Chapter 20

Styx

The woman was more powerful than she had any idea about.

I hadn't planned on indulging in a game of backgrounds but as we lay together on the warm sand, staring up at the blue sky, we were trading information about our likes, dislikes, and lives back and forth.

It really was ridiculous, but my little sparrow was more engaging than I'd realized and I'd listened to her talk. I'd gone through her room and closet. I'd even learned her password on her computer, easily finding her social media sites and private emails.

"Color?" she asked.

"Black."

Her laugh was another unexpected reaction. "Why does that not surprise me? I was shocked to see you in cream linen today instead of black or charcoal. Why black?"

"Because it hides blood easier."

Tick. Tock.

"Oh, my God. You aren't kidding?"

I chuckled more for her benefit. "No, sweet Emily. I'm afraid not."

She rose onto one elbow, turning to face me. "How many people have you killed?"

I turned my head, catching the sound of what had to be a low-flying airplane in the distance. It wasn't unheard of given there were resorts twenty miles on either side of the island, but I was always cautious. That's one reason I'd remained alive over the years. "Do you really want to know that? Information can be as damaging as anything physical."

"I'm a big girl. I can take it. I know what you're made of."

With a slight huff, I shook my head. "Let's just say more than I can count on four sets of hands."

"Women and children?"

"Up to this point, no."

"Then why me, I mean assuming that you weren't lying to me about someone taking a contract out on my life?"

"There was no reason for me to tell you a lie, Emily. You said your father has several enemies. Liam Jacobs appears to be one of them."

I sensed another moment of shock coursing through her. "Liam? Uncle Liam?"

"Uncle? He's not related to your father."

"No, but they were close from the time I could remember. They're golfing buddies, drinking buddies. He used to bounce me on his lap when the two couples got together when I was five or six."

I thought about what I knew regarding Liam and his life. In all the information I'd found, I'd never noted that he was or had been involved with anyone. "Who was this other woman?"

"His wife."

"What happened to her?"

She pulled back slightly, narrowing her eyes, almost answering immediately. "I honestly don't know. Uncle Liam stopped coming around after my mother was murdered. I just… that's odd. I have no idea other than I heard his wife had died. You're telling me that the man who never forgot my birthday or Christmas wanted me dead."

"I'm saying that's who hired me, although he attempted to keep his identity secret." The plane was getting closer and my hackles were already raised. I jerked up to a crouched position, staring up at the sky.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not entirely certain." I stood, furious with myself for only bringing a single weapon with me, a handgun instead of an assault rifle. That wasn't like me at all. No, I hadn't wanted to terrify her more than I already had but I never went anywhere without at least one high-powered weapon. What good was it to be a crack shot at over a hundred yards when I hadn't brought a long-range rifle with me? The fucking Glock would have to do. Even then, it was dicey whether my shots would do a damn thing to an object flying hundreds of yards in the sky.

She moved onto her knees beside me.

The moment I was able to see an actual small aircraft, I jerked Emily to her feet. "Come on. I need to get you to safety."

"What is going on?"

"Remember those enemies I mentioned determined to bring me down no matter what it took? I think they found me all over again. Fuck. Fuck." I led her up the beach, glancing over my shoulder. "You need to do as I say, Emily. I'm not taking any shit from you. Run toward the trees. Now!"

At least she did what I asked. We both raced toward the thick coverage of the forest, but I shifted to the Jeep just as the plane swooped in, flying lower in the sky.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

The heavy firepower send sand flying into the air, her terrified scream igniting a heavy rage.

"Fuck," I hissed, lunging toward the left, narrowly missing being bullet ridden. Who the hell were these assholes?

The line of fire went directly from the water, following us in a heated trail.

Emily screamed a second time, still running toward the trees but stopping short seconds later. I had a split second to think, lunging toward her, knocking her onto the sand in the shadow of the trees, covering her body with mine.

Holy fuck. I was going to kill the motherfuckers. How the hell had they broken through the defenses?

"No. No. No," she whimpered under me, writhing and clawing.

"Are you okay, baby?"

"I think so. What is going on?" Her voice was shaking as much as her body.

