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  But I’d seen the way my brother had handled Sofia. He wasn’t going to give her a choice. Even now, I might be too late. He might have forced himself on her already.

  My stomach lurched, and cold sweat beaded on the back of my neck.

  I drew in a long breath through my nose and blew it out through my mouth, practicing the breathing exercises that helped me cling to sanity when dark memories threatened to take over my brain.

  By the time we reached the mansion, the familiar panic symptoms ebbed, granting me more control over my thoughts and physiological responses.

  I’d chosen to access the house via a back entrance into a mudroom usually used by our groundskeepers. This wing of the sprawling manor was mostly dark, none of the rooms currently in use. Pedro had evicted all guests and even close associates prior to kidnapping Sofia. He hadn’t trusted that they wouldn’t turn on him during this tumultuous time.

  None of my brother’s men would have dared to raise a hand against him. Until I saw how he intended to treat Sofia, I wouldn’t have dared to challenge him, either.

  Now, he would pay for his years of casual cruelty.

  And I would finally be safe.

  I paused at the bottom of a stairwell that was used only by household management staff. No one would be here at this time of night, and the minimal security posted around my brother’s bedroom could be easily handled by the vicious killers at my back.

  I turned to face them, keeping my eyes fixed on Rodríguez. Addressing him was a strategic show of respect to the most powerful man in the group. But focusing solely on him also allowed me to mitigate the debilitating fear elicited by Stefano’s nearness.

  “Security is lax this deep into the compound, so you should be able to navigate from here without me,” I informed him in an undertone.

  If I was going to feign innocence in my brother’s murder, I couldn’t risk being seen anywhere near him.

  Rodríguez listened intently to my descriptions of the guards’ locations and the resistance they might face. His eerie, luminous eyes glowed through the darkness, his keen attention making the fine hairs on the back of my neck rise.

  I resisted the urge to drop my gaze and back away.

  He gave me his word, I reminded myself. Rodríguez might be a sadistic monster, but he kept his promises. By morning, Pedro would be dead, and I would control the Ronaldo Cartel.

  “Pedro’s bedroom is on the third floor.” I killed my brother with a few words. “There will be two guards in the hall. Others will come running if they hear a disturbance.”

  “Then it’s a good thing they’ll be distracted by an external assault,” Rodríguez drawled. His mouth quirked in a cruel smirk, and he offered me a sardonic nod. “Enjoy being Queen of the Ashes.”

  “What?” The disbelieving gasp barely left my lips before Stefano grabbed me from behind.

  His calloused palm clamped over my mouth, silencing me once again. His other arm was an iron band around my middle, pinning my elbows at either side of my waist. He pulled me tightly against him, so I could feel every hard line of his body.

  “I promised I would leave your home if you were good, kitten,” he murmured, his words hot against the cold sweat on my skin. “And I’ll keep my promise. I’m leaving, and you’re coming with me.”

  I screamed into his hand, twisting in his grip. The bastard laughed, his low chuckle rich with amusement.

  “Being Queen of the Ashes doesn’t sound like much fun,” he mused, nuzzling my hair and inhaling the scent of my fear. “You’ll be much happier as my pet.” He nipped at my ear, stoking my terror with a little edge of pain. “Once I’ve tamed you.”

  Muscle memory from my years of training finally kicked in, a surge of fresh adrenaline enacting the repeatedly practiced motions. I kicked back at him, taking the best shot I could manage in his tight grip. The blunt, hard rubber sole of my sensible but stylish flats wouldn’t do much damage, but I put enough force behind the blow to knock my captor’s stance wider, jeopardizing his balance.

  His hold on my body eased for the space of a heartbeat, and I used the fraction of extra mobility to maximum advantage. I snapped my head back, bashing the sensitive pain receptors around his nose and mouth.

  He cursed, his body slumping forward slightly. I followed the motion, dropping my weight against his restraining arms and twisting out of his grasp.

