by CR Robertson
Midnight Legacy
Midnight Dynasty 3
Copyright 2021 by C.R. Robertson.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons—living or dead—is purely coincidental.
Contents
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Contact Information:
[email protected]
www.CRRobertson.com
https://geni.us/RobertsonsOtherworld
https://www.facebook.com/CRRobertsonauthor/
Publication Date: 04th June 2021
Cover Artist: Raven Designs
Thank you so much for reading my eBook. I really hope the characters touch your soul, and make your mind wander to a different realm for a few hours. If you enjoy Midnight Legacy, please consider leaving a review and have a look at my other romance novels.
Books by CR Robertson
The Otherworld Chronicles:
The Gates of Hell Trilogy:
1 – Elements of Flames
2 – Elements of Dragons
3 – Elements of Fae
***
4 – Elements of Karma
5 – Elements of Light
6 – Elements of Souls
7 – Elements of Redemption
The Gaian Otherworld:
1 – Dragons of Destiny
2 – Dragons of Fate
3 – Dragons of Chaos
4- Dragons of Retribution
Dark Princes of Purgatory:
1-Curse of Seduction
2-Curse of Darkness
3-Curse of Deception
4- Curse of Vengeance
The Vendetta Brotherhood:
1-Nicklas
2-Samson
3-Kristian
Midnight Dynasty:
1-Midnight Seduction
2-Midnight Danger
3-Midnight Legacy
Contemporary Romance:
Stronger Than Love
A Note on Language
Please note CR Robertson is from the UK.
Therefore, spellings and some turns of phrase will appear in British English.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to every woman who claimed her dreams…
***
Chapter One
Cassandra
The crystal chandelier glittered overhead, creating patterns on the walls. Gentle background music played while people mingled and chatted to catch up with each other. A waiter wheeled in a cake covered in candles as we all sung happy birthday. Nothing about tonight suggested tragedy.
We were nearing the end of the chorus when a group of men clad in black and wearing balaclavas burst in.
“Good evening, we’re here to collect a debt. Ten million pounds and access to the files named on this zip drive.” The man waved the small object in one hand while holding a gun in the other. “Cooperate and everyone will get out of this alive.”
Ash’s brother Michael staggered forward, the contents of his glass spilling slightly. “Piss off. This is my brother’s birthday party. Come back tomorrow.”
Murderous intent radiated from the man who’d demanded the money. His gun pointed directly at Michael’s head. “Step back or I’ll blow your fucking head off.”
Michael shrugged. “Get in line.”
Ash tried to pull his brother back. “Michael,” he growled in warning.
The man pistol-whipped Michael and he fell to the ground, his glass shattering on the floor. Ash knelt beside his brother, staring up at the assailant with barely controlled anger.
Xavier’s body tensed beside mine, his head moving to stare at his friend Jordan who stood beside the door. A barely perceivable nod from Xavier and Jordan’s hand flashed up to turn the lights out.
Gunshots followed with shouting and the chandelier shattered overhead.
Xavier lowered me to the floor in a second and pressed me deep into the carpet, his arm covering my head, and his breath fanning my ear. The noise of the gunshots ricocheted through my head and fear unfurled deep in my stomach.
Tonight was supposed to be a celebration until the men in the woolly faces barged in and started shooting. The only item remotely resembling a weapon were the lethal heels on my Jimmy Choo shoes and there was no way Xavier was getting blood on them.
“Motherfucker!” Jordan snarled from somewhere to my right. “Of all the nights to get hit, we’re here like sitting ducks.”
Another round of gunshots rang out and my heart clenched in panic. How the hell were we supposed to get out of this alive?
“Right ankle,” Xavier hissed to his friend, his arms tightening around me.
Jordan crawled closer to us and began patting Xavier, his dark chuckle sounding evil in the darkness. “Fuck, yeah,” he replied. “Cover her ears.”
Xavier’s hands clamped over the sides of my head and shots rang out directly above me. Groans sounded across the room and heavy thuds followed. Jordan was the hand of death and always seemed to hit his target.
The lights were out so I was surrounded in darkness, the acrid taint of smoke in the air and the faint scent that ammunition gave when it was discharged. “Zee,” I whimpered, desperately wanting this to be over.
“I’m right here, baby.” He rolled me onto my back, his body pressed into the cradle of my thighs so I could hug him tight the way I always did when I needed to feel safe. His cheek rubbed against mine and our bodies aligned.
This had been Ash’s birthday party. His mum insisted that she organise it as she always had, even though he’d bitched about it. Xavier had only agreed to come because it was for one of his closest friends. We should have been safely in our house, far from the rest of the world right now.