"Some bad people." The fucking pilot wasn't giving up. I allowed her to shift, thankful she wasn't hurt or worse. The fucker had damn good range, and it was likely there was a second person on board responsible for doing the shooting.

She was still shaking as she turned over, glancing over my shoulder then cupping my face in such a tender action I was momentarily floored. "How can you live like this?"

The answer was one she should understand. I didn't choose to. I'd been born into it.

I took her hand into mine, holding it against my mouth. "Whatever happens, you just stay right here. As I said before, don't fuck with this or my orders."

"What are you doing?"

"Taking them out." I pushed her further into the trees, taking a deep breath and racing toward the Jeep.

As the plane got closer, I was forced to drop and roll, bullets coming far too close for comfort.

Once it had passed, I instantly heard the slow of engines as the pilot began turning the plane around. I had a few seconds and nothing more. I raced toward the Jeep, yanking the weapon from under the back seat. As soon as the aircraft roared back in our direction, I took long, purposeful strides into the sand, calculating the speed and the trajectory of the flying steel death trap as I lifted my arms. I had the gun in both hands, taking my time aiming.

The fucker really believed he could gun me down. When I had a decent chance of hitting the target, I fired off shot after shot.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

The plane shifted further into the horizon and I was shocked that it appeared I'd missed them altogether. What the fuck? When I heard a clunking sound, I stared at the soon to be wrecked piece of steel, feeling a hint of satisfaction. There was nothing quite like the sound of engines sputtering and cutting off.

I took a deep breath, slowly lowering my weapon. And I should have expected my bad little sparrow to suddenly appear at my side.

She glanced at me, her breathing still ragged. As the plane tumbled from the sky, I yanked her close to me. "What are you doing?"

"When I tell you to stay somewhere, it's not a request but a command. What just happened was unexpected, dangerous as fuck. You could have died. That can't happen. I won't let you put yourself in harm's way." I shook her, the anger and anxiety at the thought of losing her strangely overwhelming.

"I…" Emily blinked several times, grimacing when the plane smashed into the ocean maybe four hundred yards out. There was an almost instant explosion from the gas tanks hitting the surface, the rumble creating a horrified look on her face.

I wanted to punish her for being stupid, for risking her own life, but I knew that wasn't what she needed. Still, I wasn't the kind of man to give comfort to anyone. But as the fireball of twisted steel continued to burn, I pulled her against me.

"We need to get back. I'm sorry to cut this short."

Emily pulled away enough to be able to look into my eyes. "This isn't the first time and it won't be the last. Right?"

"You are correct. However, I have a feeling this time it's even more personal."

She shuddered in my hold as the anger continued to grow. Whoever had done this would soon pay a hefty price.

With their lives.

Both Rico and Axe stood like lions waiting to devour a smaller creature or slaughter everyone who got in their path, my other soldiers filling the space in my office with explosive breaths and moods. No one was sitting. They were as tense as I was, if for no other reason than someone dared to attack me, especially at my home, I had extremely clever and cruel methods of fighting back.

Usually, they were forced to come along for the ride, covered in blood by the end of the experience.

This time it would be the most savage act I'd performed.

"I need to know who the fuck found us," I growled as I looked from my Capo to the other men in the room. It was funny how they all seemed sheepish. "I want that info today. Fucking today!" The look of terror on her face was embroiled in the front of my brain, so much so I was furious with everything and everyone for allowing this shitshow to occur.

Granted, I hadn't taken walkie-talkies with me, only my phone, which I'd pitched in the seat of the Jeep when I'd undressed hurriedly. To Axe's credit, he had called in an attempt to warn me, but I'd been otherwise preoccupied.

"There was no advance notice," Ralphie, the younger guy who'd been with me only a few months was stupid enough to say. He was also directly in both my line of sight as well as my physical presence.

I issued a brutal backhand without thinking, knocking him halfway across the room. As he crashed into one of the tables, smashing the legs as he crumpled to the floor, Rico glared at me, daring to walk closer. He was the only soldier who had the fucking balls to stand directly in front of me.

"We're trying, boss," Rico huffed. "It's best if you calm down."

