Tempted Hero by Ella Miles

Ri

Caius is safe.

Beckett is safe.

Gage, Hayes, and Lennox are safe, at least for now.

I gave up everything for Caius. I played almost every card I have in order to keep him safe from my father. I’m not sure what I have left to protect Beckett from any future attacks, but I’ll give up what little leverage I have left. I would give everything in life I have, every other thing I love—anything for Beckett. I’d give everything and more, so much more.

I just hope I never have to. Caius protected Beckett. I protected Caius. And now that I’m no longer forbidden, Vincent can’t use Beckett fucking me against him. I’m not sure if Beckett ever will sleep with me again, but I’ll trade having to fend off the thirty contestants remaining if I can fuck Beckett without risking his life.

“You’re dismissed. The next games are tomorrow at nine PM,” Vincent says.

I don’t look at him, nod, or give him any indication that I heard him speak. I walk out of the room.

I consider going back to my apartment with Lucy. I’d love to see her, and my guards Adrian and Georgio would allow it, but the memories of Beckett are too strong. I’m barely keeping everything together as it is. If I went back to the place Beckett fucked me, all those memories would overwhelm me. I’d never recover. I’d cry all night.

Instead, I walk upstairs to the bedroom Vincent still keeps for me. My childhood bedroom feels more like a fairytale tower, except my life is more twisted tragedy than an actual fairytale.

I hear Georgio and Adrian following behind me as I make my way upstairs. “Is this really necessary? I’m in Vincent’s condo. It’s secure. Do you really need to follow me around and stand guard outside my door?”

“You know we do,” Georgio says too happily.

I look over my shoulder and I realize he’s staring at my ass in my silk dress.

I stop abruptly and elbow him hard in the nose to explode spurts of blood from his face.

Adrian laughs full out.

“What was that for?” Georgio says between moans, acting like he’s dying.

“That was for staring at my ass. Don’t do it again.”

“I wasn’t—”

I glare at him.

“Okay, okay, okay. I was. I won’t again. Corsi should know—”

“That you got your ass kicked by a girl? Go ahead and tell him,” I say.

Then I sprint to my bedroom and shut the door, so I don’t have to listen to Georgio tell me how unfair it is that I can hit him, but he can’t hit me back. He wants to talk about fairness? He should trade places with me; then he’ll know unfairness.

I kick off my heels, so tired of walking in the damn things. I’m unhooking my earrings that no longer put me in contact with the guys when I see a note lying on my bed addressed to Princess.

My heart beats once, twice, then flutters against my ribcage as fast as a hummingbird’s wings.

Beckett?

The guys?

Did they somehow sneak in and leave me this note?

I glance around the room but don’t see any signs of a break-in. We are on the top floor of a massive skyscraper. I can’t imagine how they could get in, but I don’t care. I just want their words. I want Beckett’s words. I want his comfort, his love, his snark. I want all of it.

I dive onto the bed, scooping up the letter like a teenager about to read a love note by her crush. I unfold the letter and freeze.

You can’t run from me, Princess. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.

I reach for my gun hidden underneath my dress. I pull it out and aim around the room, looking for a place an intruder could be hiding. I look under the bed, the closet, the bathroom, but I’m alone.

My heart is beating wildly. Not because of Beckett anymore, but because there was a true monster in this room.

Adrian and Georgio are right outside. I could tell them about it, show them the letter. They could pull up the security feed to see who entered my room and how they got in.

But I don’t trust them.

I stare at the note. It must have been from the man who was chasing me on Beckett’s wedding day.

Shivers break out all over my body. I’m still gripping my gun in one hand and the letter in the other.

I slink to the floor right where I’m standing against a wall opposite my bed as I stare at the letter.

Suddenly, I remember the man who was chasing me.

I’ve known him my entire life.

He’s always wanted me.

Chased me.

Told me I was his.

He’s never hurt me, but I’ve seen him hurt others. I did love before, and he killed them. He’s killed everyone I love.

Vincent can’t protect me from him.

But maybe Beckett and the Retribution Kings can.

My discarded earrings are on the floor. They were the easiest way to communicate with them, but I destroyed them so they wouldn’t know what I gave up for them.

I walk over to my dresser where I keep my burner phones and consider my next options. Do I contact them or not?

I type out a quick text to Lucy, letting her know I’m okay.

She responds that she is owed all the dirty details of my sexcapades with Beckett.

I smile.

Me: It was like a lightning strike—both exhilarating and painful. But I know you aren’t going to accept that as an explanation. The crass version is his dick is huge, and he knows how to use it. I had two orgasms. I was putty in his hands. He ruined me for all other guys.

Lucy: LOL <3 When will I see your pretty face again?

Me: Soon. Hugs.

Lucy: Hugzzzz

I smile, but the truth is I don’t know when I’ll see her again. I could die tomorrow during the game. That would be the best outcome. The games would have to stop. Beckett and Caius would be safe. Lucy would be safe. And I wouldn’t marry a monster.

