Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Chicago

K evin Doyle was on top of the world. Everything was working out just as he’d planned. It amazed him at the amount of items he’d been able to check off his list. If nothing else, what he had accomplished clearly proved that he was meant to be king of Chicago.

Admittedly, things got off to a rocky start. What with the girl being so uncooperative and then the hit on her companion from the restaurant going awry, he had been concerned that he had miscalculated. However, once he’d adjusted his expectations, things had gone swimmingly.

The ten thousand dollars he’d lost on the failed hit was infuriating, but it was a measly amount compared to what awaited him in the future. Whoever the man was who had been with the girl no longer mattered. As far as he knew, no one cared about her. But even if someone did, no one knew where the girl was or who had taken her. She was at his disposal, to be used at his discretion. And, oh, did he have plans for her.

For right now, his little prize was exactly where she needed to be. When he’d purchased that old veterinarian’s office a couple years back, he’d had in his mind that some of their products could be stored there until they were ready for transport. He’d discarded that idea later, as the building wasn’t nearly as ideal as he’d thought. It had just been sitting there, languishing. Putting the girl there had been a stroke of genius.

The photo Kip had sent was one of the most fascinating things he’d ever seen. In just a few days, she had become broken and compliant—the total opposite of what she’d been before. The girl had seen the dark side of how her life could be, and it had barely taken a week. Now she was a mess. Ready to come crawling and begging for mercy.

He’d ordered that she be fed but not so much that she took it for granted. Apparently, the girl needed a lot of calories, because she looked like she’d lost a few pounds. She would need to put on some weight before he introduced her to his world, but they had plenty of time to make that happen.

He’d instructed his men to clean her up and bring her to her new home. She would stay there, learning the things she needed to know for her new role.

His second task, which had been more difficult but equally important, had taken less time than he had anticipated. Getting rid of his current wife hadn’t been pleasant. He was fortunate that she had had some health issues already. The woman hadn’t taken care of herself. No matter how many times he had told her to lose weight and exercise, she’d ignored all his warnings.

He hadn’t wanted her to suffer. After all, she had done her duty and given him a son. The fact that his son was a huge disappointment was another matter. And other than having a sour disposition and losing her looks, she hadn’t been a bad wife. But it was time for him to move on to younger, greener pastures. The little needle prick at her hairline while she’d been asleep had been both compassionate and expeditious. Within two minutes, she’d been gasping for breath, and in less than five minutes, she was gone. It wasn’t the first time he’d killed, but he had to admit it had been one of the easiest.

Things had moved quickly after that. Calling the ambulance, having her declared dead, and then getting the coroner to doctor his report had been done as speedily as possible. Two days after she was gone, cremation had occurred. His son had been furious with him. Admittedly, foregoing the wake, mass, and burial had gone against tradition. In his family, saying goodbye to a loved one could take days, sometimes a week. He didn’t have time for all that malarkey. Cremation was not only strongly discouraged, but to his immediate family, it was a sacrilege. However, when he’d shown his son the notarized statement from his mother insisting on cremation, he had backed down. Of course, she’d signed no such thing, but a little money under the table to a paralegal at a law firm had fixed that.

Now that the small matter of his first marriage was taken care of, he could concentrate on his upcoming nuptials. It couldn’t be for a while yet. No way would anyone believe he had just happened to find Jasmine McAlister and fallen immediately in love with her. These things took time. And during this waiting period, the girl would learn who she was and exactly what was expected of her.

A couple of his most trusted people had dug deep into the identity she’d been using, and what he had learned had set his mind at ease. The girl was a nobody. She’d been living an aimless, pointless existence with no goals or hope for the future. From what he could tell, she had zero ambition. Considering what she came from, that had been a surprise. However, when one wasn’t taught correctly, one likely didn’t know to reach for more. A classic case of nature versus nurture. The girl just didn’t know any better. But he would educate her, and she would soon learn her place.

At this very moment, his men were attending to her needs. His instructions had been clear. Clean the girl up well enough for transport and get her to the new location. It was much nicer than where she currently resided. The kennel had been a humbling experience for her and had gotten the desired results.

Her new location would be like heaven compared to the kennel. He’d rented a nice house outside the city. The girl would have good food to eat, a clean bed to sleep in, and access to as many showers and baths as she wanted. There would be no restrictions placed on her inside the house. She even had a pool to frolic in, if she so desired.

Clothing would be provided for her, as well as books and music to her heart’s content. Obviously, there would be no Internet or phones, but he’d provided over a thousand DVDs that would keep her entertained.

She was going to be treated like the queen she was, and when she took her crown, she would give him all the credit.

Of course, she would be reminded that if she misbehaved, her circumstances would change in a heartbeat. But after seeing how broken she was, he had no doubt that the mere mention of the kennels would bring her to heel.

While he waited for the appropriate time to introduce her and claim his queen, she would learn how to behave. Though the girl was comely enough, her hair brought to mind a teenage boy. She was small and fine-boned, like a pretty little bird, but she was going to have to look the part for her new role. She would learn how to act and speak in the manner befitting her position. Her clothing would be chosen for her, and she would learn how to look regal at all times.

And when he introduced her, no one would question who she was or why she would become his bride. Sure, his son would rebel, but his opinion no longer mattered. Kevin had given him a chance to join the family business, and he had refused. As far as Kevin was concerned, he was now childless. He would remain that way until he remarried and started a new family, this time one that would be loyal to him.

Kevin shook his head, a smile spreading across his face as he considered all the riches and rewards that would be coming his way. He wasn’t usually one to pat himself on the back, but he had to admit that, in this, he was a genius.

Nothing would stop him from claiming what should have been his long ago.