“I’m afraid it’s not going to be that easy,” Kylan said.
We all turned to him, falling silent as we waited for him to continue. The tension was still thick in the air, but now it was directed towards David and whoever the ringleader was. I realized that Kylan hadn't been jumping to tell us who that person was. For the first time, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was someone that struck fear into Kylan, a being so powerful that even the president would struggle to bring them to justice.
“Kylan?”
He sighed. “Right, anyways. We vetted the people we could, and everyone came back clean. The number was traced to a buyer about two months ago. It was purchased in DC, cash. As a matter of fact, that’s all Molly was able to get for me.”
“Oh yeah, about Molly, she might be a little upset when you talk to her. She wanted to come with us, but the idea got shot down. Her panties might be in a bit of a bunch.”
Kylan chuckled. “I always enjoy it when she gets her feathers ruffled. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you we were able to track one of the numbers to David. He didn’t cover his tracks nearly as well as the lady running the show.”
I gasped. “Wait. A woman?”
“You heard me correctly. A woman. After I found the shop that she bought it from, I made a deal with the owner to show me the security footage.”
“I hope you got him to sell it to you as well. We are going to need that later,” Declan said.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got the originals and the only other copy out there, but you’re right about one thing, we are going to need all the proof we can get. At first, I couldn’t believe who it was. Then I thought maybe she was just doing a favor for someone else, but the traffic authorities in DC love me, so I followed her via street camera.”
I was captivated by the story, the same as Dakota and Declan. We’d been a part of it for so long that I was starting to wonder if our world would ever be the same again. It wasn’t enough that we were forced to spend weeks apart, but now we could only see each other under the ruse of political ambition. I longed to hold them in public or, at the very least, when the mood struck me.
Living our lives without each other wasn’t an option. I needed them just as they needed me. We were the perfect unit. With Kylan in our circle, I finally felt like my relationships were complete. Even as I watched him carry on with the story, my desire was provoked by the way that his lips moved. The sly grin that he reserved only for me played through onto his face as his eyes danced with excitement. I could have spent a thousand nights with the three of them and still feel like it wasn’t enough.
“And she went into a little run-down apartment on the outskirts of town. I haven’t gotten men inside there yet, but I’m almost positive we will find all the technology she needed to ruin your lives.”
“Why does it feel like you’re about to tell us that Molly is the one behind this? Or some other woman that Dakota scorned?” Declan joked.
“Well, he did scorn her in a way. You both did, and probably Audrey as well. The good thing is that we don’t need to worry about her releasing pictures of either Declan or Dakota to the press. If that happens, it’s because David is getting jealous again. I suspect that’s how the first images were leaked. He doesn’t like it when you take away her attention from him.”
“Jesus, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were talking about our mother,” Dakota chuckled.
Declan laughed, smacking his brother's arm as he reached into the mini-fridge for a drink. The two of them got pulled into a conversation on their own as they tried to sort out who the ringleader was before Kylan told us. Just knowing that David was a part of things had eased all our nerves. The president would be an ally to us in that regard. He loved all his children but knew the danger David now posed. It felt good to see the pair at ease.
Kylan fell silent, his mouth closing as his eyes darted away from Dakota to me. My heart plummeted. My mind started to work the pieces together. Everything fell into place with a sickening accuracy that almost made me vomit. It all made perfect sense. She hated me and would do anything to keep me from being happy with the Hartley’s.
“Think about it,” Kylan said to me. “Your pictures haven’t been blasted in the papers for weeks. You were carted out of DC as fast as we could possibly get you. Suddenly Dakota’s career is taking off, and Declan is finally back in the fold. Even Derek has been spending time away from DC. She has the people she wants right there and the two embarrassments, you and Derek, far away.”
“Oh my God,” I stammered. “I don’t believe it.”
“I think you do,” Kylan said. “In a few minutes, I’ll have a team of men at that apartment with the confirmation that we need to bring her down. The only problem is that bringing her down is nearly impossible because of who she is.”
“Oh, Jesus.” My stomach rolled.
I watched the brothers for a moment, sitting down on the bed next to Kylan as the pair dove deeper into the mystery between themselves. How could someone do such an awful thing to their own family? Everything I’d seen for the four of us was starting to slip away. The nightmare was just getting started, and I had no idea how we were going to survive it.
She had the control, but what would happen when we took it away?
