Dark Heir by Faye Pierce
Chapter One
Midnight
No matter how many functions I attend, I don’t think that I’ll ever get used to them.
Music pours out of the building in front of us, no doubt half an orchestra inside. Men in white gloves and tuxedos are unloading guests from their chauffeured cars one at a time, escorting them up to the plush, carpeted runner that leads into the well-lit hall.
Each guest exiting their car seems more elegant than the last, their faces picture perfect as the women are escorted by their husbands and dates into the gala. It was a charity event, I had been informed earlier when I had returned to my room to find a couture gown waiting on my bed for me.
Presently, I wrap up that one-of-a-kind, custom gown in my fists as my own chauffeured car slowly pulls around the bend for our turn.
A hand gloved in white taps the top of mine softly. “Don’t worry honey, Caspian is going to meet us inside, and I’m going to be right here.”
Valeria is easily the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Effortless and ethereal, her caramel skin seems to glow from within. She has a long, slender neck and delicate features. She easily could have been a model if she wanted to.
Yet, somehow, my brother convinced her that marrying him was a better choice. Even more astounding, the pair of them managed to produce a child that surpasses them, possessing the best qualities of each. Granted, he is still young, but he’s going to grow up to be quite an impressive young man. Sometimes I like to tease Valeria that she had motherhood experience already handling Caspian with so much patience.
I place my other hand on top of hers and squeeze her hand, a comforting gesture as she smiles at me.
“It’s just been...such a long time,” I admit softly. The anxiety coiling in my stomach is only half because such lavish, extravagant events like this one are going to be filled with people and half because being in public drags attention to the slow way I walk.
“I know honey, but you’ve worked so hard to get to this point...you deserve this recognition.”
Our car rolls to a stop just beside the hand-painted sign welcoming us to the annual St. Angela’s charity gala. Saint Angela’s is the local children’s hospital that I volunteer more of my time at than I spend at home. If we make enough money tonight, we will be able to open an outreach clinic in an underprivileged section of our town. It is a cause that I am wildly passionate about. Everybody deserves access to medications and quality medical care. I organized most of this event with the hopes that I wouldn’t have to attend it myself.
I owe my life and mobility to the pediatric ward in St. Angela’s. If it hadn’t been for the lovely doctors there, I might never have regained the ability to walk all those years ago. I owe so much to them that when the kind doctors and nursing staff asked if I would be there to help celebrate and fundraise with them...of course I said yes.
I wasn’t born into money. The life that I was born into was rather plain. I grew up in a small, three-bedroom flat where everybody had to share the same bathroom. Growing up, I didn’t have new clothes or shoes that weren’t secondhand. More often than not, it wasn’t even because we couldn’t afford those things but because my father would never spend money on anything other than the roof over our head and his drinking problem.
My older brother, Caspian, was the one to provide for me. He would bring home takeout food or a new pair of shoes. Always with the same easy smile and a finger pressed to his lips, he would say, “Shh, Midnight, don’t tell.” He would wink, then pretend that nothing had ever happened. I used to try to ask him how he got the money to pay for things. Cas would always just wink at me, that same charming smile on his handsome face.
How exactly Caspian had changed our entire lives shortly after my thirteenth birthday, well, I hadn’t asked questions about that either. Never once did he answer my questions, so over time I learned to stop asking.
Since then, I have seen my brother do countless immoral things. I have witnessed more than perhaps I should. Yet, for every questionable thing he does, he does three that are better.
I might turn a blind eye when I shouldn’t—even after he got me shot. Being the younger sister to the city’s strongest Mafia boss is bound to come with risks, I suppose.
“Ready honey?”
A man pulls open the door and holds out a hand to lead us onto the carpet. With difficulty, I slide out of the car, Valeria’s hand on the small of my back in a gesture that makes her look like a supportive sister-in-law, when really, she is checking to ensure I am steady on my feet.
I always try to hide it, but my limp is one of my biggest insecurities. I can walk without a cane now, but it does take me longer. Heels make things even more impossible. But at five-foot-six, I don’t look too out of place next to the woman beside me without them. A part of me hopes that she will draw all of the attention to herself. I’m not unattractive, and I’m not insecure about that fact. Valeria is simply an otherworldly sort of beauty.
When I pitched the idea for this gala to Caspian, he enthusiastically agreed, telling me to spare no expense. I didn’t, of course; he wouldn’t have let me anyway. Caspian has always wildly supported any cause I want to pursue, any hobby that I want to learn, and I love him dearly for it.
