Stolen by Truths

by Ella Miles

  I nod solemnly. To me, Surrender was a nightmare filled with memories of my father, but to them, it was their home. Their place of work, where they came to relax, and where they were safe.

  Liesel grabs my arm and pulls me away before I have a meltdown and cry in front of all these people who depend on me. She raises her eyebrow at me.

  “You do have a heart.”

  I glare at her.

  She smirks back and touches the scruff on my cheek. I know she still loves me. She probably always will. But any feelings I had for her beyond being my friend who I should protect, have long disappeared.

  “This can’t be just a mission to save Kai. This has to be about everyone. About destroying Milo, their enemy. About ensuring you are the leader of the Black empire. And about finding an heir who can take over for you when you are gone.”

  I nod slowly as I stare into her eyes. Liesel is right. “I don’t know how I can accomplish all that.”

  “Well, one—kill Milo. And two—find a new heir,” she says, but there is a mix of sadness and desperation in her voice. “Even if that means creating a new heir.”

  “Kai can’t have children, though.”

  She nods. “I know. And I’m truly heartbroken for her. She will never be able to become the leader. But she was never meant to be. You were born for this. Raised to be a fearless king. And a king always has to have an heir.”

  I shake my head. I don’t want to hear this. I refuse to have children with anyone who isn’t Kai. I must have other relatives somewhere who can have children and become my heirs. Or I can find a loophole in the rules. Kai may not be able to lead, but I can. I just have to win one more stupid game and find an heir who I can mold into a leader. Then all those people in the other room will be safe.

  “Does it make me a horrible leader if I still want to put Kai’s needs above theirs?” I ask.

  Liesel puts both her arms around my neck. “No, it makes you human. And as much as you want to put Kai’s needs first, I know you. You won’t hurt those people to protect Kai. You will find a way to protect all of them.”

  I nod.

  Langston comes into the small bedroom we’ve ducked inside of and sees Liesel’s arms around me.

  He frowns at us.

  “Yes?” I ask, stepping back, so Liesel’s hands fall to her side. If Langston thinks anything is happening between Liesel and me, he’s crazy.

  “I’ve gone over the security info Yolie provided and the information you told us about the guards. We have him outmanned, at least of what we can tell, but he still has the home advantage. We could barge in and get through the gates, but we would be exposed. We would lose a lot of our team. And I’m not sure we would win. As much as I don’t want to say this, it would be better if Kai found a way to give us an opportunity. A way in that didn’t expose us. A way to distract Milo and his men.”

  “So, we wait.”

  He nods solemnly. He doesn’t want to wait to get Kai back either. When I get her back, I’m going to wring her neck, and her ass is going to be so red she won’t be able to sit for a year for what she did. But I know why she did it. She knew I needed to be the one to lead my team. The only way we would be able to defeat Milo was with the help of my army. And they would only follow me. She hasn’t earned the title of king yet. In their eyes, I have.

  “It would be helpful if you could figure out who his number two is. We need to know who is in line to take over Milo’s position for when we kill Milo. We have to take out all of the leaders. Otherwise, even if Milo is gone, his number two could rebuild. He could gather our enemies against us, and we could still lose in the end.”

  “I know. But Milo was very tight-lipped about it. Even the guard I friended didn’t know.”

  Langston leaves and returns with a pen and paper. “Write down every name you remember, even if you don’t think they are in a leadership position. I will do as much research as I can on each name. And maybe if you write them down, it will become clearer. Maybe it will help you to connect a dot you didn’t realize.”

  I don’t know if it will help. But at least it will mean I’m doing something other than staring at a red dot all day.

  I’m ready, Kai, just tell me when. Give me an opening, or give me a reason to put everyone at risk.

  Everyone is ready to save her. To take down our enemy. And to take back our empire. But if I can’t figure out who the number two is, will it be enough to save Kai and protect my team?

  21

  Kai

  It’s been three weeks.