But I wouldn’t have Beckett. I wouldn’t have a chance of having him forever. The chance of us both surviving and ending up together is 0.00001%. But still, I’ll take those odds.

I stare at my phone, wanting to call him, to hear his voice. But it’s dangerous. This phone is hard for Vincent to track, but I have no doubt my room is bugged and Adrian or Georgio are outside my door listening.

But I have to let them know that I’m okay and that I need them to look at the security camera to see if they saw anyone sneak into my room.

I type in the number Gage had me memorize, and then I text like I’m texting an old friend.

I’d love to have coffee with you tomorrow. Unfortunately, I’ll have to take a raincheck. My phone has been acting weird, so sorry if I miss your messages. Hugs!

We agreed ahead of time on a few codewords. Hugs mean I’m safe. Kisses mean I need rescuing. Any mention of my phone means I need you to check security cameras.

There is no immediate response, so I don’t know if Gage got my message or not.

I distract myself by changing into pajama shorts and a shirt, brushing my teeth, and then climbing into bed with my gun, note, and phone.

I stare at the note for a few more seconds before deciding what to do with it. I climb out of bed and poke my head out into the hallway. “Do either of you have a zippo?”

Georgio has a bag of ice on his face, and he glowers at me. He’s useless.

Adrian tosses me one. “Planning on burning the condo down? If so, let me call my wife and tell her goodbye first.”

I frown. “You’re married? Huh.”

“Why would you think I’m not?”

“Just your general demeanor, and you look too young to be married.”

“I’m two years older than you. You’ll be married by the time you’re my age.”

Not if I have anything to say about it.

I dart back into my room and burn the letter. The man who sent it is just trying to scare me. That’s who he is. He likes playing games. I won’t give him the time of day. I won’t let him know he’s getting to me. He wins that way. It wouldn’t surprise me if he planted a bug in my room, so I’m going to have to be even more careful with what I do or say. But I won’t let him scare me.

Gage eventually texts me back:All good! Hugs!

My shoulders slump. Really? That’s all I get? I’m going crazy over here. But it means he looked at the security cameras and found nothing. It means everyone is safe.

I consider my options. Maybe the monster didn’t send the note. Maybe Vincent put it here to spook me, to get me to behave.

It doesn’t make sense. I know who sent it—the only man who scares me more than Vincent. Vincent has honor, loyalty, a code he abides by. He kills, but fairly, in a way that men fear but realize is necessary.

Kek—he kills for sport, for fun, because he can. Kek has no men, no wealth, no family to support. He kills. He tortures. He takes what he wants.

He’s taken me before. I escaped, but just barely.

He won’t make the same mistake if he succeeds in kidnapping me again.

I shiver at what happened last time, at what could happen next.

I fucked up. I’ve gone so long without loving anyone but Lucy. Vincent protects Lucy. He won’t protect Beckett or any of the guys I care about.

It’s up to me to protect them.

I can’t let him know I care. I can’t let him know I love Beckett.

I truly have to give him up and make him hate me. That should be easy enough. He hated me before; he can hate me again.

But it’s going to wreck me.

I close my eyes, hoping the darkness will take me and that Kek won’t visit me in my sleep.

But sleep never comes. I’m reliving the memories with Kek. How did I forget him? Out of survival. I needed to forget him so I wouldn’t spend every second petrified. I would have never gone near Beckett if I had remembered.

I tread out of my bedroom. Adrian must have drawn the short straw because he’s the one on guard outside of my bedroom.

I toss his zippo back to him. He doesn’t ask what I’m doing up as I head downstairs to the library; he just follows.

I walk along the shelves of books—mostly classics—until I stop on the spine of a book I used to read as a kid. It’s a fantasy romance about a princess who lived in a tower. She was cursed until a prince came and saved her.

I take the book off the shelf and curl up with it on the small couch. Taking my gun out, I set it beside me just in case.

Adrian eyes it. “Is there something I should be aware of?”

“Nope, I’ll kill the bad guys if they come. Don’t worry.” I open the first page of my book.

Adrian sighs and sits down on the floor in front of the couch, resting his head back. “I know you will, and that’s what scares me.”

“Why does it scare you?”

“You shouldn’t be able to protect us; it’s against the rules. You put on a big display at the first round of games. Some say you just got lucky because none of the guys could fight back. But if they see you fight for real, they’ll know. And they can’t know.”

“Why?”

“They just can’t. It’s not safe. You can’t be a fighter and a princess.”

I frown.

I start reading the words in the book about the beautiful princess. How pretty, kind, and gentle she is. How caring of others she is. Never how strong. Never courageous. Never wielding a weapon as well as the prince.

This is what I should be. This is what the mafia demands of their princesses—docile, gorgeous, and weak.

It’s not who I am, though. Beckett knew that from the first time he saw me. He called me princess in a mocking voice because he knew I couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I’m not a princess. I’m a fighter, a warrior. And a fighter saves herself, as well as her true love, even if it kills her.