Music washes over us as we enter the massive room. I find Caspian quickly. He is equal parts imposing and dashing. At six-foot-three, he’s always drawn attention. He wears his tailored tuxedo well. He’s the perfect partner to Valeria. Where she’s exotic, he’s classically handsome. Caspian’s always drawn women’s eyes with his strong jawline, styled brown hair, and bright, piercing blue eyes.
He doesn’t smile until he sees us. My brother scoops Valeria up the moment she is in reach. I smile seeing them together, the sweet way they interact. Valeria is beautiful alone, but like this, filled with joy, takes her to another level. A gentleman with a polished silver tray offers glasses of champagne, and I manage a whole sip before Caspian moves toward me. I note the two large men standing a respectful distance behind him.
My eyes narrow, “I thought you agreed, no bodyguards tonight?”
Caspian’s arm encircles me, and he presses a kiss into my forehead, lifting the glass from me as he does. “Did we? I don’t remember that.”
Well isn’t that just overly convenient for him? At least I managed one whole sip of my champagne. “You can give that back now, please.”
If Caspian hears me, he doesn’t acknowledge it. I think he ignores me on purpose.
“The pair of you look so lovely I might die. Therefore, I really do need some protection, don’t you think?” Caspian continues. Valeria takes his other arm as we head further into the room. It looks exactly as beautiful as I imagined it. It was one thing seeing it during setup, but filled with people, it is breathtaking. “Besides, these two gentlemen are here for you lovely ladies.”
He cannot be serious.
“What would we like to do first?” Caspian continues, as if he hasn’t just totally gone back on our peaceful little agreement. “It is my understanding that after the first orchestral set they intend on honoring you for being kind enough to put this together.”
I can feel his eyes on me, waiting for my reaction. He expects me to bristle, and internally I do. I would rather not be up on that stage in front of everybody. I would rather not fumble through an awkward speech that I didn’t prepare, but I also don’t want to disappoint those people around me either.
Seeing my apprehension, Caspian’s expression softens. I think Valeria and myself might be the only two beings in the entire world able to consider my brother soft in any way. I’m aware of the reputation that Caspian has. He didn’t earn the nickname Diavolo for no reason. He is going out of his way to make sure that I feel comfortable here; he is going that extra mile to ensure that I enjoy tonight. I never could say no to him. He asks for so little as it is.
Big bad mafioso here, fussing over his baby sister to make sure that her feelings aren’t hurt.
“I think it will be good for you to get out there; you need to meet people. You spend so much time at St. Angela’s, and you refuse to take any credit for it. How are you supposed to make a name for yourself if you are always in the background? I insist that you get up there tonight, and you own every scrap of gratitude that you deserve.” Caspian encourages, “You are a Knight, and I have worked very hard to ensure just how much weight that name carries.”
“I just hope that nobody calls me by my full name tonight. Midnight Knight sounds too corny.” I chuckle to show my bitterness. My name is a constant reminder of our past. Of parents that didn’t even care enough to find a decent name for their child.
“And may I remind you, that I’m supposed to be just finishing college and getting a respectable job, Caspian,” I tease. “Just because you were a deviant at twenty-four, doesn’t mean that I have to be.”
Still, I can’t deny that he has a point.
“Maybe you can find a handsome dance partner then?” Caspian suggests.
I used to love to dance. He’s attempting to bond with me, to make a suggestion that would help me enjoy my night a little more. I can still remember all the steps to the classical dances that are playing by heart. I can still perform the twists and dips in my mind, but my body…
“Cas!” Valeria hisses from Caspian’s other side, chastising him for suggesting something that I can’t possibly do. Not since the injury. Something passes between the couple, and I squeeze Caspian’s arm before letting him go.
“I think I will go find a handsome dance partner!” I force a smile. Caspian works so hard. They deserve to have a break, a night out, Caspian away from his duties and Valeria away from her motherly responsibilities. Caspian will have a better time himself if he’s not fussing over me every moment.
I know he’s not going to let me out of his sight unless I look like I’m having the time of my life. He’s sending one of those large men in the black suits to follow behind me at a distance. They are my least favorite part of Caspian’s lifestyle. He didn’t agree with me when I told him that just because he chose a life of crime didn’t mean that I had to.
Caspian was always better with people. He has a way with words, a natural charisma paired with intensity that leads to either people trusting him very quickly or fearing for their lives, depending on which way he chooses to take things.
I skirt the edge of the ballroom dance floor carefully so as not to slip. I have no intention of butchering my beloved memories of the years I spent training to dance by fumbling around the dance floor with my leg that refuses to work properly. I absolutely don’t want to have that many pairs of eyes on me when I embarrass myself. The man behind me, carefully watching my every movement, is intended to put me at ease as much as my brother. He knows large groups of people are difficult for me since the accident. He always says to simply trust him, that he would never let anything bad happen to me. He would never allow anything to happen. But he can’t stop my anxiety from attacking me. It is something he can’t help no matter how he tries.