  I lurched away from him, but his big hand closed over my shoulder, seeking to restrain me. Reaching back, I grabbed his wrist with both hands and pivoted out of his hold, yanking his arm behind his body at an unnatural angle as I flowed through the movement. He doubled over to alleviate the pressure, and I kicked the back of his knee, sending him tumbling to the ground.

  As soon as I was free, my flight response kicked in; continuing to fight Stefano without a weapon at my disposal would only lead to my capture by an enraged madman. I didn’t have a chance if it came to a contest of brute strength. I had to put distance between us and find a way to defend myself.

  I sprinted away from Stefano, his curse following me out the door and into the night. I took a sharp right and kept running, sticking to the perimeter of the vast house. Staying out in the open wasn’t an option. Stefano was only seconds behind me, and it wouldn’t take him long to catch me in a flat-out sprint across the lawn.

  I immediately located the external entrance to the wine cellar. In the dark, the short, brick stairwell leading down to the basement-level door appeared to be little more than a pool of shadows, but I knew exactly how to navigate my own home.

  “Carmen!” Stefano’s furious roar clashed with the first gunshot that signaled the beginning of my failed coup.

  I wrenched the door open, forcing my movements to slow as I gently closed it behind me, masking even the smallest sound of the latch reengaging. I didn’t intend to give Stefano any hints to locate me.

  Now that I was back inside the house, I could evade him much more easily. This was my domain, and he was a stranger here.

  I toed off my shoes and tucked them behind a wine cask. No need to leave clues behind in case Stefano did find the door to the cellar. I could move more quickly and soundlessly on bare feet.

  Increasing my pace once again, I darted through the wine racks and made my way deeper into the house. Just before I reached the flight of stairs leading up to the ground floor, I paused at the ostentatious, gilded bar where my brother liked to entertain his guests when he wanted to show off the extent of his wealth; the cellar contained millions of dollars’ worth of wine.

  Quickly locating my weapon, I grabbed the ice pick from its usual storage space. My eye caught on a gaudy, solid gold statue of a nude woman that Pedro had favored. I snatched it up, my fist closing around the woman’s delicate waist. She wasn’t much larger than a doll, but she was weighty enough that I could do some serious damage if I swung the statue at Stefano’s skull.

  I resumed my progress up the stairs, struggling to formulate a plan as I darted into the ground floor corridor.

  More gunshots rang out; some from the floors above, others from the distant jungle.

  I had to obtain a better weapon. A handgun would be the bare minimum to keep me alive long enough to rally my own men. If Rodríguez had decided to attack my home rather than simply extracting Sofia, that meant his forces would have us hemmed in behind our walls. And since I’d invited the enemy inside our gates, I would have to organize enough manpower to take out the enemies within before focusing on bracing against a siege.

  My steps didn’t slow as I mentally worked through my options. I had to keep putting distance between myself and Stefano.

  Seeking help from the guards around my brother wasn’t a good idea. I suspected that the shots I’d heard within the house were concentrated on the third floor, where I’d sent Rodríguez and Ignazio to kill Pedro. More of our family’s guards were probably rushing that way now, seeking to defend their boss.

  At least, the ones inside the mansion would be heading toward the interi
or conflict. All of our other forces would be scrambling to defend the perimeter.

  My palms grew sweaty around my makeshift weapons, and I tightened my grip on the ice pick and the statue. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the endless reports of deadly weapons firing all around my home.

  I’d witnessed violence plenty of times; I’d been born and raised in it. But being in close proximity to physical violence was a totally different experience to the nightmare unfolding around me. Even though I’d managed to desensitize myself to blood and gore, nothing I’d lived through so far had prepared me for the disorienting, relentless blasts of dozens of automatic rifles being fired with maximum lethal intent all around me. I felt as though I’d been dropped into the middle of a warzone.

  My brain barely registered the new sound of an encroaching helicopter before a deafening boom rent the night. The polished wooden floorboards shuddered beneath my feet as the entire mansion shook and groaned.

  A sharp scream echoed through the corridor. Too late, I realized the sound had burst from my own throat.

