“Just the sound of my name on your lips gives me hope. Please let me explain what happened with your father. It’s not as simple as you think it is.” I wait a few moments before she draws in a long breath and nods. “First things first, how are you after taking such a hard fall on the street yesterday? Are you hurt? Are you in any pain?”
She opens her eyes and turns her head slowly toward me. “That was you? You saved me?”
“Yes, I saved you…and the baby. I knew the moment you walked out of that clinic in a daze that you were carrying my child. I can’t tell you how happy that made me.”
Her lips tremble as her eyebrows squeeze together. “My child will never know his grandfather because of you. Does that make you happy?”
I shake my head, trying not to allow my emotions to get the best of me. “Alex, please hear me out.”
“Only if you loosen my restraints. I’m very uncomfortable.”
“You know I cannot do that.”
She turns her gaze toward the ceiling and lets out a long sigh as tears stream down her temples. “Please, Daimon. Please let me go. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll listen to your side of the story. Please don’t make me talk to you like this. It’s humiliating.”
My stomach clenches at the sight of her pleading, but it’s just a gut reaction. I’m not stupid. I know Alex is putting on a show for me. She’s a great actress. I learned that the hard way at the masquerade ball. And I’m an excellent student. I have no desire to learn that lesson twice.
I reach toward her face, and this time she allows me to touch her. I brush the tears from her skin with the back of my fingers and she nuzzles her cheek against my hand. Part of me knows she’s pretending, but another part of me knows she’s craved my touch. I saw her touching herself and imagining it was my hands on her, my cock inside her.
Pulling my hand back, I try to ignore the hurt expression in her eyes. “Alex, listen to me. Your mother and father were extorting the princess.” She rolls her eyes and turns away, realizing I’m not giving into her wily attempts to appeal to my emotions. I ignore her show of frustration and continue. “Your biological mother, Princess Amica, gave birth to you at their estate in Beverly Hills with the help of a midwife.” When Alex hears the word midwife, she perks up a little. She can see where this is going. “Amica did not want you when she became aware of your condition. She asked the midwife, Lisa Carmichael, to drop you off at a hospital where you would be safe.”
“You’re lying.”
“I have no reason to lie to you, Alex. Remember, I was sent to kill you. You are only alive because of me. I would not have kept you alive if you had not worked your way under my skin.” She closes her eyes as I stroke her cheek. “If you had not become a part of me, I wouldn’t be here, laying everything on the line for you.”
I trace the curve of her face down over her jaw and to her neck. She draws in a sharp breath as my fingertips move over her collar bone and down to the center of her chest. She probably doesn’t even realize how her back is arched upward, seeking my touch.
I lift my fingers from her chest and lay my hand on her cheek, then I lean forward and kiss her forehead. Her body relaxes and I sit up, gently laying my hand on her abdomen. I imagine my child can feel the warmth of my hand as I finish telling my side of the story.
“I was sent to extinguish you. The princess did not wish to be extorted any longer. She didn’t want the prospect of her dirty secret being made public by your parents. She could kill your parents or she could make you disappear. Taking into consideration your father’s military background, you were the easier target.”
Alex narrows her eyes at me. “When were you hired?”
“In January.”
“Four months ago?”
“Yes. I was given explicit instructions not to investigate your parents or your history. I was supposed to investigate your daily routine to determine the best way to get to you, but something didn’t feel right.”
I run my hand over her abdomen and up to her ribs. Her back arches slightly toward my touch, wanting more. Stopping just short of her breast, I can feel her holding her breath.
“Please stop,” she whispers breathlessly.
“I’ll never stop.” I move my hand up, cupping her breast through the fabric of her camisole. “Not until you’re mine. Not until you’ve forgiven me.”
I squeeze her breast and her hips curl upward. She wants to be fucked. I let go of her succulent flesh and move my hand down to her abdomen so I can continue.
