by Ella Miles
This is life. This is everything. Enzo is me, and I’m him. I can no sooner remove him from my life than I can remove a leg from my body.
The agony on his face tells me he feels it too, and he’s terrified of losing it.
“You are so tight, baby. I’ve never felt anything like you. When I’m inside you, your entire body grabs onto me, refusing to ever let me go.”
“It’s because I don’t want to let you go.” Even if I have to.
His bottom lip twitches at the thought of letting me go. “I have to move.” His voice is strangled, like he’s been holding back.
“Don’t hold back,” I say.
“I can’t. Not with you. Hold on, I’m about to show you why we are meant to be together, forever.”
He thrusts—once.
And a wall comes crumbling down.
Fuck, this isn’t good. Yet, it’s so fucking good.
Another thrust. Pleasure washes over me in a wave of energy.
Another. And I’m his.
My hips buck back against his, and he plunges deeper, taking down walls, demons, ghosts, and pasts. And I know once this is over, we will start new. I don’t know where we will stand after this, but it will be a fresh start.
I don’t want any more lies.
I don’t want to hide any more truths.
I want to tell Enzo everything, because I realize in this moment, the only way to save my child is with Enzo’s help. All the bad happened because one of us was resisting our love. Right now, neither of us is. And it’s like everything aligns. My body, brain, and heart. They all realize what was missing—us both loving each other at the same time.
Fuck the consequences. We can figure out how to keep the rules of the empire and keep ourselves safe. We can love each other and still compete to be the ruler.
The baby…
Enzo will love the baby as he loves me, even if it’s not his.
God, everything is so messy.
But in this moment, it becomes clear.
“I want this moment to last forever, but fuck, you’re so tight, I can’t last,” Enzo says, ambushing my lips.
I know exactly how he feels, because it’s exactly how I feel.
I want to speak. To tell him this moment will last, even after we both come. I want this—us. I want to fuck him every night. I want to tell him I love him. I want to tell him about the baby that is his in every way that matters. I want to tell him everything Milo told me.
But I can’t speak. All I can do is make love to Enzo whether he realizes that is what we are doing or not.
The thrusting continues longer than either of us should be able to last. And when the shockwaves come, nothing can prepare either of us for the flood of delicious pleasure.
The feeling pounds into us—hard and deep. We are flooded with love and tingling nerves as I come hard around his dick, and he explodes into the depths of my pussy.
I still can’t speak as Enzo pulls himself out of me. I can’t murmur a word as he cleans me off. I can’t produce a syllable as he curls his body around me.
“I love you, stingray. Nothing will ever change that,” Enzo breathes.
Forever passes until I can say the words. Enzo is snoring, so I know he won’t hear them, but I need to say them.
“I love you too.”
I RUN, my feet flying beneath me. In the end, I won’t be fast enough. Not to outrun them all. One of them will catch me. It doesn’t matter who. They are all the same darkness.
Justin and his crew are running, but they are the farthest behind. Threatening to finish the torture they started. This time the threats of rape won’t stop at threats; they will take me.
Enzo’s father is coming. Telling me his game will be the end of me. Saying I don’t know what’s coming, but the game will destroy me because only Enzo deserves to lead.
My own father chases me too. I’m not good enough to lead. He wants me to keep running, forever.
Milo is closest. He’s the one I’m most scared of. I can’t let him take away my love. I just got it back.
My arms feel heavy. It takes me a minute to realize why. I’m carrying a baby—a girl. Her hair is long, dark black like mine. Her eyes are blue-green like mine too. But her smile is all her father’s—intense, brooding, and lighting up my world all at the same time, just like Enzo’s.
The men are catching up to us. I have to run faster, harder. I won’t let them hurt my baby girl.
But I can’t carry her alone. I can’t keep her from the darkness. I’m not enough to keep her safe.
I stumble.
They are going to catch us.
They are going to hurt her.
No, run faster!