  “Carmen!” Stefano’s roar reached me even through the ringing in my ears. He was inside the house. He was close.

  I gritted my teeth, determined to keep my mouth locked tight. I wouldn’t scream again.

  Enjoy being Queen of the Ashes. Rodríguez’s cruel words echoed in my mind as I sprinted up the stairs, recklessly making my way toward the violence on the third floor. If there was gunfire there, that meant there would be guns. I might be heading toward the heart of the conflict, but I needed a weapon and possibly my own guards, if any were still alive.

  It seemed Rodríguez wasn’t content to besiege my home after Ignazio rescued Sofia. He was bombing my estate, destroying everything that was supposed to finally be mine.

  If he wanted to destroy my organization, he would have to destroy me along with it. I wouldn’t go down without a fight or cower in some corner and wait for Stefano to find me. To take me away and tame me.

  I ground my teeth hard enough to cramp my jaw. I would never be Stefano’s pet. I’d rather die than be owned by a man.

  Never again.

  Death was a far more merciful outcome than that captive hell.

  Another scream pierced the hail of gunfire around the estate, but it wasn’t mine this time. I recognized my own past in the sound: fury, defiance, and despair.

  Before I could fully consider my actions, my path changed. I reached the second floor and veered off to the right, rushing to get to the distressed woman. She screamed again, her rage and terror anchoring somewhere deep inside me, pulling me toward her. My own remembered rage burned through my veins, and my muscles tensed, preparing to mete out retribution.

  My fists clenched around my weapons, all thoughts of requiring a gun evaporating under the heat of my fury.

  Following the sound of her screams, I burst through the door to the library. The room was cast in shadow, the only illumination provided by the moonlight streaming through the ten-foot windows. Two dark shapes grappled on the floor in the center of the room; a hulking man on top, and a much smaller figure writhing beneath him.

  A primal shriek tore from my chest, and I launched myself at the bastard who thought he could take advantage of a weaker woman in the chaos unfolding around us.

  The fucker barely had time to turn his head and register my presence before I swung the statue down in a vicious arc, smashing the precious metal into the side of his skull. I carried momentum through the impact, shoving him away from the woman as he bellowed in pain.

  Moonlight fell on her face, and I recognized her: Marisol, a maid who had worked for me for the last nine months. The petite beauty had caught the attention of many of my brother’s more disgusting associates, and I’d protected her from their lecherous interests.

  She stared up at me, her large, dark eyes wild. Her rosebud lips parted as she gasped for air.

  A harsh shout dragged my attention away from her, and I pivoted to face the fucker who had tried to rape her. He took a lurching step toward me, off-balance after the nice dent I’d put in his head.

  That didn’t stop the enraged beast from coming at me. Something hot and feral raced through my system, poisonous hatred that made me infinitely stronger. My lips peeled back in a ferocious snarl, and I widened my stance, tightening my grip on the ice pick. Bashing his skull with the heavy statue hadn’t done the trick. A long, thin blade embedded in his brain would put him down for good.

  More gunshots rent the air, closer than ever. The man’s body jerked twice and dropped, his hulking form motionless on the floor.

  I spun to face the new threat, my fingers clutched tight around my weapons.

  Air solidified in my lungs, and I froze. Stefano stood in the open doorway, a gun raised in his steady hand. Other than his controlled stance, nothing about the madman resembled the refined Stefano Duarte I’d come to know and hate over the years. His black hair was in disarray; blood was smeared around his sculpted lips; moonlight caught in his black eyes, making them burn with white-hot, twin flames.

  Another explosion rocked the manor, sending books tumbling off the shelves. Hundreds of heavy, leather-bound volumes hit the floor in thunderous waves. A chandelier crashed in the hallway behind Stefano, crystal shattering against the hardwood floor.

  This wasn’t a warzone; it was the fucking apocalypse. My world was ending, and I was ready to die along with it.

  I lifted my chin and glared at Stefano, defiant to my last breath.

