AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Call it the thrill of the job. When I was taken by Le Manchot, and then Selena and I teamed up, it felt good. It felt like the old times. I miss mom, I miss her every day. I miss what my life was like before we lost her. When I was the heir, when I was seen as an equal to every man on your payroll. I miss the way my mother believed in me, dreamed big for me. I have always hated you for locking me away like some kind of endangered princess.” My claws are out as I completely unload on him for overlooking my strengths.
“And,” my father pushes back.
“And Arkham doesn’t have to be run by Christian. I am still the heir. We are not married, nothing is his, and I still have the blood right,” I answer.
“If opportunity is what you seek, Quinn, you only needed to make those desires known. Everything I’ve ever sacrificed has always been for you. I’m not so cold that I would deny my daughter the opportunity to prove her worth,” he replies cheerfully, but his smile is condescending.
“Give me a task then, father, and if I prevail, you will entertain my proposition. You will hold off on your retirement and seriously consider naming me as the head of the Arkham Mafia.”
“Done,” he says with a nod. “I have a very important task for you and it involves finding a dirty, rotten, no good mole. Be very careful, Quinn, there’s no telling how far the mole will go to protect his identity and continue the infiltration of Arkham with his dirty men. This job will be dangerous. I encourage you to seek the help of your friends. You will not want to confront him alone.” My father is serious, as if he already knew of my intention before we even discussed them.
It’s my turn to nod my head in agreement.
“It’s settled. This is your first task. Do not disappoint me. Tomorrow, a necklace will be delivered. Hidden inside the necklace is a tracking device. Do not tamper with it. The only way I will agree to any of this is if I can track your location at all times. Do not let this be a repeat of Milan. Do you understand me?” He demands.
“Yes.” I answer. He didn’t need to bring up Milan. I’m fully aware of what happened and the consequences of removing the tracking device. Having finished my pizza and not wishing to continue this conversation further, I stand to leave.
“Thank you for giving me a chance.” I say, walking over and kissing him on the cheek.
“I love ya, Quinn-y, now make me proud.” A lone tear drop glistens in his eye, and I wipe it away for him.
“I will. You’ll see. Arkham belongs to me, always has and always will.”
I walk off with a confident bounce in my step. I’m going to prove to my father that I have what it takes to be a part of Arkham. It’s time for him to see I can hold my own. I’ve already proven it and once he sees my success, maybe he will reconsider handing things over to Christian. I don’t want to be in charge, but it would be nice if Christian’s ascent to being the king of Arkham is because of his marriage to the queen, and not some side stepped acquisition of power. I am worthy of my title; I am worthy of my blood right, and I am prepared to prove anyone who says otherwise wrong.
This will be my little secret. Christian doesn’t need to know about anything. He would never allow it. Keeping secrets from my fucking Frenchman is my least favorite part of this plan, but it’s for his own good.
Chapter six
It’stimeforacall to my dear friend, Eisele. There’s no one better suited to help me with this task. I already have a diabolical plan. There’s no doubt I can catch this mole, and there will be no doubt about what he’s been up to when I am through, either. Eisele and I met as classmates when my father forced me to study abroad for two years after my mother’s passing. Looking back, it’s so easy to see how my friendship with Selena faded away at a time when she needed me most. It’s no wonder we’ve been at odds until more recently. Maybe now is the perfect time to introduce them to one another. It could be one chaotic girl’s trip with a dash of mafia business on the side. He said to ask for help from my friends, and Christian might be less suspicious if I tell him we are going to visit an old university friend.
In the car, I ride in silence. The body guards all work for him now. I’m not sure how to slip this all past Christian without Selena and her men, and I don’t dare breathe a word about my plans in front of them. I can’t blame them. It’s their job, and they know without a doubt, Christian would do far worse to them if he ever found out they concealed information from him regarding me or my intentions. He may play nice with me, but towards anyone else, he’s always been ruthless. After our run in with Le Manchot, he’s become even more protective. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he had a second set of eyes on me nearby, for his own peace of mind. This realization hits me hard and fast. It makes me feel even more guilt over what I am about to do to Christian. This is going to crush him, but he would never willingly agree to allow me to do this.
