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I say nothing, following his lead and greeting our guests with a handshake once the butler opens the door, inviting them in. The four strangers follow us to the sitting room for drinks before dinner is officially served.
In the room, I stand behind my boss for the evening, keeping a watchful eye on the three other men in the room. They speak in hushed tones and whispers of business they don’t find me to be privy to. My boss gives me a nod, locking eyes as if he’s implying this is my first chance.
“Chris, pour me a whisky. Anyone else?” He asks the other gentleman.
“I don’t know about these two here, but I, for one, enjoy a nice bold whisky with my dinner. Better yet, make mine a double.” My mark says to me.
He’s completely unsuspecting. “You heard the man make his a double,” my boss snaps his fingers at me.
I make my way to the liquor cabinet, taking care to prepare the glasses. I look over my shoulder before I pour the liquid into the glasses. No one is watching me. They are all huddled over one another, whispering about affairs not meant for my ears. I reach in my pocket, taking care to unscrew the cap and pouring all the contents into the waiting glass. I place them on a tray before returning with the drinks silently. Inside my chest, my heart hammers away nervously. Are we really going to get away with this or will we be forced to fight?
Chapter twenty-one
WhythefuckamI like this? I’m lying awake with the guilt absolutely eating away at me as I plot the most unspeakable betrayal.He pushed me to this point; I remind myself. No, he loves me so much. He offered to take me to see my friends because I lied to him and he truly believes this is all because he made me feel alone. I am the worst fucking person in the universe, allowing my selfish ambitions for Arkham to get in the way of my relationship with Christian. We made a pact after Milan. No more lying, no more sneaking around, and neither one of us has kept our ends of the bargain. I am the worst offender out of both of us, though. I kissed the man I love goodbye before he crept from our bedroom to go enforce order so that he could put his work aside for me. When I roll on to my side, the tears stream down my cheek and onto my pillow. I don’t deserve Christian. After this I won’t be surprised if it’s the end of us. Do I really want to sacrifice my love story for money and power? Is that who I am now? If I step aside, I can have both. If I accept Christian’s ascent, I can have my love story and money, but will I truly have power?Look at the way he smothers you now. Thevoice inside my head presses back. Is he smothering me, though? He’s trying so hard and here I am like a tornado of destruction ruining everything and for what? For my daddy’s praise? So that he can acknowledge a job well done? Is this what it means to have daddy issues? I groan. Unable to sleep, I may as well get up. I already told Selena we are going through with this. At the very least, I can get my bag packed now so I can get this over with later today.
When Christian tucked me in before leaving, he mentioned he had an important meeting with Harvey tonight. I’ve always hated when he works nights like this, but it means I can pack my bags then wait for the perfect opportunity tomorrow. Selena has arranged for an uncharted private flight. No one will even know a plane left this city and no one will know where it is headed, either. The hard part about these grand escape plans is usually leaving the premises. However, with my father as my accomplice on this one, it gives me the exit pass I need to fall out of the care of Christian’s men. Then seamlessly into the care of my father, where he will see Selena and I off to do the work he has tasked me with.
I’m not sure what he will tell Christian when he comes looking for me, but I can’t think about the consequences. Christian once again needs my help. He just doesn’t realize it yet. Perhaps my father’s admission of guilt will lead to the repair of their strained relationship, or maybe it will simply drive the wedge between them deeper.
He was quick to remind me that asking for help isn’t something Christian ever does, but I countered him with the fact that Christian isn’t confined and tracked like I am making it easy for him to move freely without having to coordinate escape plans. At first, I didn’t think he would take the fall for me. He surprised me, stepping up to the father plate when he agreed to play his part. The man has always been full of surprises. I bet he has a security team ready for us when we land. It’s a compromise I’ll have to deal with.
I work quickly to pack my bag, then climb back into bed, allowing my guilt to swallow me deep into a nightmare filled dreamland. Tomorrow I’ll hurt Christian more than I ever have before in order to protect him.
