by K. H. Kate
“Stand.”
He snaps the word like a command but I’m too tired to stand on my own. He has to reach for me to find my balance. I end up wrapping my arms around him, finding a familiar scent. Wine? I inhale hard, tucking it to my memory for now. I need to remember this when my head isn’t spinning out of control.
“So good.” He praises, almost surprised. “You didn’t crumble, didn’t even say a word.”
I don’t answer back. I don’t even react when he pushes a single hair over my ears softly before caressing my face.
“No need to pout, Barbie. We could have a civil conversation and all of this would have happened only in my head. But you dared to question my loyalty. One thing you should know, if I’ve promised you something, I’ll deliver it with my life.”
I think he meant to say more but there’s someone present at my back. Someone dangerous enough for Ace to dig his nails into my shoulder. I whimper but his attention is not on me.
“Ace Martinez.”
Despite his death grip, I maneuver myself to turn around and hell looks back at me. The man in front of us doesn’t look like the men around the manor. Is he an enemy? But Ace wouldn’t be so calm if he was, would he?
“I thought I told you to come later. Our plan changed.”
The man smirks, looking at me with curiosity. “Is that so? But you already signed the papers. You need to uphold your promise.”
The word has its effects. For once, it’s Ace that flinches. But when he says his next words it’s me who can’t get away from him fast enough. “I’ll find another girl to uphold the deal. This one is too disobedient.”
“She’s Nicki’s sister. Everyone knows that she’s out in the streets.” The more these two talk, the more disgusted I feel. “It’ll be the perfect alibi. And you know how the Outfits works. They are all about honor.”
“Anyone wants to tell me what this is about?” Ace can punish me later but I need to know what I’m getting into. If he wants to sell…Let’s hope you get rid of the bitch soon. Did Ace finally decide to listen? Does his promise mean nothing-
But I look at him and I know I’m wrong. His gaze is cold when he looks at me. That anger that almost looks like living breathing fire. “This is what I intended to discuss. I need information about Outfits and one of their clubs is hiring. I was thinking of sending you there but you are too angry for your own good. And now I have to find another one-”
“Send me.” I don’t know why I blurt out that. I don’t know what he wants me to do there. But the opportunity to find possible allies is too good to pass up. And he doesn’t even surprise me when he fingers a lock of my hair only to pull me toward him with a snarl.
“You have no idea what you are asking for.” He sounds insane as if wondering if I’d be that spiteful.
“I can be good.” I goad him, smiling. “I’ll do anything, remember?”
The other man in the room stayed silent the whole time but now he whistles, clearly amused for some reason. “Look at this, boss. If she can fool you, she can fool them.”
I don’t like how he words it, apparently, Ace doesn’t either when I suddenly find a sound close to snap before I see a gun near the man’s head. Ace doesn’t even blink when he delivers the words.
“If she ever fooled me…she knows the consequences.”
This is the moment they switch to their own language. Both of them talk fast, with brutal violence behind every word until the man leaves the hall and I’m the one standing with a miserable smile. So much for wearing a white gown again. The dress is dirty from staying so long on the floor, my stomach feels like caving again and Ace doesn’t even have the shame when he makes me follow to my room.
“It would have been so much better if only you listened to me, Barbie.” He whispers, kissing my head after making sure I was in bed. Is that makes him less guilty? That it was my fault he snapped? He turns to leave but my words make him stiffen to the spot.
“When all of this is over, you’ll have nothing left but nightmares.”
And I have every means to keep that promise.
CHAPTER 12
ACE
“You think getting her in was a good idea?”
Roman hardly ever questions my motives and that’s what I like about him. But for some reason, this scheme of mine has him worried. Not because he cares about her, I doubt he even understands that notion. It’s because I’ve done something completely unpredictable.
I’ve put my faith in a pawn.
And the even worse thing? She has survived my demons for a whole month. Without any more questions or words about trust. And fuck, I shouldn’t but I hate her for it. I want her obedient at the same time I want her to bite, hard.
“How do you even trust her after what Nicki did?”
“You know she’s done a good job.” And surprisingly she has, which still boggles my mind. “We have their coke supply, the money we lost from the last time, and here’s the fucking cake, we know every one of their whereabouts.”
He nods, still perplexed. “And you haven’t thought of her working for both sides? Not even once?”
When all of this is over, you’ll have nothing left but nightmares.
Those words might have been said in a moment of spite but those are the ones she holds closer. I can see it in her eyes when she thinks I am not looking at her. I can hear her whispers, craving for a loyalty she thinks she doesn’t have. As if I’m not fucking obsessed with the idea of giving her my trust. But I can never take that step, life has taught me with a fucking knife in the back that loyalty doesn’t exist without a price. Not really. That’s why there are others on payroll to watch her and report to me. It was a risky move on my part but I did told her what it means to play my game. If she even breathes the wrong way…I’ll know.
“I have taken care of everything, Roman,” I say, meaning to end the conversation. But my phone vibrates, alerting a message and when I see what it is, I’m surprised that I don’t throw the thing out of the window. Instead, I pocket it, my hands twitching to do something worse.