“What are you two talking about? Do you have some other evil sister that’s out to get us?” Dakota asked. “Because honestly, that would make a good bit of sense.”
“No,” I told him. “Kylan, tell them.”
His eyes moved between Declan and Dakota as he took a deep breath. “The person who bought the phone and who has been manipulating us from the very beginning is your mother, the president's wife.”
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Bonnie
I stared at myself in the mirror as I donned the traditional white, lacy gown. As its fabric fell softly over my curves, I drew in a deep breath.
This was the day.
The day I’d be handed over in marriage to a man I barely knew. And although my internal warning system blared loudly in the back of my mind, I understood my position in life.
I understood what I had to do.
I studied my brown eyes. How the smoky hue my aunt had painted onto them somehow accented their soft color. They looked almost amber, with speckles of honey that sparkled wondrously against my tan skin. My naturally auburn hair was piled high on top of my head in soft ringlets, begging to be let down. The sheer amount of hair spray I had holding my tendrils in place could’ve held up the Eiffel Tower if given a chance. My ruby-red lips contrasted the white dress nicely, accented by a thick gloss, forcing all gazes to pause and revel in their beauty.
“I look like Brianna,” I said.
My aunt sighed. “Well, if you look like your cousin, then I’ve done my job right. We’ve only got one shot at this, Bonnie. You’re our only hope.”
“Aunt Luna, what is this man like?”
She glanced sideways at me. “You know not to ask questions.”
I rolled my eyes at my own reflection. “Why? Because it won’t change
my circumstances?”
My aunt shushed me with a piercing look in the mirror. A white gold comb smattered with small diamonds found its way into my hair before the sheer veil was flipped over my face. I looked like I was about to get married. Hell, it felt like it. But this wasn’t my wedding day. Not really. This was the day I would be given away as a prize to the highest bidder.
Supposedly.
Not really the highest bidder, per se. No one had paid any money for me. In my world, women were given away as prizes in trade deals. In my case, a deal had been brokered between my family, the Morettis, and his, the Rossis. Two major crime families who needed something from the other one. And I was to be the bridge between them.
Business as usual.
“Come. We’re going to be late,” my aunt said.
I turned to face her. “Thank you.”
She paused. “For what?”
I blinked back tears. “For taking me in when I had nowhere else to go.”
She cupped my cheeks. “Oh, preziosa, your uncle wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
She kissed my veiled forehead before my uncle threw open the door. His eyes twinkled with pride as he stared at me, taking in my final form. The culmination of weeks of work. The dress I wore had been painstakingly created by hand. Every bead, every pearl, and every sequin had been sewn with love, adoration, and a bit of frustration.
“Bonnie. You look marvelous,” my uncle said.
I drew in a deep breath. “I’m ready when you are.”
My uncle held out his arm, and my aunt handed me over to him. Slowly, we started down the hallway. Those events were usually a more formal affair. They were held in the ballroom, with a stage where I would stand so everyone could ogle me. It was a chance for the man in question to turn me down as an offering if I wasn’t to his liking. However, both of our families were knee-deep in a war we had no business fighting.
Which meant time, and protection, was of the essence.
With every step I took, my heart hammered harder in my chest. Would he like me? Would he accept me? Would he appreciate me? Few of us were that lucky in our lifestyles. Then again, none of that mattered.
Not for the plan.
“I present to you Brianna Moretti, my beautiful daughter.”
Everyone’s eyes were on me—the fake Brianna—as my uncle announced my entrance. Then, we started down the stairs. I kept my head high and my eyes straight ahead. The men in those situations didn’t like it when a woman stared at them. So, I locked my eyes onto a spot on the wall and pivoted as necessary. The men of the Rossi family made a path for my uncle and me to walk as we ventured into the middle of the marble-floored foyer of their home. And as I stood there, feeling their eyes on my body, I drew in a steady breath.
It’s almost over. Just stay calm.
It was what I had to do. Not only for the sake of my family, but to repay my uncle for the sacrifices he made for me. I owed that man my life. And if what I had to do to bring honor and protection to the family when we needed it the most was to marry a Rossi, then sign me the fuck up. Family was everything to me, and losing my own when I was only five years old had devastated my world.
I would’ve been nothing—and had nothing—had my uncle and aunt not taken me in.
“Move.”
