by Ella Miles
I gasp, not expecting that.
He laughs. “Now, who’s speechless?”
“You—you can’t marry me. I won’t do it.”
“You don’t have a choice, Princess. I know your father. If I marry you, he’ll have no choice but to honor it. Your traditions require it. You don’t do divorce. You’re required to remain a virgin until marriage. Your father was going to marry you off soon for an alliance, so that alliance will be with me.”
“My father will kill you for this.”
“He won’t.” Ares rubs a strand of my hair between his fingers like he already owns me.
“I’ll never marry you.”
“You will. In fact, your father will ensure it after I tell him about how you ran away, seduced me, and then fucked me. He’ll welcome me with open arms after he realizes that I’m willing to marry his whore of a daughter.”
“He’ll never believe you.”
“Oh? When did your father become a feminist? He always believes men over women, but you already know that. It’s why you ran away.”
My eyes flicker around the hungry eyes in the room on no longer panicked faces. They think Ares’s plan will work. He’s going to rape me and then convince the head of the Corsi Crime Family that I begged for it—that I wanted it.
I close my eyes, trying to find a way out, a way to save myself, but I don’t see a way out. I pray to god to send a hero.
When I open my eyes a few seconds later, Beckett is standing at the top of the stairs.
5
Beckett
Rialta Corsi is a pain in my ass.
I knew it the second she interrupted my wedding. But it became even more true the second Langston called me to tell me who Ri was—a mafia princess.
I had just started walking back to the hotel when he called. I stopped dead in my tracks.
Ri wasn’t a nobody like she claimed. She’s a freaking mafia princess. No, she is THE MAFIA PRINCESS! The Corsi Crime Family rules this city, state, and half the goddamn country. You don’t run a criminal organization without the Corsi’s taking their cut. Their leader is one of the most feared men I’ve ever heard of. You don’t cross him.
Langston was able to locate her being pulled into a van via a street security camera. From there, he followed the van to the Phantom Brotherhood’s club.
Now here I am, standing in their lair, so I can rescue the princess and return her to the king before he thinks I had something to do with her disappearance and kills my entire family as vengeance. I made sure that Odette’s medicine had been sent to her room, along with the fanciest bottle of champagne they had as an apology for spending more of our wedding night away from her. Even though I’m doing this to protect her, I know I’m going to be spending the rest of my night making up for failing her tonight.
Ri is standing in the center of the room, with her arms tied together behind her back, blood still dripping down her side. She doesn’t seem to have any new injuries, thank god, although I’m going to have a hard time not killing her myself when we get out of this mess.
“Aw, Beckett, what brings you here? Sick of Odette already?” Ares says.
I want to defend my marriage, my wife, my life, but I’m not sure if that is the way to get through to these men, so I stay silent. Don’t show your cards until you have to.
I’ve never met Ares before, but I was sent here by my former employer to kill him the day I met Odette. He was selling women, and I was supposed to stop him. The irony of my situation doesn’t slip my mind. I thought I was saving Odette by getting out of my criminal past. If I had stayed until I finished my last job, then I might not be in this situation, and she wouldn’t be in danger.
It doesn’t shock me that he recognizes me. People seem to talk about men who only have one arm. I’m noticeable.
Ares is dangerous, but I know I can better him. I just have to be smart about it. I’m outnumbered. My reinforcements are hundreds of miles away. As much as I’d like to kill every man in this room, I know my limits. I won’t win that fight.
So instead, I answer, “Maybe I am.”
“Your reputation precedes you; I always knew you were a womanizer. I knew you’d never settle down with just one bitch. You come here to borrow one of mine for a night out? Or do you prefer to buy?” His eyes glisten with excitement. He doesn’t think I have it in me to purchase a woman. He’s right, of course, but I know the way to get what I want is to pretend I’m just as cruel as they are.
I chuckle. “I’d love to peruse your catalog, but I came here for one specific woman.” My eyes linger on Rialta.
