The Knight (Stolen Duet 2)

“After all the shit he stirred for it, why just sell it?”

“The motherfucker was probably broke and was hiding it. I’ll hack into his accounts.”

“We’re going to take the deal.” I braced for the explosion my decision would cause.

“Why the fuck would we hand them over to him?” Lucas was the first to demand.

“He’ll never touch them, but we’ll make him think he’s won for now. It’s the only way to draw him out of hiding. I have no doubt he’s going to try to double cross me and keep the book once he has them.”

“What makes you think he isn’t telling the truth?”

“Because he offered me a large sum of money to keep his dirty deeds out of the book. He’s not going to hand that power back over.”

“What if he’s already destroyed the book?”

Duty should have meant doing anything to protect the family’s interest, but it’s become hard for me to care about legacies and power when I could have something much more potent.

I could have Mian.

She was a girl I craved.

A girl I didn’t deserve.

A girl I’d crumble mountains to keep.

“I’ll deal with that when the time comes.” The truth was my priorities were changing fast.

“But your family—”

“They’ll kill me. I know.” If ever the Bandit failed to protect the legacy, by death he would be dethroned as the Knight. Reginald would make sure he was the one to take my life so he would inherit as well as his sons after him. He has been itching to take back what he claims is rightfully his. The feud between our lines started when my great-grandfather took over as the Knight after Archibald, Reginald’s great-grandfather, tried to sell the book for profit.

“This whole legacy bullshit is seriously fucked!” Z seethed. I kept silent. I didn’t agree with many of my family’s practices but going against them would mean forfeiting the throne. A rule under Reginald would guarantee the downfall of the Knights. His entire line had been fueled only by greed and cowardice.

“How much do we tell Mian?”

“We tell her the truth. The plan doesn’t work without her trust.”

Lucas and Z weren’t able to hide their surprise before schooling their expressions again. “She might run,” Z pointed out.

“She might run even if we don’t,” Lucas argued. I nodded while hiding my surprise that he agreed with my plan.

Mian’s trust in my ability to protect her was lost because of fear I helped cause. “We’re a long way from Chicago, and every inch of the grounds is guarded to keep the senator out and her in. She’s not going anywhere.”

“When do we make the deal?” Lucas questioned.

I walked to the bar and pulled out a glass before pouring a drink and tossing it back. “Staten called from a private number. He wants to do this on his terms.”

It didn’t matter. His terms or mine, Staten and his piece of shit son were going to die.

“So then we wait,” Z murmured and emptied his glass.* * *I RETURNED TO my bedroom and found them just as I had left them. I was partially relieved that Mian hadn’t woken up. I wanted to avoid the questions and the fight we still needed to have for just a few more hours.

For Mian, I felt rage, possessiveness, and desire. When morning would finally come, I was afraid of which emotion would take dominance. I walked over to the crib and was surprised to find the baby awake and babbling quietly to himself. When he saw me, he showed off all four of his tiny teeth before crawling to the rails and pulling himself up. He held his arms out to me, but before I could pick him up at his request, he fell on his butt. The diaper cushioned his fall, and he seemed not to even notice. I watched transfixed as he carefully pulled himself up again using the rails and held out his arms to me again. He wobbled but kept his balance this time. My throat felt clogged as I lifted him from the crib.

“It’s past your bedtime, kid. Playtime is over.”

“No.” He squealed and laughed as he smiled up at me, and I couldn’t help but return the favor. I never grasped his effect on me—or why I didn’t run away from it.

“You and your mother had quite an adventure, huh?” He babbled sounds that were strangely starting to sound like words as I sat us in the bronze love seat facing the bed. “She would have made me chase her to the end of the world to protect you.” He trained blue eyes that haunted me on his sleeping mother as if he understood.

My phone’s rhythmic vibration in my pocket alerted me to a phone call. I secured my arm around the baby as I dug it out. The screen flashed a private number as it continued to vibrate. A cold feeling rushed through my veins as I stabbed the green button.