Fatal Princess by Ella Miles

Ri

“I want to take you somewhere before we leave to meet Corsi tonight,” Caius says.

We’ve been eating breakfast in the hotel room, taking our time drinking several cups of coffee and a couple of rounds of breakfast. No one slept very well last night between Beckett and Odette fucking, half of them sleeping on the floor and waking up at various hours all night to change security shifts.

I set my third cup of coffee down on the kitchen table. “Okay.”

“Where are we going?” Hayes asks.

Caius frowns. “I meant just Ri and me.”

Hayes looks baffled with his unkempt hair and glasses sitting crooked on his face. “But—”

I give Hayes a look. “I’m supposed to meet Vincent in two hours. Nothing is going to happen to me between then and now.”

Hayes looks to Ryker for help.

Ryker looks at me. “Wear a tracker? And don’t get kidnapped. I need to meet with some of my guys before tonight anyway.”

He kisses my cheek.

“Thank you,” I whisper, knowing he’s ultimately the one who gets to decide. It will be his ass if anything happens to me.

I need a moment away from everyone’s pity glances, anyway. I’m the foolish girl who fell in love with a man who always loved someone else.

Hayes turns to the others. “Help me out here. She shouldn’t be going anywhere alone, especially not with hi—”

“I think it would be good for you to get some fresh air,” Gage says to me.

“I agree. You two should talk; clear the air. We need to find Beckett and see what the hell he wants us to do anyway,” Lennox says.

Hayes looks at both of them like they’ve lost their minds. “We’re not still going to do what that idiot says, are we?”

Gage and Lennox ignore him.

Ryker brings me a simple bracelet with a small emergency button to wear as a tracker. If I take it off, it sets the alarm off as well.

After gulping down the rest of my coffee, I’m ready to go.

Caius and I walk out of the building silently. I did my best not to look at Beckett and Odette’s door as we walked by, but it was hard. I didn’t hear any sounds from their room this morning, thank god.

“So, where are we going?” I ask as soon as we’re outside.

“For a walk.”

I raise my eyebrows. “A walk?”

He nods with a shy smile.

“Lead the way.”

We walk a couple of blocks before the sidewalk leads to a creek. The trail along the creek turns more rugged; soon, trees and water surround us instead of buildings.

The sun feels nice on my face as we walk. So does the silence, but Caius brought me here to say something, and I need to hear it.

“So…? What do you want to talk about?” I ask.

He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry for being pushy with you before. It was wrong of me, and I shouldn’t have. You clearly wanted Beckett, and I kept pushing. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry because now that Beckett has proved what an ass he is, you still want a chance with me?”

He chuckles. “No, I just needed to tell you I’m sorry. I saw how much pain you were in last night, and I never want to be the cause of you being in that much distress. I like you a great deal, but I’m not the right man for you.

“But if I win the game, or if you chose me, I’ll do everything in my power to help you—escape or be a good husband, if that’s what you choose. Whatever happens, I just want to apologize. I fucked up, and I don’t want to do it again.”

“Your apology is accepted.”

His shoulders slump in a relaxed manner. “Thank you.”

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

He opens his mouth like he wants to say more. I know he does, but sharing his feelings is hard for him, and I’m not exactly making it easy.

“I want to help you, but I don’t know how. Tell me what you want. You want me to go kick Beckett’s ass, kill him for hurting you? I will,” he sputters out.

“You would kill the man your sister loves for me?”

He shrugs. “She could do better.”

I smile at that. “Probably, but I still don’t think you would do it. You love your sister too much, and I’m not blaming you for that.”

“Then how do I help you with your father? Do I help you run? Do I help you win? What do you want?”

I sigh. “I can’t run.”

“Then how do I help you win?”

“Not sure, exactly. I doubt Vincent will let me win. Just ensure you and Ryker are the best choices for Vincent to pick. Show how strong you are. How good of a leader you are. How you won’t take any crap from me and will be able to protect me, not how much you love or care for me.