“Oh, how rude of me.” Ares walks over to Ri, grabs her bicep, and jerks her forward, so she’s no longer guarded on either side by his men. “I didn’t introduce you to Rialta Corsi, my fiancée.”
I don’t react externally, but inside I’m fuming. Not because I give a shit about who Ri marries, but because he’s going to make this infinitely harder than it needs to be.
“For the last time, I’m not your fiancée. I’d rather die than marry you.” Ri tries to wiggle out of his grasp, but his nails just dig into her skin through her shirt.
“It doesn’t seem like you have a fiancée, Ares,” I say.
Ri smiles.
Ares scoffs.
I quickly assess the situation and come up with a plan. “I know you think that by marrying Princess here that you’re gaining an alliance with Corsi, but you’re wrong.”
“I’m not. Princess is my ticket to all the power. It’s Corsi’s weakness. He’ll be forced to give me what I deserve.”
“Stop calling me ‘Princess,’ both of you,” Ri snaps.
We ignore her.
“Corsi won’t give you any power.”
“He will.”
I shake my head. “He won’t. Not after I show him a video of two members of the Phantom Brotherhood kidnapping Princess off the street.”
Ares’s jaw ticks. He knows I’ve got him. He can’t marry her and become a prince like he wants. Her father will rule their marriage invalid. That’s assuming Ares can get Ri to marry him without the rope and threats, something I doubt he’ll be able to accomplish.
Ri smirks, but her eyes study me cautiously. After our previous encounter, she knows I’m not on her side. If I’m here to rescue her, then it’s because I have an ulterior motive.
“What do you want?” Ares asks.
“The same thing as you.”
Ares chuckles. “No way. Your marriage tomorrow to Odette has been planned for too long. You won’t back out of that agreement for another, even if your agreement with Corsi would be more valuable than marrying a Monroe. You’re just going to give her back to Corsi, and even if you don’t give him the tape of my men, he’ll know I was involved. I’m a dead man if I give her to you. I won’t allow that.”
To protect Odette, we announced that our wedding would be tomorrow, not today. That’s why he thinks I haven’t married her yet. Although, I don’t understand his comment about my agreement with the Monroes. The Monroe family is a modest one. Odette is a school teacher; her father is an engineer; her brother is a loan officer. I would have nothing to gain by marrying into their family.
Ri studies me closely. She could fuck this up if she tells him the truth, that she was at my wedding today. She knows I got married.
“Give Princess to me, and I’ll ensure that Corsi doesn’t know it was you who kidnapped her.”
“You want her so you can marry her? So you can form an alliance with Corsi?”
Odette, forgive me. This is to save you.
“Yes. As you said, my alliance with the Corsi family is more lucrative than my alliance with the Monroe family.”
“I won’t marry you either, you asshole,” Ri says.
Ares slaps his hand over her mouth. But from the muttered curse under his breath, she must have sunk her teeth into his hand.
My lips twinge upward. She’s feisty. She’s going to need that to survive in this world, but it’s why I wa
nt out. Odette is kind, not feisty. Odette is strong but not fierce. Odette doesn’t have a savage bone in her body like Ri does. It’s the difference between being born into a loving family and being born into a vicious one.
“You want Princess. I want an alliance and a promotion in my status. When you marry Princess, you’ll cement your place as a prince in the Corsi bloodline. You’ll tie the Black Empire to the Corsi family. I’m assuming your plan was to bring the Retribution Kings along with you instead of snubbing them completely. I want that alliance.
“The Retribution Kings might think they have a monopoly on weapons sales in this town. I want that contract with the Corsi’s instead. It will be the three of us, the Corsi family, the Black Empire, and the Phantom Brotherhood. All connected. All feared. All equally powerful.”
I have no idea who the Retribution Kings are. And as far as the Black Empire goes, I’ve already left. Sure, they’re my family, and I can always count on them, but I got out of that life. The only thing I want from Corsi is a promise he won’t come after me or my wife.
