Fatal Princess by Ella Miles

Beckett

He came in the night, and she’s gone.

I don’t know how he does it. But the night is his friend. More than his friend, it helps him lull us to sleep; it hides his footsteps; it covers his tracks.

None of us wake.

None of the security cameras catch him.

But we know who was here.

Kek.

The only man Ri is truly afraid of. The man who has the keys to controlling Ri if he wants to with one phrase. Her former friend and protector turned stalker, kidnapper.

And now he has her.

I failed.

I woke up in a sweat-induced nightmare. I reached across the bed for comfort, but she was nowhere. Not in the bathroom. Not in the kitchen. Not in the backyard.

Now, it’s five in the morning, and I’m standing in the kitchen with everyone, including Lucy, trying to figure out how the hell this could have happened and how we get her back.

Gage and Lennox are on their computers, going through all the security footage to see if we can find them, but the man knows how to evade cameras. And if he used the phrase to control Ri’s mind, she knows how to avoid them too. They aren’t going to show up on any of the footage.

Hayes is staring out the back window like she’s somehow going to show up there—not really helpful.

Lucy at least made some coffee for everyone. She hands a cup to Ryker, who takes it and slings the cup against the wall across from him. Coffee and shards of ceramic go everywhere.

No one chastises him, though. It’s how we all feel.

He growls loud like a wounded animal. “How did I let this happen! I shouldn’t have let her sleep in her room. I should have been with her. I should have at least had shift changes where someone was always awake. Stupid, so fucking stupid! I—”

“Ryker,” I stop him.

He looks at me like he wants to kill me. I know the feeling. I want to kill myself if I let anything happen to Ri.

“This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I was with her. I failed to protect her.”

“Yes, but Corsi will blame me, not you if anything happens to her. And my men, my family, will suffer because I failed.”

I nod slowly. “We’ll get her back, and she’ll be safe.”

“We only have three days! And we have no clue where she is.”

He’s right. We don’t.

I look around the room as everyone’s eyes are locked on me, waiting for me to say something.

I don’t have a good answer.

Just like I couldn’t promise Ri that I’d marry her, that I’d spend my life with her. I can’t promise them that I’ll get her back before it’s too late. It could already be too late. But my heart—oh, my fucking breaking heart…it needs hope. We all do.

“Rialta Corsi is the strongest person any of us know. She’s a fighter. She’ll survive until we find her. Or she’ll escape long before we get to her because Rialta Corsi doesn’t need a hero; she can save her damn self,” I smirk, thinking of the times she’s said similar words to me.

The security footage comes up empty.

All the places Lucy can come up with that Ri might be lead to dead ends.

Loki is useless as a scent dog.

All of Ryker’s and my contacts don’t have a clue where Kek is or even who he is. He’s like a real-life ghost. Everyone has heard the name whispered about like a fairytale, but no one has ever met the man in real life.

It’s early afternoon. We’ve wasted almost a full day before I start to get desperate. I call Enzo, Kai, Siren, Zeke, Liesel, Langston. I call them all. I beg for their help, not for my sake, but for hers.

No one answers.

No one calls me back.

I’m dead to them.

I’m a traitor.

I storm back into the dining room, our makeshift headquarters in the search for Ri. Everyone is out of leads. It’s hard to find much when we are basically stuck in this house. If we leave, we’ll have the Retribution Kings on our ass.

The Retribution Kings.

A thought hits me hard and fast. It shocks my heart that I would even consider it—a choice that will end in unending heartbreak for me. But it could save Ri, and right now, that’s all I care about.

I walk over to Lennox.

“I need you to contact Caius for me,” I say.

Lennox frowns from his seat behind his computer. “Are you sure?”

He doesn’t ask why.

I nod. “Call him. Let me know when you have him.”

All eyes are on me once again, but no one speaks. No one asks for more info on my plan. We all just want to protect Ri. Not even Ryker asks what I’m up to.

I stare down at the fresh wound Ri caused on my palm. It hasn’t scabbed over yet, probably because I keep picking at it with my teeth.

“You should really let that heal,” Lucy says, staring at my hand.

“I can’t.”

“You’ll be no use to her if you have an injured hand. Follow me,” Lucy says as she walks into the closest bathroom.

She opens the cabinets and quickly pulls out some ointment and bandages. She demands my hand. It’s the first time I can see why she and Ri get along so well. She’s just as bossy and strong as Ri but in her own way.

“You really love her, don’t you?” Lucy asks as she cleans my wound.

“I do.”

“I’m sorry.” Lucy doesn’t meet my gaze as she puts ointment on the thin wound.

