Chapter 17

Ledger

Every fiber of my being revolts against the idea of returning her to that man. The uncertainty gnaws at me, an insidious doubt clawing at the edges of my consciousness. I despise the helplessness of this situation, the knowledge that her safety hangs in the balance, yet here we are.

She wants Bane. She's fucking marrying him. To her, this is but a fleeting interlude, a passing moment in the grand scheme of her life. But for me, it's something altogether different.

With each passing second, the depth of my emotions for her becomes more apparent, a revelation that both exhilarates and terrifies me. She ignites a fire within me, a passion so fierce it consumes my every thought. In her, I see the possibility of a love I never dared to dream of.

Is it madness to believe that she could be the one, the missing piece of my soul? Perhaps.

I pull up to Bane's gate, and wait. The gate opens, and I pull my vehicle forward, my heartbeat racing out of control.

I slow down, before making my way to the circular drive. "Tonight, before you fall asleep, close your eyes and think of me."

Posey looks at me. "I already do that every night anyway."

It hurts to breathe when I hear her words. "So do I," I tell her honestly.

She reaches over and places her tiny hand on my thigh, and I quickly cover it with my own hand. "I think about you all the time."

I bring her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles before dropping her hand. "I think about you way more than that. You're becoming a part of me, Posey. I don't know how to overcome it."

She swipes a tear from her cheek as I continue the drive up the path toward Bane's place. "I'm so sorry," she says, and I let out a deep breath.

Changing the subject, I say, "If I hear anything more from Devereaux, I'll be sure to let you know."

She nods. "Thank you. Any new leads on my attacker?"

I shake my head. "No." And as soon as I drop her off I plan on making it my mission to figure out who's behind all of this.

It's nearly three in the morning, but I plan on going back to the club, figuring out exactly what's going on with Bane and his men. Why Posey was attacked.

I pull around the circular driveway, stopping by the front door, and Bane steps out. I shut off the car, and step out to greet him.

Bane's already helping Posey out of the car.

"What happened?" I ask him, wanting all the details of what went down at the club tonight.

Bane looks at Posey, and then smiles. "Let's get her inside, and we can discuss a few things," he says, like he can't be bothered to share any information with her. Like she's a five-year-old.

It makes me sick.

I follow him into his mansion, and I head into his office as he walks Posey up the stairs. While I'm inside, I roam over the many books he has displayed on his bookshelves.

Before long he joins me, and I study him. He's tall, taller than me by at least an inch, and that's saying something as I'm six-foot-three. He's got dark, beady eyes that appear like he's up to no good.

"Posey's safe. Thank you for keeping her," he says, and I can tell this isn't a man who says thank you often.

I nod. "Her safety is my number one concern." I quickly add on, "Everyone's safety at the club is my concern." I don't want him thinking that I only care about Posey.

Even though that's exactly how I feel.

I swear it's like he can read my every thought, but I won't let him intimidate me.

"I have concerns. I feel somebody in my outfit is trying to get to me. The physical altercation at the club is only a small act of what's been going on in my restaurant downtown."

I recall hearing about a few murders happening downtown in the past few weeks, but haven't looked too much into it. Now I fear for Posey's safety even more. "What are you doing about it?"

He chuckles as he stares at me. He takes a moment before he begins to speak. "It takes patience to sniff out a rat. When I was younger I'd own the streets, and if anyone was misbehaving I'd deal with them. Today things are evolving. Changing. The whole fucking country's gone mad."

"I'll agree with you there."

"Times are changing, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to change with it or watch my kingdom crumble."

"Where does Posey fall into everything?" I know a man like Bane doesn't love her. He only works with calculations. Posey is a prize to him. A mere trophy.

He hoists a sense of pride upon his shoulders. "She's to be my queen. My wife. But she won't need to concern herself with my daily affairs."

I nod. "I get it. And her safety?"

"Once I pluck out this rat from my army, things will return to normal." He's mad, I can tell. His hands ball into fists at his sides.

I pull my phone out of my pocket when I feel it vibrate. It's a text from Dev. I relay the info of the text to Bane, "They apprehended a few suspects. Nicholai Orlov being one of them."

Bane paces his small study. "I knew this shit would happen. I'm getting sick of this. A sniveling rat is a part of my crew, and obviously working with the Russians, and I don't know who it is."

I wish I could help him sniff out the rat. Mainly for Posey's concern. I want her safe above all. "What are your plans?"

