His Forbidden Desire

by Katee Robert

  Luca blinked. “That’s a woman.”

  “Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!” She zoomed in as the woman walked through the halls, flanked by four guards who all wore black and gave off menacing vibes he could feel even through the screen. “Who’d have thought?”

  Luca leaned in and searched this woman’s face. She was a good-looking black lady, well into her fifties and carrying a strength that said she mowed down any obstacle that rose in her path and to hell with the consequences. She wore a pristine white dress that set off her dark brown skin and as she walked past the camera in the entrance, her gaze found it immediately.

  “You’re sure?” he asked.

  “Ryu’s sure.” Which was as good as the same thing. Ryu might not have been able to track down their tormenters, but he wouldn’t make a mistake about this.

  Luca scrubbed a hand over his face. It was happening. It was finally happening. “Okay.” He waited for a feeling of elation, of relief, but there was only a lingering dread. Maybe the relief would come later, once they had her in their power.

  Maybe.

  “Luca …”

  Whatever Kenzie had been about to say disappeared as Amarante walked into the room. “It’s time.” She didn’t speak again until they were all gathered in the hub. Amarante met each of their gazes in turn. “The closing ceremony, such as it is, happens now. Keep your game faces on and your tempers under control—that means you, Kenzie.”

  “You always single me out.”

  “You always start a brawl.”

  Kenzie grinned, totally unrepentant. “I can’t help that the Y chromosome means men have skin thin enough to shred with a sharp word.”

  “You can help it tonight. You will be pretty and vapid and play to their expectations. Stay in the room, stay in sight of each other.”

  Luca shook his head slowly. “You think she might be playing us.”

  “I think we can’t afford to underestimate her.” Amarante smoothed her hands down her tailored trousers. “We’ve already lost enough to them. I won’t lose any more. We spin this out as planned and take her tonight.”

  “What if she tries to leave before then?”

  Her lips pulled up into something resembling a smile. “Then she fails.” Amarante checked her slim wristwatch. “It’s time.”

  Luca fell into step next to her as they headed out of the hub and down the passageway that would take them to the party room. “What happens if she doesn’t have the information we need?”

  “She will.”

  “But—”

  “She will.” Amarante reached out, but pulled back before she touched him. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about the princess.”

  Yeah, everyone seemed to be sorry about the princess. He wanted to snap back, to strike out, to blame her for the loss eating a pit in his stomach, but Luca could be honest, even in this.

  He had no one to blame but himself.

  He’d crossed the line with Cami, and he’d let himself get tangled up in her. Had actively sought getting tangled up in her. Everyone around him tried to warn him off, Cami included, but he’d ignored all that and charged forward without a second thought. Even though he knew she wasn’t for him, he’d wanted her all the same.

  Now, he knew exactly what he was missing without her presence in his life.

  A week should be too short a time to put his life on a pivot, and yet here they were. Fucking pivoting. “I don’t want to let her go.”

  Amarante took the change of subject with ease. “Then go get her. After we are through with the Bookkeeper.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  She stopped in front of the door and turned to him. Behind them, Kenzie and Ryu looked on, but for once neither offered any commentary. Amarante shook her head. “Luca, since when have you ever let something as simple as social conventions get in the way of what you want? When have any of us?” She kept speaking before he could cut in, her low voice slicing to the very heart of him. “If you love her, then chase her down and convince her to give you a chance. Who gives a flying fuck about what the rest of the world thinks?”

  It wasn’t the rest of the world he was worried about. It was Cami. He had fucked up in her room earlier. She didn’t want to see him. But instead of focusing on that, he took a different line. “What do you think?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I think,” Amarante answered easily. “The girl isn’t entirely without merit, despite what family she hails from. It’s not my call, Luca. It’s yours.” She turned and pushed through the door, leaving the rest of them to follow in her wake.

  Luca set aside his turmoil over Cami. He couldn’t afford to be distracted right now, not when walking into a room of people who’d like nothing more than to see his downfall. No one was ever happy to lose at the Wild Hunt, but this year the cold looks were particularly personal. He took up position at Amarante’s left and studied the room as she started in on her short speech about the Hunt’s conclusion.

  The Bookkeeper sat next to Dolph, her hand casually resting on his forearm. The rest of their group sat around them, varying expressions of discontent on their faces. The next table over housed the unexpected pairing of Bellamy King and Envy. Those two exchanged a look that Luca didn’t like, especially since the last time he saw Bellamy, the man had been yelling his fool head off about his sister. Desperate men made desperate deals, and Envy was just ruthless enough to take advantage of the situation.

  Not my problem, he reminded himself.

  Liam was the one who worried him. During the entrance events, he hadn’t exactly been open or happy, but his restraint still had a relaxed element to it. Not so now. He watched everyone around him with a fury that sent alarm bells pealing through Luca’s head. Those bells tripled when Liam’s attention landed on Kenzie.

  And stayed there.

  Amarante finished speaking and polite clapping was the response. She immediately moved to congratulate the winner, but Luca caught Kenzie’s arm. “Watch out for the Irishman.”

  Kenzie’s amber eyes flicked to Liam and then away. “I’ve got it covered.”