  Tortured doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. Not because I’m in any physical pain. In fact, I’ve never felt physically better as a prisoner before. But with each day that passes, my anxiety increases.

  I long to be with Enzo.

  But more importantly, I long for an ending. I want this to be over, whatever this is. I want to go head to head against Milo and determine a winner.

  My arm rests in a sling and has almost completely healed. I try to force myself to do some exercises with it every day to strengthen it.

  Felix brought me a splint for my leg, and it’s helped take the pain off my shin. He’s also brought me everything else I could possibly need—food, drink, books, even alcohol to help with my pain since he hasn’t been able to find me any pain medications.

  He’s one of two guards on rotation to watch over me, and I look forward to when it’s his turn on duty. He tells the best stories, listens to mine about Enzo, and ensures I’m taken care of. He’s grown into a friend over the last couple of weeks.

  I still get a weird feeling anytime he touches me, but I chalk it up to being trapped in this dungeon and not with him personally.

  Felix is sitting in his chair outside of my cell reading a book, while I relax on the mattress on the floor reading Fifty Shades of Grey. Felix said all women like the book, and I do, but reading about Christian and Ana just reminds me of my own broken heart. It also makes me horny as hell and miss Enzo even more than I usually do.

  Felix still has a few hours left in his shift, so I prepare myself to ask the same question I’ve asked him every day since I arrived. And I prepare myself for the same answer.

  “Any chance you want to let me out of this cell for a few minutes? I could really use some sunshine and fresh air.”

  Felix smiles at me, knowing I was going to ask the question. I ask it every day.

  It’s not that I need the fresh air, although that would be nice. Three weeks in a dark room is nothing compared to the six years I spent in a cage.

  The reason I ask is because I need to find a way for Enzo to get in. I need an excuse to explore. To see what Enzo saw when he was here. To find a way to distract Milo. I need a way for Enzo to get in.

  “Tell me why you really want out, and maybe I will let you,” he answers.

  I flip the page of my book even though I haven’t finished reading it. He knows. He knows why I want out. And if I tell him the truth, will he let me? Or will he tell Milo my plan?

  I have to decide right now whether I trust him or not. Enzo trusted him, at least according to Felix he did.

  But do I?

  He’s been nothing but kind to me. Brought me everything I have ever needed and more. He’s talked to me like a friend. And my gut has settled more around him each day. But I don’t fully trust him. There are only three men I would trust to save me—Enzo, Zeke, and Langston. I don’t even fully trust Liesel. And I don’t think I will ever let anyone else into that small circle of trust. I guess having a father who sold you will make you extra cautious.

  So this isn’t really about trust for me. It’s not about friendship either; I don’t need to be his friend.

  Can I use him?

  The worst that will happen is he will tell Milo, but Milo has already guessed Enzo is trying to figure out a way in to save me. So it doesn’t really matter if he finds out. And Felix just might help me.

  “I want out of here, so I can find Milo’s weakness. I need a wa
y out of here, or more accurately, I need a way for someone to get in undetected.”

  I wait.

  And wait.

  And wait.

  Felix doesn’t say anything right away. He just thinks about what he’s going to do with this information.

  “Finally,” he says.

  “What?”

  “Finally. I’ve been waiting for you to trust me for weeks. I hate Milo. My brother died working for him. I hate how he treats women. I want to bring him down. And I think you and Enzo are the only ones capable of doing that.”

  Felix gets up and unlocks the door to my cage.

  “Put your hand out,” he says as he reaches into his back pocket and produces handcuffs.

  I frown.

  “I’m sorry, but if anyone sees us, they need to see I still think of you as a prisoner and not a friend. These will help with that.”

  Reluctantly, I pull my arm out of the sling that has protected my shoulder all these weeks. It feels sore, but I stretch my shoulder and put my arms out.

  Then Felix attaches the handcuffs to my wrists. He’s careful to try and not touch my skin, but his fingertips brush my skin two times.

  I wince both times as the stings zip through my body.

