Kingpin's Property

  Kingpin’s Property

  Julia Sykes

  Copyright © 2020 by Julia Sykes

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For my wonderful readers who waited so patiently for Pretty Hostage. Your support breathed new life into this series, and I will always be immensely grateful for each of you.

  Contents

  1. Stefano

  2. Carmen

  3. Stefano

  4. Carmen

  5. Stefano

  6. Carmen

  7. Stefano

  8. Carmen

  9. Carmen

  10. Stefano

  11. Carmen

  12. Stefano

  13. Carmen

  14. Stefano

  15. Carmen

  16. Stefano

  17. Carmen

  18. Carmen

  19. Stefano

  20. Carmen

  21. Stefano

  22. Carmen

  23. Stefano

  24. Carmen

  Epilogue

  Pretty Hostage

  Also by Julia Sykes

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  Chapter 1

  Stefano

  “We burn this place to the ground by morning. No one gets out alive.” Adrian’s pale green, predatory eyes gleamed through the darkness. The ruthless, sadistic drug lord was out for blood. An example would be set tonight.

  And I would get everything I’d wanted for years.

  “What about Carmen?” I asked, keeping my tone carefully neutral. Despite the anticipatory excitement racing through my veins, my thoughts were edged with worry. I’d worked too hard for this night for too long to jeopardize my victory by antagonizing Adrián Rodríguez. I treated him as a business associate, but the truth of the matter was that he was in charge. My organization trafficked his Colombian cocaine through Mexico and into the States. If I challenged him, I would be eliminated as swiftly and brutally as the men we were about to destroy for daring to defy him.

  But the complication of Carmen Ronaldo could be my undoing. The adrenaline surging through my system, preparing my body for violence, took on a possessive burn. For years, she’d been my weakness, an impediment to taking down her rival organization and establishing my dominion over the territory controlled by her brother, Pedro. I hadn’t dared to strike the Ronaldo Cartel as lethally as I could have, because I hadn’t wanted her to get killed in the fallout.

  My feelings on the matter hadn’t changed, and we were about to take her estate in a full-on assault.

  I couldn’t let Adrián kill the woman who had become the object of my twisted obsession. I knew my uncharacteristic attachment to her was fucking with my ruthless objectives, but I already harbored a shred of guilt when it came to Carmen. I loathed the foreign sensation: a sinking pit in my stomach that accompanied lust when I thought of the single, passionate night we’d shared so long ago.

  That unpleasant feeling would only intensify if she were killed tonight. My gain might mean her death, and I would never be able to fully savor my victory.

  Some of my tension must have shown in my features, because Adrián paused, his panther’s eyes assessing me.

  “What do you think I should do with Carmen?” he asked, his tone cold and even.

  I couldn’t read his stony expression at all; Rodríguez was an unnerving son of a bitch. If he thought I was challenging him, I would be dead in a matter of seconds.

  I had to risk it.

  “I want her,” I declared, the savage rumble in my words shocking me. The rough possessiveness betrayed the genteel manner that I’d so carefully cultivated.

  Over the years, I’d found my own way to unnerve the people around me. No one knew if I would offer them my top-shelf mezcal or a bullet to the brain. I did it all with a smile. My associates—and potential enemies—were much more well behaved if they feared my capriciousness.

  But now that Carmen’s life was on the line, I sounded more like Mateo Ignazio, the hulking brute at my side who hadn’t stopped growling since we’d arrived outside the Ronaldo family estate. His Sofia was imprisoned inside the high, defensive walls, taken by Pedro Ronaldo in a blatant act of war against Adrián. Everyone knew that Mateo meant more to his boss than just extra muscle watching his back, and Pedro’s decision to steal the woman he loved was an affront to Adrián. One that wouldn’t go unpunished.

  Judging by the vicious snarl plastered on Mateo’s face and the blood that already coated his hands, Pedro wouldn’t live to see morning. No one on this estate would.

  Adrián cocked his head at me. “If you claim Carmen, will you treat her gently?”

  “No.” The swift, fierce response rumbled from my chest before I could consider my answer. I would never harm Carmen, but the things I wanted to do to her lithe body weren’t gentle.

  Based on her responses when I’d had her for that single, scorching-hot night, she wouldn’t like it if I was gentle, anyway.

  Adrián’s lips quirked in a cruel smirk. “All right, then. Do whatever you want with her. As long as everyone knows that the Ronaldo Cartel has been decimated, I don’t give a shit.”

  A wicked image of Carmen kneeling at my feet made blood rush to my cock. I could adorn her in jewels and nothing else, putting her naked body on display for everyone to see that I’d tamed her. There would be no doubt of my absolute victory if I made haughty Carmen my sweet little pet.

  A wide grin split my features, maniacal and fervent. Pure, savage pleasure rushed through my system, making me almost lightheaded. I felt like I’d just won the goddamn lottery. In the space of one night, I would become the most powerful drug lord in Mexico, and I would claim the woman I craved. Carmen would no longer be my weakness, but a symbol of my strength.