“Sorry for what?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know why I said that.”

“You’re sorry that Ri is gone, and I’m hurting?” I lift her chin, forcing her to look at me, but I don’t think that’s it at all. There’s something she’s not telling me.

“Is there something you know, Lucy? Do you know what happened to Ri?”

“No, I don’t.”

“What aren’t you saying?”

Lucy exhales, and her blonde hair flies. “I’ve always wanted her to find love, to find someone she could share her shitty life with outside of me. We are great friends, but she deserves to experience all that life has to offer. But now, I realize it was a mistake. It’s just going to lead to terrible heartbreak for both of you. No matter how much you want each other, no matter how much you love each other, it will never be enough. You can’t be together, not in the end.”

I frown. “If one of us wins the game, then we will. If I win, I can be with her. If she wins, she can choose me. The odds are actually in our favor.”

Her lips thin. “I wish it were that simple.”

I’m about to question her more when Lennox pokes his head in. “I have Caius.”

Lennox pushes his phone into my hand, and Lucy skirts out of the bathroom before I have a chance to question her further.

“What do you want?” Caius asks.

“I want a meeting. You, me, and Odette.”

“I can’t do that. I don’t trust that you won’t tie us up again or try to kill us. And the others won’t let us out of their sight. We can’t just leave.”

“Figure it out because I have a deal that will make it worth your while. Odette especially will want to hear the deal I’m offering.”

I’m not sure if Caius will take the bait, but it’s my only option.

“Where?” he finally asks.

“I’ll text you the address. Be ready to meet in an hour.” Then I hang up the phone before Caius can make any demands.

“What are we doing, boss?” Lennox asks, a little weary.

“We are getting Ri back.”

We spent the next hour finding the perfect location and getting everyone ready. Lucy and Loki are staying at the house by themselves. Hopefully, it’s safe enough, but I can’t leave any men behind to watch her. Honestly, she was happy to see us go. She seemed to want to be alone.

I never got a chance to ask her any further questions, but I’m not sure if Lucy knows what she’s talking about anyway.

We load up with every weapon we have before climbing into two cars to head to the restaurant. We considered an emptier building but figured Caius and Odette would better behave in a more public space. We’re still prepared for an all-out war the second we leave the premises, though. I hope it’s just Caius and Odette alone, but I suspect they will have brought backup just like I did.

We get to the restaurant. “I’ll stay with you,” Lennox says.

“No, I told them just the three of us, and that’s what it needs to be—just the three of us. Gage said he can tap into the security cameras at the restaurant.”

“The images aren’t the best, though, so if you need us, you have to alert us. It will be hard for us to see exactly what’s going on via the cameras,” Gage says.

I nod.

“Are you sure you don’t want a mic?” Hayes asks.

“Yes.” I don’t want anyone to hear the details we are about to discuss. It’s too important.

No one—not Lennox, Gage, or Hayes—likes the plan. They say I’m setting myself up to be captured. I probably am, but I’ll only cooperate if I get what I want first.

Ryker is the only one who doesn’t seem upset with my plan. He doesn’t care about my safety at the end of the day. His only goal is to find the best plan to get Ri back. And since this is currently the only plan, he’s going with it.

“I’ll make sure these assholes stay out here so you can get whatever info you need,” Ryker says.

I nod.

“If this doesn’t work, follow Ryker’s lead. If he says it’s worth fighting to try and get me back, then do that. But if he doesn’t think you have a good shot at rescuing me, then leave me and save yourself. I need you all safe to go after Ri,” I say.

“But—” they all say at once.

“Ryker is the only objective person in this car. If I’m captured or killed, you follow his lead. For the next two and half days at least, you are all on the same side with the same mission—rescue Ri at all costs. If I have to be sacrificed, so be it.”

“You’ll get whatever information you need, boss,” Lennox says.

“Ryker is your leader until I come back. Everyone agree?”

I wait for them to all nod their heads in agreement.

“Good.”

I climb out of the car and head inside the restaurant without telling them the most important part of my plan. Whether my negotiations are successful or not, I don’t expect to come back.

The restaurant is swanky. I’m dressed in a suit. It’s uncomfortable but surprisingly easy to hide all my weapons, so I’m not complaining.

My entire focus is on my plan to save Ri. I’m hoping for a miracle, a chance that Ri will somehow appear completely unscathed in the next five minutes, and I won’t have to do this. But that’s not my life. I don’t get that lucky. In fact, I get unlucky. It won’t shock me if Ri is found safe and sound five minutes after I do this.

