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
ALEXANDERI felt my arms whip out to catch the woman only seconds before she would have hit the ground, feeling my tongue flop uselessly before I could think to say anything.“Darlene! Babe! Are you okay?” I wheezed, wrapping my hands around the small of my woman’s back to lift her off the floor and back onto the sofa where she settled with a deep groan.I risked a look behind me to see that the boulder of a man was staring intensely at my wife, his face an expressionless mask.“What the hell is wrong with you Prince? What are you talking about?” I ground through clenched teeth, feeling a wave of possessiveness trace through my spine so that I rose to block his view of Darlene.Why the hell was everyone obsessed with my woman? Who was hawking audacity to these people? I fixed the quiet man with a deathly look, refusing to be a part of whatever fucking mind game he was on about. That was how it had always been in the ring, one freaking puzzle after another! I was sick of it!The man w
DARLENEWe sat hip to hip for what felt like hours, my husband and me, in the cold guest lounge of the McKenzie manor.“What else? What else did you find?” The man breathed, brushing his palms from his face and turning slightly in my direction.I caught the waft of his scent again, the smell that seemed to pour from every inch of the manor. Lavender and dark roses sprayed with testosterone.I shook my head, trying to clear the lustful thoughts before something seemed to snap into place in my mind.“The day Mary died! You had gone to see Prince Charles right? So if he testifies that you were with him! It's as solid an alibi as we could get! You'll be off the hook for her murder!” I rasped hotly, watching the grimace creep into my husband’s face as I rattled off the words mindlessly.”Prince Charles does not do honest favors, Dar, he wouldn't do it without getting something in return,” Alexander spat bitterly, the hard line of his jaw flexing as he started holes into his hands, but I wa
ALEXANDERI had seen the man hundreds of times, but as he stood broodingly under the gold-lined arch of the entryway, the tall bulk of his muscular frame rigid against the whirl of motion around us, My father looked to me, like a stranger.“We need to talk,” I deadpanned, gritting my teeth when the room dulled to silence around us so that I could hear the loud thud of my heart beating frantically in my chest.I met my father’s icy blue gaze squarely, finding that I had begun to sweat slightly as he met my comment with silence, one hand poised casually over the long walking cane that I was certain he did not need.He heaved a heavy sigh, nodding to the escort protocols behind him who vanished from sight immediately.“Is everything alright, William? Alexander? What's going on here?” My mother's pale, regal face popped up beside my father as her voice floated to my ears, making Darlene shift uneasily beside me.It was all I could do not to rush at my father with my fists as the threads o
DARLENE“Rise and shine sleepy heads! Breakfast’s ready!” Prince Charles’ booming baritone cracked through my skull before a wash of yellow light bored through my closed eyelids so that I groaned, breaking into a chuckle when Alexander groaned beside me.“Fucking hell Charles, did your parents not teach you to knock?” My husband hissed, throwing the soft white duvet away from his hard body and stretching to his feet to snatch the coffee mug the purple-eyed man held out like a peace offering in one hand, his gaze sliding over to me and darkening a shade before he smirked.“I don't believe they did,” He whispered breathlessly, nodding his head to the door where the strawberry blonde-haired man was leaning against the doorframe in brown capri pants, a pearly grin stretched across his smooth face.“Have some decency Frederick, my wife’s in the room,” Alexander whispered, scoffing loudly and sipping his tea as I stretched a yawn and shimmyed away from the bed to rest my head on my husband’
FREDERICK“Die motherfucker,” I gritted, pressing my finger into the claw of the trigger and feeling the gun jerk in my hands, the impact pulling me forward so that I tumbled into the stone flooring.“Come on! Go go go!” I screamed through gritted teeth, waving my hands wildly at Darlene and pushing her around the car as she surged through the barrage of shots pummeling us and firing off a few more rounds as the Umbrella man roared with pain, tearing the knife from his eye with an impossibly loud sucking sound.“I need to get closer,” I hissed through my teeth as I rounded the bend of the car to meet Alwxander’s tense body where he was hunched, hiding from the rain of bullets with Darlene curled in his arms.I swallowed the bile that had risen in my throat, jabbing my fingers into my palms to battle the wooziness that stabbed the sides of my head and peering through the rim of black sedan to see that the man now had a gaping hole in one eye that still spurted blood as he glared around
STEFAN MCCOYMy knuckles were white on the trigger as I watched the man’s hard body as he walked slowly into the room, his eyes never leaving the gun I had pressed dutifully against his wife’s empty ass head.“No sudden moves Alexander or I’ll have the woman’s brains plastered across the floor,” I growled through clenched teeth as Alexander staggered into the room with his father and more of my men surrounding them.I had known something was off the minute I left the penthouse, even before the sound of gunshots echoed out behind us and I asked Markov to turn the car around.The white penthouse with its flashing lights and tall pine trees loomed as ghastly as ever, as I motioned the men every which way, feeling adrenaline rush through my veins when the sounds of gunfire exploded around the sides of the house as my men sniffed the bastards out like the rats that they were.“Please, McCoy, don't do this, My wife has nothing to do with this okay? I’ll, I’ll give you whatever it is you wan
