by Kate Stewart
The car was uncomfortably silent as we stared at one another. My face was hidden by a mask I had yet to see, and now, so was he. Suddenly, Angel’s door was opened, breaking our moment. He took my hand and helped me from the car. Nervously, I glanced around. The circular driveway was full as women in gowns and men in tux’s poured from their limos and made their way inside.
Light shone from the white terra-cotta home through the spacious windows while music I didn’t recognize, and hoped I didn’t have to dance to, played through the open doorways.
Suddenly, the unexplained meaning of my presence here turned my legs to jelly. Prisoners didn’t go to balls. Angel said I was the final act. What had he meant?
“Don’t be scared, girl.”
I turned to Lucas who grinned down at me. “Why would I be scared?” I was totally scared.
“Because you stopped walking and gave Angel no choice but to stop, too, or drag you.” Angel’s expression was curious as he stared down at me. I lifted my chin and walked ahead while ignoring the stares. It was then I noticed that no one else wore masks. Not even Lucas.
I was stopped from entering when we reached one of the three entryways and was asked my name. “She’s with me,” Angel answered. The man must not have noticed him standing just behind me. He sputtered to correct himself and lifted the red velvet rope.
Angel’s hand fell on the small of my back. I couldn’t feel anything else but the place where his hand and my back met. As he led me through the grand foyer and mingling guests, his thumb caressed me.
We eventually made it past the stairs and through another set of open doors into a ballroom. Guests danced under the chandeliers to the soft music. The ballroom floor looked bigger than my entire apartment. There were people mingling on the sidelines with drinks in their hands as they talked and laughed. A stunning blonde in blue gossamer caught Lucas’s attention. He broke off to pull her onto the dance floor.
“Where’s Z?” I’d only just noticed a member of their trio had been missing.
Angel selected a champagne flute from a passing waiter and handed it to me. “Why?” His gaze was steady as he ignored the guests around us and waited for my answer. I shrugged after noticing how tense he became. “He’ll be joining us later.”
“Why am I here?”
“I told you.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re going to get.” He nodded to the untouched glass in my hand. “Drink.”
“Why should I?” I didn’t feel right enjoying a party with the man who held my son’s life and mine in his control.
“Because it could be your last.” He watched me from behind his mask. I didn’t get the feeling he was playing a game, so I tipped the glass back and let the cool liquid caress my tongue and throat.
Suddenly, a man with thick white hair and beard appeared at Angel’s side and clapped him on the back. “Nice of you to join us, son.”
“I had last-minute business to attend,” he answered back without warmth, and I wondered how he knew him.
“You’re the guest of honor. It doesn’t do well to be late to your own party.”
This was a party for Angel?
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Rather than answer, the man’s gaze slid to me, and suddenly, I felt like I was under a microscope. “Hello, Mian.”
I was taken aback. “You know who I am?”
“Of course, my dear. You caused quite an upheaval for my family. Not to mention, your father killed my son.” He spoke dispassionately—and that scared me more than if he had yelled. Alon Knight’s eyes were blank and without feeling. I searched for the right response, but really, what was one to say at a party when the host accused you of crimes you didn’t commit?
Thankfully, Lucas saved me from responding. He sauntered into our circle with the blonde.
“Mr. Knight,” he respectfully greeted.
“Lucas…” Alon’s gaze coldly assessed the woman on his arm. “I see once again you do not hesitate at indulging in all the party has to offer.”
“You know me. I never miss an opportunity to spend the night between a beautiful pair of legs.”
“It’s good my grandson does not share your sentiments.”
Lucas didn’t react, but I was willing to bet if he wasn’t Angel’s grandfather, and we weren’t standing in a room full of people, that he would have been a dead man. “Always a pleasure, Alon.”
Alon didn’t seem to appreciate either one of our presence, but Lucas was still my enemy so I didn’t want to laugh, but a smile snuck up on me anyway. I ducked my head, but when I lifted it again, Lucas caught my eyes. There was a twinkle in his as he winked.
“Mian, may I have this dance?”
He didn’t wait for me to deny him. He took my hand and guided me onto the dance floor away from Angel and Alon. When we reached the center of the room, he tugged me close and wrapped his arm around my waist.
I looked back in time to see Angel and Alon leaving the ballroom. “So I take it he’s not your favorite person?”
He snorted and twirled me before bringing me close again. “He’s a prick, girl. Stay away from him.”
My eyebrows shot for my hairline. “You’re warning me?”
His face settled into a blank mask, and we continued to dance. Suddenly, he pulled me even closer. His arm tightened until I gasped.
“Why are you doing this?”
I frowned. “I’m not doing anything. I haven’t done anything.
“Just tell him where the book is. No amount of money is worth your life, girl.”
“I don’t. Have. The book. I don’t even know what the book is.”
His face said he didn’t believe me as his eyes searched mine. He seemed to decide something and relaxed his arm.
“No shit?”
