TITAN
“READY?” I ASK, looking over at Bones.
He nods, chambering a bullet in his 9 mil. “Let’s go.”
We exit my car, and I see Luca get out of his Bugatti La Voiture Noire with Nite. We left Grave and Cross back at Kingdom with the girls. As soon as we had walked out of The Palace, Bones’s phone started blowing up. Luca’s source had come through and found out who the guy was that broke into the York’s residence.
It turns out, the guy is a fucking dentist. Not what we were expecting.
“We’re going in through the back.” I tell Luca and Nite. “You guys take the front.”
“What if he’s not alone?” Luca asks, removing his gun from his slacks.
“No witnesses,” Bones says.
Everyone nods in agreement. We came to do a job. And we’re going to make sure it gets done.
Bones and I make our way around the back of the one-story brick building. It’s a little after midnight, but the informant assured us that he would be here. I guess the guy is going through a divorce and sleeping up at his office.
I shove my elbow into the glass, shattering it. Reaching in, I undo the lock and open the door. I enter first, followed by Bones. We make our way down the dark hallway with our guns raised and ready when we catch sight of Luca entering with Nite in the front.
I enter a room and see a couch facing a TV. Static plays on the screen. Seats wrap around the walls, indicating it’s the waiting area. Walking around it to the front, a man lies across it, holding a bottle of rum in his hand. The blanket barely hanging on.
I place my gun in my waistband and look up at Luca. “You got the bag?”
He nods and holds it up. “Just tell me where you want him.”
Bones and I grab the guy and gently begin to move him to the nearest room, careful not to wake him just yet. We lie him in a dentist chair. It doesn’t have armrests, so I pull his arms behind the chair and Nite duct tapes them together. He shifts a little but doesn’t wake.
I sit down at the head of the chair and press the button to lower the headrest so he’s lying flat while Bones wraps tape around his legs to secure them to the bottom half of the chair. This bastard isn’t going anywhere. He’s going to die here.
Luca is over at the mini sink to the right, filling a jug with water. Nite drops the duffel bag at my feet. I reach down and grab the washcloth out of it.
“Everybody ready?” I ask, thankful the guy had some alcohol before he passed out. Otherwise, he would have already woken up.
Everyone nods. I lean over the chair and slap the guy across the face.
“What …?” He opens his heavy eyes. “What’s going on?” He starts fighting the restraints. “Who the fuck are you?” His large eyes shoot to each one of us. “What the fuck …?” He fights it harder, making the chair rattle. “Let me go.”
“Who sent you to the York’s house?” I demand, getting to the point. I want to end this shit tonight.
“Fuck you!” he spits out.
“Wrong answer.” I throw the washcloth over his face, and Luca begins to pour the water over it. Waterboarding—old yet effective.
His body struggles in the chair, and Luca stops. I pull away the cloth.
“You …” Cough. “Son …” Another cough. “Bit…ch.” He spits out the last bit.
“We can do this all night,” I say. “Now, again, who sent you to the York residence?”
“HELP ME!” he screams, with his struggle.
“Again,” I tell Luca. And this time he places the cloth over the guy’s face and pours water on it. I count to six before I snap my fingers, and he stops. “I doubt you’ll last past ten seconds.”
Everything on him is covered in water. It’s even splashed on my shirt, and the bottom of my pant legs and shoes are wet.
“I say we just end it now,” Bones offers, pulling a knife out of his pocket and pressing it to his throat. Bones has always preferred the bloody side of things. I couldn’t care either way as long as it gets done.
“No! No!” the guy cries. “I don’t know. It was sent through a text.”
I arch a brow. “A text? To what phone?”
“On the floor. By the couch,” he rushes out.
Nite exits the room to go look for said phone.
“Please.” He begins to sob. “I didn’t hurt her.”
I grab his throat and squeeze it, taking his air away. “Yes, you fucking did,” I say through clenched teeth.
Just then, Nite enters and hands a phone to Luca. He goes through it and then looks at me. I don’t like the look in his eyes. “The only number he had contact with that night is a New York number.”
“New York?” Bones mimics my thoughts exactly. Who the hell do we know in New York?
