DARLENEThe plastic frame of my cell phone shook in my hands as I held it to my ear, before I snapped my head back to the door to make sure it was still locked. It was.I exhaled, allowing my shoulders to sag a little, but still unable to quench the jagged beating in my chest.Why wasn't Laura answering the phone? It was unlike her, especially when it was me calling. The best friend I knew would jump at the opportunity to come to the McKenzie manor.I was about to unlatch the phone from where my ear had sucked it in, before the dialing tone changed abruptly and I felt my heart leap in my chest.“Laura?” I intoned, sounding every bit as unsure as I felt as I struggled to tramp down on the tears that were leaking into my voice.Why wasn’t she saying anything? I braced my free hand against the cool gold lash of wallpaper as I froze, the noise of the world happening around me dulling until it was only the jagged breathing from the other end that filled my ears.My heart hammered against m
LAURA DIEGO“Darlene? Darlene dear?” I sneered, feeling the tickle scratch at my throat so that I threw the phone where it scattered loudly against the wall to let out great, heaving laughs.“Oh, my word! Saints!” I guffawed, seeing spirits of my saliva scatter on the frightened woman’s face as I raised eyes that looked glazed in the glass wall opposite us to praise my ancestors.They'd been working overtime in my favor the whores!“Can you believe my luck, Kayla?” I jeered, feeling my shoulders shake with deep, amused laughs until there was only enough air left for a hearty chuckle in my lungs.I’d been so close to pulling the trigger, so close to ending the miserable woman’s existence with a little more than grunt, body bagging business remaining. “But now, now,” I gloated loudly, my eyes finding the bright blue pools of Kayla Storm’s face before I hooked one bloodied hand on her shirt cuff as she moaned weakly into the gag, shaking her head.It almost seemed like a century and a h
ALEXANDERI fell back against the iron spine of the chair with a rush of an exhale, feeling like a freight train had just run straight through my chest. The chauffeur paused with his arms still on the small coffee table, before leaning back and heaving a small sigh. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn the man had aged in the minutes it had taken him to reveal his secret.I glanced around the cafe mechanically, realizing we were the only two people left in the shadowed enclave at the rear booth. The high glass panes to our side were cracked slightly open, allowing the fingers of the cool, evening draft to whip through my hair, stinging my nose with its cold bite.“Are you sure about this Mr. Lorenzo? If what you’re saying is true, it…it’s disastrous for the McKenzies,” I rasped, feeling my voice crack as the dry itch in my throat spiked and I had to pause to gather the moisture back into my mouth.I watched the chauffeur nod, looking around uncomfortably, a thin sheen of s
DARLENE The clack of the phone I had been holding in my hand falling and shattering on the floor sounded distant to my ears as I watched the door knob twist and turn slowly before the knocks repeated and a woman’s mousy voice came from the other side of the door.“My Lady? Lady Darlene?” The woman’s voice came again and I felt my heart jump and pound in my chest, my lips stretching into a smile as I reached for the door, unlocked it, and swung it open with strength, I hadn't realized I possessed.The sound of the wood beating against the back wall loudly seemed to startle the pixie-haired maidservant that slapped a hand to her chest in horror.The images of Mary in my head dissipated as the slack-jawed smile that had no doubt etched into the lines of my mouth fell away until I stared back at her morosely.The woman standing in front of me was not Mary, she must have been Asian, nothing like the countryside girl with her deep smile lines and big dark eyes. Instead, this woman had a sm
FREDRICK”Shit,” I rasped as I stared round-eyed at the buzzing mobile in my hand, my father’s name flashed boldly in the interface.Why was Mr. McKenzie calling me? I felt a bolt of anxiety wring the remainder of my nerves so that I shifted uneasily on the soft comforter of my king-sized bed.“Father?” I breathed into the silence on the other end, pressing the phone harder into my ear as my heart thumped wildly in my chest, my eyes fastening on the crackling of flames in the fireplace.His words sparked in my ears and dulled in my head when I realized the man had called to berate me again. It had been like this since my kiss with Darlene came to light.Damned Laura. Why the fuck did she have to meddle in my shit?I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, settling instead for one-word responses through clenched teeth as I eyed the unmoving woman beside me.”Father, I...I uh, might have made a mistake, last night, I don’t remember much and-” I sputtered suddenly, breaking the snide baritone
FREDRICKMy ears flexed like they were wax appendages that had been slapped on my head as I stood over the open mouth of the grave, my knuckles white on the shovel’s rusty shaft and the echo of the woman’s sinister laugh still ringing in my ears.I snapped my neck to look behind me, feeling my heart bottom out with a wet splat into the soil underneath me as I caught the silhouette of a woman leaning against my truck.“Shit! What the hell are you?” I shrieked, whirling on the balls of my feet to catch sight of a woman with a blue silk scarf over the dark wisps of her hair that had been tied down in a small knot under her chin.”The answer to your prayers sweet man,” She tittered, flashing her pearly teeth at me before she stomped out the red light of what i knew now was a cigarette and not her eyes, before skulking toward me.”And that's what you get for messing around with junkies Fredrick! Don’t you thunk its time you found yourself a high quality woman?” She breathed, and I knocked
ALEXANDERThere was a man’s car in the driveway when I reached the manor. I knew because of the large suit jacket hanging on the handlebars that caught the lamplight in front of the house so that the dark suit glowed yellow in the incandescence.“What the?” I growled, feeling a sliver of confusion settle heavily on my brows so that the V between the heavily arched hairs deepened.I rolled up right next to the silver Lamborghini, killing the engine of my bright red convertible and getting out of the car slowly, trying to stem the erratic beat of my heart.I couldn't see the glossy black wagon of my father’s car or the snake-like limo my mother preferred. It had to mean both of them were out, which left Darlene and Fredrick in the manor.Unless the billionaire was here to see one of the pesky little maidservants, it would mean whoever owned the car was here to see Darlene. Or my twin brother.The thought of either of the two conversing with strangers did not put my mind at ease. I jogg
DARLENE“Alexander!” I screeched, choking on the thick meat of my tongue as I stumbled away from his fight with the purple-eyed man.“I am not your friend Prince. I told you to stay away from my family.” Alexander sneered, and I felt my breath catch in my throat at his tone. I had never seen him like this before, the venom in his absinthe green eyes were enough to make the Prince step back.I flicked my gaze between the two Alpha males, wounding my head this way and that until a wave of dizziness brought me to my knees so that I hit the floor with a loud gasp.“Dar!” My husband’s deep baritone held an edge of panic to it and I felt the heat of his body as his hands wrapped under my armpit to lift me back to its feet, setting me slowly on the sofa.“Are you okay?” He whispered, hooking a finger under my chin so that I had to look up at his handsome face, the depth of concern swimming in his intense gaze making me choke back the rebuff that had sprung to my mouth.Was I okay? I didn't t