  Oh, he didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all. “We’re going to talk about this.”

  “I said I’ve got it covered.” She stared at his hand on her arm until he let it drop. “Smile, baby. Today is a good day.”

  But Luca couldn’t smile. It took everything he had not to glower at anyone who came close. The minutes seemed to drip by, but all at once, he blinked and the Bookkeeper herself stood in front of him. She smiled, though the expression came nowhere near her dark eyes. “Famine.”

  “Ma’am.”

  “You know, I expected a better showing of you during these games. I have it on good authority that you’re just as skilled in this area as War is.”

  Fury rose, a surge strong enough to steal his breath. Luca swallowed it down, though he couldn’t smooth his expression. She knew who they were. It wasn’t possible, but he couldn’t shake the suspicion that her double-speak meant exactly that. “The island has a way of leveling the playing field.”

  “Mmm.” She nodded slowly. “So does a pretty girl. How is the delightful princess? I don’t see her here?” She made a show of looking around.

  Every alarm bell went off in his head. “I imagine losing has a way of souring a person on parties.”

  “Shame. My Dolph had a few things he wanted to say to her.” She shrugged. “I suppose he’ll have to track her down on his own time.”

  Over my dead fucking body.

  When Luca spoke again, he couldn’t keep the growl from his voice. “It would take Death’s favor for him to even get close to her.”

  “You underestimate our friend.” The Bookkeeper smiled. “Which is a good thing, as he ceded the favor to me.” She started to turn away. “I’ll be seeing you, Famine.”

  Sooner than you realize.

  Luca moved through the people slowly, resisting his urge to stalk directly to his brother, to draw attention to him
self. He finally stopped next to Ryu. “Dolph doesn’t leave the island.”

  “I thought you’d say that. The Bookkeeper is staying in his suite, so you can take care of it tonight.”

  Take care of it. Remove the threat.

  Luca didn’t think Dolph could get to Cami, but he wasn’t willing to take the risk. He’d ensure the man never had the chance. “Good.”

  This was supposed to be the first in many wins.

  Instead, it felt like they were under siege.

  Enemies under their roof. Needing to play the roles set out for them. Danger lurking in the shadows.

  The Island of Ys was supposed to be their sanctuary, their place of power. They had dangerous people there before, and he’d never felt so on edge. The Bookkeeper, while formative, was one person. Even her guards barely edged the needle in her favor. She was outgunned and outmatched, but Luca still couldn’t shake the feeling of doom.

  Maybe it was just him.

  Maybe his doom had less to do with their plan playing out and everything to do with the new weight of loss in his chest. Luca wouldn’t know. He’d never had his heart broken before. He hadn’t been celibate for the entirety of his adult life by any means, but most of the time they were women visiting the island and looking for a walk on the wild side. They had no intention of pursuing something more serious, and he’d been content with that. His siblings, his revenge, mattered more than trying to figure out if a relationship was even possible.

  It was different with Cami. Cami was different.

  Luca rubbed his chest. He couldn’t live like this. He didn’t want to live like this, bleeding out from a wound no one else could see.

  He had to find a way to convince Cami to give him a chance.

  A real chance.

  But first … the Bookkeeper.

  And Dolph.

  18

  They waited for several hours after the party ended for the Bookkeeper and her people to settle in their suites. Despite what some guests thought, not every set of rooms in the island contained cameras and microphones … But Luca and the others made damn sure that anyone worth watching ended up in a room that did.

  He leaned closer to the monitor and snorted. “They brought in their own food and drink.”

  “Wise. I dosed all those coffee packets.”

  He glanced at Ryu. “That’s particularly insidious.”

  Ryu gave a tight smile. “I know.”

  In the end, the human need for sleep prevailed and the Bookkeeper retreated to her private room within the suite. Luca crossed his arms over his chest. “Kenzie and I will take care of the guards and Dolph. You and Amarante handle the Bookkeeper.”

  Amarante nodded. “The boat is ready and so is the cell.”

  A little known fact about the Island of Ys. It wasn’t two islands—it was three. The third was small enough not to gain notice, which was exactly how they liked it. Situated off the southwest corner of the big island, most guests never even noticed it was there. Even if they did, it looked like a thousand other islands in this part of the world—small and insignificant and, while beautiful, ultimately uninteresting.

  They were wrong.

  Kenzie cracked her knuckles. “Let’s do this.”

  Adrenaline surged, burning away what was left of his malaise. He’d deal with all the other shit tomorrow. Tonight, there was only one goal.

  Remove the threat.

  They headed to the passageway that ran along the edge of her suite, and there they parted ways. Ryu and Amarante disappeared around a turn that would lead them to her private room. Kenzie and Luca paused outside the cleverly hidden door into the main room. They exchanged a look. “Ready?” Luca asked.

  “Baby, I was born ready.” She made a face when he handed her a tranq gun. “These are bad guys. I don’t get why we can’t just off them and be done with it. If they work for her, they are just as guilty as anyone in that association. And Dolph is definitely guilty of unsavory things.”