A disembodied voice rose up from the crowd, and the suited men parted. I kept my eyes locked on the wall, allowing them to look me over and size me up. Looking the role of a future wife was the most daunting task of all. My innocence had to be intact. My delicacy had to be showcased. I needed to be equal parts strong and feminine, which I hoped I looked.
But I broke rule number one the second I smelled his cologne.
Never look him in the eye.
My aunt’s voice rang out in my head as my eyes searched for the origin of that scent. With notes of pine and tobacco, it reminded me of my father. Of the memories I had sitting at his feet while he had been in his study, sucking on his pipe and working his ass off. My eyes found the man coming for me. His steel-gray eyes locked with mine. His raven-black hair sat impeccably on top of his head, slicked back with grease and the sides painstakingly shaved with a fade. He was tall. Easily six foot three. The lankiness of his limbs greatly contrasted the short and stout men of his family.
Nonetheless, I saw strength beneath his suit. It was hidden beneath the silken fabric tailored explicitly for him. Between that, his eyes, and the scruff on his face, I felt myself go weak in the knees.
His sharp looks were equal parts alluring and dangerous.
And when I realized I was staring, my eyes shot back to the wall.
“Hmmm.”
I rehearsed the answers to questions in my mind. I forced myself to embody my cousin as I kept drawing in steady breaths. The man only called Israel slowly walked around me. I felt his hot gaze roaming up and down my figure. I rolled my shoulders back. I kept my head held high. And as he made his way back to the front, he stepped in between me and the wall.
“Look at me,” he commanded.
I felt everyone holding their breath around me as my eyes slowly rose. I didn’t say a word. Not until I was prompted, anyway.
“What is your name?” he asked.
You can do this. “Brianna Moretti.”
“How old are you?”
Stay calm. “Twenty-three.”
He nodded. “What’s your favorite color?”
I smiled softly. “Blush pink. I love the cherry blossom trees in the—.”
“I didn’t ask for your favorite tree.”
I swallowed down my sassy response as my eyes fell back to his chest.
“When is your birthday?”
You got this. “June 11th.”
“Year?”
“1997.”
“Are you still a virgin?”
My eyes snapped up to him. “Of course.”
He nodded. “Good.”
Then he sidestepped me, as the room let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Mr. Moretti. A word?” Israel asked.
I clenched my jaw to keep it from trembling as my eyes locked on the wall again.
“Of course,” my uncle said. “Whatever you need, Israel.”
“I’d like to be shown around your estate.”
My uncle had always been calm and collected. “I can make that happen. Brianna?”
I quickly turned. “Yes?”
I saw Israel shake his head. “She can stay here. She has no business seeing your office.”
My uncle furrowed his brow. “My office?”
Israel nodded. “Yes. I’d like to get a feel for the business I’ll one day be running. Since I’m marrying your only child.”
I felt my eye twitch at the comment, and I prayed no one saw.
“If that’s what you wish to see—”
Israel interrupted my uncle. “Take me to it. Now.”
My uncle’s eyes panned up to the balcony where my aunt stood. And even though I wanted to turn to see her reaction, I knew I was almost home free. If Israel felt comfortable enough to want a tour of the grounds, then that meant I had performed my job correctly. I simply had to keep selling it until everyone walked out of the foyer and left me behind.
Why am I always left behind?
My uncle nodded. “Of course. If that is what you wish.”
Israel loomed over my uncle. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
With a flick of his fingers, my uncle motioned for everyone to follow him. And it wasn’t until the last man left the room that I let out the breath I was holding. I panted softly, my eyes traveling up to the place where my aunt had been standing. But the balcony was empty, leaving me all alone in the grand foyer of the house I had grown up in.
“You did it,” I whispered.
I smoothed my hands over the dress, unsure of what to do with myself. Did that mean I had to marry that man? My uncle promised me I wouldn't have to marry him before the plan took place. The only thing I knew about Israel was t
he rumors about him in the community. The empire he ran for his family. The ruthlessness of his actions. The strict business deals that got people killed if they even glanced outside of the lines. I could only imagine what being married to him would be like.
Just do it before the wedding. No harm, no foul.
Assuming Israel didn’t sniff me out first.
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I'm Callie Vincent and I write Bastardly Heroes and Dark Romance.
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Wicked Dynasty: The Untouchables | Book Two Page 19