Fierce King by Ivy Mason

Five

The woman was terrible.

Absolutely infuriating. Resentful. Ungrateful.

I wanted to tie her back up, drag her useless body back to Dimitri, and dump her on his doorstep.

She acted like she already hated me, and I'd yet to even do anything bad to her.

And stealing her from that sadistic asshole didn’t count.

I saved her, and the only thanks she gave me was spitting in my face.

Ironically, her name suited her well.

Rose. Beautiful and seductive on the outside but try to touch her and she prickled and barbed.

Groaning in annoyance, I shut the door behind me, ignoring her pounding while Knight quickly locked it.

I was already questioning my decision to take her and the heat hadn't even begun to come down on us. Even though Dimitri didn't suspect us yet, Bourbon was going to lose his shit when he discovered the truth. That I'd kidnapped the woman who belonged to our once enemy. The same man Bourbon had worked so hard to bring to the table to do business together.

Honestly, I'd be surprised if he didn't try to kill me.

To my horror, despite the startling resemblance, Rose was nothing like Lily.

Lily had been kind and sweet, the light in my dark world.

Rose was stubborn, angry, and had a smart mouth. I would never be able to take her anywhere, not if I wanted my men to respect me.

I walked down the hallway, sighing, the signs of my past life everywhere haunting me. We were in the guest house where Lily used to live when her mother worked for us.

I never spent a lot of time here, as Lily mostly hung out at our house. But when I did, it was the only place I'd ever felt like I could truly relax. Be myself.

My father would’ve never thought to look for me there, and I was always extremely careful to keep it that way.

It had been my sanctuary and my escape.

And now, it haunted my every step.

I hadn't been here in years but the smell, the furniture, almost everything was still the same.

Lily. It reminded me of her in every way.

I felt Knight and Dante’s presence behind me, their disapproving stares prickling at my back. I'd had no choice but to bring her here, it was the only place no one would ever think to look for her. I didn't have rooms convenient for keeping people hostage, not like my father.

I went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Per my instructions, Dante had stocked it earlier. I'd texted him the moment I'd made my decision back at the hotel. Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair as I considered what my next step was.

"What are we going to do with her?" Knight leaned his elbows on the kitchen island.

"You're going to feed her. Make sure she has some stuff for the shower, and clothes.”

“I don’t even know her size.”

"Does it matter?" I growled. Snapping off the lid to the water bottle, I angrily took a long gulp of the cool water.

"Man, you've got it bad for this girl.” He huffed out a laugh, his brown eyes sparkling with mirth. “She'll never be Lily. You know that right? I don't care how much she looks like her."

"I fucking know that.” I flipped him the bird.

Shaking his head with a grin still on his lips, he pulled his keys from his pocket and walked towards the front door. “Have fun with him, man,” he threw at Dante before stalking out of the house.

Dante didn’t answer him, but kept a meaningful gaze on me. He was much more serious than Knight, and silence descended in the house, except for the pounding on Rose's door.

Shit. I ran my hand over my face. I really hadn’t thought this through.

Knight and Dante were my friends in high school, but we’d grown closer after Bourbon and I had our falling out.

They knew who Lily was, of course, because everyone knew who she was to me.

I'd been fiercely protective over her, and no one else dared mess with her or they'd earn a broken bone and a bent dick.

No one touched her but me. I'd shattered a couple of faces to get my message across. One belonging to a guy who tried to hit on her, the other to a guy who tried to bully her for being the 'maid's daughter.' They both ended up in the hospital, and after that, she never had any problems.

Now, Knight and Dante had taken Bourbon's place in my life, including sharing women between us. They were as familiar with the naked curves of Lucy as I was. The thought made my head snap up and I gave Dante a cold stare.

"We're not sharing her, is that clear?"

He gave me a dismissive look. "Fuck off, Coulter. I don't want her."

I nodded, satisfied, then threw the empty water bottle towards the kitchen sink.

"Seriously though," he said, "what are you going to do with her? She's too hot. If anyone finds out we took her, Dimitri will cut off our dicks and make us choke on them.”

"Don't you think I already know that?" I growled. This was probably one of the worst impulsive decisions I'd ever made, and that was saying something. But yet, I really didn’t regret it. Not really.

I'd do anything to have Lily back.

Anything.

And if a Lily look-alike was the closest thing I was ever going to get, I'd take it. Even if she did bite.

"For now, we'll have to keep her locked up here. It's the only place no one will look for her. In the meantime, we'll find someone else to set up for taking her. I'm sure Dimitri has enough enemies to pin the blame on."

He nodded, thinking. “I have someone in mind.”

Dante came from a very powerful family that had a stronghold in Sicily. They ran everything from weapons and drugs, to women, and they crushed anyone who stood in their way.

And that's why he was my second. He may not have the lineage to put him in line to rule that family, but violence was in his blood. He would kill anyone who dared threaten me. I could already tell by the look on his face that he was already making plans in case Dimitri ever discovered the truth.

The sound of the front door slamming open and footsteps pounding into the house had us both pulling our guns out. We turned toward the doorway, ready to shoot, when Bourbon's angry face came into view.

Well, shit.That happened way too fast.

In two steps, he was on me.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" He grabbed me by the shirt, shaking me.

I flinched by instinct but I wasn’t really afraid.

