Heart Thief (Black Market Billionaire Book 1)

by Skylar Sweeney

  “Honestly? Getting my head beat in by Mason with a baseball bat,” I admitted, which made every other Brother in the room grimace.

  “Lotus is going to rip you a new butthole, mate,” Conner said, shaking his head.

  Jones nodded his agreement. “You were seriously busted on recon by Mason Dansley? The girl had her purse stolen last week by a nine year old girl in the lobby of her own apartment complex.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I growled, already well aware of exactly how pitiful it was that I was taken down by a woman who probably thinks that hiding behind the door is a reasonable response to an approaching missile. “I solemnly swear that I will never let Mason Dansley slam me in the face with a baseball bat again. Are you happy?”

  “If you’d gotten out when told, it wouldn’t have been an issue,” Sonny said, and I rolled my eyes.

  “You should be fucking congratulating me, because I found out who she’s working with,” I snapped, making Sonny’s eyebrows raise.

  “Really? I take it back. Congratulations on your black eye. It’s a fabulous look for you.”

  “I can lend you some foundation if you need some, Uncle T-Rex,” Greta said cheerfully as she walked in, fully decked out for bed in sparkly pink pajamas with cartoon cats on them.

  “Thanks, sweetie, but I actually have some already,” I said, giving her a hug. “Thank you for your help tonight.”

  “No problem,” she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Mr. Cuddlebop had a spectacular time.”

  I chuckled, and Sonny shook his head.

  “So, who is she working with?”

  I let out a loud sigh, running a hand through my hair as I collapsed down on the couch. “You’re not going to believe it. I certainly don’t.”

  “Try us,” Conner said dryly, and I glared at him.

  “It’s Wesley. He left Mason a message about ‘the plan.’”

  There was a long silence, and I sighed.

  “Obviously he’s not the one behind it all,” I added, an edge to my voice.

  “We all agree with you,” Jones said in his best soothing tone, which wasn’t all that soothing. “Wesley is not the one behind this.”

  “He’s not a terrorist,” I declared, as if Jones hadn’t spoken at all. I just needed to get my feelings out there. “You all know he’s not!”

  I glanced around the room, feeling satisfied when all six of my Brothers nodded their agreement.

  “Though it is certainly possible that someone is using him,” Sonny stated. “After all, he is very vulnerable to manipulation considering what happened with that father,” my friend made a disgusted face, “and his feelings about himself as a son.”

  “Not to mention certain other special regards, Mr. Rex,” Val stated, and I nodded.

  “That’s not his fault.”

  “No one said that it was,” Sonny replied. “But we do need to find out how Wesley’s connected to this. This person is definitely targeting you to get inside King Corp. Of all the people in the world, I don’t know any you are more vulnerable to than Wesley and Mason. The amount of guilt you feel toward those two keeps you from thinking straight.”

  “Not to mention your extreme level of attraction to Mason,” Conner put in.

  “He’s right,” Sonny added. “I’m sorry, Rex, but we need to suspend you as liaison to the Department of Defense until this is cleared up.”

  My hands tightened into fists. “Dammit, Sonny, I’ve been doing that job for eight years! I am perfectly capable of keeping my head on straight.”

  “Really?” Sonny said, raising an eyebrow. “Because if I’m correct, I believe you were knocked unconscious breaking into a low security apartment tonight—after being given the order to clear out—then had your own gun pointed at your head by someone who is so unskilled with firearms that the fact you’re alive is basically divine intervention.”

  I grimaced. “Okay, that wasn’t the best idea.” I paused. “But she agreed to go on another date with me.”

  “Congratulations, mate!” Conner said, and Sonny glared at him.

  “I’m serious, Rex. Until we get some idea of who is using your past to target you, all contact between King Corp and the DOD will go through Jones.”

  I sighed. “Fine. But I’m going to talk to Wes. Mason is one thing, but the fact that Wesley is involved… That really pisses me off. I need to try and find out what’s going on.”