I don’t have long to dwell on it. We are pulling into the long circular gated drive. I’m escorted back to an empty house. Christian’s at the club. He has a meeting with Harvey about something, but he didn’t say what. I understand he is restoring the order. Everyday Christian is out meeting, negotiating, or sending warnings to those who refuse to step in line, who ignore his power and authority. Lately, I’ve longed for those days back at our safe house. The ones we spent locked inside, hiding from the world with only each other. Our obsession with one another unwavering and uninterrupted. I never thought I would miss those days, or that I would long to be smothered in his undying attention.
I’ve wandered my way in and up the stairs to our bedroom. When I check the time, it’s still too early to call Eisele. It might be night here, but on that side of the world, people are just beginning to wake up. I undress and step into the shower to buy some time. Afterwards, I slip on a lace short set and cami. I’m making my phone call and going to bed. Tonight I won’t be waiting up for Christian, not with my conscience eating away at me. I check the time once more on my phone, then flip through my contacts until I find hers. The other end rings a few times and then her familiar voice answers.
“Hey Eisele, I have some stuff going on,” I emphasize the word stuff, knowing she’ll catch on. “Anyway, I need to check in with Selena, but I was thinking how fun would it be for us to visit you next week? We can do a girl’s weekend.”
“Quinn, I would love to see you. Last time I checked, Selena hates me, but it sounds like you are looking for a reason to visit, and I am not going to turn that down. Promise you’ll come even if Selena says no,” Eisele replies, bursting with excitement.
“I can’t say no to a request like that. Of course, I’ll come even if Selena doesn’t. I’ll text you a little later and let you know what she says. Do you want to pick a hotel and send me the details? I’ll have my people book everything,” I say. I am getting excited about this trip even if it is business related. We can still have a bit of fun.
“I can send a list with a few. Do you really think Selena will come? It’s a possibility. There’s so much we need to catch up on, but you know phone lines.” I laugh.
“We can stay up all night catching up. It will be just like old times. We can find you a foreigner to remind you of that one you crushed on so hard back in the day,” Eisele teases.
I’m silent. I forgot she doesn’t know about me and Christian. “About that,” I start to reply.
“Shut up,” she screams, interrupting me. “You are not a thing now. There’s no way. You’re right, we have so much to catch up on.”
“I promise we will talk until we fall asleep, but for now, it’s late and I need to get some sleep. I have a busy day tomorrow now that I have a girl’s weekend to plan.” We say our goodbyes and then I snuggle up in bed to wait for Christian. He should be home soon. I only intended to rest my eyes lightly, but I was more tired than I realized. I didn’t even hear Christian come home.
Chapter seven
Thesoundoftheshower running causes me to stir in my sleep. Christian must not have slept long last night. He doesn’t think l know that he’s been getting up to train each morning. I’ve noticed how tight all his suits are getting around his biceps and across his shoulders. My eyelids flutter open so I can watch that man of mine in the shower. I love waking up to catch him and then watching until finally he realizes he has an audience. A smirk spreads across my lips. Oh, how I enjoy his behavior once he realizes I’m watching him. My king knows just how to tempt and tease me. I love every minute of it. My tongue flicks out to lick my lips, imagining his cock sliding against them, begging to be let in. Just the thought has me staring intently as the water slides down every inch of his body. I zero in on one particular area and have no shame in staring. I want him to catch me looking. My heart races with anticipation.
The water shuts off and I continue to gaze until I feel his searing stare on me. I lift my eyes slowly to meet his. Taking my time to enjoy browsing his body. He can glare all he wants. I plan to make it perfectly clear I am in charge of looking wherever I want to. When our eyes do eventually lock, I can feel his burning into mine, but it’s a power play for dominance as I refuse to look away. He reaches out and strokes himself in an attempt to coax me into submission. Instead, I tilt my head and smile. Never breaking our stare as I push myself off the bed. I strut my way to the sink, brush my teeth, and step into the shower. Christian’s already turned the water on and has the glass door open.
