finally enjoying myself.” Tapping his watch, he flickered his gaze to Kit. “Not a minute before. Not a minute after. You may need to get a move on, lest you lose your window.”

  They didn’t have a choice.

  They had to let him leave.

  And even as Kit grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the car, Uilleam was already imagining the man’s death in his mind.

  “It’s been a while, no?” Uilleam said with a frown as they walked. “Since we worked together like this, I mean.”

  Kit shook his head. “That’s because you actually enjoy making an enemy out of me.”

  That wasn’t quite true, but Uilleam didn’t correct him. “That’s a bit of a stretch, brother.” He pushed off the wall, venturing over to the bookcase where a snow globe rested.

  Overall, William Tremaine’s home proved … boring.

  So far, they had found nothing of interest inside it, nor had they found a reason Elias wanted him dead.

  “I merely like to twist the coils and watch people dance,” he finished, moving past the shelf.

  “Whatever you say.”

  “My mercenaries—”

  “I’ve never had need of your mercs before, so I fail to see why I would need them now.”

  “We’re in an uncertain environment. While I’m sure you have a mean swing, it’s like that William has enough security that even if you were able to cut them all down, he’d still have an opportunity to escape.

  “True,” Kit agreed, “but that’s why I have them.”

  Ah, the Wild Bunch.

  Appearing just as murderous as the man who trained them.

  They stood in a group on one side of the room, deathly still with masks covering their faces. It was actually quite alarming that they could remain so still.

  It wasn’t natural.

  “I have everything you asked for,” said a voice from the comm in their ears.

  Winter.

  “Then tell us why Elias needs the politician dead.”

  “To be honest, there’s a lot I still don’t understand, but—”

  “Then tell us what you do know,” Kit snapped.

  “If you would stop acting like an insufferable toe for like a second and let me finish speaking, I’ll get to that.”

  Uilleam hid his laugh behind a cough, mindful of the way Kit glared in his direction.

  “I’m starting to see why you’re in the doghouse with her.”

  “Winter,” but Uilleam couldn’t sound chiding if he tried. “Tell us what you found.”

  Winter rambled off details, sparing nothing. By the time she finished, Uilleam made a mental note to himself to look into the man further because something didn’t seem quite right.

  The sound a key turning in the lock sparked them all into gear.

  William Tremaine never saw them coming.

  And with two guns trained at his head the moment the door opened, there was nothing he could do to escape.

  “Good evening, Mr. Tremaine. I hope we’re not interrupting,” Uilleam said casually, even as Kit looked as if he was mere seconds from killing the man.

  “I-I’ve never crossed you,” the man sputtered out, his eyes wide as saucers. “I wouldn’t.”

  Uilleam smiled. “My reputation precedes me. I’m glad we won’t have to waste our time on pesky introductions. Now, you have approximately”—Uilleam made a show of looking at his watch—“seven minutes to tell me exactly what I want to know. If you do, I won’t kill you. If you don’t, I will show you what happens if you displease me. Shall we begin?”

  Tremaine nodded jerkily.

  “Tell me everything you know about Grayson Memorial and Elias Harrington.”

  The man visibly paled, his mouth falling open as he seemed at a loss for words, but when Uilleam tapped his finger against his wrist, the man got the message and spilled everything he knew.

  Which turned out not to be very much at all.

  “I’ve heard a rumor that Grayson has someone who runs numbers for him. No one knows who it is, but they think whoever it is holds his secrets.”

  Interesting.

  “A banker then?” Uilleam asked curiously. It made sense with what Winter had told them earlier. “A name, if you would.”

  “Roger Fitzpatrick.”

  “And Elias?”

  “Three months ago, Elias came to the bank with an offer, but I don’t know what it was. I just know Grayson wasn’t particularly thrilled about it, but he eventually agreed to the deal because Elias made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

  “And that offer was?” Kit interjected.

  “I only know that it involves Carmen Rivera.”

  Of course it did.

  Because that was what the fuck he needed right now.

  “Thank you,” Uilleam said, “for your cooperation.”

  “Then you’re not going to kill me?” Tremaine asked, hope flaring in his eyes.

  “I’m a man of my word,” Uilleam said with a nod. “I won’t kill you.”

  The man drew in a rattling breath, ready to thank him for his mercy.

  He didn’t realize Uilleam didn’t have any.

  “I can’t save you from him, however.”

  William Tremaine didn’t get a chance to even look up before Kit pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.

  Not even two minutes later, they had an address.

  “Go,” Uilleam told him, still staring down at the body. “I’ll take care of this.”

  If there was nothing else he was sure of, he was positive that Kit wouldn’t let Luna die this night.

  Much later, after the house had been scrubbed of their presence, and Uilleam had had Winter copy every piece of digital content the man had in his house, he sat alone in his hotel room drinking the night away.

