Promise Me Forever (Top Shelf Romance)

by Kate Stewart

  Angel opened the briefcase stealing everyone’s focus. Lying on top of the red felt was a small leather-bound book. The cover looked good to be two hundred years old, and then I remembered Lucas telling me the book had never been touched by anyone other than the Knight.

  Angel closed the briefcase and handed it to Z. The senator’s guard tightened his grip on my arm.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” the senator spoke, “but I took the liberty of eliminating a few entries.”

  Angel stilled, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath except Aaron and the senator. “Is that right?” The malevolence in Angel’s voice was scarier than the guns pointed at us.

  “Did you think I’d let you continue to keep this kind of evidence on me? Fortunately, there are those who can do what you do while maintaining discretion. You understand.”

  “You mean Victor? I’m not sure how well he can maintain anything while chopped up into tiny pieces.”

  The senator’s chuckle made me uneasy while Angel visibly bristled. “Victor was a pawn, and long outlived his usefulness, so I thank you for proactively taking care of the problem. I really don’t like getting my hands dirty.”

  If Victor wasn’t the mastermind behind stealing the book, then who was?

  “Who?” Angel’s growl made everyone tense.

  “You should know. Blood is thickest when filled with deceit.”

  Augustine cursed, ripped me from the guard’s grip, and pushed me behind him. The senator’s bodyguard moved to grab me, but Augustine used his gun against his temple to shove him back.

  The scuffle didn’t escape the senator’s notice. “If you’re not going to honor your end of the trade and deliver Miss Ross, I’m afraid this will end ugly.”

  “The deal wasn’t that you’d tamper with the book, Staten. You know the rules, and you know what happens when you break them.”

  “If anyone’s death is deserved, it’s yours, Knight.” The senator seemed to be waiting for something to happen as he looked to the shadows. After a long and tense moment, nothing happened, and when he spoke again, he sounded less in control. “Give me the girl and the child or you and your men die.”

  “Senator…” Angel’s voice was final. “It was very foolish for you to come here tonight.”

  “And why is that, son?”

  “Because you were never leaving alive.”

  The next moments were loud and fast just as Angel had warned. Lucas, Z, and Augustine were there shielding Caylen and me with their bodies as gunfire rained around us. I could hear the sound of men dying and bodies hitting the ground and running footsteps. Orders were shouted, and then I was being pulled until I was running on my own. Caylen fought and screamed in my arms. My heart was pounding, my lungs were burning, and my ears were ringing.

  The gunshots faded the further we ran, and I fought to keep up with Augustine’s long legs. We eventually came near the edge of the cemetery where he stopped, gun at the ready, and checked the shadows for any of the senator’s men. I thoroughly checked over Caylen who still fussed and fought me.

  “Is he okay?”

  I nodded and bit my lip. “Do you think they’re okay?” Angel, Lucas, and Z had stayed behind while I fled with Augustine. I didn’t know if I was truly worried for them or afraid the final barrier between the senator and me were dead in the dirt.

  “They can handle themselves,” he answered. “Come on.”

  I could see the beginning of concrete steps. The trees lining the edge of the cemetery were blocking my view of where the steps led. As we cleared the trees, my footsteps slowed, and I forgot to breathe. The towering mausoleum was a concrete building with an impenetrable-looking entrance. Fixed on both sides of the black painted door were seven-foot statues of Knights with swords drawn and their heads, covered with helmets, turned menacingly toward whoever dared visit. It wasn’t until we ascended the steps that I realized the swords were real and held up by a hook attached to the inside of the fists.

  “What is this place?”

  “The Knight crypt. It’s the final resting place for each Knight who served as the Bandit.”

  “Why are we here?”

  “There’s a tunnel inside that leads back to the estate.”

  “You mean we’re going in there?” I couldn’t help my girlish squeal. His smile, the first since this all started, was faint.

  “Yeah, we’re going in here.”

  “Isn’t it sacred?” I mocked.

