The Bandit (The Stolen Duet 1)

He took his time inspecting me, too. My hair was pulled back so the curls Mohawk Ricardo had skillfully created fell down my back. My makeup was applied sparingly. Goatee Ricardo had focused on accentuating my eyes, which he complimented repeatedly. Even covered in layers of silk, he still managed to make me feel naked. It was as if the heat in his eyes seared away the layers.

“So? Do I satisfy your taste for arm candy?”

He smiled a feral smile. “What makes you think you’ll be my date?”

No sane part of me wanted to be his date, but it didn’t make the rejection hurt any less. “Then what am I?”

“You’re the final act.” He closed the distance between us and then flipped open a royal blue box. The most beautiful diamond choker rested on a velvet bed before he plucked it from the case and tossed it away. I didn’t move as he stepped around me and wrapped it around my neck. It was so heavy and cold against my skin. When I heard the clasp click, I fingered the necklace and wondered if it was real. It seemed too extravagant, even for the Knights.

I was surprised when something settled over my face. He quickly secured it and then stepped away while I fingered what must have been a mask. It was hard but bearable since it didn’t weigh much. I wanted a mirror so I could see and thought about stepping inside the bathroom for a peek, but the jerk held out his arm, offering me the crook of his elbow, and waited for me to accept with a quirk of his eyebrow. I cupped the muscle underneath his finery and stared ahead in horror when my pussy reacted to the feel of his muscles bunched beneath the tux. It had to be a natural response—like drowning when water fills your lungs. I didnotdesire this man.

Outside, there was a limo waiting. Lucas flashed me a sexy smile while I admired him in the black tux. He held a thick black box in his hand, and I was curious about what was inside.

“You look good enough to eat, pretty girl.” He bit his bottom lip and eyed me. I had the feeling he was imagining doing just that. Lucas opened the back door, and I ducked inside. He then followed and took a seat on the bench across from me. Angel sat next to me, forcing me to curl up against the opposite door. I heard the locks engage as if I were really going to jump from a moving vehicle.

“So, Mian, why aren’t you in college?” Lucas questioned after we’d been riding for some time. He reached for the chilled champagne and poured a glass.

“I had a kid,” I answered coolly.

He shrugged. “Single mothers can still attend school. There are programs, aren’t there?”

“It’s so easy to assume anyone can still conquer the world with a baby on their hip. The world is full of failures and rejects. Programs can’t save us all. If they could, the world would be a much more colorful place.”

“Didn’t you have relatives to help you?”

I noticed Angel’s head cock slightly. He must have been interested in my answer. If he knew about my aunt and uncle, he wouldn’t hesitate to use them against me. I pressed a hand to my stomach. When they turned their backs on me, there was no love lost, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see them dead.

“My grandparents are dead.”

“Theo had to leave you with someone since you weren’t in the system.”

Damn.“I never had family other than my father’s brother and his wife. My mother was an only child.”

“So he left you with them?”

I nodded not really wanting to talk about them but found the words spilling out anyway. “He had to pay them to accept me but, yeah… they were my guardians before Caylen was born.”

“Before?”

I took a deep breath slowly released. I could feel Angel watching my every move. “They kicked me out after they found out I was pregnant.” Angel made a sound I couldn’t describe. I found his eyes black and spitting fire. “You thought I ran away, didn’t you?” He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. Before he turned his head to stare out the window, I saw guilt in his eyes.

Why would Angel feel guilty? He stopped being responsible for me when his father convinced mine to send me home. I thought the day Daddy left me with him was the worst thing he could ever do to me, but it couldn’t compare to the day he took him away from me. How hormones and a little kindness changes things…

We spent the rest of the ride in silence. I looked out the window in amazement when the house came into view. The lush green land stretched far and wide around the castle. It made Arturo Knight’s home seem like a trailer home.