  “He’s not going to tell you anything,” Jones said, and I shrugged.

  “I still have to try.”

  Sonny nodded. “Fine. Let us know how it goes.”

  I nodded, heading toward the door.

  “Rex.”

  I turned, raising an eyebrow at Sonny, and his lip twitched with a smile.

  “Good luck on your date.”

  - rex -

  “Hello, the name’s Rex Bennett. I’m here to visit Wesley. I should be on the list,” I informed the man sitting behind the counter in the lobby. He nodded as I handed him my ID, studying it for a moment before handing it back.

  “Of course, Mr. Bennett. Go on in.” The door to the main housing area unlocked as I was buzzed back, and I headed in, stomach fluttering at the thought of seeing Wes.

  The entry opened into a communal entertainment area, where people were scattered about playing games and watching television on the comfortable sofas. Wesley was nowhere to be seen, which was no surprise. He tended to stick to his apartment. He was perfectly capable of being charming and social but preferred to be alone. Not that I could blame him considering that I was the same way. Well, when it came to everyone except Mason, anyway.

  Too bad she wasn’t exactly fond of being around me.

  I made my way down the hall, stopping before Wes’ place, and knocked on the door. There was no answer, and I sighed, almost sure he was in there.

  “Wesley, it’s Rex,” I called. “Can I come in?”

  More silence, then finally the words, “I can’t stop you. Do what you want.”

  My shoulders slumped, and I swallowed hard as I opened the door. Wesley was sprawled out on the couch in sweatpants and a t-shirt with a John Grisham book in his hands. He tossed it onto the small table beside him and sat up, eyeing me with obvious unease.

  My stomach clenched at the sight. The fact that Wesley honestly believed that I would ever hurt him broke my heart, but I had been there, watching and more, while he was tortured, over and over again. I didn’t suppose the association between my face and pain would ever be fully erased.

  “What do you want, Rex?” he asked cooly.

  I sat down on the chair across from the sofa, making sure to keep plenty of space between us so that he didn’t feel too uncomfortable. “I want to know what’s going on between you and Mason Dansley,” I said simply, and he flinched, shrinking down on the couch.

  “Can’t tell you,” he murmured, and I sighed.

  “Please, Wes,” I said, rubbing my face. “I just want to figure out who’s gotten you into this before you get hurt.”

  “Are you going to hurt me?” he whispered, and I blinked back tears at the words.

  “No, Wesley,” I whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said in a voice that sounded like he was dying, and I couldn’t hold back tears anymore.

  I wiped them away angrily, which made him flinch again. “Please, Wesley,” I begged. “I care about you, and I just want you to be safe. How did you even meet up with Mason? You’re not supposed to be able to leave here alone.” I glanced around, and he gave a choked laugh.

  “It’s a minimum security psych facility. I just stole Dr. Hansberry’s clothes and badge, acted confident, and walked out the front door. You and your real brothers are the ones who taught me how to pick pockets and get out of locked places.”

  My hands clenched into fists at the words. “The Brotherhood not my real brothers, Wesley. You’re my real brother.”

  He gave a short laugh and held up his arm, ge
sturing vaguely to his brown skin. “They look a lot more like your brothers than I do.”

  “Looks don’t matter, Wes,” I said. “We’re brothers by blood and always will be.”

  “That’s not what Dad says,” he muttered, and I grimaced.

  “Avery is a piece of shit who doesn’t even deserve to be called our father. He’s not family. We are family.”

  “Don’t talk about him like that,” Wesley snapped. “He loved you. He treated you good. You should love him, too.”

  I shook my head but knew better than to argue. Wesley had spent his entire life desperate for his father’s love and there was no point trying to convince him that the fucker deserved a shallow grave. The fact that Wesley loved the man so much and would probably never get over it if Avery died was the only reason my father was alive at this point.

  “Please, Wesley,” I said. “I need to know why you’ve been talking to Mason and what you’re planning. I’m worried about her, too.”