“Why is this book so important to him? What makes it a legacy?”
“Because it’s not just a book. It’s a contract.”
“A contract,” I repeated. “How’s that?”
“The book contains a record of every job, client, and contact since Alexander Knight.”
“The first Knight,” I guessed. He nodded. “Why would they keep something like that? It’s a criminal justice wet dream.”
“That’s one way of looking at it, but the book has been untouched by anyone who wasn’t the Knight for almost two-hundred years. Until you.”
“That still doesn’t tell me why his family would keep something so incriminating.”
“Because it’s power. It can start wars, break allegiances, and cripple empires. The entries will incriminate anyone who’s every laid in bed with a Knight.”
“It imprisons them.”
“Yeah, girl. It does.”
“But that includes you, doesn’t it?” He shrugged and moved his hand down to cup my ass. I didn’t welcome his touch, but I didn’t fight it either. He ran his lips down my neck until it reached my shoulder. “You’ll never be able to walk away.”
“I have no intentions of walking away. I owe Art my life.”
“But not Angel?”
He lifted his head and pinned me with his stare. “He’s my best friend. His father gave me a job when everyone else overlooked Z and me like trash. I’d die for him.”
“It doesn’t sound like friendship. It sounds like servitude to me.”
“I’m no one’s slave, girl. If I ever wanted to walk away, Angel couldn’t stop me, and I know for a fact that he wouldn’t try. That is why I’m loyal.”
We danced some more in silence and by the end of the third song, I’d had enough. “Where’s the bathroom?” I asked as an excuse to get away.
“I’ll escort you.”
“So I’m still in shackles,” I said as he guided me through the dancing crowd.
“Afraid so.” His hand didn’t leave the small of my back until we reached a quiet corner. There was a single door, and I assumed it led to a bathroom. “Sure you don’t need any help?”
“Don’t!” I screamed as they savagely beat him. I didn’t even see the third lunge for me until my scream was cut off by his hand covering my mouth. I fought him, which loosened my mask until it fell from my face. I stared at the black feathers detailed into the leather and realized I was staring at a replica of Angel’s. I was too stunned to fight and was dragged away. The last thing I saw before being pulled around a corner was Lucas sending the head of one of the attackers into the wall.
Chapter 39
ANGEL
The bad feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t go away. My grandfather insisted on talking to me in his office. I had been reluctant to let Mian out of my sight, but then reminded myself that my protection was not hers to have. She wasn’t leaving this party alive. I needed to remember that.
“What did you need to talk about?”
“I take it you have not recovered the book.”
“She’s not talking.”
“I see. And do you have any other leads?”
“Not even a crumble.”
“Then you’re prepared to do your duty tonight?”
“She’s not dressed in black because I like the color.”
He nodded and clapped me on the shoulder. “Good. Now I have a speech to give. Join me.”
I followed him back to the party, but as we passed the entrance, I noticed Z arguing with security. He had the man’s shirt in his fists and lifted him off the ground just as we passed. Z’s hair was standing on end like he’d tried to pull it from the roots. He even still wore his jeans and t-shirt.
When Z saw me approach, he shoved the guard away. Time was running out, so I cut to the chase. “Did you find something?”
“Where is she?” He looked around frantically, and his skin went pale.
“She’s with Lucas.” I caught the relief in his eyes as some of his color returned to his skin.
“What did you find?”
“She didn’t do it. She couldn’t have done it.”
“What—”
The music suddenly cut, plunging the party into silence, and stealing my attention.
Fuck. The speech.
“Later,” I said to Z and gestured for him to follow me. We made our way to the top of the stairs where my grandfather presided over his guests. I stood by his side like the dutiful grandson. Even though I was the Knight, I paid grandfather respect as my elder and was willing to let him take the lead when I didn’t need to.
“Many of you are Knights, and many of you are friends,” Grandfather began. “Nonetheless, we are all here to celebrate the year which marks two hundred years of prosperity. My grandson, as you know, has taken his rightful place as The Bandit and The Knight, but I am thankful to still be alive to deliver this speech…”
I drowned my grandfather out and searched the crowd for Mian and Lucas. I couldn’t see them anywhere even though everyone in attendance had gathered in the foyer and on the stairs for the speech.
That feeling in my stomach intensified, but the hairs on my skin stood up when I tuned into my grandfather’s next words.
“I hope even after my death, the next two hundred years are as successful as the first, and that responsibility starts with my grandson who recognizes that family,” his gaze met mine, “will always mean sacrifice.”
I heard the gunshot and recognized the satisfaction in my grandfather’s gaze.
I was already running by the time the screams started.
Chapter 40
MIAN
I stared at the hole in the man’s head while his face froze from death just before he dropped to the floor.
He tried to shoot me.
He would have shot me.
Lucas rushed forward and picked me up from the floor. I couldn’t believe he just saved me. “What just happened?”
