Becoming His Princess (The Dark Prince #2)

by Autumn Winchester

  “Interesting,” Chase mused, nodding at the man’s drink. “What is your name?”

  “Philip,” he said before taking a big drink, thinking he wouldn’t have to pay too dearly for his mistake.

  The other men around the table simply sat there quietly, knowing they couldn’t afford to be in the Prince’s crossfire.

  “Well, Philip,” Chase spoke, keeping his voice stern. “Do you really think that Saul would really pay off what you still owe? Or that I would allow men that were once paid under my money to just walk out without a thought?”

  “Yes,” he responded right away. “He gave us each a fourth of our debt up front.”

  “What exactly were you to do?” Chase asked, his green eyes dark as he stared the man down, watching him squirm in his seat.

  “A little bit of this, a little of that,” he shrugged, his answer vague. “Just keep you entertained while you were here, for one. Some of your guards are under his influence also.”

  Chase quickly sent a text to Jack, making sure he stayed right where he was with his wife. Otherwise, Chase kept his cold, hard demeanor. He wasn’t going to let this man, or anyone for that matter, think he was worried.

  “It’s already taken care of,” Chase lied. “I have only my trusted men, the others are waiting to be disposed of, as the cold bodies wait in a laundry basket.”

  “What?” Philip said in shock as the other men in the room around the table fidgeted in their seats.

  “I know I can count on you five men, right?” Chase asked, taking a sip of his water before putting the glass back down on the table.

  “Yes, sir,” they all agreed, thinking they were safe.

  Chase loved making men think they were out of the woods before hitting hard and fast. It was always thrilling to see how they acted.

  “Now, drink up, men,” Chase said, taking his glass and taking another sip, watching over the rim as each man quickly chugged their water.

  “One more thing before I dismiss you all,” Chase said. “I do not take threats against my wife lightly. You will all pay dearly. One at a time.”

  Without another word, Chase stood up from the chair. In the process of doing so, he took out his gun, aiming it at Philip before pulling the trigger.

  Pop! The silencer muffling the sound of the shot.

  Chase always loved the feeling the steel in his hands. That didn’t ever stop the feeling of dread as he took a life. He hated ending someone’s life, more so if they had family waiting at home. Most men knew what they were getting into when they deal with the Marcel family or any other mafia family.

  Philip fell onto the table, blood seeping out over the table. The other men gasped at the sight before them.

  “Enjoy your next few minutes, men. You won’t be leaving this room unless you are in a body bag. My trusted man drugged you all, and there is no hope left. If anyone, and I mean any one person, ever comes after my wife and family again, not only will that person pay, but also their wives and children,” Chase seethed, rage boiling in his blood. He wouldn’t actually go after their families, but these men didn’t need to know that.

  “I know for certain that one of you can contact Saul. While doing so, let that man know I will be coming after him next. My wife is off limits to everyone and I won’t stop until I kill him myself,” with that, Chase stormed out of the room, Carter hot on his tail.

  Chase called Jack’s phone. After a minute, it went to voicemail, and he knew exactly why he wasn’t answered. A feeling of dread dropped to his stomach.

  “Shit!” Chase cursed, redialing the number again. Once again, it went to voicemail as Chase ran down the hall towards the stairs not waiting for the elevator.

  His heart beat in his chest, almost to the point of pain as anxiety filled his thoughts. His breaths increased as his stress rose, as he raced up the stairway Carter hot on his heels. Carter quickly called in extra men, knowing who could be trusted for the most part, and also calling in the police, knowing that Summer was, in fact, missing before they ever reached the Suite.

  There would only be one reason why Jack wouldn’t answer, and Chase refused to let that thought sink in.

  Once they made it up the three flights of stairs, which seemed to take twice as long to reach the floor that the room was on. When they reached correct floor, Chase flew through the door with Carter right behind him. The door banged against the wall, leaving a dent from the door knob.

  The hallways were completely empty, no sign of anyone ever being up here. Once he reached the end of the hallway where his Suite was, Chase found the door ajar, and blood on the floor near the doorway.

  Jack’s body was laying there, moans of pain igniting from his throat as he kept his eyes clenched shut. Chase quickly scanned the room, finding that his Princess was missing. Gone. The bed was slightly messed up, and the lamp that had sat next to the bed was broken on the floor.

  Chase collapsed right where he was, burying his head in his hands as he sobbed.

  He. Had. Failed. Her.

  Chase had promised to keep her safe, protect her from any more harm. Now she was gone. A deep sob wracked Chase’s frame as he bent his head to the floor, gasping for breath.

  He was fucked. And so was Summer.

  “Chase, come on,” Carter said, pulling him up by the arm, but Chase simply pushed him off, not exactly having control of his body as his thoughts were on his missing wife. Carter was just able to move out of the way so Chase didn’t hit him in the gut.