DARLENE“Something’s wrong,” I whispered breathlessly, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight as I watched the man with the Jerry curls stride away from the large lattice silver gates, a gun held tightly in his right hand.“What the fuck do you mean something’s wrong? McCoy’s going with most of his men! This is our cue to go in, grab the twins, plant the bombs, and hightail the fuck out of here in time for Mrs. McKenzie’s dinner special,” Erwin snapped blithely from his crouch beside me, the rim of a sniper rifle held tightly in his hands, as he peered through the scope.“Lassie’s right, this seems too easy, they must have found out about the decoy car approaching already, that's the only reason for him to leave...and yet,” Williams McKenzie growled on my right flank, raising the tight hulk of his frame into a low squat and inching to slap himself against the tree, the burnt orange blackness of the forest blending perfectly with our camo gear.“We should-” Erwin start
ALEXANDERThe bright fluorescent lights tore through my eyelids to fry my eyeballs before I had even opened my eyes. I groaned, the soreness in my arms and stiff legs making me groan louder as I let my head fall back into my chest.What the hell did the bastard hit me with? Fucking hulk?“Ugh!” I groaned, screwing one eye open to lock gazes with my brother’s blanched face and watching him sag with relief when he saw that I had opened my eyes.“Alexander? Fuck! Thank saints you're okay,” He rasped breathlessly and I felt the scowl deepen between my eyebrows as I glared at the swollen purple bruises on his face that had left the skin of his face puffy and red.“Your buddy didn't take too kindly to you I reckon, stabbed you in the fucking balls just like you did to me you piece of shit!” I barked acidly, watching my brother rear back on the chair that he was strapped to like he had been slapped.I looked down to see I was lying on some makeshift gurney table, feeling my heart pound wildl
DARLENE“Where is he? Where’s my husband?” I whizzed when I caught up to the ring chief scowling in the middle of the road, his hands fixed patiently on his narrow hips.“He’s gone Dar, that McCoy took him,” Prince Charles gritted, eyeing me carefully before I noticed his hand cupping the large gash on his chest, the trickle of blood pooling on the purple suit staining the area black.“Here, let’s get you to the car,” I gritted through clenched teeth, managing to push the words past the lump that had grown in my throat and tugging the man’s hand free when he resisted before hooking it over one shoulder, grunting when he leaned his weight on me a little.I could hear the whirl of sirens in the distance as they got closer and I yelped, slamming to a stop when the purple-eyed man stopped suddenly in his tracks.What the hell was it with mafia men and having death wishes? I tried not to look at the nasty knife wound on his abdomen or the purple and red bruises on his chin and focused inst
FREDERICK“Did you have to do it that hard?” I whispered, feeling tears gather in my eyes as I watched the Umbrella Man tower over my brother’s limp body, his brown eyes almost luminescent in the dark.“Quiet Frederick, you're ruining my groove, take him.” Stefan McCoy growled and I felt my heart hammer in my ribs as the masked ninjas dropped from the trees like banana monkeys, hooking my brother’s hard body onto the stretcher as I watched on with widened eyes.“Is he dead?” I rasped breathlessly, feeling panic burn in my chest as I trotted after the men, the crunch of dried leaves under my feet sounding loud in the silence as the masked men marched my brother to the large white van that had been parked off to the side of the highway.“Not yet,“ The Umbrella man whispered, rubbing his hands together in glee as they loaded him into the van and I felt a flicker of doubt spark in my chest.“So it’s all good now right? Everything will go as planned now?” I coughed, scarcely trusting mysel
ALEXANDERIt took longer than I would have liked for my eyes to adjust to the near blackness as I entered the forest.“Where are you? You son of a bitch,” I ground through clenched teeth, waving the gun this way and that and aware of the way I was panting loudly, carefully placing one foot in front of the other.My arms were starting to get sore from holding the gun up and high, my knuckles white on the trigger as I crept along the line of trees, freezing when I thought I had heard the distinct sound of a tree branch snapping.Could this get any fucking worse? Did the motherfucker have to pick the shittiest forest in the whole of New York to make his dramatic comeback?“Go on and run away like the coward that you fucking are McCoy, I can smell that cheap perfume from a mile away,” I jeered loudly, feeling goosebumps rise on my skin when my distorted voice echoed back to me in the blackness.I tried to focus past the hum that had started in my ears but my mind was not following my eyes
DARLENEMy husband hadn't made any sense when he got off the phone with the purple-eyed man and it made even less sense now as we sped toward the edge of town with his knuckles white on the steering wheel.I braced myself against the cool leather of the dashboard, trying to calm the staccato beating of my heart in my chest as we sped through the stretch of asphalt and felt a wave of nausea press insistently against the roof of my mouth.“Are you sure about the address?” I wheezed, unable to bear the silence any longer and risking a glance at the chiseled line of Alexander’s jaw, the way his piercing green eyes were starting dead ahead, his flock of obsidian black hair falling over his face as the muscles of his shoulder and bicep flexed when he fishtailed the steering wheel.“White Villa at Maple Street, I didn't know he lived there, there's only one of the kind, you can't miss it,” He whispered, and even though I knew the steel in his voice couldn't have been meant for me, it made sh