  He snorted as he pulled a black iron key from his pocket and stuck it in the door. “I don’t know, and I don’t give a shit.” The sound of the lock turning made my heart skip.

  “What?” he questioned after he looked back and found me staring.

  “You aren’t as dutiful as Angel.”

  He shrugged, but the muscle working in his jaw told me my statement had a greater effect than he let on. “Maybe I don’t care to spend my life following another man’s rules.” His grunt as he pushed open the door punctuated his words.

  “So you are an heir.”

  “Somewhere down a long line,” he confirmed. He swiveled his head to face me. “Unless I kill Angel.”

  He held the door open, waiting for me to enter. There was nothing but darkness waiting and the unsettling implication that he might be the traitor the senator spoke of. “Are you the one who stole the book?”

  Augustine’s eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. “No.”

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “Because I’m the one keeping you alive right now. If any of the senator’s men slipped past Angel, they’ll be heading this way.”

  “I’m not going in there with you.” I was already backing away. Caylen whimpered against my chest. I could feel his tiny fingers gripping my shirt as he fought to get closer.

  “We don’t have time for this.” He let the door slam shut with a growl of impatience as he followed me down the stairs.

  “If not you, then who?”

  “We’d be here all night if I listed the people who’d gain from killing Angel.”

  “Which includes you.”

  “He doesn’t have anything I want,” he shot back.

  I could hear someone in the distance coming this way. Augustine must have heard it too because he stopped dead and turned his head toward the sound.

  “You might be telling the truth, and I’m sorry, but that’s a risk I can’t take.”

  I didn’t wait for him to react. I just turned and ran in the opposite direction at the same time the unmistakable sound of guns firing interrupted the silence. I chanced a look back to see Augustine diving for cover as he fought for his life.

  Running toward the forest, I disappeared into the night and hoped my son, and I made it out of this war alive.

  Chapter 21

  ANGEL

  WE TOOK DOWN all but three of the senator’s men while the senator himself and his son got away. Mian’s friend had taken a fatal bullet meant for Aaron when he used her as a human shield. He and his father wouldn’t make it off the property since my men were already blocking every exit, so I concentrated on chasing the men who had disappeared in the direction Augustine had fled with Mian and Caylen.

  Augustine should have made it to the tunnel by now, but it didn’t keep the fear out of my head that something could happen to them. Lucas and Z kept pace with me as we tore through the cemetery for the mausoleum. When the sound of gunshots reached us, I pumped my legs and arms faster. We reached the mausoleum and found Augustine fighting off two of the senator’s men. The third was slumped against the tree with a bullet in his jugular.

  Lucas and Z quickly took down the two men while I searched the area for signs of Mian and Caylen.

  “Thank fuck,” Augustine griped as he walked toward us. “I was running out of bullets.”

  “That’s because you’re a shitty shot,” Lucas joked.

  Augustine flipped him off and said, “What took you guys so long? Staten’s dead, right?”

  I ignore
d his question and growled, “Where is Mian?”

  He tensed and then expelled a harsh breath. “She took off that way.” He pointed toward the path that led to the north wall surrounding the cemetery. “She freaked out thinking I stole the book and was going to kill her, so she ran off.”

  “Fuck!” I didn’t wait around. I took off in the direction Augustine indicated. If the senator realized he couldn’t escape before my men got to him, he could be anywhere on the property by now. If Mian kept running this way, she’d reach the wall eventually, and if the senator found her first, she’d be cornered. It could already be too late.

  Desperation grew each minute that passed without finding them. I considered changing directions worried she might be lost or hurt when I heard a gut-wrenching scream followed by an infant’s loud cry.

  I ran in that direction, and for the first time, I prayed.

  The forest was too silent after what I’d heard, and I was afraid of what it could mean. I quelled the need to roar her name. If the senator had her, I didn’t want him to know I was coming. Taking him down would be safer for Mian and the baby if I caught him by surprise.