"Calm down? I almost fucking lost both my life and that of…" That of whom? The woman I loved? Or the one I'd wanted to treat as nothing but a fucking possession? Three of the other men in my employ helped Ralphie to his feet, the man acting dazed and confused.

Well, so the fuck was I. Who was stupid enough to do this shit? They all stared at me as if I had yet another screw loose. Maybe I did but it was all because I'd promised to keep Emily safe and had come damn close to failing. I wanted to be more furious with Rico as he continued staring at me without blinking, but he was right that nothing good would come of me flying off the handle.

I took a deep breath, rubbing my eyes as I attempted to put the pieces of this game of chess together in my mind. That's exactly what this was, the real enemy waiting to take the pawn he'd created. Fucking me. And I was finished with it.

"When the hell did you get the pilot and his plane on radar?"

"Only a few minutes before they struck. I listened to the chatter for a third time. They took off from Mazatlán International Airport supposedly on their way to Cabo San Lucas. Everything appeared to be normal." Axe was hesitant at first but his answer was full of confidence.

"You mean until they took a sudden swing in our direction." I gritted my teeth, the rage I'd felt at almost losing Emily exhausting.

"Yeah, they did. Within seconds, I called you, boss," Axe insisted. "You didn't answer."

"Yeah, I know," I admitted, which allowed others in the room to take a deep breath.

"How the fuck did they get to the island so fast?" Rico tossed out, turning slightly toward my hacker, Axe.

"The engine didn't sound normal, almost like one you'd find on a jet," I answered as a suggestion. That much I had caught before the hunk of metal slammed into the water.

"That makes sense," Axe said, inching closer. "There are some military prototypes built to look like passenger crafts but they have powerful engines and weapons on board."

That was the most interesting thing I'd heard in a long time.

"Do you have any idea who it might be, boss?" another one of my soldiers asked.

"The list is endless." Although I had at least three ideas. "That's what I'm going to find out. Axe, see what you can find out about these planes and if there is a list of people who purchased them."

Axe grinned. "That I can do."

Rico walked closer. "That means you're still going on this trip?"

"Yeah, it's now a necessity."

"Because of your brother?"

I wasn't certain whether to be angry or amused. "Only partially. Someone is attempting to double cross me and that's not going to happen. I have far too much at stake at this point. Axe. You're going with me so work fast."

"Why Axe?" Rico asked, as if this was some competition.

"Because I need you here. I have far too much to lose."

He knew what I was saying, although the man was smart enough not to mention Emily in front of the others. I was known for being a hard ass, not a lover. "Alright. But you'll need more than one man with you."

"You seem to forget I have an army at my disposal back in Boston."

"Understood."

The last thing I wanted to do right now was to leave Emily here by herself, but it was obviously even more important to get some answers than it had been before. I had to find out what was going on and who was determined to destroy me.

Before it was too late.

I turned my attention to the other men. While they knew all about the fact that I had Emily staying with me and partially why I wanted to set certain boundaries. "I'll be gone for two or three days. While I am, you are all to guard the woman staying with me with your lives. If you allow anything to happen to her, you will pay. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," almost all of them said in unison.

I glanced at Ralphie. He would recover from my tantrum, but I'd need to learn to control myself. Obsession certainly had a downside.

They knew better than to cross me. They were highly trained, some of the best men in the business. While I felt I could count on them, I trusted Rico with my life. He was the only man I felt I could. He would lay his life on the line for me and in turn for the woman I cared about immensely.

"We'll head out in the morning at first light, Rico. Axe. Find out everything you can on that flight and the planes. I don't care how insignificant the information seems to you, I want to know everything. Origin. Flight number. List of passengers. Whatever you find."

"Yes, sir, but you know the cartels use that airport on a regular basis. I've heard they control it now."

Axe's comment was twofold. He was attempting to tell me the attack could have been nothing but a third attempt on taking the island by one of the drug lords. He was also saying that anyone gathering information would be hard pressed to do so, the cartel controlling every aspect of the operation.