“You give me Princess, and I’ll ensure that when I marry her, the Phantom Brotherhood is looked fondly upon.”
I’m not a king like Ares or Corsi. I have no power to approve an alliance between the Black Empire and the Phantom Brotherhood; only Kai Black can do that. And I have no intention of trying to get Corsi and the Phantom Brotherhood into some sort of agreement either.
But the benefit of not being a king is that I don’t have to be a man of my word. I have no one but my wife relying on me. Once I get Ri, I’ll ensure her safe return to Corsi, and I’ll tell him exactly what the Phantom Brotherhood did. Corsi will annihilate them, and I’ll be able to return to my happy life.
“Done,” Ares says.
I step forward to grab Ri and get us the hell out of here. I have a lot of groveling to do with Odette to make up for abandoning her on our wedding night.
I grab Ri’s other arm, gently pulling her, but Ares doesn’t relinquish his grasp on her.
“If you betray our agreement, I’ll take the thing you love most from you. And you’ll ensure that no one works with the Black Empire again. You’ll make enemies not just from me but from everyone we are connected to. You may think that the Phantom Brotherhood rarely speaks, but your betrayal we will spread like wildfire.”
That’s why I’m going to ensure that Corsi kills you all before you can say a word to anyone.
I pull on Ri again. She takes a step toward me, but Ares still doesn’t let go.
“One last thing.” Ares nods to a man behind him who has his phone out and presses record. “Prove that you aren’t loyal to Monroe. Prove that you are a soon-to-be Corsi prince.”
I don’t flinch. I would want the same if I was in his position.
Odette, I know what I’m about to do is fucking unforgivable, but I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.
And then I kiss Princess.
6
Ri
Watching these two fuckers argue about who is going to get to marry me pisses me off. I’m not property they can sell or control! If I marry anyone, I’m the one who gets to decide who that is, not these monsters. I would never marry either of them—over my dead body and all that. One kidnapped me, and the other is already fucking married! These would be some of the last men on earth I’d ever marry.
I see a phone being lifted to record Beckett one second before his lips land on mine.
It’s like the wind gets knocked out of my body as he devours my mouth. It’s so unexpected, so wrong, controlling, manipulative.
He’s a cheater.
He’s doing it to save you.
No, there is something in it for him too.
I expect a quick peck that will be over within seconds, but this kiss isn’t that. This kiss is full of possession—something I hate. I’m not an object.
But damn this kiss—it brings me back to life in a way I didn’t know a kiss could. Beckett’s lips start pressed against mine, our mouths closed, our breaths even.
And then his tongue is at my seam, demanding I open for him. At first, I refuse on principle. I won’t do anything he demands, only if he asks nicely.
His hand goes to my hip just below my gash and tugs me against his hard body. Our skin collides, and he feels like a fire raging against mine. I’ve never felt so hot; I’m burning for more of him.
My hands are still tied behind my back. As much as I want to pretend I’m in control, I’m not. Beckett has all the power here.
His hand slowly slides up my body, avoiding my wound, over the curve of my breast, and then he gropes me.
I should pull away. It’s completely inappropriate, but my body won’t allow me to. I’ll condemn him for his touch after we get out of here, but that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy this. My nipple hardens, begging for more. And I sizzle with a spark he lighted. If he were kissing me for any other reason than trying to get us both out of here alive, I’d be begging for more.
His tongue crashes between my lips, and this time I have no power left to deny him or myself.
I open my mouth and feel his wet tongue slide over mine. To anyone watching us, it might seem like I’m surrendering to him, but as his tongue slips over mine, I push back. He relents. Our tongues continue to dance, whispering empty promises to each other. Beckett’s promises something about saving me. I promise something about letting him go and not dragging him into my own danger. Neither of us are going to be able to keep our promises.