  My worry that I’d never find them had turned into full-fledged fear when I finally heard them. It was faint—the break of a twig, but it was enough. I kept my own footsteps careful as I closed in on their location. I saw them through the gap between two trees rooted closely together. They faced me, but their attention was on Mian laying at their feet. Caylen sat in the curve of her body whimpering with his fist in his mouth as he stared up nervously at his piece of shit father and grandfather.

  “Knight’s got to be hot on our heels by now, Father. We need to get out of here.”

  “No. We take care of them now and leave their bodies for him to find.”

  “Fine,” Aaron grumbled. He bent down to grab Caylen when I stepped from the shadows with my gun aimed at his head.

  “Touch him, and I’ll kill you slowly.” The calculated gleam in his eye was my warning, but I was still too late to react. He jerked Caylen from the ground and used him as a shield. I wanted to lower my gun, but I couldn’t risk a second of reaction time if I got a clear shot. When Caylen saw me, he cried out with arms reaching for me. He might as well have taken my heart in his hands and squeezed until it stopped beating. Since my focus had been stolen by him, I hadn’t noticed the Senator aiming his gun at my head.

  “Mr. Knight, this all could have gone very differently if you had kept your head.”

  Aaron smirked and said to his father, “I told you he was in love with her.”

  “Then dying together shouldn’t be a problem.”

  The next moment happened in slow motion. I saw my death in the senator’s eyes as he squeezed the trigger. He wasn’t quick enough, however, because the bullet that penetrated his shoulder before he could fire caused him to drop the gun. Mian stirred, grumbling as she regained consciousness.

  Aaron took off with Caylen, quickly disappearing into the forest. I was torn between pursuing Aaron and seeing to Mian when Augustine, Lucas, and Z appeared at my side. “Go,” Z urged. “We’ll take care of her.” His gaze hardened when he leered down at the senator clutching his shoulder. “And him.”

  “Take him to the new warehouse.” Our gazes met—his pleading, mine promising. “I want to take my time with him.”

  I didn’t wait around to listen as he begged for his life, but his pleas followed me into the forest as I chased after his son. I could hear Caylen crying and followed the sound until it suddenly stopped. The silence felt like death. With a curse, I pushed on not caring if Aaron could hear me coming or not.

  I found them in a clearing. Aaron’s back was to me, but I could see he was still holding the baby. Raising my gun, I kept my footsteps silent so I wouldn’t alert him. I was only two steps away when he said, “I know you’re there.”

  He turned then and rage boiled in my gut when I saw his hand covering Caylen’s nose and mouth. He was suffocating him. “Don’t take another step, Knight. This is none of your business. He’s my son.”

  “No, motherfucker.” I needed to hit him hard. “He’s mine.” My declaration did what I intended. Shock and confusion caused him to drop his hand from Caylen’s face.

  “That lying b—”

  I didn’t hesitate.

  I put a bullet in his head, cutting off his words, and dived to catch the baby before he could fall on top of him.

  Caylen was limp when I took him in my arms. I never felt this kind of terror. Not even in the moments after Mian tried to kill me. Terror had me dropping to my knees and laying him on the forest bed. Terror had me once again praying to a god who had long ago forsaken me.

  I did mouth to mouth, my control slipping with each breath I gave him.

  “Come on, Caylen.” I didn’t recognize my own voice. It shook until it broke, but I never stopped. I’d give him my last breath if that’s what it took. “Please. Breathe. Please. Please.” I couldn’t stop my tears—tears I never shed for my father, my mother, or grandfather—from dropping onto his ashen cheeks.

  I could hear the running footsteps of someone in the forest as I gave him mouth to mouth. It was only when they broke through the clearing that his chest finally began to rise and fall. My next breath shuddered out of me as I lifted him.

  “Caylen?” Mian’s terrified gasp as I stood nearly sent me to my knees again. She collided into me and screamed his name again. “Is he okay?” The baby’s eyes were still closed as she took him from me. “Oh, God. What did he do to you? What did he do?” She cuddled him into her body and whispered apologies over and over.