  “Leave him,” Jack hissed out in pain. “Get something to stop the bleeding.” Chase was inconsolable but he wouldn’t do anyone any good in the state he was in. There was no communication as Carter quickly tied a belt around Jack’s leg, then got a towel to press over the wound.

  The Police showed up shortly after Carter showed up, leaving Chase to his sorrow, instantly calling for an ambulance, and then handcuffing Carter and Chase. There was blood, and the policemen had no way of knowing who was who at that given time.

  Chase didn’t pay attention to what was said, or who was there with him. There was no point. His wife was gone, and that was the only thing his mind would stay on.

  Chase, shocked and in disbelief, went willingly with the police as he was escorted out. He knew there was something he should do, someone to call, but his mind couldn’t wrap around it. All he could think of was his wife.

  Tears continued to fall from his eyes and down his face. He didn’t care who saw him. Where was she? Did she fight off the attacker? Is she still alive? Was there any hope of getting her back if she was? Or would her body be taped to his door when he arrived home?

  Oh God! Chase cried out, almost falling to the floor as the two policemen entered the elevator. The one holding Chase literally had to hold him up, supporting his weight to keep him upright. Carter, smartly, kept quiet. He knew that his boss needed a hard look at himself. The guard wouldn’t let the Prince wallow in misery until every option was looked into.

  Chase had nothing to live for anymore. His wife was gone, and so was his reason for living.

  Chapter 26

  Inside the Denver jail, Chase sat in one of the many interrogation rooms, lost in his thoughts. The man that had sat across the table had long given up trying to get the man to answer any questions. So the detective left the young man be, knowing Chase had nothing to do with the disappearance of his wife.

  Someone so upset couldn’t possibly be a part of a kidnapping of someone they were married to and loved, as much as he apparently loved his wife.

  There was no point in trying to get anything out of the man, who was rumored to be the next Mafia Don. That was only rumors in the wind. The Denver Police Department had no proof that Chase Marcel had been up to anything illegal as of yet.

  Chase simply sat at the table, not paying attention to what time it was, nor who came in and out of the room to check on him. There was no point.

  Carter had attempted to get the Prince to come out of his head, but he had no luck. He w
asn’t sure what to do, so he called the only person he could think of. The guard had no say on how things were to be handled, so he also made a quick call to Ivan Marcel, explaining what went on in Denver.

  Ivan agreed with having Trent come down to talk to Chase, booking a jet so the man in need would be there within two hours, if not sooner. The Don wasn’t too thrilled with the events that took place, but he kept his cool, like what was expected of him.

  Carter was relieved, not having to figure out what to do now on his own. He was good at what he did, but this was more than he knew what to do about. That didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt, or shocked, over what happened.

  “I’ll get in touch with my people there, and I’ll have Ryder put out a nationwide search,” Ivan said from his home office, his voice stronger than it should have been. But he was still the Don of the family, as Chase had yet to fully take over. “Just get Chase back home, and if he’s still in shock, I’ll deal with it here. If not, I’ll have a few words with him.”

  So that’s what Carter did. He sat in the small room across the table from Chase, forcing him to not be alone. He didn’t care one bit if the cops gave them dirty looks. He was not going to leave his Prince in a room while he sorted out his thoughts. Who knew if any of these men were on Rodrigo’s side?

  And who knows what Chase would try if he were alone.

  Chase sat, lost. He felt like something was missing, knowing there was no longer any hope. He knew exactly what was missing. His Wife. Visions ran through his head of his wife. Of what she was suffering because he was stupid.

  He couldn’t believe he let Summer go through this. He promised to keep her safe, protecting her from the world. He no longer felt anything. He was just numb. Numb to the pain. Numb to life. He probably would have taken himself out if it wasn’t for the fact that his gun was confiscated hours earlier.

  Chase leaned his elbows on the table, his head in his hands. He had no more tears, although his breaths still came in heavy pants as tearless sobs wracked his body from time to time. That’s how Trent found his brother when he arrived an hour and ten minutes later.

  Trent took one look at Chase and his heart did a somersault in his chest. He knew if anything happened to Sarah or Abigail, he’d be tearing the world apart to find either of them. It was bad enough that they were being threatened too, which is why he made his two most important people in his life stay at the Marcel household. It was one of the most protected places.

  With a deep sigh, Trent took a seat in the chair that Carter gave up with a mumbled coffee run. He took another moment to look over his disheveled brother. Crazy hair, tired eyes, and tear stained cheeks.

  He remembered the many times that Chase had cried himself to sleep as a child, usually over something like a missed TV show, or a missing toy. One time, Chase had shut himself away because his mother refused to let him have ice-cream for dinner.

  Normal childhood dilemmas. Trent saw how much Chase truly loved his wife. Chase loved with his entire heart, and he’d never once given up before. And he would not allow this man to fall apart now.

  “Come on, man,” Trent said with a tired sigh, hoping that just knowing he was there would get the man out his funk. “Let’s go home.”