"Use whatever methods possible. Scramble the satellite and hunt all the planes so they don't know it was me. You know how to do this, Axe. I have faith in you." And I did. While he'd started out as nothing but a hacker, a kid with wire glasses, a love of computers, and a penchant for hacking any security system out there, he'd quickly turned himself into a skilled marksman, a wrestler, and a damn good pool player. He'd also grown four inches and put on nearly a hundred pounds. Hence the nickname I'd given him on his twenty-fifth birthday. The man was a solid brute with unbelievable skills.

"I got it, boss. I'll dig into it a little bit more. I have a few ideas."

"Good. Just remember we're leaving in the morning. Bring that powerful laptop with you."

Axe grinned. "Let me get to work."

As he walked out, I leaned against the edge of my desk. "The rest of you. Tighten the security. I want rounds of men walking the perimeter and keeping a close eye on the satellites."

The men nodded before filing out. Only Rico remained.

I could tell he had something on his mind.

"What is it?" I asked him when he remained quiet.

I was mildly surprised when he headed for my bar, making both of us a drink. He wasn't usually pensive either, allowing his more jovial nature to infuse humor in an otherwise stodgy life. While we'd sparred more times than I could count, had come to blows more than once and had an extremely violent quarrel that had pushed me into almost slitting his throat, I listened to what he had to say every time.

Not that I followed anyone's advice. That wasn't me in the least.

He offered me the scotch, his expression almost sheepish. I accepted, narrowing my eyes when he backed away out of striking distance.

"What?" I barked again.

After clearing his throat, he took a gulp of the liquor before addressing me. "Look, I know what I said before about this woman staying in your house."

"Emily. Her name is Emily. Have some respect, Rico."

I was already annoyed. He was going to grill me on my choice of women?

"I didn't want to say anything, but you've changed already."

"She's been here less than two days."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Styx. You've been stalking her for weeks, acting as if she's the most important thing in your life. You almost lost full control today because you're angry with yourself." He noticed me bristling and threw his hand out.

"Don't fucking psychoanalyze me!"

Rico grumbled under his breath. "Listen to me. What I'm saying is that don't you find it coincidental that Creed called out of the blue? He knows better than to bother you."

"Are you suggesting he's responsible for the attack?"

"Do you forget the last time the two of you were in the same room? He did threaten to kill you."

While my Capo knew certain aspects of the Saint children's childhood traumas, he certainly couldn't understand that one of us killing another wasn't prudent in our world of business. Besides, we needed to keep up a basic front to keep our reputation intact. Did that mean Creed wouldn't attempt to outmaneuver or sabotage some aspect of my life or business? No. And I certainly wouldn't bring Easton into this. While I hadn't talked with him in over a year either, it seemed he was content with doing nothing more than being the family accountant and CFO for our corporation.

However, Rico's comment was a decent one, and something to think about. "Creed won't try and kill me. First of all, he doesn't have the skillset. Second, I am his brother."

"You know that old adage that blood is thicker than water is crap. Right?"

I laughed because that was true enough in the world of power and greed. However, he didn't know that there was one caveat that prevented one of us from killing the other. "We can't kill each other. The one final act our beloved father did before we killed him was to change his will. It would seem he always wanted and planned for the three of us to work together. Therefore he placed a caveat that if one slaughtered the other like we did to him, then all this would go away."

Rico stared at me, unblinking. "Whoa. Your father could do that. How… fascinating."

"Oh, he found a way and I assure one or all three of us have checked. We're stuck in this for life, or until another enemy takes us out by force."

We both heard a noise, Rico turning, which allowed me to see Emily standing in the doorway to my office. The look of horror on her face meant she'd overheard a good portion of our conversation. I was briefly mesmerized by her beauty just as I'd been before. She'd fled up the stairs after our return, no doubt showering before putting on fresh clothes. She'd been scared. She refused to admit it, but the haunted look had returned to her eyes.

Now, seeing her standing in a red sundress and in bare feet, the sun kissing her porcelain white skin into a burnished bronze, I was both enthralled and intrigued.

And my hunger was off the charts all over again.

Rico exhaled, the sound exaggerated.

