Broken

by Drea Blackery

  “I’m so sorry—”

  I did a double-blink when I regained my bearings.

  “Uh, guys? We’ve got a problem.”

  Neither Cam or Gabriel answered, but I knew they could hear me. I scanned the ballroom urgently, but there was no mistaking it.

  “Theo’s gone.”

  The hallway above the ballroom took me right towards the upper meeting rooms in the Berling Straits.

  It hadn’t been difficult to slip by Cam’s men. His efforts were admirable, but he was as subtle as a bull in a dress. Liam Berling had proved a reliable ally despite our disagreement at Madison, alerting me the moment his security spotted the two heirs. Cam would be evicted by Berling’s security within five minutes, and Gabriel would be kept busy by a socialite who had an unhealthy obsession with him.

  As for Karin Beckett… I would be the one to see her out.

  She was the last thing I’d expected to see tonight. Just the sight of her made me feverish with anticipation, but what came to mind this time wasn’t my memories of watching her from afar. It was something real and tangible. A fucking torment.

  Ten years I had dreamed of holding her again, tasting her again, and that night at Madison, it came true. I gave in, and it was the best damned mistake of my life.

  This time, Karin had been real in my arms. She had been more than a fevered dream, more than the poor imitations of her that I sought out in my desperation.

  I knew I was insane for kissing her. It had nearly killed me those years ago to let her go, and now whatever progress I made in attempting to forget her—futile as they were—had been completely eradicated. I was back to that boy of eighteen years who fucking lost his mind when she left.

  This was getting too dangerous for me. I needed to leave for London right away, hence my meeting with the executives to find a decent buyer for my firm.

  A turn down the hallway brought me to the private meeting room I was searching for. I entered without knocking.

  “Finally.”

  I shut the door behind me, taking the seat across the scowling woman in the room. “Your holiday’s not to your liking, I assume.”

  My mother glared back at me. “Do you know how long you’ve been ignoring my calls?”

  “Not long enough, apparently.”

  “I want out of that fucking box.”

  That fucking box happened to be a Manhattan property I owned under a false name. Leave it to Estelle Valentine to make her brief stint in a luxury apartment suite sound like hell.

  “Better an apartment for three weeks than a prison cell for the rest of your life.” I smiled faintly. “But if you wish to leave, the door’s always open. I’m not going to stop you.”

  Estelle remained in haughty silence as she busied herself with arranging the skirt of her black evening gown, still intent on looking beautiful even while on the run.

  I knew she wouldn’t take me up on that challenge. This meeting had been tricky enough to arrange with Ryland and Cam’s men crawling the city searching for her and watching me. I had to pull favors with Berling just to arrange this meeting for us in his territory, and Estelle knew better than to jeopardize herself.

  “You’re working to get me out, aren’t you?” she said. “You won’t abandon me like your father.”

  “No promises. You did try to kill me just three weeks ago.”

  Estelle became defensive. “You betrayed me.”

  “You broke our agreement,” I countered as I withdrew a packet of cigarettes from my jacket. “We explicitly agreed never to bring up the matter again, but you just had to get greedy, didn’t you? I’m simply levelling the playing field. If you can’t be trusted to keep yourself in check, then I’ll be the one to do it.”

  Estelle said nothing as she took the stick I offered. She put it between her lips, leaning forward for me to light it for her.

  “On that note,” I murmured, cupping a hand around the small flame, “after this debacle is over I’m relocating to London. And you’re coming with me.”

  Estelle choked violently on her inhalation as I smiled and sat back.

  Karin had been wrong about me again. Unlike Ryland, I had no illusions of forgiveness. I simply didn’t deserve it.

  I had a plan from the moment Ryland came to ask my help those months ago, and it had been in motion ever since.

  Estelle wasn’t going to jail, and neither were they. I was going to keep both parties in their respective corners of the ring and maintain this fine limbo between them; basically have my cake and eat it.

  My mother looked less enthused about that idea.