Chapter twenty-two
MyDearestPuddinPop,
There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to get it over with. I betrayed your trust. I know there may be no coming back to each other from here, but please know I would never intentionally hurt you unless it was for a good reason. I can’t tell you why I did it yet either. Please, just understand that I did it for you. Everything I have done has been to protect you. I mean, it wasn’t at first, but I made some realizations along the way and the more information I uncovered, the more my reasons changed. I’m sorry for hurting you, Christian. It’s important that you trust me to do this on my own. Don’t follow me, and don’t be too upset with my father, either. Yes, he’s in on it and I’ve asked him to take the fall for my choices. Look, you left me no other option. Keeping me caged like a common house cat when all I’ve ever wanted is to be free. I know what you’re thinking right now and it’s not worth it. This isn’t my father’s fault, and behaving recklessly will not change that. Go about your day, and about your business, knowing I am perfectly safe for now. Do not come for me! Christian, Arkham needs you there and we both know it. You wish you could step away to escort me, but we both know deep down now is not the time to turn your back on your enemies. It will provide them with an easy target. I fear this quarrel is only a diversion, my love. The worst is yet to come. It’s not the two of us who are in danger. I sense it is my father we must be worried about. His enemies have come to call and now we must keep him safe from those who have infiltrated Arkham and poisoned the birdcage from the inside out with their whispers and lies. Only you can stop this, Christian; it’s your destiny. I love you, my dark prince of destruction, the only man I want to stand beside me as king of our empire. Please forgive my betrayal.
Always & Forever,
Your Little Bijou
IleftChristiananapology letter on my pillow. My tear drops splashed over the sheet of paper. I didn’t bother rewriting it. He can see how much it pained me to write those words. If he sees my pain, then maybe he will forgive me for what I’ve done. When he wakes, he will be furious. He has an important business dinner tonight. Harvey added it to his calendar. I got the notification right before I wrote the letter. Things must be worse than he’s let on if he was plotting a murder dinner with Harvey. I spritzed the letter with perfume, then took myself and my bag with me to the car my father sent over. A few of the men watched, confused, as I loaded a small overnight bag into the backseat of the town car. It’s not the first time I’ve left under my father’s care to be stashed away prior to a dangerous meeting or event. Things couldn’t have worked out more perfectly.
We drive in silence as I stare, heart broken out the window. My mother never warned me how hard it is to love a mafia man. She never once spoke of the secrets, and lies. I wish she would have told me something, anything, to prepare me for loving Christian. Then again, she only just discovered us and our secret relationship days before her death. How could she have known what was coming? None of us could have ever predicted the events would lead to tragedy. We thought we were safe. My heart aches for her now. I wish I could ask her for advice. I would give anything to hear her voice again.
I squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t want to remember that day. Instead, I focus on the mission at hand. There’s only one place I can get what I need, and one person I know who can get it for me. I couldn’t risk being caught shipping an illegal substance. The only choice I had was to smuggle it back with me, flying completely under the radar of everyone on a non existent flight out of the country. I would risk everything to keep the men I love safe. Leaving them like this is not a question. I only fear Christian will turn on him once he finds out my father was not only in on it all, but the person who gave me the assignment, challenging me to prove myself and my worthiness to rule Arkham.
When I arrive at the hangar location, I am not surprised to see Selena is already waiting for me here. The driver parks the car, then opens the door for me without a word. I walk to where Selena is talking with a few of her men. The jet is flashy, and I do not know how we are going to get there unnoticed, but this is not the part of the plan I am responsible for. I send Eisele a quick text letting her know we are leaving and the coordinates where she can expect us, along with the expected arrival time. The man who drove me is pulling a small bag from the trunk of the car and walking to where the rest of us stand waiting for permission to board.
“Your father has instructed me to go with you. He felt Christian might not be as angry if he knew you had an extra layer of protection,” the driver explains.
I eye Selena, and she shrugs. “I don’t feel like we have much of a choice here. Either we play by his rules or we don’t leave on the plane. You know the drill, darling,” she purrs.
I glare at the driver in frustration. “Make sure he knows I am not happy about this,” I snap.
Chapter twenty-three
“Men,they’reoverbearingandinsufferable,” I scoff, sliding into a seat across from Selena on the jet. It’s nice and fancy. It might be one of the nicest I’ve ever flown on, which has me wondering how it is Selena came to own it. “Hey, how did you score this nice little number?” I ask her, my curiosity always getting the best of me.
“Oh, you’ll love this. I commandeered it.” She cackles, leaning into the seats. “Let’s just say someone owed me a favor and our dear friend Braxton is footing the bill for this trip.”
My mouth gapes open in surprise. “Braxton, as in—“
“As in the one,” she says, interrupting me.
“Please don’t tell me you still have a thing for him after I dumped his sorry ass. You know when the scandal broke about our off and on relationship, I thought he was done for, but somehow that only made him more popular.” I say, disgusted.