Bane studies me for a long moment as he pours himself a drink from a small bar. He motions at me, silently asking me if I want a drink.

I decline, politely.

"As I see it," Bane starts. "I've got to figure out what the rat wants and then it'll help me narrow it down."

I nod. "I'm sure he wants what every rat wants."

"What's that?" Bane asks before taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Your crown."

There's something that flickers behind his eyes, and I stick one hand into my pocket. As much as I couldn't care less about this man's rat problems, I care about Posey.

"I'm having a party here this weekend. I'd like for you to come. I think having somebody on the outside looking in will help me judge everyone."

I nod. "I'll be here. Just tell me what to look for."

Bane smiles. "Look for anyone being suspicious."

"I can do that."

After a few more minutes, Bane walks me out the front door, giving me the details for his party. He's calling it a party for Posey. Like an engagement party, and it makes me mad listening to him talk about her.

As soon as I'm in my car, I don't head in the direction of my condo. Instead, I head to the outskirts of town. To Posey's father's house.

Something's been bothering me since I saw his address. I figured Posey came from money. When she told me she met Bane through her father, I assumed her father would be someone influential.

I pass the docks as I turn down a side street. It's dark, nearly four in the morning, but I am too wired for sleep. When Posey was on her knees for me, crawling across my living room floor, I nearly had a heart attack. I was on the phone with Bane, yet there she was, this mythical creature coming at me with pure lust in her eyes. I could see it. Doesn't take a genius to know she wanted me.

She wants me.

I know she does. I can taste her want on her lips, see it bleeding from her eyes whenever she looks at me.

She fucking wants me just as badly as I want her.

It makes me wonder about what type of woman she is. Her upbringing. Her life. How she finds herself marrying a creep like Bane.

I find the address, and stare at the house. This can't be right.

It's nothing more than a shack. A small wooden home with big windows filled with tattered curtains. The bright-blue paint after years of neglect has turned to a bleak gray color, peeling away in patches.

The yard, if it can be called such, is a patch of dried, yellowed grass struggling to survive amidst discarded bottles and cans. A chain-link fence, rusted and bent in places, separates the house from the chaos of the alley behind it, but it offers little in the way of security or privacy.

Posey grew up here?

I drive to the end of the street, make a turn and head back to my condo, not wanting to sit outside her father's house for too long. The neighborhood is quiet, and I continue past the docks, stopping a little to view the ocean. How often did Posey come here growing up to sit and watch the waves crash onto the shore?

My fingers hover over her name on my phone as I have my car parked near the beach. I want to reach out to her. Hear her voice again. Ask her why the fuck she's marrying Bane.

I slide my phone into my front passenger seat and put the vehicle in drive. I need to get home and get some sleep, and tomorrow figure out who's behind Posey's attack.

A few days later, I pull up to the entrance of Bane's estate, leaving my keys with the valet as I head inside the opulent mansion.

Inside the house is a symphony of sophistication. A celebration unlike any other. Guests move fluidly through the expansive rooms, their laughter and conversation blending harmoniously with the gentle strains of a live string quartet.

Couples sway to the rhythm of the music, their elegant attire a blur of rich fabrics and shimmering jewels. Waiters in crisp uniforms circulate with silver trays, offering champagne and delectable hors d"oeuvres.

It's crowded, and as my eyes scan the party, I'm only searching for one thing.

Posey.

And when I spot her, she takes my breath away.

She's standing, Bane's arm around her waist, in a beautiful light-blue ball gown with gold accents.

Her blue eyes meet mine from across the room, and I have to remind myself to breathe. It pisses me off that Bane's got her tucked into his side. But why shouldn't he? She's his. The thought angers me, and I head in search of the bar. I find it easily in the back of the room, and I sidle up next to it and order a whiskey.

"Hello there," a blonde woman says, her fake tits pushing out of her tight red dress. She presses a red-tipped nail at my chest. "I know you," she slurs her words.

I shake my head. "I don't think so."

The bartender hands me my drink, and I nod at him, turning my back to the bar to check out the party. I watch as couples dance together on the makeshift dance floor.

Everyone else is gathered in tiny clusters, scattered around the large house.

The staircase is roped off, and the outside has many more people mingling about out there. Twinkling lights glitter against the night sky, and I spot Posey out there, standing all alone, looking out across the light-blue waters of the ocean. Just moments ago, she was standing with Bane. Now, he remains behind, engrossed in conversation with some government officials.