More shots echoed around the room and Jordan returned fire. Another thud hit the ground.
“How can he see?” I hissed in Xavier’s ear, my arms tightening their hold on him.
“His sunglasses in his jacket pocket have night-vision incorporated in them. We all carry them.” Even though we were in the middle of a gun battle, my head jerked back.
“Did you use them in The Midnight Rooms?” I demanded, wondering if he’d seen me before that meeting a few months ago. Of all the idiotic things to think about right now, that’s what my brain was worried about. I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything else.
I felt his head shaking beside mine. “We go down there in our boxers, Cas. Using the glasses would be against our policy.” His head rested in the curve of my neck, his breath fanning my ear. “I need to get you out of here, baby.”
Jordan crept alongside us. �
��I’m going to make a move. Cover me.”
Xavier’s head moved away from mine. “With what, Jay? I gave you my gun.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck if you use the cushions on the sofa. At least it would give them a purpose.”
Xavier’s chuckle rippled across my skin. He manoeuvred me to the back of the sofa. “This is old, sturdy furniture. Stay tight against it and keep your tummy to the floor.” His fingers skimmed over the slight rounding at the bottom of my stomach. “Let’s end this, Jay.”
The two men moved away from me and I immediately craved the warmth of Xavier’s body on mine, protecting me.
I was scared, my heart pounding in my ears. My husband and his friend were about to do something stupid to save us all from these maniacs. Silence engulfed me in a deafening embrace that made the hairs at the back of my neck stand up in warning. My hand curved around my stomach to protect my unborn child as I pressed myself tight in against the strong wooden frame.
Muffled sounds rang out intermittently in different areas around the room, some whimpers ensued from terrified party guests. A gunshot rang out and my heart stopped. I wanted to shout out Xavier’s name, just to hear his deep voice reassuring me he was okay, but I was pinned here in horror with my nails digging into the floor.
That sickening dull crack that I’d heard months before accosted me, and I knew someone had just had their neck broken.
The darkness used to be sexy, especially when planning to meet Xavier in underwear I’d specially selected, knowing he could feel it even if he couldn’t see it. Now, I was drowning in the darkness, and fear unfurled deep in my stomach like a snake to slither through my veins. Time stretched until it felt like hours instead of minutes and all my muscles began to cramp. All I wanted to do was run far away from here and curl myself under my duvet.
A hand grabbed my arm and I squeaked in protest, trying to disappear under the sofa.
“It’s me,” Xavier’s voice whispered in my ear. His heat enveloped me and I clung to his strength. Nothing bad ever happened when he was beside me.
The room erupted into light and my eyes scrunched closed for several seconds, my fingers digging into Xavier’s shirt.
“Relax, baby, I’ve got you.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.
All the guests were on the floor and began to wearily raise their heads. The men in balaclavas lay dead around the room. Three were bleeding into the cream carpet, and the others looked like they were sleeping, only their heads lay at strange angles.
Xavier helped me to my feet, but my knees buckled, and he took my weight against him.
Jordan moved through the crowd, checking pulse points on necks and delving into the pockets of the dead. A heart-wrenching scream tore through the room and every muscle in my body stiffened. Ash’s mum collapsed onto her knees beside the body of her son Michael. He stared into oblivion, his mouth and eyes open but vacant. Blood seeped down the side of his head. Xavier’s arm tightened around my waist, his other hand turning my head into his chest.
Everything else after that became a blur. Flashing blue lights, constant questions.
“No, I didn’t see anything because it was dark.”
“Yes, my husband was beside me the entire time.”
Eventually, they let us all go home when Xavier pointed out I was pregnant and in shock. One of the paramedics checked me over and suggested I needed to rest since my blood pressure was high. Jordan and Ash accompanied us after giving all their details to the police.
Xavier’s hair was standing up since he’d run his fingers through it so many times. Jordan’s jaw was so tight I was surprised he hadn’t broken a tooth. Ash was pale and quiet. It was his birthday, but it had turned into a massacre.
Xavier drove us back to our apartment block in silence. There was nothing to say. Death had visited us today and taken someone we knew with him.
“Was it you?” Ash finally asked and my ears pricked up.
I watched Jordan continue to stare out the back window of the car without flinching. “He was marked for death by the Council, Ash. You know that.”
Ash inhaled a deep breath.
“No,” Jordan continued. “I didn’t assassinate Michael, even though he was on my list.”
I didn’t want to ask why he had a list of people to be assassinated, so I chewed the side of my mouth instead.
“This is a fucking mess,” Ash finally grated out. “Mum will never get over this. Any idea who they were?”
