Chapter 46
EVELINA
Andrés looks alarmingly relaxed when Vaughn kicks in the door of his luxury hotel suite where he’s been staying under a fake name.
“Ah-ah-ah,” he says with a toothy, predatory smile, standing from the couch as Vaughn storms across the room, pointing his gun at Andrés chest. “You might want to dial back the hostilities.”
“Oh?” Vaughn hisses. “What makes you so delusional to think there wouldn’t be consequences for threatening her,” he rasps, shoving the gun in Andrés face. “Or for sending her after me with a loaded fucking gun?” His jaw tenses. “Did you really think she’d—”
“Blanks, Vaughn,” Andrés sighs. “They’re just blanks. Though if we’re being honest, I was rather hoping she’d pull that trigger anyway.” He grins maliciously. “I can’t imagine any couple survives one of them trying to shoot the other one.”
Vaughn’s jaw ticks as he looks at the gun. He flicks the safety on it and then slides out the clip.
His lips curl into a snarl as he slams it back in and then throws it on the coffee table in front of Andrés.
“You sick bastard,” I hiss as Andrés chuckles.
“Oh, it was all in fun, Evelina,” he smiles darkly. “And they’re just blanks—”
“Well, these ones aren’t.”
The smile drops from Andrés’ face when Vaughn pull his own gun out of his jacket and levels it at the Spaniard’s chest.
“Before you do something reckless and stupid, Mr. Bancroft,” Andrés spits, his eyes narrowing. “I would suggest you let me speak.”
Vaughn smiles darkly. “What makes you think I'm interested in anything that comes from your fucking mouth.”
Andrés cocks a brow. “Blow my head off, and you’ll never know.”
“I’m willing to take that chance,” Vaughn hisses.
“But are you willing to bet her on that chance?” Andrés asks pointedly. “How about you take that gun out of my face, and we'll talk.”
Vaughn glares at him, keeping the gun where it is for another few seconds. Then he slowly lifts it away but doesn’t holster it.
“Talk,” he grunts at Andrés.
Andrés smiles smoothly. “Where should I start?”
“How about Diego being is dead,” Vaughn growls. “We had a deal, Andrés.”
“Yes, had.” Andrés touches the bandage by his eyebrow lightly. “Past tense.”
Vaughn rolls his eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Andrés smiles. “You seemed…out of sorts when we argued the other night.” His brow furrows. “Goodness, wasn’t that the same night that Evelina here was so viciously brutalized?”
“Go to hell,” I snap.
Andrés sneers in my direction. “Are you sure you’re safe with this man, Evelina? I mean, he stormed his way into your hospital room with blood all over his hands.” He clucks his teeth. “That doesn’t sound like a very healthy relation—”
“I’m guessing that was your blood?” I ask.
“It was indeed,” Andrés growls.
I smile broadly. “Good.”
“So our deal changed because I gave you some stitches?” Vaughn snaps.
Andrés chuckles, and his eyes glint wickedly. “No, Vaughn, our deal changed because before, we were balanced. “His twisted smile pulls wider. “But we no longer are, are we? You have a weak spot now,” Andrés growls under his breath. “A pressure point that can be…pushed.”
His gaze slides past Vaughn to me, and he smiles coldly.
“I’m sorry, Vaughn, but that’s just the truth of the matter now. We were even. Now I have the upper hand.”
“You can’t just go back on—”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want, Evelina,” Andrés snaps, standing abruptly just as Vaughn’s arm shoots out to stop me from storming over.
“You and your family’s, what, twenty-year ‘empire’?
Thirty?” He snorts. “Even the Obsidian Syndicate, with its history, is nothing compared to the centuries-old dynasty that I now control.”
“Exactly what the fuck do you want,” Vaughn spits through clenched teeth.
The other man chuckles as he walks over to the bar cart, pours himself a sherry, and brings it to his lips.
“I’m coming back from the dead, Vaughn, and I’ll be wanting my seat on the board back. Unfortunately, there are no open chairs.” His eyes narrow. “The Obsidian Syndicate is hereby done with whatever plans you had with Knightsblood. And I do mean done, down to a very personal level.”
Andrés clears his throat.
“You and anyone involved with the Syndicate will be barred from campus. Should you or any of your little band of unhinged psychopaths procreate, your heirs will also find the gates closed.” He smiles coldly. “Your unborn children, Mr. Bancroft, have no place at Knightsblood.”
“I paid you a substantial amount of money, Andrés,” Vaughn murmurs.