  “I’m not leaving this country,” she hissed.

  “No need for a fuss, moving to a foreign place is so easy a child could do it. I did it, if you recall, so I’m sure you’ll have no issue.”

  Estelle’s hands tightened in her lap, giving her the look of a petulant child. “If you care about me at all, you won’t do this to me.”

  “But I don’t care,” I said softly. “You’re nothing to me, just like I’m nothing to you. The only thing saving you right now is the fact that we share the same blood in our veins.”

  No matter how much we despised each other, Estelle and I were the only family the other had. If she was gone, I’d be truly alone.

  Somehow that bothered me more than anything else. It seemed utterly depressing to be standing alone in a sea of seven billion people. If I vanished one day, no one would know or care.

  Estelle wouldn’t either, of course, but that would mean she’d be alone too. My absence would finally affect someone, insignificant as it may be. I wouldn’t vanish like I never existed, as if a clean-up crew had just wiped me out like little more than a party mess.

  There was a certain comfort in that.

  “I’m keeping you alive for me, not you, so either you do as I say, or I hand you over to Ryland Wyatt. Take your pick.”

  “You’re just like your shit of a father.”

  “If I’m anything like him, I’d be out the door yesterday.” I gave Estelle a once-over. “It’s becoming more appealing by the minute, to be honest.”

  “You think you’re so clever,” she sneered. “Always so witty and sarcastic. It’s your biggest flaw. If you hadn’t been so full of yourself, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  “If you hadn’t pulled the trigger on your own boyfriend’s fucking head, you wouldn’t be in this mess. Of the two of us, I think I’m better off.”

  Estelle burst out in shrill laughter. “Better off? Darling, you’re halfway to the grave! I know that look on your face, I’ve seen it before. It’s her, isn’t it? Karin Beckett. She’s back in touch.” She cocked her head, her smile dripping poison. “Have you fucked her yet? No? That’s not surprising, a girl like her would never let someone like you lay a hand on her.”

  “Watch yourself,” I said softly. “Speak her name again and I’ll take you straight to the authorities. In fact, give me a reason why I shouldn’t. You did send shooters after her sister.”

  “But not after the one you care for,” Estelle countered. “You betrayed her, Theo. You covered up her father’s murder for years. She’ll never forgive you no matter what you do.”

  “I had no choice.”

  “You always had a choice. And you chose me. Even now, you’re choosing me.” Estelle smiled, looking pleased with herself. “You can act as defiant as you want, but you’re still my son. I brought you into this world from my own body. Nothing changes that, not even that girl.”

  As much as I disliked hearing it, it was true. We were tied by our blood, both of us selfish and fucked up, and nothing was going to change that.

  Karin deserved better than this. I’d be damned if I let her light be snuffed out by my darkness.

  “You have two weeks to get ready.” I got up and buttoned my jacket, eager to be done with her. “Your new documents will be ready by then.”

  Estelle looked relieved, as she should be. My plan was flawless; a new name, a new background, and
a new future for her. Ryland would never be able to find Estelle no matter how much influence he held. I had built a career on making things vanish—evidence, lawsuits, and now, persons.

  God, he’ll be bloody furious. I had that to look forward to, at least. The heir was used to getting his way, and it’d be fun to see him groveling again. I found that I’d acquired a taste for it ever since he came asking for help with Estelle those weeks ago.

  “Unless you’re at death's door,” I added, “don’t contact me again.”

  “I will wait two weeks. No more than that.”

  My lips twisted. It was just like Estelle to make demands when I was the one saving her ass.

  “There seems to be some miscommunication,” I said evenly. “I’m moving according to my schedule, not yours. It could be two weeks, and if I want, it could be two years. But only until I decide when—and not one fucking second before—you will sit on your ass and do absolutely nothing. I’m a hairs-breadth away from throwing you to the wolves, so don’t tempt me.”

