Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“E, what the fuck are you doing getting into bed with Bam Bam?”
And again. Finally, the metal doors part and he drags me in with him. It’s not until they close that he turns to me. “I love you, but you cannot come back here looking for me again, Cartier. It’s done. The only reason why he allowed us to still speak is so he could know where you were.” He finishes the sentence with a whisper, and his face pales.
The doors open again and he’s dragging me out into an underground garage filled with Euro cars.
Eli pushes a button and the lights flash on a Lambo. “I mean it, Cartier.”
I swing open the door and slide in, wincing when the bruise on my thigh presses against the Italian leather. “I don’t understand.” Maybe I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night, but the little lake episode with Keaton left me on edge.
“He wants you. It’s always been you. That much, I’m sure.”
“What!” I yell, and he fires up the car and pulls up the ramp and onto the driveway of whatever house we just came out of. I turn around to see the outside. Large trees shade the front, slightly hiding the white and beige walls. It’s as large as it felt inside.
“Wait…” I turn back in my chair. “Are you telling me that the reason why you left was because of me?”
Eli turns over his shoulder. “Yes, Cartier. And now I need you to do what you’re meant to do and run Mayhem. Please. Go with them on their tour, keep a watchful eye on all of them, especially Luna.” My heart turns to liquid the second my niece’s name is mentioned. “I’ll check back when I find out something else.” He looks between me and the road, his eyes wide with panic. “Cartier, do you understand what I’m saying? Do you still have Jordan and Chris?”
“Yes, of course, but—”
“—no buts!” he yells, and it’s the first time I’ve heard Eli raise his voice, much less raise it at me. His eyes close and his jaw tightens. He’s doing that thing Kyrin does when I’ve done something to make him angry. “Cartier.” His tone softens. “I need you to keep everyone safe. You’re the only one who knows what’s going on, and I’ll figure out the rest.”
“The takeover? They found a sponsor?” My voice is barely above a whisper. The takeover has been in the talks for three years. It was one of the first things Delila spoke with me about when she brought me in. A league of powerful people wanting to overturn Midnight Mayhem. It’s not about money. When you have money, the idea of gaining more is too easy. It’s always power. Power is the one thing money can’t buy, and all of these rich assholes love to flash their monopoly around the room to pretend that they have it.
“Have you seen Lilith?”
I shake my head, squeezing the handle of the door. Lilith isn’t the type of woman to take lies lying down. When she finds out about Eli being alive, it’s going to be chaos for us all. “No. Not since I left. I only just saw Keaton and Kyrin last night for the first time.”
“Keep her close.” Eli’s hands clench the steering wheel. “Just keep her close.” He continues to drive us away, and the farther we are, the more relaxed he becomes. I don’t know what else to say to him that I haven’t already said, but I wasn’t expecting him to tell me that him disappearing might have had to do with the takeover. That him disappearing had to do with me.
“One more question.” I clear my throat and wait until he pulls up to stop outside the gated entry to The Village. “When Dominic broke into the apartment all those years ago, he came for me, not for you?”
Eli’s eyes glass over, the corners of his mouth curving upward. Not a lot. Just enough to confirm. “It’s complicated, but I struck a deal.” If Eli struck him a deal, that means that—
I pale. “Eli, you dragged The Kings into this?”
“Cartier.” His brows raise toward his hairline. “Get out of the car and look after our family, and the rest of them like you’re trained to do.”
“I’m going to have to bring The Brothers in or they’ll pick it out. Keaton already knows something is wrong with me. It’s only a matter of time before they’re using Killian’s juju.”
“I won’t tell you how to do your boss things, but I will say that once you bring them in, expect them to baby you even more. Kyrin will continue to interfere over his protection of you.”
I sigh, my fingers coming to the handle. “You’re right.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll call you when I know anything further. I’m close to finding out who the sponsor is, and once I do, then I will kill everyone around me to get home. But until then, you’re in danger of Bam Bam taking you and dressing you up in his little outfits and keeping you locked up like a toy. You know he has a fascination with you.”