  Chapter 2

  Carmen

  I might have signed my own death warrant, but it was too late to stop what I’d put in motion. My heart hammered against the inside of my ribcage, pumping adrenaline through my body. The resultant rush sent a strange sense of giddiness soaring through my system. Despite the terror twisting my stomach into knots, I swallowed a bizarre laugh.

  I pressed my sweaty palm against the cool metal of the reinforced steel door, the crack in the defensive wall that protected my family estate. The thick barrier was meant to shield me from the enemy outside, but I was about to unlock the door and welcome them into the fortress that had kept me safe for over a decade.

  I took a deep breath, straightened my spine, and wrapped my fingers around the door handle. Bracing myself to face the enemy, I hauled the heavy metal barrier inward, creating a breach in the walls that had been erected to withstand a siege.

  But it wasn’t only my enemy waiting on the other side.

  My nightmare stared back at me, his black eyes glinting with malicious pleasure and his sensual lips split in a cruel grin.

  My heart leapt into my throat, and I threw my weight against the heavy door, desperate to lock out the man who haunted my dreams: Stefano Duarte, vicious drug lord and my own personal demon.

  I barely noticed the blood-soaked, hulking brute who accompanied him; I didn’t register my enemy, Mateo Ignazio, as a threat. We had a truce in place.

  I had no such bargain arranged to protect me from Stefano.

  But as I’d feared, it was too late to change my mind. The steel door didn’t give quickly enough under my weight, and my attempt to close it only incited my enemy to violent action.

  Ignazio barreled toward me, his huge body slamming the metal inward. The impact shoved the air from m
y lungs and propelled me backward, knocking me off-balance. Cool, damp grass cushioned my fall, and the stars of the night sky filled my vision. The sudden shift in my perspective disoriented me, my mind reeling from the physical fall and the visceral fear incited by Stefano’s presence.

  I gasped in air, preparing to scream for help. This had been a terrible mistake.

  Ignazio had promised he would only bring a small team of men with him to aid in this operation: rescuing the woman he loved, Sofia, from my cruel brother, Pedro. Ignazio would get Sofia back, and I would arrange a targeted coup, taking control of my family’s cartel for myself.

  But that was before I’d known one of the men would be Stefano Duarte. Panic clawed at my brain, obliterating rational thought.

  I barely finished filling my lungs with oxygen when a heavy weight settled over my body, pressing me deeper into the earth. Strong hands ensnared my wrists, forcing them together above my head and pinning me to the ground. A warm, calloused palm clamped over my parted lips, smothering my scream.

  For a moment, he was a silhouette against the night sky, his darkness blotting out the stars. My vision adjusted in the dim lighting, and I could make out his sculpted, angular features, rendered sharper and more terrifying by the shadows pooling beneath his high cheekbones. His black eyes captured a glimmer of moonlight, making them glitter with malicious pleasure. White teeth flashed in a predatory smile.

  My body recognized the scent I thought I’d forgotten: rich, earthy tobacco sharpened by exotic spice. It filled my senses, and a flash of remembered heat radiated through my body. The involuntary reaction fueled my fear.

  No part of me should desire Stefano Duarte. He used his beauty to lure in his prey, and I’d vowed never to fall into his trap again.

  Unfortunately, it seemed a deep, shameful corner of my psyche craved the ecstasy of his masterful touch.

  No! I wasn’t the naïve young woman who’d fallen into his arms all those years ago. I knew better now than to trust any man. Stefano had been the first to teach me that painful lesson.

  Blind panic and rage caused my muscles to tense and jerk against his powerful hold. I’d spent more than a decade learning to defend myself, but one glance at Stefano had been so jarring that all my training left my brain. It was too late for that now; he had me pinned, his muscular body trapping me beneath him.

  His cruelly gorgeous face dipped toward mine, as though he intended to claim a kiss. But his hand was still firmly pressed over my lips, silencing my scream. He leaned in to whisper in my ear, his masculine scent invading my senses.

  “Quiet now, kitten,” he purred, his warm breath fanning my neck.

  I stilled, tense and trembling. Terror rode me hard, but warmth pooled low in my belly.

  “You promised to help my friend Mateo. Remember?” he prompted. His low rumble was seductive as ever, capturing my focus and guiding me back to rational thought.

  A feral growl pulled my attention fully to the present. My gaze slid past Stefano to find Mateo Ignazio glaring down at me. His eyes were dark with wild fury, his lips peeled back from his teeth in an animal snarl. He had come to my family’s estate to rescue Sofia, and his fear for her had driven him to the brink of madness. Ignazio was little more than a beast on his best days. I’d heard what he was capable of. I shuddered to think what he might do to me if I tried to keep him from Sofia now that I’d allowed him to break past my home’s defenses.

  It appeared the only thing holding him back from attacking me was the restraining arm of Adrián Rodríguez, the notoriously sadistic Colombian drug lord who ruled over all of us. Without his product to traffic through Mexico and into the United States, cartels like mine and Stefano’s wouldn’t possess a quarter of the wealth we currently had at our disposal.

