You were supposed to meet me on the beach. I wanted to see my beautiful girl. Instead you betrayed me. I trusted you, and you betrayed me.
I don’t want to take something of yours, but you leave me no choice. You leave me no choice but to break something. Something must restore the balance you disrupted.
Your king wants to
pay me off. He wants me to meet him and give him an answer, but no answer will ever be right without you. I can’t be held responsible for restoring the balance.
I need to see you, my beautiful Ava. It’s the only way to make this right. Tell me when I can see you.
Yours always,
Daddy Dwayne
Ice filters down my veins as I re-read the words. I read them again. I read them one more time. I feel the sickness enter my stomach. I feel the fear twisting my throat. Clearly, what Rowan and Cal were planning for tonight did not go the way they expected.
Dwayne Vega is insane, and I have to stop him before he tries to carry out whatever sick plans are in his head. I have my baby. I have my beautiful husband. I’ve found my happily ever after, and I’ll be damned if I let some lowlife asshole take it away from me.
The fist of anger, the survivor will of iron that has always been inside me roars to life. My eyes wander the screen, and I run through the catalog in my mind. I have to steal a gun.
Chapter 19
Rowan
Ava is in my arms when my separate, government phone buzzes with a text. I haven’t even had a chance to talk to her about last night, and I have to face what’s happening in our tiny kingdom. My personal phone sits happily quiet—because anyone with a life is still asleep at six a.m. That fucking black phone, however, buzzes again.
“I guess that’s my job,” I groan, carefully sliding my arms from beneath my sleeping wife.
Turning in the bed, I pick it up and see it’s André. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be glad when Logan’s trip with Kass and Reggie is over.”
It’s André’s first time working directly with my guards, and as a result, he’s being extra vigilant and reporting in with overwhelming frequency.
Sorry to disturb you, sir, he texts. Police just reported another rape-murder victim found. I’m concerned it’s more than a coincidence.
“Fuck!” I hiss under my breath.
All complaining thoughts are gone. Our tiny nation-state is renowned for our low crime rates. Hell, the entire place is like one big exclusive club. I throw the blankets aside and quickly step into my clothes. Something very wrong is going on in my kingdom.
Buttoning my shirt quickly, I keep my eyes on my queen. She’s sleeping soundly, and I don’t want to wake her. I need Cal with me on this, and I know if he’s up, Zelda will be up.
“They have a toddler,” I remind myself, scooping up my phone and stepping out into the sitting area.
Cal is on the other end of my line in seconds. “Jesus, does anyone ever sleep around here anymore?” he groans loudly.
“Isn’t Belle awake?” I return, confused.
“She’s not a newborn,” he gripes. “We have fucking nannies for her early wakeups now. What is going on? Don’t tell me it’s more of this Vega asshole.”
“Another rape-murder victim. Something is wrong, Cal.”
His voice is immediately serious. “We don’t have crimes like this in Monagasco. What’s going on?”
I knew he would be invested. My brother and I grew up here, and maintaining the integrity of our haven by the sea is a family priority. “I don’t know, but we have to get to the bottom of whatever it is.”
“I’ll meet you in the war room.”
* * *
André places the two photographs on the table in front of us. In both, the victims are brunette women. They are slim and appear to be tall. Their hair is short, cut so the ends curl at their ears. Both have bruises around their necks.