At least we have a location. That’s all we need to know for now. “Thanks for the information.” I slap the guy on his wet chest, and water splashes from his soaked shirt. Reaching down into the duffel bag, I grab the other cloth that is in a Ziploc baggie. It’s been soaking for the past three hours.
I put gloves on, then open the baggie. Grabbing it, I wad it up and shove it into his mouth, ending his protests. “Bones.”
He takes the duct tape and wraps it around the guys mouth and the back of the chair, successfully taping his head to it so he can’t get free.
His body begins to convulse as he chokes on the contents of the rag. I smile. “Swallow it up. It’s been soaking in poison, it’s going to eat you from the inside out.”
EMILEE
Jasmine, Haven, and I sit on the couch at the Royal Suite. The guys left us with Grave and Cross.
They’ve been over in the corner having their own conversations. Grave’s cell keeps going off, and I’m pretty sure it’s a girl. Every now and then, he smiles and adjusts his pants. She’s obviously sending him dirty pictures.
“What is wrong with you two?” Haven asks us.
“Nothing,” I answer, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I showered after we returned from The Palace so at least I don’t smell like sex anymore, but I still feel pretty damn drunk. I’m going to have to sleep it off.
“You two are up to something.” Haven narrows her amber eyes.
Jasmine goes to speak, but the double doors to the suite open, and the guys enter.
I rise to my feet. “Everything okay?” I ask Titan.
“Yeah.” He comes over and kisses my forehead.
We have a lot to discuss, but right now, I’m just glad they returned from wherever they went. And I don’t see any blood splattered on their clothes. But … “Why are you wet?” I ask.
He ignores my question.
“So what did you find?” Grave asks, biting into a banana.
“We’re going to New York,” Luca announces.
“All of us?” Haven asks.
“Yes,” Titan is the one who answers. “Well.” He points at Grave and Cross. “You two are staying here.”
“Thank God,” Grave mumbles with a mouthful. “I hate New York. The city stinks, and I hate how crowded it is.”
I’m not sure it’s much different than Vegas when it comes to tourists, but I don’t voice my opinion.
“Do we even know what we’re looking for?” I ask.
“I will by the time we leave,” Bones answers me. “I have some contacts that I’ve already reached out to who are in New York.”
“Who do you know there?” I ask.
“He’s been fucking a supermodel there for the past few months,” Grave answers, winking up at his brother.
“Oh,” I say, unable to hide my surprise. I didn’t know he was seeing someone. I never thought he’d be unavailable. I mean, I don’t want him to myself, but we’ve had sex. I also don’t want to be the other woman.
Bones eyes his brother. “She’s not my contact.” Then looks at Jasmine. “It’s not like that.”
She shrugs, shoving M&M’s into her mouth.
“Why would Bones think Jasmine cares if he’s seeing someone in New York or not?” Haven whispers in my ear.
“Shh,” I tell her, trying to cover up this very awkward conversation.
“Have they …?”
“Hey Jasmine, pass me some of those M&M’s,” I order, reaching out my hand to avoid what Haven was about to ask me. I don’t want to have to explain what we did just a few hours ago in The Palace. It’s over. We’re moving on.
“I say give it two days. At the most,” Bones goes on. “That gives us enough time to get stuff in order before we leave.”
“How long will we be gone?” I ask.
“Depends on a few factors,” Titan responds but doesn’t go into detail about what he means by factors, so I drop it. Not like I have a life here anymore. Both parents dead. Burned down my house. Why do I care how long I’ll be gone?
Grave goes off to his room, already calling someone on his cell, and Cross walks over to Bones and starts having a conversation with him. I stand and hug Jasmine bye and then Haven. “I’ll see you girls soon.”
“Yep, call me later.” Jasmine kisses my cheek. “Get some sleep. You need it.” She winks at me.
“What’s going on?” Haven asks. “I know you guys are keeping something from me.”
“Look, we’ll have a long flight to New York, okay? I’ll tell you then. Right now, I just want to go to bed.” I dodge it for tonight.
She gives me a hug and walks out with Luca and Nite. I walk into Titan’s room and remove my shirt as he enters.
He locks his doors and turns to face me.
“I’m really tired.” I say trying to dodge what I know he wants to talk about. I’ve been staying with him since I burned down my parents’ house, but we haven’t spoken. I’ve ignored him. Until we had sex in The Palace earlier this evening.