Like starting a war between the familia.
“Boss, you ok?” Roman asks, always being the silent observer. But this is one thing that I have to deal with alone. So smoothing down the anger I can already feel in my bones, I shoo away his concern with a grunt.
“It’s nothing personal.”
***
“What the fuck…is this!” I’m surprised that the phone doesn’t break the way I ram it into his desk. In the manor, I’ve held it together for everyone’s sake but here, I can’t argue that my eyes are wide in fear.
Ares shares the same emotion, the only difference is he’s far better at masking it than me. “It’s a photo of our brother in the den.”
The den. The name only brings out anger like a volcano.
“He wasn’t supposed to be in there.” Too closer to the Outfits territory. “Who took the photo anyway?”
“Vita sent me this with a warning. In return, I’ve sent her my card for her to spend as many as she wants. This will occupy her for a while but you and I both know who really took it.”
Dante, that fucker.
“He’s doing it again.” Ares sighs and only then I realize that he looks worse than normal. “Why can’t we do anything about him? How many fucking times he’s going to taunt us like this?”
I stare at the photo, so cleverly taken that only closest family members will be able to recognize the person in it. Spade, if I ever felt anything for something that would be my brothers. And he has suffered the most.
“It’s my fault. I should have never trusted Dante.” I inhale but instead of air, I end up smelling dirt, so potent as if it’s a part of my lung. The photo has opened a dam I thought I buried a long time ago. The lanky boy that has muscles now used to be so damn naive. And he trusted me, fuck, Spade trusted me but I failed him.
“It’s no one but Dante’s fault,” Ares says, loud and clear. “That son of a bitch thinks having Padre
at his side gives him free rein on us. But it’s time we do something, hermano. I won’t be able to live if the history repeats again.”
“Neither will I.” But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Dante just doesn’t have rein on us, he knows every one of our weaknesses. And with me? He knows what I have done, every fucking thing, enough to send me to the Feds if he wants to. And if I’m taken, I’m afraid to think what will be left of my brothers or the La Eme.
Ares grits out. “Do you have any plan?”
“First thing in the morning, make sure there’s security around Spade. He may be able to tell if there are people shadowing him but it’s for his own good.” I stroke my chin, thinking of a thousand ways I can kill Dante. “And be careful with Vita, she’s becoming too much of a nuisance.”
“I have think of killing her, you know? So many times.”
The admission shouldn’t come out as a shock yet I can’t stop twitching. We all grew up together, and Vita may not be blood but she had our back many times. Even when she didn’t have to. But nowadays she’s a fucking stranger, especially in front of Ares.
“Dante will kill you.” That’s the only thing I can mutter.
“She’ll rise from hell to kill me.” He jokes but if I know Vita she may as well will. The humor deflects in a minute. “I couldn’t do it. Every time I remember what our life in Padre’s manor used to be and I hate her a little less.”
“Then don’t provoke her. In fact, I think I have a plan, I need some contacts in the cartel.” I say, changing the subject. Two times I have tried and maybe I will never be able to beat Dante but I know people who will.
Ares looks at me, a cold smile already forming there. We don’t need words, we both know what needs to be done. Now if only trouble didn’t come in the form of a certain someone. Picking the call up, at first, it’s hard to believe it myself. But she’s cunning, I’ll give her that. One month of deceiving me and she has already gotten tired of that.
But this is my Kingdom.
And a failure deserves nothing but an execution.
CHAPTER 13
RAINE
Wake up.
Eat.
Do security checks.
Fraternize with the enemy for a couple of hours.
Getting checked over again.
Sleep.
In a broad scheme, life is far better than what I thought it will be when I willingly decided to play with the fire. But jokes on me though. He doesn’t give me the chance to rip him apart. In fact, he acts like I don’t even exist. As if everything that happened after I was taken here is just in my head.
My bruised throat. The burn in my knees. The fire on my lips.
Everything is just a cruel dream fabricated by a broken mind.
But then I hear the buzz around me and everything comes back at once. Nick’s betrayal, the price I paid for him.
“Don’t just stare at your customer.” The girl behind me spits out. “Creeps don’t get tips.”
My hands immediately go to clutch Nick's necklace for comfort but lately, I seem to forget about its existence. Is this me moving on from him? Gulping down the familiar feeling, I turn to make the drinks. But it’s not enough to satisfy her. I have to reach for the tray, masking my irritation. And when I walk toward my customers it’s not bravery I feel, its foolishness perhaps?
“What do you mean by he got through!?”
Words flow easily here, they don’t even care that we hear them loud and clear. To them, we are hardly human, we are just objects to be passed around. But today one voice snipes louder than the other.
“Keep your voice down, Lorey! Even the wall has ears.”