“I knew I would not be able to get to you with your father watching every move you made. So I made a plan to confine your parents in the very basement where they had kept you, but I miscalculated your father’s strength and agility. I should not have tried to restrain him on my own. He fought with me in the basement until he got away and escaped in my Mercedes.
“I knew the only way to lure him out of hiding was to threaten you. As expected, when I began following you on Hope Street, he pulled up next to me and attempted to shoot me, but I shot him first, with a tranquilizer gun. I got into the car and immediately drove your father through the gas station and around the corner to a second location where his body was switched with that of a sexual predator my buddies and I had been investigating. His life had no value to anyone. He was an easy kill. I drove his body back to the gas station and called it in to the police department.”
“And my father? What did you do to him?”
I swallow hard. “Unfortunately, your father woke from the tranquilizer before I had a chance to restrain him in the basement. He fought once again and I had to shoot him in self-defense.”
“You’re lying!”
“I have no reason to lie to you, Alex!” I shout, losing my patience. “You know what else I did? I engineered the attack on Hope Street where you were stabbed.”
Her jaw clenches with anger, but her eyes are locked on me. “What? What are you talking about?”
“I needed to gain your trust so I could get close to you. You trusted no one, but I had a strong feeling you would put your trust in me. I took a chance and orchestrated the attack so I could offer you my help. And it worked.”
“Why? Just to get close to me? To kill me?”
“To get to know you.” I look her in the eye and her gaze softens. “I told you before, I needed to know why the princess wanted you dead. It was the moment I traced the curve of your lips that I realized you could be related to the princess. That’s why I left your apartment in a hurry. I stole some hair from your hairbrush on the way out and you didn’t hear from me for over a week as I had it tested against a sample I procured from the princess. They were a match, and that’s when I knew I couldn’t kill you, because you posed no threat to anyone except the princess’s reputation.”
“I… I don’t know what to believe.”
I lean forward and kiss the tears as they slide down her temple. “Please, chérie. I would never lie to you. I love you.”
I pull my head back to look her in the eye. She opens her mouth to respond when she’s interrupted by the distinct sound of two muffled gunshots.
Chapter Two
Daimon
“Stay Here,” I whisper to Alex and she glares at me.
“Not funny!”
I leave her securely tied to the bed as I head toward the back door, which leads onto Alex’s overgrown backyard. I pull aside the curtain covering the window in the door and glimpse Crow standing in the knee-high weeds, his gun pointed toward the neighbor’s backyard.
I yank the door open, and I’m not surprised to see Alex’s next door neighbors, Ignacio and Noemia, lying dead in their garden. “You idiot!” I shout at Crow. “I can’t leave you alone for one fucking hour!”
“They were getting nosy!” Crow shouts, his nostrils flaring and his dark skin gleaming in the moonlight. “They knew something was going on. They asked me where Alex was!”
“You should have told them she was inside the house. They would have accepted
that. You didn’t have to kill them!”
“How about a little fucking gratitude? I just drugged that fucking bounty hunter for you! And how about you tell me what the fuck you’re planning to do with her?”
“I don’t answer to you. My plans are my business.”
“You’re going to blow this job for her, aren’t you? Why didn’t you tell me they’re leaving the island tomorrow? I should know these things!”
“Why? So you can kill her yourself? Don’t you forget that if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here.”
Both our eyes widen as the sound of Alex screaming my name echoes through the dark night. “She’s going to get us both arrested!” Crow seethes. “I can’t believe you’re risking your life for a woman who wants nothing to do with you.”
I let out a soft chuckle as I gaze across the yard toward the two shadowy lumps laid out in Ignacio’s garden. Then I recall that night in Gabriel Irwin’s flat in London. That boy lying peacefully with a bullet in his brain. Then Alex’s father’s face flashes in my mind. How is it I always end up with bodies that need burying whenever I’m on a job with Crow? It can’t be a coincidence.
