King’s Temptation by Piper Stone

Chapter 13

Dimitri

Time.

I checked my watch, realizing it was almost three in the morning. That didn’t give me a hell of a lot of comfort. Another damn storm had rolled in after midnight, the lightning flashing across the sky making me cringe. I pulled the glass of whiskey to my lips, alternating my stare at the front door and the back. I’d had a bad feeling crawling in my gut since returning from spending time on the dock.

Something didn’t feel right. There were no overt signs, no strange cars on the road from what I’d been told. But my instinct refused to stop nagging me. I’d checked on Angelique several times, now finding it difficult to keep my eyes open. I’d known better than to take any time for myself, but the man she believed she’d opened up had wanted a chance to taste her.

I dragged my tongue across my lips, her sweet juice managing to linger in my throat. Even the way her scent filled my nostrils was driving me crazy. I could feast on her for days. Huffing, I took another glance outside, hating the way the limbs of the closest tree smacked against the side of the house. That’s all I could hear, the dull thudding.

A plan. I honestly had no idea if Cristiano had a decent plan, but as I’d mentioned to Angelique, it hadn’t been my place to grill him on it. However, if he thought I was going to allow her out of my sight, the man had another think coming. I’d take whatever punishment he doled out later with a damn smile.

At least Dax had remained in her room instead of following me as he’d been doing. Her room. The thought gave me a smile. I leaned my head back in the chair, a mixture of thoughts and images popping into my mind. Yeah, I could actually see her living here with me. Just being able to strip away her pretenses as well as her comfort zone had truly shown me what a beautiful flower she could be.

Like a gorgeous tulip opening for the first time in spring. I snorted and took another sip, finally placing the glass on the table. Tomorrow could be difficult, extremely dangerous. I needed to be sharp in order to ensure her safety. It was my duty to get her home. I closed my eyes, rubbing my jaw, fighting the sleepiness.

Where the hell was she? I raced into the storm, the torrential rain creating a haze in front of me. I wiped water from my eyes, calling to her, hissing as the wind took it away.

“Angelique!”

I refused to allow the horrible weather to keep me from finding her. I pushed harder, blanketing myself from the sideways rain, swinging the lantern back and forth. I had to find her. I refused to allow her to be taken from me.

“Angelique!”

I sucked in my breath, the frigid air chilling me to the bone, but I pressed on, fighting my way through the trees. When I finally thought I saw a clearing, I held up the light. Yes, I was right. Every muscle in my body ached, but there was no stopping me. I took long strides, fighting with the thick underbrush, burrs and twigs catching and ripping my clothes.

No. No! I had to keep going.

As I neared the clearing, a flash of lightning bolted across the sky, lighting up the area, but only for a split second.

Just long enough to horrify me.

I broke free, running onto the rocks, swinging the lamps as I tried to move toward what I thought I’d seen. And I kept repeating her name over and over again.

“Angelique!”

Crack! Boom!

The combination of lightning and thunder seemed to rattle the earth beneath my feet, the vibrations shooting up both legs. As the wind intensified, swirling debris from every direction, I struggled to take a few more long strides. Then I lifted the lantern once again.

“Angelique!”

My beautiful flower, the woman I loved stood on the edge of a cliff, her arms out and her face lifted toward the heavens.

This couldn’t be happening.

“Angelique!”

As if time was standing still, she slowly turned her head in my direction and even though it was impossible, I thought I heard the sweet lilt of her voice.

“I love you.”

Then, as if turned into a bird, she flew off the precipice into the darkness.

“Angelique!” I jerked up, gasping for air, uncertain of what the hell had just occurred. Unable to focus, I struggled to figure out where I was. A putrid stench seemed to be coming from everywhere.

Jesus Christ. What the hell was wrong with the power? A flash of lightning drew my attention, the vision just like the one from before. Coughing, I remembered my weapon and reached for it, enjoying the comfort of having the cold steel in my hand.

Then I heard a sound.

A bark.

Fuck.

“Dax!” I was finally able to drag myself out of the horrible nightmare only to realize not only was the power out, the house was filled with smoke. What. The. Fuck.

Ruff. Ruff. Ruff. Ruff.

He wouldn’t stop barking, although the sound was getting further away. I shifted toward him, feeling my way in the dark. That’s when I noticed the first sign of flames. Jesus Christ. They were coming from her room.