He bruises my lips with his kisses, taking out his aggravation on my lips. My twisted soul loves it.
When Beckett finally stops his kiss, we stare intently at each other. Neither of us understands what just happened. It was meant to be an act. Beckett kissed me to get us out of here.
Instead, that kiss shattered hearts and worlds.
Mine.
Beckett’s.
And Odette’s.
And a truth is whispered in my soul—he saved me. I thought my life was over. I thought I’d always be running until I eventually grew tired and ended my life to stop the pain. His kiss made me want to live again.
My swollen lips tingle for him to kiss me again. While Beckett’s eyes say how much he hates me for making him betray his wife.
His wife.
Beckett will never be mine. He’s married. He has a wife. He loves her, not me.
He kissed me to save me. And, I’m guessing, to save her.
Ares laughs. “Maybe you are really more power-hungry than I thought. But I’m not sure a heavy make-out session is enough.”
Beckett jerks me to his body, until my ass is pushed up against his groin, and his arm crosses in front of my breasts. “She’s mine. I’m done sharing her with any of you.”
Ares pouts. “What? We can’t even get a peek at the goods?”
“Fuck off. Princess. Is. Mine.”
Don’t believe those words. They are lies. He belongs to Odette, not me.
My ovaries don’t get the message, though, because they are now exploding with thoughts of being Beckett’s and producing little baby Becketts.
Ares’s hungry eyes go up and down my body. Beckett’s hold tightens on me, and a low growl escapes his throat.
“You have one week to prove it. Marry her, arrange the new alliances. If you don’t honor our agreement by then, Princess becomes fair game, and I’ll be taking everyone you love from you.”
Beckett doesn’t answer; he just silently yanks me away from Ares, then down the stairs and back to the nightclub. I struggle to keep up with how fast he’s moving through the club. I want to tell him to untie me, but I know he won’t. He may have just saved me from Ares, but that doesn’t make Beckett my hero. He took me to some end. And he won’t untie me until he trades me away.
We step out of the club, and I can finally breathe again.
Beckett pulls a knife from his pocket, holds the blade in his mouth, and grabs my wrists, yanking my wrists toward him.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?
I frown. Okay, then. Don’t ask stupid questions. Got it.
A few seconds later, the rope falls free of my wrists.
I pull my arms in front of my body. I grimace at how sore my shoulders feel from having my arms tied behind my back for so long. There are red bumps and superficial angry-looking cuts where the rope once sat.
Beckett wipes my blood off his hands on his pants and starts walking without a word.
For a second, I consider running again. But look where that got me.
Instead, I run the couple of feet to catch up to Beckett before falling in step next to him.
I open and close my mouth several times, trying to figure out what question to ask.
Why did you come back?
Why did you kiss me?
Why did you say you were going to marry me?
Are you going to return me to my father?
I don’t ask any of them, though. Usually, I’m a chatterbox; my mouth is always getting me into trouble. But after that kiss, I’m on edge. I don’t know how I feel or what to think.
“Thank you,” Beckett says.
“Huh?”
“You should start with a thank you for saving your life.”
“Uh…thank you?”
He shakes his head. “Are you asking it or saying it?”
“Saying it. Thank you for saving my life. I have no idea why you did it. Or what is going to happen next, but thank you.”
A vein in his neck pops. I can see the rage burning just under the surface of his skin, threatening to explode. I don’t know how he keeps it contained.
As we walk back to his hotel, Beckett takes out his phone and texts someone before pocketing it again. We walk in silence the rest of the way.
I know I should run again and form some sort of plan. Beckett is a dangerous man. I don’t trust him. But he just saved my life, and I’m too curious to know more about him to run.
We step into the hotel lobby, and I’m still not sure what Beckett is going to do. I doubt he’s going to take me upstairs to his honeymoon suite and introduce me to his wife. My unspoken question is answered immediately when a blonde god starts walking toward us.