  “She’s gone,” Chase muttered, the same thing he muttered every time someone spoke to him. Somehow, he still had tears left, as a few tears dropped onto the table top.

  “Well, the sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can find her,” Trent said.

  Chase only gasped in a breath, not able to bring any more words forth than he had so far. He shut his eyes tight, wishing he would rewind time. Rewind to days ago where everything seemed to be perfect.

  “Okay,” Trent said, straightening up in his seat and placing his hands on the table, fingers spread wide. His body was leaning over the table. “Listen here,” he said, his voice strong, demanding to be heard.

  Trent knew that Chase heard, and was at least attempting to listen as he held in a breath in.

  “Carter had to call me, me, to come to talk to you. You are the Prince, and it’s not my job to toughen you up,” Trent seethed, knowing that if he got angry, it would get a rise out of the man before him. He could feel his heart beat heavily in his chest. He hated yelling, but it was what needed to be done.

  “I should be at home, but I have to come save your ass. So here I am, Chase. Here I am to drag you back home. Summer is out there somewhere, and you have to buck up and go find her. Only you can do that. You have to get your ass together, now! We don’t have time waiting for you to get your act together.”

  Trent threw his arms out at his side, frustrated beyond belief. Chase had yet to look up or move, other than to take a shaky breath.

  “Either you get up, do your job and find your wife, or I’ll be taking over your responsibilities. I sure as fuck don’t want to do that, but you aren’t leaving me much choice,” Trent seethed. “You are lucky as fuck you don’t have one of your best guys’ death on your hands right now on top of everything else.”

  “She’s gone, Em,” Chase said, raising his bright green eyes to Trent’s darker ones. “She’s gone.”

  “She will be found,” he said, slapping his hands on the table. “Damn it!” At least he fully had the man’s attention now. “Now, it’s time to push your emotions to the side and get this shit finished. I want my family to be safe, and to do that, you have to use your resources to find our Princess. She is alive!”

  “No,” Chase stated, slowly but surely, coming out of his shock. “She’s gone?”

  “Not for long,” Trent started with a hard look. “You know your men, and the best places someone would take her to.”

  Chase just stared at the man across the table from him. When had Trent gotten his balls? He was never one to talk to him like that, even though he was a Dom. Why hadn’t Trent been the one to be trained to become the Don instead?

  Chase wasn’t cut out for this life, he decided right then and there as his heart pounded in his chest.

  “You with me yet?” Trent asked, his voice still hard.

  At Chase’s nod and wide-eyed look, Trent stood, letting the chair fall to the floor in his haste.

  “Let’s go,” he barked. “We have a plane to catch. The longer they have her the more they can hurt her if they intend to, so get your ass up and out that door.” He pointed to the door in question, his look still hard and full of determination.

  Quietly, and a little sluggishly as he wasn’t sure if he was awake or dreaming, Chase stood and followed Trent out of the room. Carter was right there, following silently and glaring at anyone daring to look their way.

  Chase couldn’t tell if this was real, or just a dream. He’d never heard Trent talk like that, or act as he was doing. Or maybe it was just Chase’s imagination. Stepping out of the building, Chase was blinded by the sun as it was high in the sky. He was dazed, still not exactly in control of his thoughts, or his actions.

  “Ryder has already issued a statewide search for Summer,” Trent said, his voice still hard and controlling. “Ivan has men looking everywhere for her that they can think of. She will be found. Alive.”

  He needed to find his wife before she did turn up dead. He would right his wrongs. He’d find her, and he’d give up his life instead. How had he been so stupid to let his emotions rule over his thoughts?

  “I will kill them all,” Chase said, trying to push his sorrow away. Trent was right, although it took too long for the words to sink in. His voice didn’t come out as strong as he wanted. It was weak and cracked.

  “Glad you are back,” Trent said over his shoulder. “But let me handle things for today. Tomorrow is a brand new day.” He was in full command, and no one would step over his line today. Not when his sister-in-law was missing. No, not when his sister was missing.

  Chase simply nodded, letting his shoulders slump in defeat and tiredness. Trent was more than capable to take the reins for the day. That was the reason why Chase had such good friends
to back him up. He could use a few hours to get his emotions sorted out.

  Tomorrow, he’d tear the entire world down to find his Summer.

  “Before we head back home, I need to see the hotel room. Carter, can you get me in?” Trent asked, pretty much ignoring Chase as the stepped into the sleek silver car that was parked in the parking lot.

  Then, before Chase knew it, they were on the highway, headed back to the hotel.

  “Won’t be an issue,” Carter replied. “He stays in the car.”

  “He can hear,” Chase hissed out, crossing his feet in the back of the car. He let his head lean back against the headrest.

  “Of course,” Trent responded, ignoring the remark from the back seat. “I need to take a few pictures for Ryder. He’s going to take over as much as he can after the case is sent back home.”