I camp at the side of a table covered in hors d'oeuvres as the music blends one song into the other. People who recognize me from the hospital come to greet me or wish me congratulations. I watch the board with our donation counter and goal on it surely and steadily climbing toward the success markers, and I will be content to do so all night.
Standing here, I am alright.
I can do this.
Maybe it would be nice to be at events like this again. I have avoided them for so long. Even if my heart ached with each waltz turn I witnessed. I can remember when I used to live for these things. I would dance the night away, fulfilling so many of my childhood princess fantasies.
“Come on.” The voice comes from beside me, and I turn to see Caspian with a disapproving look on his face. “You’re not a wallflower, Midnight. You cannot stand here all night. The floor isn’t going to bite you. I will help you.”
I shake my head, not even considering the offer. I smile nervously and then make a show of looking for something to drink.
“If not me, then who? You could have any man in this entire room.”
Perhaps. If not, he would make sure that they danced with me anyway.
“What if Leo dances with you?” Caspian offers casually, genuine concern knitting his brow.
Heat flushes my system at the mention of Leo, and I shake my head. The last thing that I need is his hands on me when I need to be concentrating. “No, Cas I’m fine. I’m just enjoying my success. Can’t I just do that?”
“You know, I worry about you. You would enjoy this more if you were interacting with the people who are here because you made this happen.”
Will they have been disappointed in me if I don’t go? Have they started to whisper about it behind my back? I don’t think they have...but now it feels like they are all glancing at me, whispering over their shoulders. They are going to wonder why I’m not walking around or dancing, aren’t they? My vision starts to blur.
I shake my head. No, this is silly. They aren’t talking about me. Nothing is wrong, I just need Caspian to stop pushing me. He means well…
“I need some air, okay?” the words leave my mouth before I think about it. I really need space, for him to stop pushing me, but I can’t say that. “Just some fresh air, on the terrace okay?”
Caspian studies me for a long moment before surrendering, nodding his head once.
“I’ll send Leo out with you,” Caspian offers, his hand already motioning to his best friend across the hall. Caspian gestures for him to come closer, and Leo nods. Leo, who looks good in a suit. Really good in a suit.
The idea of us alone on the terrace, such a romantic setting, makes me blush. Normally, I would take any excuse I could to spend some alone time with the handsome man my brother is offering so easily to me. But I learned a long time ago that Leo doesn’t have anywhere near the same interest in me as I have in him.
Doesn’t mean I can’t look. Look at Leo in all of his glory, the easy way he walks across the room. Look at how people start to move out of his way as he grows near to them.
Leo is the sort of man that commands attention. Built light as a fighter, his strong jawline and lack of smile tend to draw women to him like bees to honey. My heart flutters as his green eyes lock me in place. It is like the rest of the room fades away as my heart races. His gaze drops to drink in the sight of me in a dress, like he has never seen me before. Perhaps he didn’t think that I could clean up as well as I have. The corner of his lip upturns, the echo of a smirk, and I’m almost melting into the floor with how flustered such a simple thing makes me feel.
I have it bad.
I know I have it bad.
Leo is my brother’s best friend, his right-hand man, and just about the worst man that I could find myself attracted to, but here I am.
“I don’t need a babysitter, Cas, I’ll just be a moment,” I rush to say, lifting onto my tip-toes to press a kiss into Caspian’s cheek. A merciful, rare, moment of grace fills me as I turn and leave the ballroom before Leo can finish his journey toward us.
The cool night air feels better than I imagined. I can feel the soft breeze pushing away any remnants of my anxiety.
No more people, no more noises or polite small talk. Just me, the breeze, and the light floral scent carried on the air as it swirls around me.
My shoulders slowly start to relax. I’m not bothered at all by the sound of steps approaching me; I am expecting Leo, after all. My eyes drift closed as I speak, “You don’t actually have to chaperone me, you know-”
He never can tell my brother no. I guess he feels like he owes Caspian for saving him from the streets all of those years ago. I start to turn, wanting to chastise Leo for being so gullible to his face, but I never get the chance. A hand wraps around my waist from behind, another comes to my face, and a cloth soaked in something clamps down over my mouth and nose.
I inhale to scream, suddenly forgetting any self-defense I have ever learned.
I shouldn’t breathe in. The reflex is my undoing. Fuck,Caspian’s going to kill me. That’s the last thought I have before darkness consumes me, and I collapse backward into the waiting arms of my attacker.