"You really are a fucking murderer. You killed your own father?" she demanded, the sound even more critical of me than I'd heard the first moment she'd awakened.

"All three of those left in the twisted Saint family did. I assure you, little sparrow. We had our reasons."

"I might hate my father, even wishing him ill, but I would never resort to murder. You're disgusting."

My sweet Emily didn't seem to notice or care there was someone else in the room with me. That kind of disrespect usually resulted in the type of punishment her fragile and far too beautiful body couldn't handle.

Let alone her psyche.

However, with her, as I'd already thought countless times now, everything was different. I was more controlled. I found that odd and refreshing at the same time. "We did what we felt best for us to do, Emily. Our father was… even worse than yours as his acts of violence were predicated with playing horrible games with his children from an early age. He was the reason we are so good at hunting and killing."

Okay, I had crossed the line, which I hadn't intended on doing. However, I felt it necessary. This was no fairytale and there were people determined to take her away from me. My gut had already told me that. Right now, I needed the time to sort out who it was so I could cut them to shreds.

She stared at me with a blank look on her face before running out of the room.

"She has no clue about you and your past," Rico said. "At least not really."

"Why would I damage her already fragile hold on the fact she would be by my side permanently with something like that? But she knows enough. It also seems her father had the Saint regime on his radar for years."

"That's interesting."

"Yeah, I'll say."

"What are you going to do?" Rico asked.

"Ensure Gideon Martin embraces death or disappears."

"I'm surprised you're giving him a choice."

I glanced toward him, half laughing. "Out of respect for the woman who will be in my life… forever."

"Whew," he huffed. "I just hope you've thought this through."

"That's all that's been on my mind."

Within seconds, the sound of her playing a brutal and dark classical piece floated into the room. It was clear how angry she was, how disturbed. I couldn't say I blamed her in the least.

"O-kay. And wow. Emily also has no trouble speaking her mind. I thought you told me she was an innocent flower."

"She is. Only there is a strength behind her doe eyes and vulnerability that I find almost as attractive as I do the rest of her."

"Just remember her father is a powerful man in his own right."

"Incidentally, is he still attending that fundraiser tomorrow?"

"From what I understand, yes."

"Good. Because we're going to have a long chat."

"He's meeting with the prince at the same event. Just so you know."

The event Liam used to participate in. The only one I did as well. The three of us were far too connected, which I didn't like at all.

"Well," I said as I rubbed my jaw. "Isn't that perfect." Maybe the stars were finally aligning after all. "I'll be eager to get this portion of my life completed."

"I'll be curious what that will mean." His eyebrows were furrowed, his grin more than his usual mischievous.

"You know what? So will I." My thoughts returned to Emily, her anger understandable. She knew who and what I was. Sugarcoating it wasn't going to appease her fears. Only time would.

Or so I hoped.

He swirled the liquid in his glass before swallowing the rest. Then he did something that was totally out of the ordinary. He patted me on the arm. I'd put a scar on his chest because of my anger yet we were almost best friends. I shook my head as he walked out of the room.

Maybe I was finally allowing the darkness from the past to fade away. Or maybe I was simply too old to continue acting like some monstrosity on steroids.

I polished off my drink as Emily continued to pound her fingers on the piano keys. I was certain she'd increased the tempo, the sonata not meant to sound so deliriously dark and full of brutality.

But she was as expressive with her long fingers as she was with her lovely mouth.

The piece she'd played earlier had sparked another type of memory altogether. The song and the movie had been favorites of my mother's, something I'd forgotten all about. While there'd been no way of Emily knowing that, the old ache that had been beaten out of me had returned for a little while.

I placed my empty glass on my desk. I'd need to punish her for disrespecting me, but I found it interesting I wasn't facing that with my usual level of joy. I didn't want my lovely sparrow to suffer any more than was necessary.

No, I wasn't angry with her. I could already smell and taste the blood of the people responsible for almost ending her life.

And I was looking forward to exacting my revenge.

As I walked out of the room, I realized she had changed me, just like Rico had tossed in my face. He was also right that it had started a long time before these last couple of days, which incidentally had been some of the best in my life.

What did that say about me?