I bring the tray down quietly, watching the two interact. Even if I just want to run, I don’t have a choice. You are the eyes and ears, Ms. Taylor, Lou’s voice is in my head. Every words you hear in that club is important. Apparently, it’s so important for his boss that he couldn’t tell me that himself, he had to use his loyal minion for that. Before my mind can run into phantom again, the first one scoffs, snatching one drink for himself.
“Warren, calm down. Everyone who works here hates that son of a bitch. Just because his whore of a mother is a Queen of some island, he thinks that he runs the world.”
Warren laughs but there’s no humor in them. “That bitch didn’t see him for years. Haven’t you hear the rumors? I heard she aimed a gun at his head once, should have finished him. Fuck it, should have finished them all.”
At first, I don’t get who they are talking about. It’s not any of my business. Besides if I linger too much, their attention would soon be more on me than their drinks. And when that happens…
Gritting my teeth doesn’t erase the memory. A hand creeping into my skirt, my mind getting blank, people fighting-I try to shut it off but all I end up doing is digging my nails into my wrist. I think I haven’t just deceived the devil, I have started to deceive myself. If I don’t think too much, it didn’t happen.
“What’s your name, darling?” I freeze, God, it’s already too late to run…
“Raine,” I answer Warren with a bitter smile. Ace didn’t even give me a fake identity despite promising safety. I’m Raine, the sister who was left behind for retribution. And even this man knows it as his eyes narrow in concentration.
“I’ve heard about you, little girl,” Warren adds. God, how I hate that term, little girl as if I don’t know what I am doing. “What are you doing in this territory?”
He doesn’t say it aloud. But I know the right answer.
“My brother betrayed them…they didn’t want me anymore. I had no choice.” I mutter the same lies and it should take his attention away from me. But it doesn’t. I don’t like the way he looks at me when he smiles, slurring words that no one should ever hear.
“I never had a woman from La Eme. You are pretty.”
My heart just doesn’t stop, it explodes. It’s one thing to getting pats on the ass once in a while, I can burn those memories in hot water back at the manor. But this? I don’t register dropping the whole bottle on his lap, I don’t even register when he grabs my hair making me scream.
“Bitch, you ruined my suit.” He sneers, tightening his hold. We are gathering a crowd, I realize but no one will come to save me. I know it. But that doesn’t stop me from trying to shout. Loud, fearful ones.
“Let go! Now!”
I count to ten but I’m still there, Him glowering down and Lorey helping him. My mouth opens but nothing comes out, I have tired myself out by shouting. I try again when I hear another voice.
“What the fuck is going on?” It’s the girl who sent me here. She looks scary at normal days but now she looks like she’s about to snap.
“This whore dropped the -” Before Warren can finish, something happens. I don’t know what but one minute he’s talking and the next someone separates me from him with so much strength that I lost my balance and boom!
My head feels like it has split open. And when my hands rise to touch the skin, it comes out red. I hear more shouts, more violence until someone shakes me with an urgency.
“Stand up!”
It’s the girl. Ignoring her, my gaze finds the commotion where a buff guy is dragging those two from the club. Curses are thrown around but something else rings, louder than the ringing in my head.
“Fuck Ace and his Kingdom. We will burn it to the ground. You need our help, you can’t throw us away!”
“Don’t listen to them.” The girl chides me, her eyes too wide. With fear? No, I realize she’s just angry that I lost her two customers. Laughter bubbles up to my throat but I end up rambling. Meaningless words that I haven’t told anyone. Like how this isn’t the first time, how one time someone offered better tips if I sucked them off under the table, how one inhale of coke would have made everything easier.
Breathing, pretending, playing…
She stares at me in naked shock. This is the first time I have said more than five words to her. But I don’t find any victory in
spilling the naughty secrets that I have hidden in the deep part of my mind. Maybe all along she wasn’t the one I wanted to snarl at, spitting those words as if they meant anything to anyone.
I don’t know what possesses me to try walking, almost swaying on my feet. To not look back to the scrutiny of her gaze. Fuck him and his Kingdom. Tap, tap, tap. My heels sound louder than normal. I heard she aimed a gun at his head once.
I’m almost near the bar when my feet slip. But I don’t lose my balance cause there’s already someone to stop the unavoidable doom. I look up to thank them but it’s like I’m looking at a ghost.
Or a nightmare.
Hollow eyes stare back at me, amber, like the burning fire. Like mine. I think I gasp, pain like nothing hitting my chest too suddenly. Am I dreaming? But then again he’s always angry there, always looking for something to taunt me with. But this man in front of me looks too disgruntled to be angry.
To be real.
“Ni…” My lips can’t utter more than one syllable. I have to unclench my teeth to finish his name. “Nick?”
“Shhh.” He pleads, sighing. I think he wants to say something but then he pauses, looking me up and down with a frown. Oh, no. My head is filled with blotches of red, I can’t even see straight. I must have shocked him cause the next moment I blink-
He’s gone. And the longer I watch him leave, the harder it becomes to stay in one place. Because I know I am racing toward the door even before he disappears off my sight. I may even shout his name. But the only thing I find is dust.
And an angry devil waiting for my demise.