“No ID on them,” Jordan confirmed. “But I photographed their fingerprints before the police arrived. I guess Michael’s fake girlfriend and her listening devices finally did something right.”
My eyebrows shot up and I met Xavier’s worried gaze. He shook his head to indicate I remain quiet. Their world was dark and dangerous and every step further into it made my spine prickle with fear. There was no doubt in my mind that Xavier and Jordan had ended the standoff tonight. Jordan had turned the lights off and those two men were able to move around in the dark like they had special senses—predators who eliminated every threat around us.
They were the most dangerous men in the room, but considering they kept me and my baby safe, my morals had changed from a few months ago. I didn’t comment and stared out the window into the lights of the city as Xavier sped us all home. He was quiet and pensive, his eyes trained on the road and his shoulders tense. My hand grabbed his on the gearstick and he gave me a small, reassuring smile.
This was my bed and I had to lie in it. I knew who Xavier was before I’d said “I do” and put his ring on my finger. Ninety-nine percent of the time that bed was filled with orgasms and pleasure, but this was the one percent that curdled my stomach.
“Where will your mum and dad stay?” I asked Ash.
He moved his haunted and pained gaze from the window to stare at me. “They have plenty of properties, they only use that one for social gatherings. Other than that, they have separate lives.”
I didn’t comment. In the few short months I knew Xavier, I discovered this elite world in which power was everything and love meant nothing. He defied his father’s wishes when he married me.
Xavier glanced at me. “Not everyone marries for love, baby. We live on a chessboard where one wrong move can result in death.”
A small smile tilted my lips up. “Or a pawn becoming queen.”
He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my wrist as he manoeuvred us through traffic.
“Dad wants me to marry Nicole,” Ash said randomly.
“Dylan’s daughter?” Jordan asked, disbelief in his tone.
“Yeah, apparently she’s quite the catch,” Ash responded dryly.
Jordan barked out a dark laugh. “No offence, but if you caught her, you’d throw her back.”
“Jay!” I snapped. “Every woman is beautiful in her own way.”
He chuckled. “Not true, little woman. Reserve your judgement until you meet her.”
My female pride bristled at the thought of them dismissing the woman so dramatically. Just because they were studs in designer suits didn’t mean everyone else was inferior. “I’m sure she’s perfectly lovely.”
Xavier laughed and shook his head, placing another kiss at my wrist. “Baby, I know you like to see the good in everyone, but some people are so dead on the inside that even if they were stunningly beautiful you’d never be able to see it.”
His response stunned me. Xavier rarely commented on anyone, considering his morals were questionable. Their description of this woman intrigued me. What could have happened to make her dead on the inside?
“What did you say?” Xavier asked, partially turning his head toward Ash.
“I told him I needed to think about it.” Ash leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes. “This is a fucking mess.”
Someone had shot Michael tonight. Xavier had given his gun to Jordan, but others in the room had guns, and who knew how many of the guests were secretly carrying weapons?
Ash
and Jordan headed to their own apartments, while Xavier led me to the private elevator to our penthouse apartment. Suddenly I wanted to go home to the place he’d created to keep me safe.
Xavier’s arms wrapped around my waist and his chin rested on top of my head. “You okay?”
I shook my head wordlessly.
His hand soothed over the bottom of my stomach. “Do you need me to phone the doctor?”
Tears sprung to my eyes, even though I hadn’t been hurt. Xavier spun me in his arms as soon as we walked out of the lift, his fingers gripping my chin to tilt my head back. He studied me with those eyes that always saw too much. “Fuck,” he hissed before his lips crashed into mine.
His heat infused into me, thawing my frozen emotions. His hands grasped my face, while mine landed on his hips. He devoured every word that I wanted to say but had been stuck in my throat.
“When those shots fired…” Xavier whispered, his forehead resting against mine. “I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”
The memory of him covering me with his body echoed through my mind and made me cant toward him in search of his heat.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“No idea, but you are on full lockdown now. No going out unless absolutely necessary. If you run out of clothes you can wear mine.”
“Your new club opens soon and I’m going to be there to see what all the fuss is about,” I insisted, standing on my tip-toes to kiss him.
“No way, you’ll be here where I know you’re safe.”
My back straightened and my shoulders stiffened. “The only place I’m safe is at your side. If you’re going, then so am I.”
He stared at me for several seconds before he rolled his eyes at me. “Did you not promise to obey?”
“Yes, but I had my fingers crossed at the time.”
His eyes narrowed and I reciprocated his gesture. “You do realise your ass is making an appointment with my hand?”