  I shut the door on another round of outraged protests, glad to be done with the matter. Right now, I had another pressing issue to deal with.

  It was midnight, which meant it was time for the princess to be heading home.

  After Theo vanished , I spent the next several minutes nervously wandering around the ballroom and trying to get back in contact with Cam and Gabriel. They had both disappeared, and so had every single one of the guys Cam had brought along for backup. I even saw one of them being escorted out by Berling’s security.

  Theo definitely knew we were here, that part was obvious. The question was, why was I the only one left?

  I mingled around uneasily, wearing a plastered smile on my face that made the people around me give weird looks and stay away. Security would be coming for me any moment now.

  What should I do when that happened? If I tucked my tail between my legs and left just like that, it would mean our mission was a failure. Do I make a run for it? Do I make a scene? Decisions, decisions.

  I felt a sudden buzzing in my pocket and pressed the button on the earpiece to answer the call on my phone. “Where are you guys! Theo’s been gone for like twenty minutes—”

  “How flattering,” a sardonic voice came. “I never expected you’d be so dismayed by my absence.”

  Oh shit.

  “Or perhaps I should take offense that you’ve laid a trap for me, and such a pitiful one at that.”

  “Theo! Hi! Uh, we just wanted to talk.”

  “With Cam’s team on standby at all exits?”

  “Well, it is a very important talk.” I tried to think of ways to stall as I scanned the ballroom urgently, trying to locate the two missing heirs.

  “If you’re looking for Cam and Gabriel, they’re occupied for the rest of the night.” Theo sounded downright pissed under his falsely pleasant tone. “I’d worry for myself if I were you.”

  I gave the crowd another scan before giving up. “Yeah? And why’s that?”

  “Because I’m presently on my way to you.” Theo paused expertly, letting that alarming titbit sink in. “And when I find you, you’ll wish you obeyed what I said the previous times we met. Do you remember what it was?”

  My heart dropped to my stomach. “To stay away from you?”

  “Have you done that?”

  “Er… No?”

  “No, you haven’t,” Theo agreed. “And here you are wrapped in that delectable green dress, a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. I can almost taste you from where I am.” He made a sound of approval. “Did you know you taste like a sugar pastry? Sweet and decadent... and a hint of tart, just enough to make a man crazed for more.”

  I spun in a circle, trying to find him. “Where are you?”

  “Behind you.”

  There were only guests as far as I could see. A low laugh sounded in my ear as I turned again, and I scowled. “You’re toying with me.”

  “Oh, the game’s just started.” Theo dropped the false pleasantry in his voice, revealing the hard steel underneath. “You have five minutes to run, Karin. Five minutes until I catch you and make you wish you had obeyed me.”

  Great, Theo was properly pissed off now. I ditched all hope of finding Gabriel and Cam. They didn’t look like they’d be returning anytime soon, and “Not getting eaten alive by Theo Valentine” had just been bumped up all the way on my list of priorities.

  My first thought was to make a beeline out of the hotel and hop on the first cab I saw, but that would mean going home empty-handed. Ryland had been right—I was more stubborn than Allie. It was the only way my voice could be heard over her strong personality.

  Guess I’d have to out-stubborn Theo now.

  Instead of heading for the main doors, I made my way to the exit at the back of the ballroom. The vast hallway outside was empty now that Cam’s guys were gone, and I quickly headed in the direction that I hoped would bring me deeper into the hotel instead of out of it.

  “Wrong choice, princess,” Theo murmured. “I’ll see you soon.”

  The connection went dead.

  I plucked out the earpiece and stuffed it into my purse impatiently. It was the wrong one alright, for him. Theo didn’t know half of what he was dealing with.

  I knew he was following close behind, and I needed to find a quiet spot soon if I wanted to trap the tiger. I strode down the empty hallway as fast as I could without breaking an ankle on the soft carpeting. Up some stairs, a left turn, another left turn…

  I soon came to a deserted hallway with several doors. I went to the first one and grasped the handle, pausing to listen. There was no sound from inside—or behind me, but I felt the hairs on my arms rising all the same.