He steps into me and lifts his hand. He gently cups my cheek, and I lean into the warmth. “We’re not doing this.”
“What?” I ask yawning.
“Fighting over something so idiotic. You’ve played this game long enough.” He leans down and kisses my forehead.
“But you lied to me.” I dig into my foggy and drunk brain to remember what has kept me standoff-ish toward him for the past week to begin with.
“I never lied to you. I didn’t willingly give you information.”
“Same thing,” I growl.
“No, it’s not.” He runs a hand down his face. “What do you want, an apology?”
“That would be a good start.” I lift my chin.
“Okay.” He crosses his tatted arms over his chest. “You go first.”
I gasp. “What do I have to apologize for?”
“You put yourself in danger by setting your house on fire.” I open my mouth to argue that, but he continues. “And you cost me thirty grand to say it was not arson.”
“Thirty grand?” I breathe.
“Yes,” he hisses and turns his back to me, entering his bathroom. He slams the glass door shut.
I had set that fire because I didn’t want any of it anymore. I did it in hopes that I could move on. And I did it so that piece of shit George wouldn’t get the house my father built for my mother. I never meant for it to cost Titan. I didn’t expect him to come to my rescue. It’s not like I sent him a warning of what I was planning on doing.
I open the bathroom door and step inside, refusing to let him end this conversation like that. I want the last word. Titan stands at the marble counter, rinsing his face in one of the sinks. His clothes are in a pile on the floor next to his feet. All he wears is a pair of black boxer briefs. His ink and muscular body fully on display. “I’m sorry.” I swallow my pride, my shoulders falling and my anger fading. “I didn’t mean to cost you anything.”
His hard eyes meet mine in the mirror. “You think I give a shit about thirty thousand dollars?”
“Yeah?” It comes out more like a question because I thought that was why he was mad. Was I wrong?
He releases a long sigh, grabs a towel off the rack, and wipes his face. He walks over to me. “I don’t give a fuck about the money,” he says. “I care about you and your safety. And what you did was reckless.”
“I …”
“I’m not trying to start a fight with you, but I also don’t want you avoiding me.” His eyes roam my face. “This is where you belong.” He cups my face again. “With me. I can keep you safe. I can give you what you need.”
“And what do I need?” I ask, running my hands up and down his chiseled abs.
A slow and sexy smile spreads across his face. “You tell me.”
“You.” It’s the only answer I can think of. I don’t need his money. This Kingdom. Just him.
He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me softly. “I’m right here, Em and I’m not going anywhere.”
_______________
Friday morning, we’re pulling up to a remote private airport. It has six hangars. The one on the far right is open, and you can see the pristine jet inside. It’s white with a golden K in the middle of a black circle. Same logo that is all over Kingdom. “What is this?” I ask.
“My plane,” Titan answers.
He has a fucking jet?
Our Escalade SUV comes to a stop, and we exit and walk into the hangar. He helps me up the stairs, and I see the girls already on it. Jasmine has a pair of black Gucci glasses on and a glass of champagne in her right hand. It has the same logo on it, letting me know it’s from the casino. Haven has a bottle of water in hers.
“Do all of the Kings have a plane?” I ask, sitting down across from the girls in the white leather. A black table sets between us with a bowl full of fresh fruit.
“Yes,” Bones answers on the other side of the aisle. “Well, everyone except Grave.”
“Why doesn’t he have one?” I wonder.
“He did. He crashed it,” Titan answers, going to sit down next to Bones.
“How do you crash a plane?” Jasmine asks, laughing.
“Funny, I asked him that same question,” Bones says typing away on his phone. “But he was too fucked up to remember how it ended up in the Atlantic Ocean.”
“I mean, I can see one crashing. But surviving it?” Haven shakes her head. “That would be very low odds.” She takes a sip of her water.
“That’s why every jet has parachutes on it,” Titan adds. He leans over and starts whispering to Bones, ending our conversation regarding Grave and his near-death experiences. I’m not surprised in the least that Grave survived a plane crash. The boy is like a fucking cat, but he has ninety lives.
Haven claps her hands together softly. “So here we are. I’m ready to be filled in.”
I look over at Jasmine, and she shrugs. She doesn’t give a fuck who knows what we did in The Palace. I take a deep breath. “Okay …”