“Stay back, boy. I’ll get her.” I rushed inside, hissing as I watched the fire shooting up the wall. The smoke was thick and acrid. She was in bed, unmoving. With Dax continuing to bark from behind me, I lunged toward the bed, dragging her from under the covers. “Come on, Angelique. Come on, baby. Wake up for me.” As I tumbled out of the room, I heard the first cracking of timber on the roof. While it was possible the brutal weather conditions had allowed a lightning strike to hit the cabin, my instinct told me otherwise.

Security had been breached.

They were waiting to see if we survived.

If they’d harmed her, I would kill them. I bolted toward the back, carrying her outside, making certain Dax followed us. When I eased her down, I could swear she’d already inhaled too much smoke. “Come on, Angelique. I need you to wake up.” I threw a quick glance toward the water, scanning the area. With the darkness, it was hard to detect if there was a boat somewhere. Fuck. I didn’t own one. We weren’t getting out of here by way of the river.

“What… What happened?” Angelique asked, coughing several times.

“Thank God you’re all right. There’s a fire. We need to get out of here. Listen to me. Stay right here. I mean it. I’ll grab a few things if I can, but we are leaving.”

She threw a look toward the roof, shaking her head. “Don’t go. You can’t go.”

“I’ll be right back. I need the keys.” I reacted on my training, yanking my tee shirt over my face as I struggled to find anything. At least I’d kept one of the bags I’d brought in the same place I always did. Within seconds, I was able to find it, snatching it off the floor. I continued pressing forward, cognizant that Dax continued to bark his head off. His instincts were also on high alert, which pushed me to the edge.

Flames were everywhere, consuming several of the walls. There was no fucking way this was about the storm.

Dax continued to growl, the boy angry as hell. He wasn’t barking about the fire. Someone had set foot on the property. I had no doubt.

After managing to locate her boots as well as the keys, I rushed to the back door, my eyes burning. That’s when I smelled the stench of gasoline.

I grabbed my weapon before yanking her against me. “Listen to me. We’re going around the house to the car. Do not say a word. Stay right behind me.” I dropped her shoes, cursing under my breath as she struggled into them. I’d been stupid to lower my guard.

“Okay,” she managed, shivering in the heavy rain.

At least she didn’t fight me on this, neither did Dax, ceasing barking as soon as we walked down the stairs and to the side. I swung the gun from side to side, trying to control my nerves. I had to be very careful about this.

When Dax remained quiet after we reached the front of the house, I took another glance but there was no time to waste. Debris and embers were rolling off the side of the house. I knew by now that Nick must have seen the smoke.

As I approached the car, I had another bad feeling rush through me, especially given the way Dax started to growl. There was a significant change in the tone and as soon as I looked at him, I knew he sensed something.

I pushed her back.

“What’s going on?” she whispered.

“Keep Dax’s collar. This isn’t going to work.”

“I don’t understand why. What’s happening?”

I’d spent enough years to gather a sixth sense about explosions. Hell, I’d been responsible for planting one or two during my career. As the hair stood up on the back of my neck, I shoved her even harder. “We need to get out of here. Run. Run toward the woods, now. Keep running no matter what happens.”

I squeezed her arm, giving Dax the final command, praying to God I wasn’t wrong about this. “Begi, mal’chik.” Run, boy.I swung the bag over my shoulder, placing the weapon in both hands, watching for another few seconds before turning and racing after her.

Boom!

The explosion was horrific, the sound echoing into the night sky. The force almost tossed me to the ground. Gasping, I darted a single look over my shoulder, fighting every urge to hunt the fuckers down.

Angelique stopped, turning around and screaming as the sky was suddenly turned a bright orange.

“Keep going. Go. Go!”

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

We’d been found.

I counted the number of gunshots as well as the location where they were coming from. If there were more than two soldiers, I’d be shocked. I willed her to keep going and the second we hit the trees, I yanked the bag from my shoulder, fumbling until I was able to unzip. Thank God I’d shoved a flashlight inside.

“It’s dark. Oh, God,” she moaned.

“Hold on. Keep your cool.” It turned on the low beam, pointing it directly ahead. The cracking sounds weren’t coming from the storm. The assholes were following us.

Dax barked twice until I hissed.

“We have to stay quiet. Follow me. Do not look back. Do not stop until I tell you it’s okay.” Fury wrapped its ugly head around me as we fought our way through the storm and darkness. The only chance we had was if the bastards couldn’t follow us. Every few seconds, I stopped and listened, straining to hear anything. Where the fuck was Nick?

While I had my phone in my pocket, there was no time to make a call, if there was even reception. Now that the bastards knew where we’d been hiding, their soldiers would do their best to shut down every road coming into Lake Charles. At this point, I wasn’t certain how the hell to find a way out. How had they gotten around Vincenzo’s men?