  “I always knew you had a crush on her, but I never actually thought she’d go out with you,” Wesley said with a shake of the head.

  “Me neither,” I said quietly.

  “So you actually like her?”

  I bit my lip. “Honestly? I think I might more than like her. That’s why I’m so worried. Some really strange things have been happening at the Brotherhood Building, and I’m afraid that people are going to get hurt. Did you know we had a bomb scare a few days ago?”

  My brother stiffened. “A bomb?”

  I nodded. “That’s right. And the things this hacker is trying to steal could kill a lot of people. I don’t blame you for whatever is happening, Wesley. It’s not your fault. But I need your help to stop it. Please.”

  His eyes grew shiny, and he swallowed hard before shaking his head rapidly. “I can’t… I can’t tell you.” He sucked in a sharp breath, face paling. “I’m sorry, Rex, I can’t. I can’t. I… I’m scared to. Please, please, please, don’t make me. Please, please, I don’t want it, please…”

  Panic was rising in his voice, and I gave him a gentle smile. Whoever was using my brother was going to die a painful death when I found them. Fuck my hemophobia. I could handle a little blood—or a lot—if it meant making them pay for scaring my brother.

  “It’s okay, Wesley,” I said softly, standing up slowly. “I understand. It’s all okay. Everything’s okay. I’m not going to make you do anything.” I moved over to him, smiling. “Can you give me a hug? It’s okay if you don’t want to.”

  Wesley bit his lip, studying me for a long moment, then gave a sharp nod. He stood up and reached out, giving me a soft hug. I hugged him back, then kissed his forehead.

  “I love you, little brother.”

  He didn’t reply, which made my heart ache. There was nothing I loved more than hearing him say he loved me, too. Maybe next week.

  I started to the door and had just reached for the handle when he called out, “Rex, wait.”

  I turned, frowning as he held out a very expensive looking briefcase.

  “I love you, too,” Wesley said before turning and practically sprinting into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

  I looked down at the briefcase, brow furrowing. I opened it, eyes widening as I found a collection of pictures of Mason, along with information on the Brotherhood Building security, my offices, the personal assistant position… on and on.

  “What the hell?” I muttered. There was no way in the universe that Wesley had found all of this himself. Not to mention he could never afford this briefcase. Someone had given him this. But who?

  I pulled out a folder that contained miniaturized versions of blueprints for the vaults in Angela’s Lab, shaking my head in disbelief. This was highly classified information. Who had gotten this?

  My eyes narrowed as I studied it more closely, jaw tightening. The folder had a symbol on it, the exact same symbol on the business card Kansas gave me. A 3 with what looked like the magic lamp from Aladdin in front of it. I tugged my cellphone out of my jacket, snapping a picture then hitting the speed dial for my favorite janitor.

  “Hello, Mr. Rex,” Valentine said in his ever-chill voice.

  “Hey, Val. I’m texting you a pic right now. Can you do a search on what this image is?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure I can—oh. Actually, I don’t have to run a search. I recognize that symbol. He’s a hacker. He calls himself 3wishes. Stops criminals by cracking their servers and providing the info to the proper authorities. Takes money from dictators’ accounts and gives every dime back to the people. That sort of thing.”

  “So he’s Robin Hood,” I dryly. “Breaks the law to uphold it.”

  “Yes, sir. Where did you see this?”

  “I stopped by Wesley’s. He wasn’t able to tell me anything—whoever he’s working with obviously made him believe he’d get hurt if he told me. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know, but I’m not pressing. But he did give me the information they gave him, and it included blueprints of the Angela’s Lab vaults. They were in a folder with that symbol.”

  There was a long pause. “That’s… strange. It doesn’t seem 3wishes’ style to threaten a man with a mental disorder.”

  “And what the hell would a comic book hero want with what’s in Angela’s Lab anyway?” I added, feeling confused myself.

  “Other than to destroy it? I have no idea.”