  “Sorry,” he says, noticing my reaction.

  I smile weakly. “Don’t apologize, you are helping me.”

  He shrugs. “Going to attempt to. Follow me.”

  Felix walks out of the cage, and when I reach the door, I stand hesitantly staring at the floor. He chuckles at my reaction, “Afraid of a taste of freedom?”

  “No, it’s just hard to be free when you’ve been captive for so long. It’s hard to trust I can even do something as simple as walk out here, even though I have handcuffs and a guard.”

  He nods. “Trust me.”

  I nod. I’ll trust you as much as I can.

  I step out of the cell. I can do this. Milo isn’t right around the corner, ready to jump on me. I’m going to be okay.

  I follow Felix up the stairs slowly, my leg aching with each step. Finally, I reach the top, and Felix looks at me reluctantly.

  “I need to hold onto you. If anyone spots us, it would look weird if I wasn’t holding onto you or had a gun pointed at you. Your choice, I guess.”

  I would honestly prefer the gun, but a gun is riskier. A gun could accidentally go off.

  I nod and look down at my injured right arm. I’m already used to feeling pain there. That’s where he should touch me.

  He gently grabs hold of my arm and then, without giving me time to think about it, leads me through the house.

  I study everything as we walk, instead of focusing on the burning where he touches me.

  We pass several servants but not too many guards. And the guards we do pass just give Felix a curt nod. They don’t question what he’s doing with me above ground.

  We walk to the back of the house and don’t spot Milo, but it doesn’t stop my heart from racing. I try to keep my pulse as steady as I can, knowing the earrings will be sending my pulse rate to Enzo. And any increase will set him on edge.

  Wait, Enzo, just a little longer. Give me more time to figure out a safe way in.

  And then Felix stops and releases my arm, while he opens a bookshelf that leads to stairs.

  “Here, here is your way in or out,” Felix says.

  I look down at the long staircase. “I want to go down.”

  I don’t trust him at his word. It could be a trap; I need to know where it leads.

  He just nods and holds the door for me to descend.

  Slowly, I make my way down the stairs to what looks like a tunnel. “Does Milo know about this tunnel?”

  “Yes, but he thinks he’s the only one. He doesn’t tell his security team because he doesn’t trust anyone. He wants a way to escape if his team ever turns on him.”

  This is perfect.

  We walk the entire tunnel. It leads up to a hidden entrance in a secluded garden near town.

  When I feel the sun on me, I have the instinct to run. To get far away, but Milo would always be chasing us. And I’m not sure Felix would let me run anyway, it would be his ass on the line.

  But I get to feel the sun for a few seconds. I try to memorize anything of importance that could help Enzo find the entrance. I notice a coffee shop across the street and take in the name. And then we make the long journey back to my cell.

  Felix locks me back in my cell after removing my handcuffs. “How are you going to get the message to Enzo?”

  I smile. He doesn’t get to know that. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure Enzo gets the information.”

  Felix reluctantly leaves me alone. And then I send all that I can through the earrings about the tunnel, where it starts, where it leads. I tell them to prepare. Soon, I will get them a distraction that will allow for them to enter.

  Soon, this will all be over.

  Days get easier after Felix leads me to the tunnel. For once I have hope. Hope that my plan will work. Hope that Enzo will be able to save me. Hope that Enzo can become the leader he was destined to become. Hope that I will live long enough for him to love me back.

  “You want some fresh air?” Felix says, stretching as he gets up from his chair. “Because I’m really tired of sitting in a dark basement all day.”

  I smile, loving the idea of being to go outside again. “Is it safe? Won’t Milo find out?”

  “No, he isn’t here.”

  My grin shoots up to my eyes. “Let’s go, then.”

  I jump up off the mattress on the floor and head to the door. Felix laughs at me, as I bounce anxiously behind the door like a dog about to be let outside for the first time in days.

  He unlocks the door, and I stick out my wrists.

  “What are you doing?” he asks.