But I refused to stop, pushing her harder, keeping us on track. I knew the woods well enough, even in the darkness. The light on the horizon would help our continued escape. Unfortunately, that would also provide aid to the bastards following us.

I had no idea how long we’d been going, but with no additional rounds of gunfire, my guess was the assholes had doubled back, trying to figure out a way of cutting us off on the other side.

“Can I rest? Please?” she asked in such a small voice.

I moved closer, instantly pulling her into my arms, finally able to take several deep breaths. “It’s going to be all right.”

She clung to me and for the first time that I could remember, she broke down in sobs. The girl was one of the strongest people I’d ever met in my life, her resolve and ability to work through any problem one of the reasons I adored her. To feel her shaking body, to know how terrified she was only pushed my rage to an entirely different level.

No one was going to stop me from breaking Antonio’s neck with my bare hands. No one. Especially not a member of the King family.

She took gasping breaths, only moving when Dax bumped her leg. “Is it morning yet?”

I laughed softly as I glanced up at the sky. Light was beginning to filter in through the trees, the rain slacking off. I turned off the light, struggling to hear anything. “I need to see if we have reception. Okay?”

Nodding, she took a step backward, bending down and wrapping her arms around Dax’s neck.

I turned in a full circle as I grabbed my phone, surprised to find there was some reception. After dialing Nick’s number, all I heard was a crackle. Hissing, I tried Marko. When he answered, there was no doubt he was rattled.

“They got to Nick,” Marko bellowed.

“What the fuck?”

“He’s alive, but not by much. Where the hell are you?”

“Woods next to the cabin. Shots were fired. The cabin’s gone. The car is gone. I need to find a way out of here. They are coming for us.”

Marko hissed. “Yeah, I know. I already called Vincenzo. He’s got his men all converging on the area.”

“Christ.” I thought about the area. “There’s an access road on the right side of the property. One of the utility companies used to use it. It’s overgrown now and tough to find. That’s where we’re going.”

“Don’t worry, boss. I will find you.”

Boss. The man had never called me boss before. “I don’t have much juice. Call me when you get straight.”

Marko growled. “You bet.”

I risked making another call. “Cristiano. We’ve been hit.”

“I already know. You’ll have all the support you need. Are you hurt?”

“We’re fine. I just don’t know for how long. Marko knows where I’m going.”

“Good,” Cristiano growled. “Keep her alive, my friend.”

“Will do.” I scanned the area one last time before returning to her side. She’d slid down to the ground, her arm wrapped around Dax and her body shivering violently. Thank God the rain had completely stopped, although the constant dripping from the trees was pissing me off. I crouched down, wiping her face. “We need to keep going. We have at least three miles to reach a road. Do you think you can do that?”

She took several breaths, nodding only once. “I’ll be fine.”

“Good girl. There’s help on the way. We are going to be fine. Go ahead and start walking. I’ll let you know if you need to alter course.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

Chuckling, I swirled the tip of my finger around her lips. The expression on her beautiful face was riddled with sadness, as if the entire weight of the world had fallen on her shoulders. All I wanted to do was take her into my arms, holding her close, but we’d just been shoved into absolute hell.

I helped Angelique to her feet, snarling as I darted another glance over my shoulder. The anger would never leave until the deed was finished. We remained quiet as we set out once again, the light at least providing some sense of direction as well as comfort.

Sadly, that would be short lived. If Marko could find the access, so could Azzurri’s soldiers, even though the assholes were more like Neanderthals.

“They will hunt us down. Won’t they?” she asked almost twenty minutes later.

“They will try, yes.”

“Just like you said. I’m sorry, Dimitri. For everything.”

She didn’t turn to face me, simply kept walking, but I could tell by the way her body swayed that she was tiring quickly. So was Dax for that matter. After hearing a slight cracking, I moved toward her quickly, pushing her behind one of the larger trees then placing my finger across my mouth. I stood in front of her, shifting my gaze from right to left and back again.

When I was finally certain there was no one behind us, I let off a hard growl.

“This is ridiculous. I can’t do this any longer. I just can’t,” she moaned, pressing her fists against her eyes.

I grabbed her arms, pulling them down. “You can do this. We don’t have that much further.”

“I just…” She took several gasping deep breaths before jerking out of my hold. “Okay. I guess I’m just tired. Come on, baby boy. We’re going to keep walking.”

She pushed me further away, walking in the same direction we’d been going. The forest was denser than I remembered, the number of storms that had blown through the area over the last few years forcing several larger limbs and trees down.

I moved forward, checking my phone to make certain nothing had been missed.