  I nodded. “Valentine, do you think you can contact this 3wishes guy?”

  “Yes, sir. I think I can contact him,” he said slowly. “We don’t exactly get along, considering I’m the sort of person he likes to bring down. But I can try.”

  “Good. Contact him, and ask him one question.”

  “What’s that?” Val asked, and I grinned.

  “Ask him if he knows how many average Joes are vaccinated for smallpox each year. In case you’re wondering, the answer is none.”

  - mason -

  “My fair lady,” Rex said with a dramatic bow as he opened the rusted passenger door of his puke green Ford Pinto.

  I hid a smile as I took his hand and allowed him to pull me from the car. He lifted me out like I weighed nothing—just like the fairy princesses who somehow managed to defy gravity—setting me gently on my feet.

  “Such a fancy ride you have there,” I said, and he laughed, flashing me a brilliant smile.

  “You need the right car if you’re going to properly stalk your lady,” he informed me, winking, and I giggled, shaking my head at him as he locked the car door behind us.

  “I still can’t believe that you actually waited outside of my apartment for three whole hours,” I said, and he shrugged.

  “I was willing to go all night. It was Sonny who insisted that I cut my creepiness short. Plus Greta was getting really bored. She’d already eaten all the caramel popcorn, read the fashion magazines we bought her, binge watched Hoarders on her phone, drawn a penis on Sonny's face with a Sharpie, and painted my toe nails sparkly purple.”

  I blinked. “She did what on Sonny’s face?”

  Rex laughed, flashing me a wicked grin. “She told him it was going to be a flower. Never trust that which came from a Wentworth’s loins.”

  He offered his arm to me in a gentlemanly sweep, and I took it, glancing around the area with interest. It was a very different kind of neighborhood than the one we’d eaten out in on our last ‘date.’ It was obviously an ethnic area, with a heavy Indian influence to the building design and shop decorations.

  The streets were filled with men and women just now getting off from work, though ladies pushing baby carriages full of liquor bottles and men selling hand beaded jewelry in bright reds and oranges were also mixed in with the crowd.

  “Where are we going?” I asked him with interest as we started across the street. Rex was a much better street crosser than I was—not a single taxi driver honked at his enormous body, possibly because he actually looked both ways before stepping out. Or they might have seen the gun on his hip.


  “To one of my favorite places,” he replied, smiling again. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him this happy before. Despite the rumors that the gossip columns loved to spew, I had found that he was often a fairly cheerful man, but tonight he truly seemed happy for the first time since I’d started work at King Corp.

  “This spot is special, and I don’t normally bring anyone to it,” Rex explained, making my cheeks grow warm—and my heart, too. “I usually only go with my brother—the real one. He likes it a lot. He feels safe there, because the man who owns it now used to protect him as a child.”

  “Really?” I said as we walked along the sidewalk, eyeing the street carts full of clay pottery and religious icons.

  Rex nodded. “Yes, he was the landscaper and gardener at our home. He knew the estate like the back of his hand, and he would help my brother hide if my father was looking for him.” He paused. “He’s the same man who taught me to fight. But my brother wasn’t a fighter. He needed other skills.”

  I shook my head, frowning. “So your father... I take it he did more than just make threats and call you bad things?”

  Rex shook his head. “No, he never laid a hand on me. My half-brother was a bastard, though, and any kind of abuse you can possibly imagine? I guarantee he did it to my brother.”

  He came to a halt in front of a flower cart, his smile blooming as he ran his fingers across the petals of the various bundles. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his wallet, handing the seller a few bills. I grinned as he presented me with a mildly wilted bundle of yellow, pink, and orange chrysanthemums.

  “They won’t win any competitions, but all flowers have their beauty.”

  “These are lovely,” I said, and he grinned back at me.

  “Just like prom night, right? Ten dollar flowers and cheap food.”

  “A night to remember,” I added, and he laughed, pointing a few shops down.

  “The restaurant is right there.”