“Show him how you can take over his place, how you’re cruel and heartless. Ryker has that public image down. You could work on that some more. Stop coming off so charming and be more menacing.”

His eyes are dark and sorrowful. “I’ll do anything I can for you, Ri—anything.”

We lock eyes, and there is so much unsaid between us—so much that will never be said.

I nod.

We finish our hike, talking about less serious things. We talk about which of the guys snores and which will find a girlfriend next. We talk about how nice the weather is. We talk about our favorite movies and books. We talk about anything that can distract us from our pain. His pain at losing his father and regaining his sister. My pain at losing the love of my life.

As we start heading back, I turn the conversation serious once again. “I’ve thought of something else you can do.”

“Anything,” Caius repeats.

This is going to test his promise to me. “Try to find a way to stop the war between Beckett and his brother.”

His smile drops, and he looks down at the dirt path we’re walking on.

“I don’t know why Beckett declared war, but he loves his brother, his family. He would do anything for them. Don’t let him go to war,” I plead.

Caius looks at me, dumbfounded. He wants to help me, but he can’t promise me this.

“If not for Beckett’s sake, then for your sister’s. If Beckett goes to war, he’ll never be the same. He’ll be lost forever. If she wants a man who will love and protect her all her life, then he can’t go to war. You have to help him put a stop to it.”

Caius chews on his bottom lip for a second as my words sink in. “I’ll see what I can do.”

It’s the best I’m going to get from him, so I don’t push him further. We leave the creek trail and are back in town. It’s a little early, but I don’t want to return to the guys. I’m tired of saying goodbye.

“Take me to Vincent.”

It feels strange stepping foot back in Vincent’s swanky downtown penthouse. My head pounds—either from the pain of being back here or the fuzziness of my memories after Kek took me. I still don’t remember much from the time Beckett almost killed me to when Kek took me. The guys filled me in some, but I feel like they all left out huge chunks of time, and I have no idea why.

What are they hiding from me?

I pour myself a glass of the nicest bottle of wine I can find and then make myself comfortable on the couch until Vincent makes his presence known.

I wait twenty minutes, but I don’t mind. The silence is nice. I haven’t had much of it since Caius rescued me. The guys are too afraid to leave me alone for a single second. I look down at the bracelet. It will stop working soon now that I’m safe. Ryker will have no need to protect me. I don’t think the others will stop, though.

“So let’s hear the brilliant game you’ve come up with,” Vincent says, sitting on the edge of a nearby couch with his own glass of wine.

“I want the man I’m forced to marry to be the right man for me, not just the best man with a gun. So my game is a simple one—impress me with your words. Tell me why you deserve to marry me. What qualities do you possess that should make me pick you? Impress me. Tell me you love me if it’s true or that you could love me. Declare your feelings for me.”

Vincent just sips his wine. He hates my game and is going to come up with one of his own. This was a mistake. I should have come up with something more dangerous, then he might have gone along with it, and I would have some control.

“Or we could—”

Vincent cuts me off. “I like it. Simple, but an important task. We need a man who can speak, as well as he can shoot or lead. A leader’s job is much more about speaking than shooting anyway.”

“Really? You don’t hate the idea?”

“Not at all.” Vincent drinks more of his wine.

“And you’ll let me choose the winner?”

“Of course, I think your opinion matters a great deal.” There’s a pause just long enough for me to feel like I’ve won. “But my opinion matters too.”

My heart drops. “Of course,” I mutter. I down the rest of my wine before standing and walking to the kitchen to pour myself another glass.

When I return, Vincent feels ready to drop a bigger bomb on me.

“Sit,” he commands.

I take my seat again, afraid of what he’s going to say.

“War is coming.”

“Between the Retribution Kings and—”

“No, not just them. War in general. I’ve seen it come enough times now that I know when it’s coming, and it’s coming. You don’t think I know why all these leaders entered this ridiculous game?”

“To win me?”

He chuckles. “To have a shot to take me down. They could either win and get my kingdom or try to use the game as a way to get close to me. Infiltrate my organization and kill me from within, but they’ve all failed so far.”