Despite the many times Bourbon was mad at me, he’d never hit me. Ever.

We may not be friends like we once were, but he’d never let go of his protective instincts towards me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about.” I smirked, which I knew would only make him angrier.

“Don’t play stupid.” He shook me again. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

I slid my fingers between my shirt and his hand, forcing him to let me go. Then I stepped back, straightening my clothes. "If you want any answers from me, you're going to have to be more clear."

"I know you took the fucking girl, Coulter. Do you know how hard I've worked for an alliance between us?" His fisted hands told me he was using all his restraint to not punch me in the face. "An alliance between the two families would bring us millions of dollars each month, you asshole. But all you ever think about is your dick."

I turned away, huffing, noticing that Dante was staring between us. He would never get in between me and Bourbon but he would protect me from Bourbon if his self-restraint ever broke.

"I didn't take the girl. I don't even know what girl you're talking about."

“Then why the hell are you even here, Coulter?" Bourbon's gaze was like death. He was angry, he really wanted to punch me. Maybe even kill me. "You haven't been here in years."

"How would you know that?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Because I have a silent alarm on the house. Dante tripped it several hours ago when we were at the club. I know you sent him here. Now tell me, where the fuck is she? We need to take her back now. Set it up like a rival took her and we can make out like we are the ones who rescued her and brought her back to him." His eyes gleamed with this new idea. "Then they'll be even more indebted to us--"

"I don't have the fucking girl, Bourbon," I interrupted him, not wanting him to go down that line of thought. Once Bourbon got an idea in his mind, he never let it go. It's that ruthlessness that made him the strongest heir to our empire, and it was also my downfall when he used it against me.

And this time, I couldn’t let him win. Not when the chance of having what I'd lost so long ago was within my grasp.

She might not be Lily but she was close enough. I wouldn't even have to close my eyes to pretend, not like I did with the other girls.

There was a sudden banging noise, and Rose started shouting. She’d given up earlier but now she’d renewed it with more enthusiasm. She must've heard us arguing.

Bourbon bolted upright, his back ramrod straight. "Tell me you aren't dumb enough to keep her here? On our own property?"

When he put it like that, it did sound like the stupidest idea I'd ever had.

But what else could I've done? It was a split second decision. I had to take her before Dimitri left tomorrow, taking the opportunity with him. I probably never would’ve seen him again, along with Rose.

When I didn’t answer, Bourbon sighed. "God, you're an idiot." His exasperation quickly melded into a stern glare. "We're taking her back."

He didn’t wait for me to answer him, but strode towards the hallway, his long legs eating up the space to her door in seconds. Then his hand was on the doorknob and desperation made me stupid.

“Like hell you're taking her back!” I sprinted after him, tackling him to the ground. We grappled on the floor like we did when we were kids, each struggling to dominate the other.

I landed on top, but he quickly slipped out of my hold by throwing me over his shoulders. Then he was on his feet and at her door before I could take my next breath.

"Wait!" I cried, jumping to my feet, and he stilled, turning his face to me. There was surprise in his gaze at the pleading in my voice. The last time he ever heard me so frantic was the night Lily had died.

But, didn’t he feel it too?

The hope that sprung in my chest the minute I saw her?

Didn’t he want her too?

Even if it wasn’t real, we could at least pretend she was Lily. Even if it was only for a few hours. I'd even fuck her with him in the room, something we never did in the past, but I was so desperate, I'd give him anything at this point.

I made my way towards him slowly, like I would a wild animal.

"We can figure out a way to keep her and to make Dimitri happy. Maybe we can find him another girl, someone he wants more. Fake her death, blame it on one of his enemies."

"We’re his enemy, you idiot." Bourbon's face was hard, but I could hear the vulnerability in his voice. He wanted this too, wanted her. I just had to find a way to make him admit it.

"You know you want this, Bourbon." Coming to stand next to him, I put my hand on his shoulder.

His face snapped away from me and towards the door, scowling at it like it had offended him. Rose was pounding on it, her voice pleading.

And yet, he didn’t try the handle again, didn’t bark at me to unlock it.

And that’s when I knew I had him where I wanted him, I just needed to push him a little bit more.

“You can lie to me all you want, but the minute she walked out of that hotel room with a black eye, I knew you wanted to kill Dimitri just as much as I did. You don't have to say the words out loud. Just let me keep the girl." I lowered my voice to a whisper so Dante couldn’t hear me. He would never understand the bond Bourbon and I had with Lily.

No one ever would. Only us.

"We could share her. Make her pretend to be Lily. You could fuck her. Tell her all the things you wish you could've told Lily. Don't you want that, Bourbon?"

After a long hesitation, he turned to face me, his eyes cold. "Lily is dead. And nothing will ever bring her back."

I nodded, and then I did the worst thing I could ever do to him. Told him the biggest lie of my life.

"Just one night then, Bourbon. One night each, of doing whatever we want with her. Then, we'll take her back.” At the disbelief in Bourbon's eyes, I quickly amended my statement. She knew too much to return her to Dimitri. Plus, she’d be better off dead than to return her to that bastard. “Fine, then we kill her. Take her body to Dimitri, pretend we tried to rescue her. We would look like heroes. This will work, I swear it.” I grabbed his arm, leaning closer to stare into his eyes, and I could see the wavering in his gaze. “Just one night. Isn’t that what you want?”