  “Waiting for you to handcuff me.”

  “No handcuffs.”

  I frown. “But what if Milo’s men see us?”

  “I’m one of Milo’s men, remember? I’ll just tell them I can easily overpower you, so I didn’t see the need, which is the truth.”

  “Lead the way. I’m tired of this dark cell,” I say.

  Felix walks out of the dungeon and up to the main house. The light shining in immediately warms me. I never thought I’d be begging for sunlight. I much prefer the dark, but the light fits my hopeful mood. Today is the day I’m going to find a way to distract Milo. Today is the day I will send the information to Enzo. And then soon, we will put our plan into action.

  The house seems empty, which is strange to me. The last time I was in the house, we ran into servants and guards. But this time, I don’t see anyone.

  “This way,” Felix says, cocking his head to the right.

  We walk down a long hallway, and Felix doesn’t try to hold my arm once. We don’t act like prisoner and guard. We act like two comfortable friends walking through the house.

  Felix leads me out onto the back deck, and I gasp from the view.

  “This is incredible,” I say, walking closer to the edge of the deck, needing to get as close as possible to take in the most gorgeous landscape I’ve ever seen. Somehow this single view has everything—bright colored flowers, dark and light shaded trees, rolling hills, a streaming river, an overflowing waterfall, and mountains in the distance.

  How could such an evil man live in such a beautiful place? How can the two worlds survive so close to each other?

  “This is why I can’t quit. This right here. Every day I consider quitting, and then I’m reminded I will have to give this up, and I stop,” Felix says.

  I stare at him, shocked at such an easy confession from him.

  He shrugs. “The money Milo pays might also come into play. And the fact that if I quit, he’d probably have me shot.”

  I smile. “Don’t let your job define your worth, Felix. Working for Milo doesn’t make you evil. It’s what’s in your heart and how you try to use your power.”

  There is a pause, then, “Thank y
ou, I needed that.”

  I look back at the view. “And I needed this. I needed a reminder; there is beauty in the darkest of places.”

  Felix’s phone buzzes, and he pulls it out of his pocket.

  “I need to take this. Don’t run off,” he says, stepping back inside, leaving me alone outside. But I know I’m not alone. There are cameras. There are guards. There are men all in this house who would be willing to hurt me if I took a step off this deck.

  I take a deep breath of the fresh air trying to take everything in. There is so much to the world I have yet to see—so much good. Instead of experiencing it, I’ve been trapped in a world of torture and pain. This is what I want. A life where I seek out the beauty and bring light to those who can’t see past the dark.

  I decide to tap out a quick message for Enzo—I’m safe. And this view is fucking incredible.

  When my hand drops, I feel more connected than I have since stepping foot here. My body is healing nicely. And Enzo is ready to attack and has an undetectable entrance. I just need a way to keep Milo distracted long enough to not sound the alarm until Enzo has all the team in place. I don’t know how many people will fight on our side, but I know it’s more than Enzo thinks will come. More people believe in Enzo than just me.

  I lean against the railing while I wait for Felix to return. I know I should only focus on one problem at a time. We need to kill Milo. He’s too dangerous to us to stay alive. And then, when the dust settles, we can figure out how to finish the contract between our families to decide who should rule. We have one, possibly two more games to play. I would happily concede the games to Enzo, so he can win.

  But the only way either of us can become the leader we have fought so hard to be is if we have an heir. If I kill Enzo’s heir, then what do we have left? I can’t have a child. And Enzo has no family left. He will have to have a child, and it can’t be with me.

  I hear the sliding door open behind me, but I don’t turn around. Felix will talk to me when he’s ready, and I want to enjoy my last few moments of peacefully staring out at the view.

  A cold chill brushes through me, and I shiver. I don’t shy away from the cold like most people; I welcome it in. But this is more than just cold wind rushing through me. It’s more like a dark cloud descending over me, and bringing with it thunder, lightning, and a storm I won’t be able to fight.