“There have been attacks on you?” my mouth drops open at that thought.

“Of course. I made sure they all paid the price in the game. There is no need for these wars.”

He sighs. “But war is coming. I’ve grown too powerful, and these young ones, especially, want more and more power. They aren’t satisfied just to rule over their gangs and crews; they need more.”

Vincent stands and walks over to a window, looking out. I can see the wrinkles on his face, the hairs that have all but turned grey, and the age that he used to carry so well weighing down on him. He’s tired of leading, tired of being the ruler with great, terrifying power.

“What are you going to do?” I ask.

“We are strong. We can’t be defeated by one or two rogue gang leaders. The only way we can be taken down is if they all work together. Only then will our armies fall.”

“Do they realize that? Are they—”

“Yes, they are all cocky sons of bitches that think they are strong enough to take me down. They are starting to band together. I’ve seen the evidence of them meeting, of them trying to kill you in order to end my line. So far, their attempts have been futile. The ones leading the attacks aren’t the smartest, but all it takes is one smart leader to join them, and then we’ll fall.”

I frown with my heart thumping wildly in my chest because I know how my father handles threats. I know how he handles attacks. And I don’t like where this is headed.

“We need to take down as many leaders as possible. The strongest are left in this game, and we need to take as many down as possible before an uprising happens. We are so close to the end; I can’t let anything interfere with my plans, not after everything we’ve sacrificed.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Tonight, we kill half of them. We kill any that are a threat to us. We kill any that aren’t on our side, any that could lead the others in war.”

I gasp—half.

Half could include Caius.

It could include Ryker.

It could include Beckett. No, Beckett won’t come. He’ll bow out.

I suck in a breath. I need to change his mind. This is too much, too high of a chance of death.

“But the best leader among them is exactly who we want to lead the Corsi mafia. Wouldn’t we be killing the best among them?”

“No, we don’t want the best. We want the most loyal.”

I stand and pace now. I can’t let them die. I have to find a way to stop the death. None of the men left deserve to die.

“Won’t their number twos come after us if we just kill men willy-nilly? It’s one thing for them to die in competition, but it’s another for us to just shoot them point-blank.”

“We aren’t going to shoot them; you are.”

I frown. “I won’t agree to shoot innocent people for no reason.”

He laughs. “None of these men are innocent.”

True. I’m running out of arguments.

“Why me?”

“I’m ready to unleash you, for the rest to see who you really are.”

“And if I refuse?”

Don’t say you’ll kill Lucy, don’t say you’ll kill Beckett, don’t say you’ll kill…

“I’m not going to threaten you anymore.”

“Then, what are you going to do?”

Vincent snaps his fingers, and Kek appears. I guessed he was working with my father to scare me or control me, but then I glance down to who he’s holding in his arms—a limp Lucy, beaten and bruised.

“Lucy!” I run over to them.

“What happened?” I brush her hair out of her face and try not to wince when I see a large gash over her eye.

Lucy’s bottom lip trembles, and she shivers in Kek’s arms.

“Did you…?” I snap at Kek, assuming he’s the monster behind this.

“It wasn’t him,” Vincent.

Lucy leans into his body like he alone will protect her, and I believe that Kek didn’t hurt her.

“Then who?” I demand.

“That’s what we are going to figure out. Only a limited number of people knew about the safe house—Ryker, Caius, and Beckett are at the top of the list.”

My teeth grind together, but I know Vincent is right. One of them betrayed us. One of them did this to Lucy.

“I’m—” Lucy starts and then passes out in Kek’s arms.

“Lucy!” I scream louder as I check her pulse. “I don’t think she’s breathing.”

Kek lowers her onto the floor and starts performing CPR. Vincent calls for a medic, and I stand frantically by watching my only friend in the world—the only one I can truly trust—have her heart stop beating. I have no idea if she’ll survive.

My blood rages through my body. Without a doubt in my mind, I’ll kill anyone involved. It may play into my father’s plan, but for once, we are on the same side.