I will not stop. I will give everything to keep her safe.
Go, go, go!
There is a light in the distance. A man is waiting for me. He holds out his hand. I take it, and suddenly we are running faster.
The three of us.
My baby girl, Enzo, and me. Together we are enough.
I WAKE UP IN A SWEAT. The dream was so intense, and I don’t know if any of it means anything.
I grip my stomach. Am I having a girl?
Is Enzo the father?
Will the three of us be able to survive together?
Or will one of the ghosts that haunt us finally catch up to us?
I need to tell Enzo about my dream. About my feelings. The truth about everything.
I reach across the bed, expecting to find Enzo, but the bed is empty.
“Enzo?” I say into the dark room.
No response.
I throw the covers off me and find my shirt and boxer shorts on the floor. I put them on quickly, but I still feel naked.
I sigh, why can’t I even enjoy waking up in the morning with Enzo next to me?
I realize he probably had to go back to arrive in time for the stupid meeting at six AM. But why didn’t he wake me up?
Probably because I haven’t slept in a month, and he wanted to make sure I got good sleep. I can’t be mad at him for wanting to let me sleep when I’m exhausted.
But this feels like more than just letting me sleep. I have an unsettling feeling as I walk around the room searching for a note, a clue, anything that tells me where Enzo might be.
I can’t even find a bathroom door. My only choice is to head back out the door we entered through even though I know it only leads to a dark hallway and then out the back of the building.
I open the door and see a man standing there. “Enzo?”
The man turns—Langston.
“I’m sorry, Enzo had to go. Felix had news of an impending attack coming and needed to speak to Enzo immediately. Enzo sent me to protect you and keep you here until the attack is over, so you don’t get hurt,” Langston says.
“Wait…did you say Felix? As in the Felix that worked for Milo?”
Langston nods slowly.
“Fuck, we have to go,” I say, rushing past Langston.
Langston grabs my arm. “Hold on, where are you going?”
I pull my arm free. “We have to warn Enzo.”
“Warn him about what?”
“Felix.”
Langston frowns. “I thought Felix was an ally. He helped us get into Milo’s house.”
“He’s not an ally. He’s Milo’s brother. He’s Enzo’s half-brother. I don’t know what Felix is up to, but it’s not good. Enzo killed Felix’s half-brother, Pietro. Felix and Milo wanted revenge against Enzo. Felix isn’t here to warn Enzo of an attack; he is the attack.”
“Fuck.” Langston pulls out his phone. It rings, but no one answers.
No! Felix doesn’t get to take Enzo from me, not before I even got him back.
“We have to go,” I say.
“No, I have to go. You stay here. It’s safe here.”
I shake my head. “Not happening. I’m coming.”
“Kai, you should stay. The baby—”
“I love him, Langston. I’m coming.”
&n
bsp; Langston sighs, tosses me a pair of my jeans and sweatshirt from his backpack, hands me a gun, and then we are gone. I have no idea what we are about to face. Another danger to add to my growing list. My stomach clenches. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid. I can’t choose between my baby and Enzo. I have to choose my baby. But I need to warn Enzo first. Then I can run somewhere safe.
13
ENZO
I LEAVE KAI ALONE, naked in the bed with a large, stupid grin on my face. My goal is to get back to the yacht and back into bed before she wakes up. It’s early, only four in the morning, and Kai is sleeping hard, so it’s definitely a possibility.
I still hate leaving her. Especially after everything that happened last night. I finally feel like we connected. She never said she loved me, but she didn’t need to, I felt it.
We are finally both feeling the same thing for each other at the same time, and nothing is going to tear us apart. Not this time. This time we are going to go all the way, with rings, a white dress, and I do’s.
All the obstacles left in our way no longer matter. One of us will win the stupid game and produce an heir. If the crew doesn’t want one of us to lead because we don’t have a child, then fine. I don’t care about running an empire. All I care about is Kai.
