Kings of the Castle

by Naleighna Kai

  “You didn’t hear him earlier,” Vikkas replied, planting a kiss on her temple. “If he could’ve gotten out of that bed, he would’ve pushed me out the window if I hadn’t heeded his advice to seek you out.”

  Milan smiled. “I said it before and I’ll say it again—I always liked that man.”

  CHAPTER 31

  The impromptu date to make up for his disapperance earlier that morning didn’t quite start off the way Daron expected. Cameron had gifted him seven suits with Kevlar lining. He hadn’t even commented on the fact that the new suits also had the special pockets used to store his devices. The woman was nothing short of phenomenal and he didn’t want anything to come between them. If Katara’s public statement about the decoy keychain tracker killed the curiosity and caused the story to die, then his company would become a distant memory and all would be well.

  Cameron lightly bumped him with her hip, bringing his attention back to her. Daron smiled as they continued their walk away from The Hancock Center that housed The Signature room on the 95th floor, where they’d had dinner. His eyes roamed over Cameron’s short black dress that made her sculpted legs seem miles long in her stilettos.

  “Let’s stop in here for a quick second.” Daron tugged her toward the Cheesecake Factory.

  Cameron looked at him as if he lost his mind. “We just ate.”

  He pulled her into his arms, holding her close. “I have every plan to work off all we consumed and figured we’d need a couple of cheesecake slices or something to replenish our energy.” Daron planted a kiss on her cheek.

  “Good, ‘cause I made a visit to a specialty shop.” Cameron slid her hand over his ass and gave it a squeeze. “You’re in for a treat tonight. One of these days I’m going to upgrade you to handcuffs.”

  “When you agree to make this thing we have official, I’ll consider it.” Daron’s hand glided over her round hip. He was tempted to skip the treats run and head straight home.

  “You don’t trust me.” She pushed away from the embrace and gave him a playful scowl as they entered the crowded restaurant.

  He had to choose his words carefully or all the lightheartedness would exit with a swiftness. “Babe, can I cuff you?”

  “Hell no.” She chuckled, stepping into the line.

  “Why’s that?” He smiled, nibbling her neck. “You don’t trust me?”

  “I don’t want to have to become an escape artist when your phone rings and you disengage.” She gently shoved him in the shoulder.

  He frowned. Any time she was in his bed he had a hard time leaving. The morning Katara had called had been the exception. “I’ve never answered the phone in the midst of …”

  “But you have no problems a few seconds after.” She raised her eyebrows as if she was daring him to challenge that statement. “This isn’t about me. It’s about you.”

  “I’m dating a woman who’s very guarded.” Daron wrapped his arm around her waist. “And refuses to be an exclusive couple. Makes me wonder if we have issues that I should be concerned about.”

  “You think those issues would cause me to leave you cuffed to the bed?” Cameron threw him a narrowed gaze over her shoulder as if she was insulted.

  Daron ignored the curious glance the red-haired cashier sent their way, and placed the dessert order, then moved away before responding, “Why do I feel like this went from a topic you tease me about to something I need to do to prove a point to you?”

  Cameron remained silent, but those dark brown eyes were flashing with the efforts to keep her thoughts to herself. She gestured to the counter. “The cheesecakes are up.”

  He grabbed the bag and they made their way back to his Jag. Cameron brushed the strands of hair the warm breeze blew in her face behind her ear as they passed three guys heading north in the direction of the Hancock Building. They glanced in Cameron’s direction then suddenly turned back, seemingly aiming for the parking garage. Daron unbuttoned his suit jacket, hoping he was being paranoid.

  He could feel Cameron’s body stiffen before she pivoted in the opposite way of where they were heading.

  “Gentleman, are you lost?” Cameron slipped a hand into her purse.

  “We found who we’re looking for,” the tallest of the three men replied but his focus was on Daron. “We saw you with Vikkas Germaine. We’re only going to warn you once. We will not tolerate your interference with our business.”

  Daron stepped in front of Cameron, finally recognizing the man speaking as one that Vikkas had brought up in The Castle meeting. The only opportunity they would’ve had to see him with Vikkas was when the men left the hospital and held that first Castle meeting. “What I do or don’t do is none of your business.” He wrapped an arm around Cameron to hold her back.

  The leader of the pack stepped forward, nodding toward Cameron. “You should concentrate on protecting her.”

  Daron eased his jacket back, showing them he was armed. “I suggest you walk away while you still can.”

  “You think you’re big and bad enough to take us?” He glanced back at the other two smirking men standing behind him.

  Cameron was ready to have his back. That little black dress and stilettos could fool anyone, but he was well aware of what his woman was capable of. Daron slid the keys out the jacket pocket and slipped them into her hand, along with the food. “Babe, please get in the car.”

  “Not happening.” She flashed the weapon in her hand.