  Luca agreed, but this was the plan and they’d stick to it. “We use the tranquilizers. If you get bloodstains on the carpet again, Damien is liable to gut you himself.” Their head of staff didn’t blink at whatever they asked of him, and his loyalty was beyond question. But that didn’t stop him from getting uptight about anything he viewed as fucking with his domain.

  The fact that the Island of Ys belonged to the Horsemen was something he only acknowledged when he needed something from them.

  Kenzie gave a put-upon sigh. “It was one time.”

  “That’s the only time I’ve ever heard him yell. And when he made that sound like a pissed off teakettle? I thought we were going to have to say your last rites.”

  She smacked his shoulder. “Hey, now. You know damn well that I’m the funny one. I have the market cornered on inappropriate jokes.” Kenzie grinned. “And, fine, that was a good one.”

  Luca glanced at the dart gun in his hands. “Dolph doesn’t leave the room alive.”

  “Agreed.” She sobered. “Let’s do this.”

  They burst through the door in a practiced motion. Kenzie went low while Luca came in high, shooting the tranq darts before the men lounging around the room had the chance to respond. Seconds later, four of them slumped to the floor. Kenzie patted them down one by one and tsked. “These fuckers have fancy plastic guns.”

  “They must have hidden them in the luggage in pieces and assembled them here.” He hadn’t seen that in the footage, which was slightly worrisome, but in the end it didn’t matter. They’d removed this threat. They could deal with the potential security risk once they were finished.

  Luca stalked to where Dolph lay on the couch. The doctor who stitched up his legs had dosed him with some heavy pain meds, so Luca hadn’t bothered tranqing him. The man opened his eyes as Luca leaned over him. “Famine.”

  “Dolph.”

  He gave a drugged smile. “Your girl is going to be happy to see me.”

  “You’re never going to touch her.”

  Dolph snorted. “We’ll see.”

  “No, we won’t.” Luca picked up the pillow on the couch and covered Dolph’s face, pressing down with his full weight. It was over in a few short minutes.”

  Kenzie whistled. “That was too nice.”

  “No blood on the carpet,” he reminded her. Luca tossed the pillow to the side. If he was a better person, he’d feel something resembling remorse for taking a life. He didn’t. Dolph was a monster, and Luca would do worse to keep the people he cared about safe.

  A knock on the door made them freeze. Kenzie waved wildly at him.

  Luca raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Kenzie, I’ll get the door.”

  “Don’t you dare!” she hissed.

  He strode to the door and opened it. A black man in a pair of slacks and a white button-up shirt stood there, expression impassive. Luca nodded. “Hey, Damien. We were just talking about you.” He stepped back to allow the other man in, as well as the two people carting giant laundry bins. They got to work quickly, hauling the men up and into the bins and then covering them with laundry.

  The Horsemen might be judge, jury, and executioner when someone stepped too far out of line on the island, but there was no reason to telegraph their intentions with this particular situation. After the staff had taken the unconscious bodies and Dolph, Damien moved through the room, studying the floor. “You managed not to damage anything. I’m impressed.”

  Kenzie crossed her arms over her chest and glared. “You remember who signs your checks, right?” He merely raised an eyebrow at her and she cursed. “You all are enough to drive me to drink.”

  Damien nodded to her and Luca, and left the room without another word. Luca rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I always liked Damien.”

  “Shut up.” She walked to the bedroom door and opened it. Amarante and Ryu waited, a trussed-up Bookkeeper between them. The woman glared at them with an icy hatred Luca recognized, even after all this time, even without the mask hiding most of her face. Derision
. As if they were dogs who had suddenly gained the ability to speak.

  But then the people who owned that hell had viewed them as little more than animals. As commodities to be used and thrown away without second thought.

  “The guards have been disposed of,” Kenzie said.

  Luca stepped forward and leaned down until his face was even with the Bookkeeper’s. “Dolph will never lay a hand on anyone ever again—and neither will you.”

  There it was. The first sliver of fear in her dark eyes.

  She finally began to understand that she’d never leave the island.

  Amarante nodded. “Let’s get this one to the boat.” She pulled a blindfold out of her pocket and tied it around the other woman’s eyes, none too gently. Then Ryu picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. They left the same way they’d come in—through the passageways.

  It was only when they reached the door to the exterior, the one that would lead them to a deserted little path on the north side of the casino and down to a dock so small, it was barely worth noticing, that Luca stopped. Ryu and Kenzie moved into the night, carefully taking the stone steps down to the dock.

  Amarante stopped next to him. “You’re not coming?”

  “It’s not really my skillset, Te.” Torture wasn’t his forte. He’d been the beast in the pit, the animal they dragged out when they wanted something killed and they wanted it done messy. That wasn’t any use here. He wouldn’t be any use in the room they had set up for the Bookkeeper. In fact, he’d be a fucking liability, because now that the adrenaline had started to fade, the gnawing in his chest was back and worse.

  “No, it’s mine.” Her smile held no humor. “Do you know how delicious I find the irony that I’m using something they forced me to learn on one of their people?”

  “I can imagine.” They all had their issues. He hadn’t lied when he told Cami that. What he hadn’t told her was that Death hadn’t come by her name on the island.