  This wasn’t like before when he was trying to drown in his misery—he drank only to take the edge off.

  He was waiting for …

  His mobile chimed with a new message, and Kit’s name flashed on the screen.

  She’s safe.

  For the first time in hours, it felt as if he could take a proper breath without wondering if his heart continued to beat as fast as it did, would he drop from a heart attack.

  As always, his mind went back to Karina.

  That he had been too late to save her as Kit had saved Luna. A part of it felt unfair, but the other, non-cynical part of him was just glad that she was alive and well.

  No one deserved to know this misery.

  And worse, Elias had completely disappeared without a trace.

  No one could find him, not even Winter.

  And he regretted one thing above all else, it was that after everything that had happened, all the plots and schemes and near deaths, he wouldn’t be able to put a bullet in the man’s head.

  41

  Permission

  Karina rarely asked for permission these days. In most instances, she just took what she wanted without care of how anyone else felt on the matter.

  But today, she was willing to swallow her pride because what she wanted was worth far more.

  For more than a year, she’d waited for this moment—for Elias to fuck up to the point that his mistakes could no longer be ignored. The point when Katherine would finally stop protecting him.

  Katherine stood in the gallery, gesturing around to where she wanted furniture moved and paintings hung. Her new penthouse in Manhattan was certainly a work of art with its marble floors, gilded features, and impressive view of the city below. Very much like Ashworth Hall, it reminded he
r more of a place to tour rather than somewhere to live.

  Karina waited in the entryway until her mother turned to greet her, an appreciative smile adorning her face.

  “Well, don’t you look quite lovely,” she said, waving her hand for the workers to continue before walking over to her. “You’ve finally done something different with your hair.”

  It was much easier now to maintain her smile than it had been before. Not only because she had something she wanted on the line, but because she didn’t care.

  She had done something different, if cutting off a few inches could truly be considered groundbreaking. “Change is nice.”

  “Certainly. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? It’s rare either of my daughters willingly visit me.”

  Not for the first time, Karina wondered whether Katherine was successful in making Isla feel guilty or had she too been able to look past it.

  “I invited you to dinner last week, if you’d recall,” Karina said easily, though even then it had been for the same reason she was here now. Fortunately for her, Katherine had declined because of a business meeting.

  Katherine made a low humming sound beneath her breath. “We can always reschedule that.”

  Karina’s smile remained firmly in place. “Absolutely.”

  “What can I do for you, darling? I’m sure you’re here for a reason.”

  “I imagine you’ve heard what’s happened.”

  It would be more of a surprise if she hadn’t.

  Though Uilleam had covered it up relatively quickly, there had still been a story or two about gunshots heard, though the public wasn’t any the wiser.

  “Yes,” she said dryly. “Elias did make a rather big mess of things, hasn’t he?”

  “The objective wasn’t to draw attention to the family and what we’re doing,” Karina said, though her mother didn’t really need the reminder. “He’s now made us an enemy of Kit.”

  It was one thing to go up against one of the Runeharts, but when the two paired up, it never boded well for whoever they were targeting.

  “Elias would share our secrets the first chance he got,” Karina added, knowing the man wasn’t built for torture.

  And oh, would they torture the living hell out of him for what he had done to Luna. Not to mention the fact that he had murdered Kit’s assistant.

  Katherine frowned, as if this were all an annoyance. “He’s become a liability.”

  “He has,” Karina agreed, feeling her heart skip a beat.

  She was close.

  So very close.

  “Then tell me what you’ve come here for.”

  “Permission.”

  “Oh?”

  “If we take care of the problem now, there won’t be any secrets to tell.”

  Because he would be too dead to utter a word.

  “Then you came seeking permission …”

  Karina shrugged, watching the movers finish hanging a quarter of a million dollar painting. “It seemed most appropriate.”

  “Then by all means,” Katherine said with a flippant wave of her hand, not caring that this was about a man’s life. “Take care of it.”

  That was the only thing she wanted to hear.

  Two days later …

  The sun was bright on her face as she stepped out of the Bentley in the alley behind the coffee shop in Upper Manhattan.

  “I’ve only ever ordered from a Starbucks,” Karina said, noting the way Luna stiffened as she realized she was no longer alone. “You never know the company you might find in these smaller establishments.”

  Actually, it made what she’d come to do much easier now that she didn’t have to weave her way through the scores of people who were usually packed into the coffee shop.

  Now, it was just the two of them.

  Luna had changed since the last time they’d seen each other nearly two years ago. That innocent air no longer seemed to surround her.

  Not that that had surprised her much. She’d known, even then, what Luna was capable of. And though she hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself, Karina could also see what Uilleam saw in her—why he’d wanted to make her into a mercenary.

  She was formidable, and if there was one thing to be said about her, she didn’t stay down for long.