When Langston told me Felix is here and wants to talk to me about potential threats, I got suspicious. Felix has helped me before, and we became something like friends when Milo held me captive, but it doesn’t mean I trust Felix. We aren’t close enough that he should be here offering his help to me now, not unless he wants something from me.
I pull up the security cameras as I drive over on the small boat to meet up with the yacht where Langston sent Felix to wait for me. Everything looks in order. Most of the men are asleep with just two awake on guard.
Felix is sitting on the main deck, sipping what looks like a beer as he flips through his phone.
Everything looks as it should be. But I’ve learned through doing this job long enough and growing up in this world that just because everything looks right, it doesn’t mean it is. And my gut is sending warning signals left and right that this feels wrong.
I should be in bed with Kai. I should be feeling so elated that I can’t imagine anything else except her. Instead, I’m freezing my ass off in the middle of the night, speeding away from the naked woman I love to meet a man who is most likely going to double-cross me.
Fuck my life.
Fuck it all. If I can find a way to get away from this world, I will. I want to spend the rest of my life fucking Kai in a bed. I don’t need money, or fancy cars, or big houses, or fighting to make me happy. Just her.
I slow the engine of my boat as I approach my yacht. All of the warning bells are going off in my head, but I pretend I don’t notice as I tie my boat off and climb the ladder up.
Click.
The familiar sound of a gun cocking behind me as soon as I step on deck tells me I was right about something being off. I should panic, I can feel the barrel of the gun against the base of my head. But the only thing I fear is losing Kai, nothing else compares. And if the man holding the gun wanted me dead, then I would be.
“What are you doing here, Felix?” I ask without moving.
“Taking what should have always belonged to me and my family.”
“Are we going to talk face to face like men, or are you going to shoot me in the back like a coward?”
He chuckles, but it isn’t a pleasant laugh. It's the kind from a tortured soul that no longer knows how to find joy anymore.
“Sit,” he says.
I walk forward and take a seat in one of the lounge chairs I’ve sat in dozens of times. Most men like doing business in an office. I prefer putting men in a different element, and watching them squirm, see how they react. Doing business on the top deck of my yacht doesn’t feel out of play, but unfortunately, Felix seems to have learned all the same tactics I have.
He takes a seat in the lounge chair opposite me, still gripping his gun, but it is no longer aimed at me. He picks up his beer with the other hand. His eyes nod toward the table next to me. There is a bottle of beer next to me.
I don’t drink beer often; it seems like such a boys drink. When I drink, I want the alcohol to hit my system fast and strong. I don’t waste calories on a drink that will take a dozen of to get me remotely drunk.
But this morning, I guess I’m drinking beer. I lift the bottle and take a swig.
“What do you want, Felix?”
“You always were the impatient one.” He takes another swig. “Don’t worry, we have all the time in the world. All of your team is currently tied up.”
My eyes widen, and my nostrils flare.
He smirks. “Go ahead, look on your cameras.”
I pull out my phone and pull up the security cameras again. This time, I see reality instead of what Felix wanted me to see. All of my team is tied up and handcuffed together in one of the bedrooms.
“Who came with you?” I ask.
“You think I need a team to take out yours? I was able to take out all dozen of your men without breaking a sweat.”
I underestimated Felix. I know that now. I don’t know what he’s up to. I don’t know why he helped me when I was Milo’s captive, but I know it wasn’t for my benefit.
“Who are you?”
Felix leans back with a smirk. “Ah, now you are asking the right question.”
I wait. This is all one big game to him, and I’m not sure how to play it yet. Thank god I didn’t wake Kai up. Langston is protecting her, and he won’t let her leave until I tell him it’s safe to bring her here.
“I’m Felix Black.”
I choke on the beer in my mouth.
Felix grins, like his entire life has been leading to this moment, and my reaction fell right into his plan. I’m usually good at keeping a poker face, but I’m not prepared for this.