  The man inched back, eyes widened when Cameron shifted and had him within the crosshairs. “Don’t worry. We gave the message we wanted.” He turned and motioned for the other two to leave. “It will only be trouble if he doesn’t heed it.”

  Daron watched them walk away, then leveled his anger at Cameron. “Next time I tell you to get in the car …” He grabbed the keys and moved toward the car. “Get in the damn car.”

  “Whoa.” Cameron glared at him as he swung open the passenger door. “That’s not how I roll.” She slid into the seat and huffed.

  “It is now.” Daron closed her door then scanned the area before sliding behind the steering wheel. He cut his eyes over to her. Cameron’s lips were squeezed together, her eyes narrowed as she glanced over at him. Then she turned and stared out the window.

  Daron was pretty sure Cameron thought this incident was about the tracking device she had asked him to turn over to a government agency instead of cultivating it himself. “Cam, part of our new life means I look after you. You only use those skills when they are absolutely necessary.”

  “What if they were needed tonight?” She buckled up. “Three to one odds.”

  He took a few extra turns to make sure they weren’t being followed. Daron made a mental note to text Steve to find out if Vikkas was being tailed and to review the drone footage from The Castle visits. “Do you remember before when you asked me not to—”

  Cameron’s head snapped toward him. “You’re not about to bring up the time when I was undercover in your organization.”

  Daron merged into the traffic on Lake Shore Drive. “It’s the same. You didn’t want any distractions.”

  “I’m not …”

  “You are for me.” Daron pressed the brakes as they hit a red light near Navy Pier. He glanced at her. “You’re my queen and your safety comes first.”

  She pursed those red lips. “Okay, my King, but we’re not typical people.”

  “Here’s the new rules of engagement. If we’re a team, we have each other’s back.” He refrained from using the word couple as the traffic surged forward. Daron accepted the reality that between his aunt and The Castle business, the craziness had probably just begun and that his relationship with Cameron was about to be tested to the max.

  “No side-lining me,” she warned. “But let me be clear, I don’t need you to protect me.”

  Daron understood that watching after people was second nature to her. This was her time for someone to look after her and he didn’t want this hiccup in his life to cause him to lose the grou
nd he’d finally established. “I need you to be my woman, not my bodyguard.”

  “Daron, I don’t mind letting you lead but you have to trust me to have your six.” Cameron placed her hand over the arm resting on the console. “If I’m going down, I’d rather do it fighting than retreating.”

  “I’m trying not to put you in that position.” He lifted her hand to his lips and planted a kiss on her soft skin.

  “The last man that didn’t trust me to help almost got me killed.” She glared at him. “Try not to do the same.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Kaleb left the grounds of The Castle and arrived at the 6th Precinct, his heart still pounding from the encounter with the men who felt he had no place among them, all while wondering who would’ve burned the house he’d just purchased. He resisted the urge to drive by the place, even though it was only blocks away from the station. Kaleb glanced in every direction surrounding the car, feeling as though all eyes were on him as he parked and walked into the building.

  Zephyr was right. I can’t hide in plain sight here.

  The aroma of coffee filled the air as Kaleb entered the doors of the precinct.

  “Can I speak to Officer Washington?” Kaleb asked the intake officer.

  “Just one minute, please.” The brunette picked up a phone and made the request, then looked at Kaleb. “He’ll be right with you.”

  Kaleb paced the floor until a middle-aged man dressed in dark slacks and a crisp white broadcloth shirt came toward him.

  “I’m Officer Washington.” Memories of a younger version of the man flashed when extended his hand to greet Kaleb. The officer’s lackluster tone, his wide nose, and the scar under his eye helped Kaleb recognize him as one of the men who used to patrol the block he lived on as a child. He hoped the man didn’t recognize him. Police often had long memories, too long for Kaleb’s comfort. “How are you today, sir?”

  “I’d be doing a lot better if I didn’t have to deal with this issue,” he responded, receiving Officer Washington’s hand for a hearty shake.

  “Understandable. Follow me.”

  Kaleb trailed through the crowded office filled with uniform-clad men and women swarming among other investigators and plain-clothed civilians. When they reached a desk in a private corner of the area. He took a seat in front of a well-organized desk and asked, “Do you have any idea who set my property on fire, Officer?”

  Officer Washington opened a drawer at the side of the table and pulled out a manila folder. Laying it flat on the surface, he separated the contents and picked out a picture of a girl.

  “Eliana Steed,” the officer informed him as he locked his gaze on Kaleb.

  Kaleb’s eyebrows drew in as he examined the picture. A bronze-skinned girl with eyes that told a sad story looked back at him.

  “Who is she?”

  “That’s what we’d like to know,” the officer said, leveling an even more intense gaze on Kaleb. “She was caught running from the scene—a scene that has a few bodies attached to it.”