“He was going to kill you, so I stopped him,” he answered gruffly. He looked down at me as he walked swiftly for the door of the room I’d been dragged into. “You got a problem with that?”
“Why did you save me?”
“It didn’t feel right to let you die.”
“It didn’t feel right?” He grunted his response. Lucas saving me didn’t make sense. The moment I looked into Alon’s eyes, I could feel my mother surrounding me. Her arms pulled me in as she welcomed me home.
I knew then that Angel planned my death that night.
Without Caylen, I might have accepted death, but I remembered Angel’s promise regarding my son’s fate. I couldn’t give up and leave him to his mercy. I’d hoped the bathroom would allow me time and space to plot an escape. But then Lucas was beaten, I was dragged away, and a gun was pointed at my head.
And then I was saved.
By Lucas.
He ran with me still in his arms. The closer we made it back to the party, the more vivid the screams became, and I realized they weren’t in my head. The gunshot must have frightened the guests, and I wondered if Alon would blame me for ruining his celebration.
Then again, those men had attacked Lucas, which meant the attack couldn’t have been Angel’s doing…
Without warning, I was roughly pulled from Lucas’s arms. I was wary of everyone, and so I fought even when I realized the arms I had been pulled into belonged to Angel. My gaze swept over his uncovered face. With the mask gone, his anger was palpable. But it was the fear I saw that made me stop fighting him.
What reason would Angel have to be afraid?
“Are you hurt?” he demanded. His voice was so hoarse and thick that if I wasn’t so in tune with him, I wouldn’t have understood him.
“You sent that man to kill me,” I accused. Even though I suspected Angel’s intention, a part of me had believed he would never actually go through with it. A part of me believed he was still the boy who made me fight my battles.
“No, Sprite. I didn’t.”
“Why should I believe you?” His heart was beating fast. I could feel it under my palm.
He ran his hand through my hair and rested his forehead on mine. “You just have to,” he whispered softly.
“What is going on here?” I unconsciously pulled Angel closer at the sound of Alon’s voice. Unfortunately, Angel chose to set me on my feet just before facing off with his grandfather. It didn’t escape my notice that he moved his body to block me from Alon’s view. I felt Lucas’s presence close in behind me. I didn’t notice Z until he moved to stand close by my side. I was completely surrounded by them.
What was happening?
“You went behind my back?” Angel spoke calmly, but I could hear the chill in his tone. Men also dressed in suits surrounded Alon with their guns pointed. There were too many of them for even Angel to outmatch.
“Of course, I did. I couldn’t trust you to pull the plug given your feelings for the girl.”
I stiffened. Angel didn’t have feelings for me. In the place where his heart should have been was an organ that only understood power and revenge.
“That wasn’t your call.” He didn’t bother to correct his grandfather regarding his feelings.
“It is my job to protect this family.”
“No, old man. I respect you because you are my grandfather, but I am the Knight. Your reign has ended.”
“And yours will too if you let this girl come between your senses of duty.”
“She didn’t do it,” he growled. I gasped and felt my fingers tremble against my lips.
“Ten minutes ago, you weren’t so sure.”
“Some information was recently brought to my attention. I’ll bring you up to speed, but regardless of what I decide, you will fall back in line.”
The authority in Angel’s tone caused the heat in my belly to spread to my legs. More words were exchanged, but I didn’t catch any of it.
; Angel believed me.
Did this mean he would finally let us go?
The bedroom door opening woke me from my sleep. Even with my newfound innocence, finding sleep hadn’t come easy. Maybe it was the strange house I was forced to sleep in or my near death experience. Angel had Lucas lock me in one of the many bedrooms while Angel, Z, and Alon disappeared to discuss my life. I remember being angry before I fell asleep. My fate would be decided in a meeting between men who should have never had that power.
“I know you’re awake.”
“And the award for the creepiest moment goes to…” I could feel him standing over me, so I sat up. My dress shifted and tangled around my legs as I moved.
“Almost dying hasn’t affected your mouth.” His gaze sexily dropped to my lips. I picked at the silk and tried to guess why he was here. When I couldn’t stand the silence anymore, I just asked.
“Why are you here?”
He sat on the side of the bed, and I noticed he was still dressed in his tux. He ran his fingers through his hair, and I wanted, at least once, to follow the tracks he made with my own fingers.
“Don’t you want to know what happened?” I was too busy staring at his stupid, gorgeous hair to notice he was staring.
“What happened?”
“Z saved your life.” His frown was troubled as he stared deep into my eyes. Did he not like the idea of not having a reason to kill me?
“Sorry to spoil your fun,” I mumbled. The look he gave me was impatient even though he had done nothing but assure me I would die. I cleared my throat when his stare became uncomfortable. “So what changed?”
“I never considered that I had been outsmarted.”
“I’m not following.”
“There’s a silent alarm that’s routed to Lucas, Z, or myself whenever triggered. You tripped that alarm the day you broke in.”
“And?”
“The alarm was disarmed and reactivated the day before you broke in.”