I turn to Crow and look him in the eye. “Thank you for getting me out of Irwin’s.”
He raises his gun, but I beat him to it, putting a single bullet between his eyes. He falls backward and lands with a thud in the overgrown grass. Great. Now I have three bodies to get rid of.
Heading back inside the cottage, I tuck my gun into my waistband and hasten to Alex’s side where I take a seat on the edge of the bed. “I regret to inform you of this, sweetheart, but you will be tied up a bit longer. My associate just killed your neighbors.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s not funny!” She grapples with her bonds, grunting as her exquisite body writhes against the mattress.
“Of course it’s not funny. I was quite fond of Ignacio and his wife. But I’ve taken care of it. My associate knows he did wrong.” I place my hand on her abdomen to calm her struggles. “You really need to remain calm, chérie.” Her body stills, but she’s still breathing hard. “That’s it, just relax. I have to go check on the bounty hunter, but I’ll return soon. Try to remain calm while I’m gone.”
She closes her eyes as I lean down to kiss the corner of her mouth. “Please don’t leave me here,” she pleads, her breath hot against my lips. “Please, Daimon. Please take me with you. I won’t try to fight you. I don’t want to hurt the baby. Just please don’t leave me here alone.”
I place my hand on her cheek and gaze into her eyes, one brown and one gray. There are two sides to every person: their true self and their false self, which is presented when they want something. As much as I love Alex, I’m not blinded by love. I know the real Alex wouldn’t beg anyone for anything. Well, except for the time she begged me to put my cock inside her, but pleas made in the throes of passion excluded, Alex is not a begging woman.
“You can’t possibly think I would believe that.”
Her eyes squeeze shut again, pushing out the tears. “Can’t you see how painful this is for me? I don’t want to beg you. You killed my father.”
“In self-defense.”
“If it was self-defense, then let me go. I believe you. I just… I just need some time to think.”
She is very good at this.
“I underestimated you, Alex.” I brush the tears from her face, then I kiss her forehead and stand up. “But I won’t do that again. I’ll be right back.”
Pulling my gun out of my waistband, I’m on high alert as I leave the cottage through the back door. I don’t know how much tranquilizer Crow gave Nicolas or when he gave it to him. All I know is I can’t count on it to last more than twenty minutes. He could already be awake, which means I can’t leave through the front of Alex’s cottage. I have to go through the back of Ignacio’s house to the street then head back past Dolores Street, and approach Nicolas’s house from behind. All because I made the stupid mistake of trusting Crow as a partner on this mission. I should have gotten rid of him this afternoon. Then Ignacio and Noemia would still be alive, and I wouldn’t have to worry about getting attacked by Nicolas when I enter his home.
I pass Crow’s body, but I don’t look at him. I’ll deal with him later. I find Ignacio and Noemia in their backyard and my stomach twists at the sight of her body draped facedown over his. She could be sleeping if it weren’t for the small bloody hole in the back of her head. Ignacio’s eyes stare straight up into the black starry sky, a bullet hole above his right socket. His mouth hangs open, revealing the three missing top teeth that gave his smile such character. I can’t leave them here. I don’t know if they planned on having company tonight.
I heave Noemia’s plump body off of Ignacio’s, then I search his pockets for the key to his work shed. I’ve moved many dead bodies in my lifetime, but something about digging through his pockets while they’re still warm makes me slightly ill.
Once I have the keys and the shed door is open, I drag them both inside. Every inch I drag their bodies feels as if it takes an eternity. I need to hurry so I can get to Nicolas before he wakes, but I can’t be sloppy. I lay Ignacio and Noemia next to each other on the dirt floor of the shed, then I lock the door and slip the keys into my pocket. The keys will be the only thing missing from the house. The authorities will think the elderly couple was killed by someone close to them.
I take one final look at the old shed and shake my head. Forgive me, Ignacio.