"You're Ledger Thorne," the woman says beside me.

I nod at her. "You're correct. Congrats. Now, if you'll excuse me," I say, walking away, heading outside right to Posey.

She's like a magnet, and I can't stay away from her.

I should go say my hellos to Bane. I should mingle. I should be watching his crew to see if anything looks out of the ordinary, but instead of all of that I find myself wanting to steal one minute alone with Posey.

"Hi," she says before I've even gotten to her. She faces away from me, her long brown hair in waves down her back.

I want to reach out and touch it. Like spun silk.

"Hey," I say, trying to sound casual, but feeling anything but. The last time we were alone together I kissed her.

I fucking kissed her and loved every second of it.

Her kiss is forever ingrained into my memory. The taste of it. The way she leaned into me. The way her lips felt pressed up against mine.

"Are you enjoying the party?" She spins around to face me, and the look in her eyes takes my breath away.

"Sure. Are you?"

She looks away, the sadness in her eyes shining through. "Yes, now that you're here."

There's something not right about her engagement to Bane. Why would a woman like Posey ever want him?

"Are you with him because of money? Because he's got it?"

She gazes up at me with wide eyes. "What?"

"I went by your father's place and I just…" my words fall away when I see how visibly upset she's getting.

She parks her hands on her hips. "Are you kidding me? You went to my father's house?" She drops her hands as she paces the small space between us. "And what? You saw what a dump I grew up in and you figured I'd marry my way out of it? You think I'm a gold digger?" Tears well in her eyes, and I want to swipe them away.

"I'm sorry," I say, at a loss of words. "I didn't mean…" I don't finish my sentence, because I don't know exactly what I mean.

If she was a gold digger I could understand it more. I could understand why a woman like her would ever marry a monster like him.

She pokes a finger into my chest, her anger clear on her face. "You don't get to ask me questions like that. How dare you? Do you really think that's the type of person I am?"

I shake my head. "I don't know." I guess I don't know what type of woman she is.

She studies me for a beat, and then huffs as she storms away.

Fuck.

"Hey," Devereaux says, walking up to me as I watch Posey retreat. "Did I interrupt something?"

Devereaux and Chloe step closer toward me.

"Where's Posey going?" Chloe asks in a green ball gown that matches the color of her eyes.

"I don't know," I whisper, still watching Posey as she removes the rope from the staircase and heads upstairs.

"Did you two get into a fight?" Dev asks, wearing his tuxedo.

"No." I shake my head, trying to erase the past five minutes. "What are you two doing here? Where's the baby?"

"Greer and Roman are watching him. Dev got invited by Bane, and I wasn't passing up a chance to get dressed up and go out." Chloe beams at me, and I smile. She's got her blonde hair up in a twisty-do on the top of her head, and she holds a glass of champagne.

I understand why Bane would invite the owner of Club Greed to his engagement party.

"Makes sense," I say, taking a sip of my whiskey.

"I just don't know how long we'll be out because we've never left the baby alone before," Dev says, wrapping an arm around Chloe's shoulders.

"I'm sure your sister, and my brother will take good care of him."

Dev smiles back. "She's going to be a natural when she has her own baby."

I nod.

"I still can't believe Greer's pregnant," Chloe says with a wide smile on her face. "Now, enough about babies, what happened with Posey? You two looked like you were in a heated argument."

I blow out a breath as I scrub a hand down my jaw. "Why the fuck is she marrying him?"

Chloe's eyes soften. "I know it's hard to understand when two people fall in love. There's no rhyme or reason to it."

"She's not in love with him," I whisper.

"How do you know?" Dev asks me.

I have no answer for him. I can't tell him that I've kissed her. I can't tell him about anything transpiring between Posey and me.

"I just know it."

"Or you want it?" Chloe asks, trying to be the voice of reason.

I laugh. "I'm going fucking insane. I can't stop thinking about her. I can't stop…" I don't finish my sentence, not wanting to tell them any more.

Dev slaps a hand on my shoulder. "I can start working more at the club. I think you need a break."

"I'm fine," I say. I don't want to miss the chance to be there when Posey will be there.

"Ledger, come and dance with me," Chloe says, taking my hand.

"Fine," I say, allowing Chloe to drag me onto the dance floor.

I know I've got a job to do while I'm here. Watch Bane's men, but as I glance around at the crowd here tonight, everyone looks suspicious.

Even Bane himself.