  Theo was closing in on me.

  I turned the handle and pushed my way in. It was dark inside, but my eyes adjusted quickly to make out a meeting room. I shut the door and scooted to the far end of the room, pressing my back against the cool glass windows.

  Then I held my breath and waited for Theo to find me. My heart was beating so hard I could hear it in the stillness.

  The door opened again a minute later.

  Theo was shrouded in darkness, but the light from the hallway outside illuminated him from the back. He looked large and intimidating, and the danger of it was thrilling.

  He shut the door behind him, taking his time with the action.

  “Nowhere to run now,” he said conversationally as he locked the door. The click was abnormally loud in the silence.

  “I wasn’t running. I led you here.”

  “Perhaps,” Theo allowed. He came towards me, taking slow, unhurried steps. “And right now you think you’re in control. You couldn't be more wrong.”

  His voice sent shivers across my skin. “I just wanted to talk.”

  “I should inform your sister and Ryland about what you’ve been up to,” he mused as he came to me. “They’ll keep a closer eye on you, and then you’ll be out of my life for good.”

  I couldn’t see Theo’s expression in the darkness, but I realized that I was dying to know what he felt as he said those words.

  Did he truly want that?

  “Allie and Ryland are on holiday now, and he’s going to propose,” I said. “Please don’t ruin it. If you want me out of your life that badly, just give me the flash drive and I’ll be gone. You won’t ever have to see me again, I promise.” I paused, looking up at him hesitantly. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  Theo didn’t answer as he stepped closer to me. The movement brought him into the pale light cast by the moon outside, and I saw his expression for the first time.

  It wasn’t the cool disinterest that his voice held.

  Instead, I saw yearning, the kind that hurt like a knife to the heart.

  My breath caught. “Theo?”

  Theo remained silent as he stood before me. His emotions were hidden deep in the amber depths of his gaze, but to me it was stark as a light in the darkness.

  “I should
try something else.” Theo murmured to himself as he watched at me. “Something… drastic.”

  I swallowed hard. “Like what?”

  Theo closed in on me, backing me up against the icy cold glass pane. His façade remained cool and dispassionate, but his eyes tracked my every move hungrily.

  “Something that will keep you up at night.” He leaned in, his words hot on my skin. “Something that will make you ache for me for years to come. Something that will terrify you with how badly you want it. Perhaps then, you’d run.” He smiled mockingly. “Shall we test that out?”

  Yes. Please.

  I must have said that out loud, because Theo murmured his approval.

  He caressed my neck with the back of his knuckles, bringing his lips to the other side. I jerked when I felt the tip of his tongue on my skin. His mouth felt soft and hot, burning me wherever he tasted me.

  “Are you afraid yet?” he murmured at my ear.

  I released an unsteady breath. “No.”

  Theo reached around my back, tugging my dress zipper down in an excruciatingly slow descent. He slipped the sleeves off my shoulders, letting my dress crumple to the floor in a heap.

  The breath left my lungs. I stood before him in my bra and thong, trying not to shiver from nervousness.

  Theo tilted his head, his gaze bright and predatory. “Now?”

  My throat had gone dry. “No.”

  Never taking his eyes off me, he reached around me again and unhooked my bra, moving deftly as he lifted it off my body and tossed it aside.

  Then his fingers hooked around the waistband of my thong, tugging it down my hips and onto the floor.

  I tipped my chin up even though I was dying to cover myself with my arms. I had never been shy about my body, but the way Theo was taking me in, raking his gaze over my naked body made me feel more vulnerable than I ever had in my life.

  He looked dangerous now, with that mocking look in his eyes, with that faint smile playing on his lips. He was in perfect control, and his goal was to take control from me.

  “Ask me,” I whispered.

  “Are you afraid?”

  “Yes.”

  Theo’s eyes darkened at my response. “Good.”