Cutting through the back of the neighbor’s yard, I come out onto the street with the open-air market, which is closed down for the night. I nod at a few young men who are standing outside the corner market. Crossing Dolores Street, I glance at Nicolas’s house. The windows are dark. Either Crow turned the lights off after he drugged Nicolas or our little bounty hunter has awakened.
I cross the street and cut through the backyard of the corner house then into Nicolas’s backyard. Keeping my gun flat against the outside of my right thigh, I scurry across the yard until I’m just outside the back door. I press my back flat against the wall, then I reach across with my left hand and slowly turn the knob.
I let out my breath when I hear the soft click of the latch disengaging. Pushing the door inward, I keep my back pressed against the rear wall to stay covered. I hold my ground for a few seconds, then I raise my weapon and turn into the open doorway. The inside of the kitchen is dark, but I see no signs of movement.
Inching my way into the darkened house, I find myself wishing I had Alex’s acute vision. If she weren’t tied to a bed and completely volatile right now, she’d make a much better partner in crime than Crow. I proceed into the living area, expecting to find Nicolas laid out on the wood floor or his limp body draped over the sofa cushions, but he’s nowhere. Maybe Crow caught him in the bedroom. I don’t want to see the bed where he slept with my Alex, but I have to neutralize him.
I ease my way into the bedroom and my heart drops when I come around the other side of the bed. I search the bathroom and closets to make sure I’m right, and it only confirms my suspicions. Nicolas isn’t here.
I race out of the house toward Alex’s cottage, gun at my side, hoping none of the nosy neighbors are watching from their windows. I don’t want to kill anyone else.
I recklessly burst through the front door, giving Nicolas a clear shot at me if he were on the other side. But my adrenaline is peaking. I can’t stop now. I need to keep him from taking Alex.
Rushing into the bedroom with my gun drawn, I kick the bed hard enough to send it sliding across the wooden floor until it slams into the wall.
She’s gone.
Chapter Three
Alex
As soon as Daimon leaves the bedroom, I begin devising ways to get myself out of these restraints. But I can’t use too much energy or I won’t be able to get away or fight him off if he comes back. Do I really want to fight him off?
The muscles in my shoulders slacken as this question siphons the fight out of me. I’ve
been pining for Daimon every second of every day since I arrived on this island. And now I’m trying to get away from him? Why?
Because I don’t know if I can trust him. I don’t know if he’s telling me the truth about my father’s death. I may never know the truth. If I give in to Daimon, it will be because I’ve accepted I’ll never know for sure whether he killed my father in self-defense. I don’t know if I can accept that explanation, much less believe it. I suppose it comes down to whether Daimon truly loves me. If he loves me, he wouldn’t lie to me about something so important.
I writhe against the mattress, my emotional disquiet manifesting in my physical struggles. I yank my arms and legs in every direction, attempting to loosen the thin ropes that tether me to the bedposts, but it’s no use. I’m no match for Daimon’s military and law enforcement background. No doubt he knows at least a dozen ways to tie someone up.
This thought makes my body flood with a warmth and longing for his touch. I shake my head, trying to clear away thoughts of Daimon pleasuring me while I lay immobilized. His tongue sliding over my flesh, searching for my clit. Oh, God. Just the thought of it has me on the brink of orgasm.
I need to get out of here, away from Daimon, where I can think straight.
“Alyssa!” I open my eyes and Nick is standing in the doorway. “Are you hurt?”
I shake my head adamantly, thinking of how I was just imagining my captor giving me head. I’m definitely not hurt. At least, not physically. I can’t say as much for my mental health.
“Please release me,” I plead, and he rushes to the bed to untie the ropes.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No,” I insist. “He just wanted to talk to me.” Why am I defending him?
Once I’m released from the restraints, my heart begins to thrum painfully against my chest. I know we have no more than a minute or two before Daimon returns. Part of me wants to wait for him, but I don’t know if I’d rather punch him in the throat or leap into his arms and kiss him.