  Rodríguez’s personal presence in this extraction mission cooled the heat that Stefano had incited in my blood. I knew Rodríguez had a close personal relationship with Ignazio, who served as his bodyguard. But if the Devil himself had chosen to enter my home, along with Stefano Duarte, this situation was far more deadly and capricious than I’d realized.

  “Tell Mateo where he can find Sofia, and this will all be over soon.” Stefano’s voice was at my ear, his murmured words sinking inside me and offering perverse comfort. “I will leave your home, and you won’t be harmed tonight.”

  His soothing tone grounded me, even though his nearness should horrify me. The sudden turn of events in an already tense scenario was fucking with my cognitive abilities.

  “I gave you my word,” Rodríguez reminded me, his pale green, panther’s eyes gleaming through the darkness.

  I swallowed hard, my mind struggling to function beyond a primal, fear-based level.

  You have my word. Rodríguez’s promise echoed through my mind. You control the Ronaldo Cartel now, Carmen. Tell us how we can access your estate.

  We’d struck that bargain less than half an hour ago, when I’d called him and arranged this deal: access to my estate for Ignazio to rescue Sofia and kill my brother, and in exchange, I would be supported as the new head of the Ronaldo family cartel.

  If anyone in my organization suspected that I had a hand in helping Ignazio kill my brother, I’d get a bullet in my brain. The only way I could maintain the power that Rodríguez offered was if Pedro’s associates and small army of loyal men believed that I was the most effective leader for our organization. Rodríguez’s support would ensure my position, but only if my subterfuge remained secret.

  I wouldn’t be the one to wield the knife, but ultimately, Pedro’s demise would be at my hands. The bastard would be dead within the hour, and I would have more than I’d ever dared to dream: power, respect, security.

  I just had to gather my wits and navigate the altered scenario. Stefano and Rodríguez might be inside my protective fortress alongside Ignazio, but that didn’t mean the terms of our deal had changed. All I had to do was guide the men to my brother, and then I could claim the control that would ensure my survival.

  Keeping my eyes locked on Rodríguez, I managed a small nod, moving my head as much as I was able with Stefano’s hand pressed against my mouth.

  The bastard’s low hum of approval rumbled against my chest, sinking deeper into my body to spark the heat my terror had doused.

  He dropped a doting, mocking kiss on the tip of my nose, as though expressing pride in me for good behavior.

  Rage swelled, the furious burn eclipsing the disconcerting, sensual heat he’d stirred inside me. This was how Stefano operated: he toyed with his prey. He found it amusing to manipulate me, twisting me in knots before disengaging with an arrogant smile.

  His weight lifted from my body, leaving me free to move and speak. Once he got to his feet, he held out a hand, offering to help me up with his signature gentlemanly veneer.

  Only a fool would fall for his false smiles and gentility. I wasn’t a fool. Not anymore.

  I scowled at him and stood up without his assistance, only wobbling slightly as I found my balance. All my instincts for self-preservation screamed at me to keep my eyes on Stefano, but I needed to display strength to the predators around me. I was one of them, and I had to remind them of my own personal power.

  They might all be physically stronger than me, but I was outranked only by Rodríguez in this little group. Ignazio was technically beneath me, even if he could snap my neck with one hand. And once my brother was dead and the Ronaldo Cartel was mine, Stefano Duarte would be my equal.

  At least, he would be until I eliminated him. As soon as I had my own organization firmly under my control, I would make it my life’s mission to rid myself of Stefano once and for all. The rival drug lord wouldn’t live out the year, not if I had anything to say about it.

  I lifted my chin and turned away from the men, doing my best to suppress the sickening unease incited by having all of them at my back.

  “This way,” I urged, relieved when my voice came out in my usual cool, clipped tones.

  They followed where
I led, all of us moving soundlessly over the lushly manicured lawn. Dozens of armed men guarded the perimeter around the estate, but with this small team safely inside the walls, I knew exactly which path to take and which shadows to move through in order to reach the mansion without alarming security.

  Pedro had extra muscle posted tonight, prepared for a full-scale siege. He’d known that kidnapping Sofia would bring Ignazio’s—and therefore Rodríguez’s—wrath down upon our organization. But my brother was arrogant, his entitlement blinding him to the severe risks he’d taken. He thought he could topple Rodríguez himself, but this power grab would be the last conceited mistake he’d ever make. Daddy wasn’t around to save his golden heir now.

  All that extra manpower that Pedro had paid so dearly to protect his pathetic life wouldn’t be of any use to him now. Most of the guards were posted at the fringes of the estate, and there would be far fewer men inside the mansion to shield my brother from Ignazio’s feral wrath.

  I could practically feel his tense menace pulsing over me, his impatience to save the woman he loved.

  My stomach turned at the thought of Sofia with my brother, and I picked up the pace. I couldn’t risk a show of womanly weakness, but my fear for what he might do to the unwilling girl had forced my hand in enacting this coup. I never would have dared this bold course of action solely for my own power. Even with the backing of Adrián Rodríguez, this clandestine takeover of the Ronaldo Cartel wasn’t without risk. One misstep would earn me a knife in the back.