  Chapter 3

  Stefano

  Carmen’s defiant stare stoked the fire raging through my veins. I’d seen that expression before, usually on the faces of proud men facing their inevitable deaths. Her gray eyes glittered with malice, her thick lashes narrowed.

  “There’s nowhere to run,” I ground out, my cultivated, smooth tone completely garbled by the strange, visceral sensation of claws shredding my lungs from the inside. “The house is collapsing. Let’s go.”

  “No,” she hissed. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  An animal sound slipped through my gritted teeth. “Rodríguez is burning this place to the ground. No one will be left alive by morning.” I kept my gun raised, even though I would never shoot her. For now, it served as a deterrent to prevent her from attacking me with the ice pick and the bloody gold statue she clutched in her hands. We didn’t have time to waste sparring.

  “You’re coming with me.” The command lacked my usual silky threat, leaving me on a shout. “If you stay here, you’ll die.”

  Her fingers flexed around her makeshift weapons, and she held her ground. “I’m staying. I’d rather die than be your pet.”

  My jaw clenched tight enough to crack my teeth. Had I actually relished the idea of conquering Carmen’s defiance? Her suicidal stubbornness drove me close to irrational madness. I was always fully in control of my actions, blessed by a natural lack of emotional responses. The twist in my gut and wrenching pain at the center of my chest were utterly foreign and deeply unnerving.

  One coherent imperative burned in my brain: I wouldn’t allow Carmen to die.

  A small, shadowy form appeared behind Carmen’s shoulder. I shifted my aim, stilling my finger on the trigger an instant before I fired the gun.

  Carmen edged to the side, shielding the petite woman with her own body. Her lush lips curled, baring her teeth at me in a feral challenge.

  I managed to draw a full breath, filling my ravaged lungs. Now that I had a means of taking Carmen out of this crumbling ruin, the debilitating physical symptoms that had ravaged my mental clarity began to ease.

  I didn’t need a weapon anymore; I had leverage. Carmen obviously cared about the woman’s safety.

  “What about her?” I demanded, pushing at Carmen’s weak point. “Are you willing to let her die?”

  Carmen’s slender body practically vibrated with fury. “You son of a bitch. I knew you were an evil bastard, but I didn’t think you were cap
able of murdering an innocent woman.”

  “I won’t have to murder her,” I informed Carmen flatly. “Everything and everyone on this estate is being destroyed. That will include your friend. You might not care about dying, but you do care about her survival. Come with me, and I’ll get you both out of here safely.”

  “Surrendering myself to you isn’t safe,” Carmen spat.

  I chose not to issue a verbal response. I simply lifted my brows, allowing her to weigh up her options as the silence stretched between us. Tension tightened my muscles as the seconds ticked by, but arguing with Carmen would only cause her to dig in her heels and prolong this standoff. She was an intelligent woman, a cunning strategist.

  It took less than half a minute for her to accept the only course of action open to her.

  “I will come with you,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “But not until you give your word that you will protect Marisol. No one touches her.”

  “Agreed,” I snapped, impatient to get moving. “Drop those,” I gestured at her crude weapons. “I don’t want you getting any ideas about stabbing me in the back. I think you already know this, but I want to make it very plain that I am your only ticket out of here. Sticking close to me is the only way your friend survives.”

  Carmen bristled as though I’d threatened Marisol personally, but I’d done no such thing. I had no interest in hurting the girl; her death was simply a cold fact if I didn’t escort her off the Ronaldo estate.

  Regardless of Carmen’s interpretation of my emotional blackmail, it proved effective. She unfurled her fists, dropping the ice pick and gold statue.

  I lowered my gun, but I didn’t holster it. There were dozens of other threats surrounding us, even if Carmen had been disarmed.

  “Come on,” I urged, beckoning for her to join me.

  Her jaw ticked, but she closed the distance between us, snagging Marisol’s hand and dragging her along.

  When the women reached me, Carmen paused to fix me with a glare. “I go first. Marisol stays between us. I expect you to shield her back, no matter what.”