  There was a large bruise covering most of the right side of her face where they must have hit her. I was tempted to put another bullet in Aaron just because, but Mian and Caylen had been through enough trauma.

  “Angel,” Lucas called. I forced my gaze away from Mian and the baby and faced my brother. “What happened?”

  My gaze cut to Mian. She was now staring with hatred at Aaron’s dead body.

  Shaking my head at Lucas, I replied, “Later.”

  I was still pumped up on adrenaline and keeping my rage at bay as I forced myself to stand and watch while the doctor I kept in my pocket checked over Mian and Caylen. Augustine had hung back with the cleaners to clear the dead bodies from the cemetery while Lucas and Z took the senator somewhere no one would ever find him.

  “Good news,” Doc announced. “Your wife and son will be just fine, Angel.”

  I glared at Chapman for his assumption while he put away his stethoscope. When he cured Caylen in Chicago a couple of months ago, I never told him he was my son. In fact, I told him very little. I was wondering how he’d even known Mian and I were married until my gaze caught my ring on her finger. In the aftermath of all the drama, I’d forgotten that I made her wear it.

  “She’s going to need to apply a cold press on her face to help with the swelling and lots of rest. Your son’s lungs seem fine, but I’d really feel better if you brought him in at some point so I can be sure there aren’t lasting effects. With his young age and the trauma he experienced, you don’t want to leave his health up to chance.”

  I nodded while watching as Mian curved her body around Caylen’s sleeping body and stroked the baby hairs on his head. I wanted to join them on the bed and hold them both, but it didn’t seem like the right time to stake my claim. I was partly responsible for what could have been tonight. It was going to be hard to live with that.

  I forced my gaze away from them when Mian closed her eyes and shook the doctor’s hand. “I’ll show you out.”

  Chapter 22

  MIAN

  WAKING UP THE next morning without bursting into tears the moment my eyes opened was a challenge. I reached out, needing to feel the beat of my baby’s heartbeat underneath my palm, but found the spot where I’d left him warm but empty. Flipping onto my back, I sought out his crib and found Angel standing next to it. Through the rails, I could see his hand resting lightly on his che
st. His hand was so large, it covered Caylen’s entire chest, but something deep inside me knew what he was doing.

  He was checking his heartbeat.

  Our gazes connected in that next moment when my heart felt full and heat spread through my lower body.

  “Hi.” His voice was deeper from sleep, which told me he’d just woken himself.

  “Hi.” He looked away long enough to pull the blanket back around Caylen and then prowled back to the bed.

  Slipping underneath the sheets, he reached out for me and pulled me close. I needed his heat and his strength, so I went without a fight. I didn’t resist, either, when his lips found mine. It wasn’t driven by lust, but instead, the need to soothe.

  “How are you feeling?” he whispered after pulling away.

  I sucked in air, and then my body shuddered as I released it. “Aaron almost killed my son… didn’t he?”

  His gaze darkened with leftover rage. “Yes.”

  “He tried—” My voice cracked, causing my words to lodge in my throat. “He tried to suffocate him?”

  “Yes.” I could tell it was as hard for him to speak about it as it was for me to imagine. How was it possible to have made something as beautiful as Caylen with a monster like Aaron?

  “Caylen is his son,” I sobbed. “How could he hurt him?”

  “They may share the same blood, but Caylen is not his. He never was.”

  I cried then, but I didn’t cry for me. I cried for my baby who had a father he didn’t deserve.

  “You were right,” I forced through my sobs.

  “About what, Sprite?”

  “Caylen should have been yours.”

  Except for his grip tightening on my hip, he didn’t react. I began to worry that maybe he didn’t want my son after all, but then he unleashed every emotion he was feeling all once when he seized my lips again. This time, there was lust, need, and uncontrollable possession in his kiss. I took his tongue deep and ran my hands over his chest as he rolled on top of me. His weight was like a balm. I wrapped my legs around his waist when he pressed his hips against me. I almost cried out when he broke the kiss and lifted his shirt over his head. My mouth watered at the sight of his abs and chest.