  Luna’s eyes narrowed as she watched her cross the floor. “Have you come to finish what your lackey started?”

  A fair enough reason to be upset. “I’ve come to offer an apology,” Karina answered, folding her hands in front of her. “While he did work for me”—she truly didn’t know the half of it—“I thought I’d made it clear that you were not to be harmed. You know, it’s quite hard to find good help these days.”

  She scoffed. “I didn’t think I was that special.”

  “Come now, you have to know that isn’t true. I’ve not seen the Runehart brothers work in tandem for anything, yet they did so for you.”

  The man behind the counter set two to-go coffees on the counter, much to Luna’s surprise. She didn’t mention it had taken careful surveillance of her to learn that this was the place she preferred and the time which she usually frequented it. So by the time Luna had arrived, Karina had already put an order in herself.

  “Besides,” Karina went on as she picked up her drink. “I would hate if something were to happen to you through no fault of your own.”

  “Because my mother used me as a pawn ...” Luna said, trailing off.

  Karina remembered the conversation well. “No one should play God, but that’s not why I’m here. I thought we could go for a little drive.”

  Because she deserved to be audience to what would happen today.

  Luna picked up her own cup, her brows drawing together as she contemplated whether she would stay. “Why would I go anywhere with you?”

  “Because if you thought I truly meant you harm, I’m sure you would have used one of those daggers you’ve become notorious for. Yet here we stand,” Karina said with a gesture around them. “Besides, a part of you, no matter how small that part may be, trusts me.”

  Ever since that day they’d sat in her office, Luna had more than one opportunity to look for her—to use what she had learned to bring her back to Uilleam.

  And if she hadn’t then, she wouldn’t now.

  Her curiosity wouldn’t let her.

  Karina turned on her heel, heading for the back door, mindful that the guard Kit had for Luna was lingering out front. “Let’s go out back, shall we? I’d rather not make a mess should your guard attempt to stop us.”

  “Where are we going?” Luna asked once they were settled in the back of the Bentley.

  “We’re visiting an old friend of mine in the country. She has a place more suitable for what I have in mind,” Karina said, thinking of the woman she’d crossed paths with almost six months ago.

  That was the thing about her line of work—it never took long before she found someone in need of her services, even as tragic as that was. And though she rarely asked for payment in return—especially in this one’s case—most often offered her anything she wanted.

  This time, she’d needed the woman’s farm.

  Luna fell silent—whether to pay attention to the direction they were going or because she simply didn’t know what to say—and only the slight hum of the engine filled the space.

  But it wasn’t long before the woman spoke. “What’s your vendetta against Kit?”

  “I have no quarrel with your husband, I assure you.” It might have seemed that way in the beginning, but her problem began and ended with the other Runehart brother.

  “The Kingmaker, then?” Luna asked after a moment.

  From the expression on her face, it was clear this was the angle she’d suspected from the start. “If I did, you would be the last person I’d tell, considering your alliances. An admirable trait, really, your loyalty to Uilleam. He does have so very few that are.”

  The way she saw it, most would attempt to double-cross him the first chance they go
t if they thought there wouldn’t be any consequences.

  “You were close to him then, right?”

  “What ever would make you think so?”

  Luna looked sure. “You used his name.”

  Ah, that was right.

  Uilleam rarely went by his name anymore. Ever since he’d been given that title, it was the only way he liked to be addressed. For that reason, most thought his name was a well-guarded secret.

  “Though he’s loathed to admit it, there are many that already know his name, but out of fear of him, they won’t use it. I, on the other hand, am not afraid of him.”

  Luna seemed to take that in. “Explain something to me. Considering what you know about him—and I’m guessing that’s a lot, considering we’re here—why did you think telling me about what he’d done would hurt him?”

  “You misunderstand,” Karina said gently. “I didn’t offer you the truth to hurt him. I offered you the truth because I know what it’s like to have your life manipulated by him. I learned later … and paid a dire price.”

  One that she wouldn’t wish on anyone.

  “What did he do to you?” Luna asked softly, sounding far too sympathetic.

  This life might have hardened her as it had Karina, but she still felt things, and that was an admirable trait to have.

  Karina wasn’t so sure if she felt anything at all anymore.

  “Oh, there’s no need for me to delve into ancient history,” Karina said with a slight wave of her hand. “Just know that those I deemed responsible will be held accountable.”

  Which was why Grimm was being held at a black site and Uilleam was within her sight.

  There was still work to be done.

  Shifting ever so slightly, Karina turned to face Luna. “You were just an innocent girl when you were taken. Back then, there were fewer checks and balances in this world of ours. Uilleam, if you can imagine, was far more arrogant than he is now, but time does that to you.”

  And her death, she didn’t mention.

  Her death had changed him in ways she hadn’t thought possible, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t moving forward.