Every minute that passes is a minute she might not survive. Another minute passing that I could lose her forever, so I can’t waste another single minute.

“Reservation should be under Monroe,” I say to the hostess.

She smiles brightly at me like I’m her favorite person she’s ever seen. “Right this way, Mr. Monroe.”

I vomit in my mouth when she calls me Monroe. Technically, that’s the name that I said I’d go by as leader of the Retribution Kings. At the time, I wanted a connection to Odette, but now I can’t run far enough away from it.

The hostess leads me to a small hidden table on the second floor. It’s private, which is what I wanted, and it appears that Odette and Caius haven’t arrived yet.

I take a seat and order a bottle of Odette’s favorite wine while I wait. I’m not sure if they’ll come, and if they do, I suspect it will be with a dozen Retribution Kings set on killing me. None of that scares me, though. What does scare me is a life without Ri.

Every time I think I’ve gotten Ri back, someone else takes her or puts an obstacle in our path. Every. Fucking. Time.

I drink my glass of wine without Caius or Odette showing up.

Fuck.

I realize they aren’t coming after sitting for almost forty-five minutes.

I throw some cash on the table and am about to stand up when I hear her voice. “So sorry we’re late, darling! My sandal strap snapped, and we had to stop by a store to pick up some new shoes.”

Odette whisks over to me and kisses me on the corner of my mouth like we are a happily married couple, not a couple on the brink of war.

I let her kiss me. I don’t flinch as her lips touch my skin, burning me like a hot coal. Caius pulls out a chair for her opposite me, which she graciously thanks him for before sitting. He sits in the chair next to us both a moment later.

I loosen my jaw as I look at the woman sitting across from me. The sight of her is such a stark difference from the kindergarten teacher I once thought she was. She’s wearing a skin-tight red dress with her boobs popping out of the top. I’m not sure how she can breathe with how it seems to be constricting her ribs. Her hair is curled in big Hollywood waves, and she has red painted lips. Odette always liked dressing up, but I’ve never seen her get dolled up to this extent, except at our own wedding.

I glance at Caius out of the corner of my eye. He’s in a tailored suit with his hair gelled back. They look like they planned on attending a grand gala, not just dinner with me.

They want me to feel small like I’m out of my league. This is their world. They are used to dressing up, to playing the part. I’m not.

It doesn’t matter. I didn’t come here to determine who was better at playing dress-up.

“Nice of you to show up forty-five minutes late,” I say.

Odette reaches across the table and brushes my hand spinning my glass of wine.

“I told you, babe, my straps snapped.”

“You couldn’t just wear a different pair you owned?”

She licks her lips at me as she smiles. “I needed black; silver just wouldn’t do with this stress.”

I roll my eyes in my head, but outside I’m stone. I don’t show her any affection, but I also don’t dismiss her—not until I get what I need from her.

Our waiter returns and pours Caius and Odette wine from the bottle I ordered.

“Oh, you got my favorite wine! How you know me so well, hubby.”

I wince just the tiniest bit when she calls me ‘hubby.’ She doesn’t seem to notice, but I’m sure Caius did.

“Are you ready to order?” the waiter asks.

After we all order, it’s time to get to business. I’ve stalled long enough.

“So why are we here?” Caius asks, not happy to just have a pleasant dinner like Odette apparently is.

“First, I need to know you have no listening devices on either of you. This conversation needs to be completely private,” I say.

Caius nods, assuming I would want to check. Odette just laughs. “Of course, this is a private conversation.”

“Then you won’t mind that I check.” I pull out a small device and scan them both. To my surprise, they’re clear.

“We didn’t bring any men either in case you were wondering, although we did see a car of your men outside. But I do have a gun, and I have no problem using it if I need to,” Caius barks.

I don’t blame him for being upset with me. I took his three most loyal men and turned their loyalties to me. He would be the leader of the Retribution Kings if it wasn’t for them wanting to take down my brother for some reason. My life would have been far simpler if it had turned out that way too.

“I have a proposition for you, one I think you’ll both be happy with.”

Caius frowns.

Odette bats her eyelashes at me.

My heart beats fast in my chest, begging me not to say the next words. It’s a mistake, but this is the only way. This is the only thing I can offer that will be enough for them. This is the only way to guarantee that Ri comes back unharmed.

“I need your help getting Ri back safely.”

Caius snickers.

Odette looks annoyed as hell.

“And why would we do that?” Caius asks.

“Because…” I stumble over my own words. Reluctantly, I finally force them out in a whoosh of breath and hope to god I’m doing the right thing.