That’s when I heard her short yelp. I rushed toward, only to find she’d stepped into some kind of a hole. “Fuck.” Dax started to bark, the sound echoing even in the denseness of the forest. “Don’t move.”

“I’m fine. I’m just pissed.” As soon as she tried to stand, she squealed, pushing all her weight onto one leg. “Great. I’ve twisted my ankle.”

Bending down, I pressed my hand against the one in question, grimacing after doing so. “You’re lucky you didn’t break it given the size of the hole. Can you walk?” I had no doubt it would start to swell within minutes. Goddamn it, we needed to get the hell out of here.

“I think so.”

“Just hold onto me.”

“How can you protect us if you’re babying me? I’ll be fine.”

As if I’d been doing a very good job of protecting her as it was. She was hardheaded, refusing to fall prey to her injury. While I adored her rebellious nature, she would continue to get herself into trouble just by her attitude.

“We have less than a mile.” The distance would take every last bit of her strength.

After only a few hundred yards, she tripped again, going down with a hard thud. “That’s it.” I shoved the weapon into the waistband of my jeans, pulling her gently into my arms. The feel of having her so close was entirely different, invoking even more of the need to protect her. Holding her felt right, as if she was meant to be here.

“You can’t carry me.” She struggled, slamming her fist against me.

“Like hell I can’t. You’re not going to fight me on this, Angelique. We still have a long way to go before we’re safe.”

“I hate being scared.”

“I know. Just rest. We’re almost at the access road.”

She studied me as I took long strides, her mouth remaining pursed as I was careful taking the steps.

“I’m so sorry about the cabin.”

I glanced into her face, absorbed for a few seconds in her shimmering eyes. “It’s just a house. Nothing special.”

“You can’t lie to me. The stained glass alone meant something to you.”

Sighing, I didn’t want to have this conversation with her. Certainly not here.

Maybe never.

What was the point?

“Just stained glass that I liked. Nothing more.”

She continued giving me a hard look. There was no doubt in my mind she was searching my soul. I tried to shut down, to be nothing more than the soldier I’d been trained to be, but with every step I took, it became increasingly difficult. Concentrating, I kept my eyes pinned on the area in front of us. By now, the sun was a quarter of the way into the sky. We’d been walking for at least two hours, hindered by the darkness as well as the rough terrain. Finally, I was able to see a slight clearing up ahead.

When I walked through the last group of trees, all I could do was hiss. There was barely any sign a road had ever been here, let alone enough for anyone to find it. I didn’t remember any markers and would never have known if it hadn’t been for the paperwork when I’d purchased the cabin.

The cabin.

She was right about how much losing it had affected me, but I’d build another.

At least one day.

I took several additional steps, another wave of frustration settling in.

“Is this the place?” she asked, anxiety lacing through her tone of voice.

“Yes. It is.” After easing her down, allowing her to sit on one of the fallen logs, I took long strides forward, pacing back and forth. I glanced from one side to the other, estimating our chances. If my calculations were correct, we were at least four miles from the road, possibly another two from the river. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?”

I turned to face her. “If you’re inclined to pray, I suggest you do so. We’re going to need it.”

Another moment of instinct kicked in and one I didn’t like.

We would be found, but not by the men determined to keep us alive.

Five minutes passed then another ten. I shifted in her direction, putting the bag next to her. When she patted the log, encouraging me to sit down, I knew I didn’t want to share just how treacherous our predicament really was. There was no reason to scare her any more than the horrible incidents already had.

Yet I sat down, still hungering to be by her side. “How’s the ankle?”

“It hurts, but I’ve been through worse.”

I turned to study her face, watching as she was able to offer Dax a smile. “How much worse?”

“My sister’s death for one thing. That’s what real pain is about.” She gasped, shifting in my direction. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to be insensitive.”

“You weren’t. What happened with Natasha doesn’t mean that the tragedies your family has endured aren’t just as horrible or defining.”

“Defining. That’s an excellent word to use. Her murder changed my family.” Angelique laughed softly. “On one hand, it brought my father out of his lockdown on his feelings, but the price to pay was far too significant. And my mother. Well, she’s never been the same. Even the birth of Michael’s twins or Cristiano’s hasn’t seemed to break her free of the armor she placed around herself. A safety precaution. I won’t tell you what Bella’s death really did to Cristiano. He put up an excellent front, but that’s when he started turning into my father.”

“Understandable.”

“Not really, Dimitri. The rest of us were alive. We needed our mother and father’s strong resolve. We needed their guidance. At least I did. I felt like I should never have been born and I know that’s a wretched thing to say.”