“Or Felix Rinaldi, if you prefer. I think Black has a better ring to it. And since our father always went by Black, and you go by Black, that’s what me and my brothers have always gone by.”
Brothers.
I have brothers—plural.
I always knew my father was an evil bastard. He was never kind to my mother. He was the reason she died in the end. But I never knew he fathered other children.
I was raised as an only child. I was told I was the only option to follow in his footsteps and become Mr. Black, ruler of his empire. But I had brothers. There were other people in my family that could have carried some of the burden.
Instead, my father kept them a secret. But now that I examine Felix closer, I see the resemblance. The dark hair, tanned skin, crooked grin, dangerous eyes, tall, muscular body. I’m surprised I didn’t question it before.
“Your mother?” I ask.
“She thought he was the love of her life. But he was a wild man who traveled often. She never gave up hope that he would decide to give up his other life for her and her sons.” He shrugs. “She died when I was still a toddler.”
“Who else?” I ask, needing to know how many other half-brothers I have.
“Milo.”
Fuck, no.
My skin crawls at the thought of sharing DNA with that sick bastard. He raped the woman I love. Almost took her from me. But then I knew we shared some level of blood—shared a connection, a past. I just didn’t realize we shared a father. It makes me hate Milo more.
“But then you killed him, didn’t you?” Felix asks.
“No, I didn’t kill him. But he deserved to die.”
Felix raises an eyebrow. “That whore of a girlfriend of yours killed him?”
“Yes.”
Felix sighs. “Milo deserved to die. He was reckless and doing a horrible job leading the men our father left to us.”
“Father left you men? An empire?”
“Yes, it is nothing compared to what he left you. But he left us enough to get by.”
“My father left you and Milo money, men, a sma
ll empire?” repeating my question because I can’t believe my father just gave him something I had to spend my entire life earning.
“Yes, our father left the three of us enough to battle against you if you ever stepped out of line.”
“The three of you?”
“Oh, I didn’t mention our youngest brother, did I?” Felix’s eyes darken with a rage I’ve only ever seen on one other man—father. And I have no doubt now Felix is my brother.
I wait, because whatever Felix is about to say is going to hurt. I know it is.
“Pietro. You killed him. You met us all once before. We were teenagers. Our father told you to kill one of us to test you, and you did, without figuring out why.”
Fuck.
I remember it. I’ve killed countless people on my father’s behalf. None of them deserved to die. I learned to stop asking questions and just follow my father’s orders. I vowed when I took over, I would never be like that. I would never kill an innocent person. And I’ve lived up to that promise.
I can see the rage in Felix at me killing our youngest brother. It makes me realize why Milo hated me so much. It all makes sense now.
“Milo came to avenge our brother’s death. I’m not here to get revenge for my brother.”
“Then, why are you here?”
“I’m here to fulfill a promise I made to our father.”
I shake my head. “Haven’t you learned you should never do anything for our father? He was an evil fucker who deserved to die.”
“Maybe, but he was still blood. And I watched him build an empire that if you continue to rule, you will destroy. You aren’t strong enough to rule. You didn’t kill our brother because you saw in your heart how weak he was and knew it needed to be done, you only did it because our father told you to—that’s weakness.”
“I was weak, but not like that. I was weak because I didn’t stand up to our father and not kill an innocent boy.”
Felix shakes his head. “Father always knew you weren't strong enough. You never had the spine to do what needed to be done. It was the same with Pietro. Which is why he had you eliminate him. Father always liked Milo and me the best. But he felt since you were the oldest, and the son of that whore of a wife of his, you deserved the first shot at ruling. We’ve given you a shot. And all you’ve done is run the company into the ground. Your profits are dwindling. You no longer sell women. You only sell weapons to those you feel are worthy and will use the weapons for good. You spend half your time rehabbing women and protecting them from getting sold. And the rest of the time you spend fucking that bitch.”