  Kaleb flinched at the officer’s word. “Bodies?” he pressed, watching as the officer’s face twisted as though he was the one who was confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “There were five other girls in the building, aged sixteen to nineteen years old. They didn’t survive the fire. The neighbors reported seeing heavy traffic for a house that was basically abandoned.”

  Kaleb absorbed that information as well as the officer’s critical tone. “I just purchased that house less than a month ago and started renovations last week.”

  “And you didn’t notice anything or anybody strange at the site?” Officer Washington’s forehead rippled as he gave Kaleb an incredulous stare.

  “I live out of town, Officer,” Kaleb explained, trying to hold his composure. Bodies. Five bodies. “I hired a company to start the project and they hadn’t mentioned anything suspicious. I was scheduled to visit the site this week.”

  Officer Washington slid a notepad from his pocket. “What is your occupation, Mr. Valentine?”

  “I’m a real estate developer in the Metro Detroit area.”

  “Can you account for your whereabouts the night of August 7th?”

  Kaleb narrowed his gaze on the officer’s heated and steely glare.

  “I was in Detroit, Michigan on a yacht … cruising the Detroit River at a ceremony to receive another award for my company,” Kaleb replied.

  “And what’s the reason you took a flight into Chicago late last night, then flew back early this morning?”

  “Why?”

  Officer Washington turned to his computer, glanced down at his notes, then tapped on the keyboard.

  “What are you doing?” Kaleb questioned.

  “I’m inputting your information and preparing the case, Mr. Valentine. As well as sharing some pertinent information with the Wilmette Police that might help with another case. I have just a few more questions.”

  “No, sir.” Kaleb jumped up from the cracked vinyl chair. “I’m contacting my attorney. You won’t be pinning any of these on me.”

  The officer stood, glared openly at Kaleb as he said, “Well, as the saying goes … don’t leave town.”

  “Unless you’re about to charge me,” Kaleb began, straightening his jacket. “You can’t hold me here.”

  “You’re a rich man, Mr. Valentine,” he shot back with a sneer. “Private jet trips twice between Chicago and Detroit within a twenty-four-hour period? That’s awful suspicious.” He dismissed Kalebe with a wave. “I’m sure you’ll figure out your best movet.”

  CHAPTER 33

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  Vikkas placed the office phone on the cradle, then turned the documents in his hand face-down and out of Nayan Maharaj’s view. Shaz had sent them over earlier, and it was everything the nine men needed to complete the legal documents, transfers, and stock certificates. The one thing they all agreed on was vacating all current members and forcing the minor ones to reapply.

  “And why would I listen to anything you have to say?” he asked, putting his focus on the stocky man.

  “Because I know something you do not,” Nayan replied, gesturing for three more men—dressed in full Indian garb—to follow him into the office. They settled in seats near the door as though they hadn’t planned to stay long. With assessing eyes, they scanned the expansive space— marble tiles, cream walls, matching draperies, and one wall dedicated to a range of awards.

  “There is a secret your family has been keeping from you for years,” Nayan continued, sliding into a high-backed chair directly across from the desk. “Your real family.”

  “Uncle, it is best that you and your minions leave my office. Right now.”

  Nayan huffed, seemingly undeterred by Vikkas’ tone. “You are about to let strangers take something that belongs to me.”

  Three of the men’s heads whipped to Nayan, who quickly amended. “I—I mean, us. We should control the wealth of The Castle.”

  Vikkas swept a look across all of the men, finding that the other three still seemed unsettled by Nayan’s words. “I notice you specifically say wealth and not the work and purpose—which is what brought the wealth you’re so interested in. Your motivation has always been money. That has never been what drives my father.”

  “Your father turned his back on the family the minute he used his portion of the Maharaj fortune for something other than family endeavors.”

  “I’m curious.” Vikkas steepled his fingers under his chin. “You’re all up in my father’s business. What did you do with your share of the money?”

  Nayan visibly blanched. “That does not concern you.”

  “Oh, but it does,” Vikkas countered, grinning at the flush of color that flooded the man’s skin. “I’d like to know what your true motivation is all about.”

  Nayan grimaced, and his gaze shifted to the painting behind Vikkas. “The investments were sound. The people I placed them with were not.”

 
“You squandered the money.”

  The men sitting near the door shared a speaking glance that Nayan didn’t see because he had his back to them.

  “I would not call it—”

  “You squandered the money,” Vikkas insisted and watched him squirm. “Now, you begrudge the fact that my father has not only brought in wealth effortlessly, but also managed to do the majority of what he set out to do.” Vikkas shook his head. “How sad for you. But your failures have nothing to do with me.”

  “India has its own problems now,” Nayan said causing the others to mumble their affirmation. “Rampant poverty, so much so, that people visit and tell others not to come. India needs wealth and stability. So many are focused on their own self-interests.”