“And so the rebellious side of you was born.”

Her genuine laughter sent a wave of an entirely different kind of longing into my system. At this moment, I wanted to provide her with lost moments, sharing the world and all the joys that it could provide.

Only I didn’t know how.

“I guess you’re right. I acted out for attention. In hindsight, which you know is always right, all I did was alienate my brothers even more. They truly believe I don’t have what it takes to be a King.”

I exhaled, studying the area once again. “I think you’re wrong. Do they want to protect you? Absolutely, and at all costs. However, you’ve proven yourself time and time again. I don’t think you need to take more martial arts classes or weapons training to prove your worth. You are the bright shining star of the family just by being you.”

She tilted her head, her eyes shimmering even more. When she reached out, running a single finger down my face, a shudder rolled through my system. “That means more to me than you could ever know. Thank you.”

“I mean that, Angelique. Maybe that will give you some comfort.”

“The way you say that makes me sad. As if you won’t be around to remind me.”

“I can’t promise you much of anything and I wish that I could. What I can say with certainty is that I will do everything in my power to make certain you’re able to enjoy the kind of life you’ve hungered for.”

“And I know you mean that, but what I want most in life is to enjoy my family, including the one I create of my own free will. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

I offered her a smile, taking her hand into mine. “No, it’s not.”

A moment of awkward silence settled between us. I continued to grip my weapon, my nerves frayed. As I pulled the phone into my hand, I grimaced. Low battery.

“What’s your favorite color?” she asked.

“What?”

Laughing, she shook her head. “I’m serious.”

No one had ever asked me that question. “Blue. I guess it’s blue. Yours?”

“Crimson red.”

All I could think about was the color of blood.

“What’s your favorite place in the entire world to visit?”

I wanted to admonish her for the ridiculous questions, but I knew what she was trying to do—keep my mind clear instead of falling into the pit of darkness. “I don’t know if I have a favorite place. Maybe the ocean. Maybe the mountains. What I can tell you is that I have no desire to see large cities. They bore me. So much crime. The stench of greasy food. That doesn’t appeal to me.” She had such a way of disarming me, yanking scraps of a real man into the light.

“Hmmm… I guess I may need to help you narrow that down.”

“Maybe so.”

I was surprised to hear the phone ring, exhaling when I noticed Cristiano’s number. “We’re at the access point, but I’m not certain if anyone can find it.”

“Trust me. I found the coordinates. All I had to do was make a call to the gas company. There are approximately forty soldiers on the way, including Vincenzo. They will be there momentarily.”

“Why weren’t they already here?”

“It’s a big area to cover,” he offered.

Hissing, there was no reason for me to doubt what Cristiano was saying, but I’d learned early on in my life that if things seemed to be going in the right direction, there was always something prepared to stand in the way. “We’ll be waiting.”

“You did good, my friend. I’m sorry about your cabin and your car,” Cristiano said in a tone of respect.

“They are just things. How is Nick?”

“It’s dicey. He’s being rushed into surgery.”

I heard the beep of my phone indicating the low battery again. “Glad he made it. The battery is almost gone.”

“Save the reserve. We’ll talk soon.”

“What is it?” she asked after I ended the call.

“The cavalry is coming.”

Her sigh of relief was one I couldn’t share. “I want you to do something for me and I know it’s going to be painful. When you hear approaching vehicles, I want you to take Dax and move deeper into the woods. Just twenty yards or so but try and keep him quiet if you can. If things don’t go well, you’re going to need to find a way to the river. At least you might have a chance of flagging down a boater.”

“Wait a minute. What are you thinking?” she asked, another wave of fear in her voice.

“I don’t know yet, but I have a very bad feeling that won’t leave. Will you do that for me without fighting?” I gave her an imploring look before brushing my thumb across her lips. I wanted to memorize her face and her loving eyes.

“Of course but have faith. The one thing I know about my brothers is that they follow through with everything they say.”

Faith. That was the one thing I couldn’t afford to have. I moved to a standing position, yanking the bag and unzipping. She watched as I exchanged the clip on one weapon, grabbing a second gun and repeating the action. Then I shove two additional clips into my pocket. I started to walk away and was overwhelmed with emotions. Although I couldn’t turn around to face her, I wanted her to understand something clearly and without reservation.

“I love you, Angelique. I always have and I always will.” Before she had a chance to say anything, I took long strides away.

I couldn’t bear to look into her eyes.

She was without a doubt the love of my life, but in my heart I knew that today was the end.

Not only of my service to the King family.

But of my life.

And I was proud that I’d at least be able to save hers.