The Knight (Stolen Duet 2)

My question was forgotten when Lucas’s ringing phone interrupted. “Yeah,” he answered gruffly as he steered with one hand. “Fuck!” he suddenly exploded. I had trouble following the questions Lucas shot at the caller rapidly. He handed the phone to Z and pressed on the gas. Z listened for a few seconds before cursing and pulling out his own phone and tapping quickly.

“Not a glitch. The tracking’s stopped. He must have found it.”

I felt my heart race as I tried to piece together what was happening. Z hung up and promptly smashed his fist into the dashboard. He then turned his green glower on Lucas and said three words that made my heart drop into my turning stomach.

“We’re going back.”

I wanted to scream at them not to take us back. Instead, my eyes shut tight as Lucas accelerated and drove us back to Attica.Chapter TwelveAngelMY PLAN TO keep Mian and Caylen safe and far away from Chicago took a nosedive when the senator wormed his way from under my thumb and disappeared off the grid. The unsettling feeling in my gut wouldn’t ease long enough for me to predict his next move. Calling Z only confirmed what I already knew, so I ordered them back to Attica. Without eyes on the senator, Mian was more vulnerable than ever.

Bringing her back to Chicago would draw him out. Using them as bait turned my stomach even more than the senator’s disappearing act, but it was my only option. They were what he wanted.

It would be hours before they arrived, so I used the time to tighten security and figure out a plan. I had guards placed on almost every inch of the Knight estate. No one was getting in or out without my say.

I was barking orders at my men when my phone rang. The private number made me hesitant to answer, but instinct drove me to do just that.

“Knight,” I growled into the phone.

“Mr. Knight, I’m glad to know you’re doing well. I tried to stop by the hospital and wish you well, but the reception was a bit… tense.” The senator chuckled as if we were old friends sharing a joke.

“That’s disappointing to hear. Why don’t you stop by now? I promise this time the reception will be a bloody one.”

His tone was less pleasant when he spoke this time. “Your father was a business man and one I respected. He knew how to separate business from pleasure.”

“I guess this apple fell too far from the tree. What can I do for you?”

“I want to make a deal.”

“I’m not interested.”

“You should really hear me out.”

“My time is precious, Senator. You have ten seconds.”

“I only need five. You want your book back. I want the girl and her kid. I’ll call you back for your decision.” The line died a quick death unlike the senator would when I finally caught him.

I calmly pocketed my phone and lit a blunt to keep me company as I waited out the final hours until the girl who complicated life arrived.* * *MIAN AND THE baby were fast asleep when they arrived after night fell. I had Lucas and Z wait while I put them both to bed myself. She didn’t stir as I put her in my bed. I then laid Caylen in the crib I had brought from my father’s home. The crib was placed by her side of the bed so the moment she woke she’d know he was safe.

I memorized the peaceful set of her face because when she awoke, we’d be at war again. I lied to her, and she claimed my life for the betrayal. She would never agree to trust me without answers and possibly never trust me again when she had them. With a heavy feeling in my chest, I left them to sleep in peace, but I couldn’t walk away before locking them inside. I told myself it was to keep them safe, but I knew it was to keep her from leaving. Mian was more resourceful than I would have given her credit for three years ago. She wasn’t any easier to cage than she was to set free.

Downstairs, I found Lucas and Z raiding the bar with hard expressions. “I spoke to the senator.” They froze at the same time, giving me their full attention. “He wants to make a deal.”

“Fuck that,” Lucas spat. “The deal is his head or no deal.”

“My thoughts precisely,” Z echoed with more menace than I ever knew he possessed.

“He has the book, and he wants to trade Mian and Caylen for it.”

“How the fuck is that possible? Victor had the book, and now he’s dead.”

“There’s obviously a lot we don’t know, but my first guess is Victor tried to sell the book. He wasn’t after power. He was after money.”