Andrés grins. “Sí, you did. But, alas, plans change. What can I say. And as you know, there are no refunds in our world.”
Vaughn shakes his head. “You think stealing from me is smart, Andrés? The option of me blowing your fucking head off right now is still on the table.”
The other man chuckles. “No, I don’t think it is.
Because I have a contingency plan. A dead man’s switch, as they say.
” He grins. “Let me tell you what is actually going to happen. “You’ll leave Knightsblood and vacate that seat on the board. You’ll cease exerting any influence over the remaining members of that board, and forever remove yourself and your future bloodline from the Knightsblood campus.
Furthermore, you will tell me the name of my father’s bastard.
In exchange for all of that, as well as the money you’ve already paid me… ”
His eyes slide to me.
“I won’t destroy her life.”
A low, dark growl emanates from Vaughn’s chest as he moves in front of me.
“That’s the second time you’ve threatened her,” he says quietly.
Andrés sighs. “This isn’t personal. It’s simply business. And in business, especially mine, weakness must be exploited. Not doing so is weakness in and of itself.” He walks over to a side table and picks up a manila folder.
“This,” he murmurs, turning toward us, “Is the evidence that will put Evelina in prison for kidnaping, torture, and attempted murder.”
“Excuse me?” I choke.
Andrés smiles as he walks over and drops it on the table in front of us.
“Several people saw us talking on the Knightsblood campus. Several others saw you get into my car with me and drive away, not to mention the CCTV footage.” His lips curl. “Your DNA is all over that car, with traces of my blood.”
I frown. “In what world does that make—”
“There’s also the warehouse in Brooklyn rented under your name.”
My face pales.
“You were clever enough to use shell companies, of course,” Andrés sighs.
“But any decent forensic accountant could trace the money back to you. And I imagine the authorities will have several questions indeed about the samples of my blood that will be found all over the small, windowless room where you kept me these last four months while I’ve been presumed dead. ”
I swallow, my mouth going dry as Vaughn picks up the folder and starts to leaf through it. I turn to him, hoping to see an eye roll.
But he just stares at the pages, his jaw clenching tighter.
“Motive?” Vaughn finally growls. “You think the police will believe that a young woman like her with zero criminal past would randomly kidnap someone like you, or anyone for that matter, and lock you up in a basement for months?”
Andrés smiles coldly. “They will when they see the sworn affidavits testifying to her insanity and history of violence that her family’s been hiding.”
I stare at him. “What?”
He tsks. “You know, I thought I had a bad relationship with my father. But the speed with which Pavel agreed to my offer to free him from that Russian situation in exchange for his sworn testimony was breathtaking.”
Pain stabs through me like a blade, twisting in my chest as my throat squeezes shut.
Oh my God.
I was wrong.
I’ve been trying to tell myself for months that even with what he did, no matter what else, he was still my father. That we were family, and family doesn’t turn on family.
Roman tried to warn me, and now I know he was right. And when it clicks, I don’t even feel the need to accuse Andrés of lying.
Because I know in my heart he’s not.
“There’s also the testimony from your ex, Ethan,” Andrés sighs. “Now, credit where credit is due, he initially heartily refused. But he’s got that lovely new fiancée, and, well…” He smiles and spreads his hands. “He quickly saw reason.” He sighs. “Like I said, it’s just the way the game works.”
The room is silent. My hand tightens on Vaughn’s arm as I cling to him, feeling his muscles clench under my grip.
“So,” Andrés murmurs. “I’ll take the name of my half-brother now.”
Vaughn smiles darkly. “All that talk,” he growls. “All that posturing and clapping yourself on the back for being so clever.” Vaughn's eyes suddenly narrow. “There is no heir, you fucking idiot.”
Andrés grins. “Don’t play chicken with me, Vaughn. I’ll send the contents of this envelope to every DA, tip hotline, and news agency in New York. She’ll be behind bars within the hour.”
Vaughn just keeps smiling.
“It’s all a lie,” he hisses. “A story based on rumor and bullshit, started by me to fuck with your father.”
Andrés’ smile falters.
“I planted that fairy tale in his head to waste his time and resources,” Vaughn shrugs. “Let me guess, you only heard about this heir when he told you about it, right before you killed him?”
The smile drops entirely.
“Keep pulling on that thread if you want.” Vaughn chuckles.
“I can tell you where it’s going to lead.
You’ll eventually find out that about twenty-nine years ago, Victoria King and your father happened to be staying at the same hotel in Madrid.
You’ll even probably dig up the CCTV footage of the two of them having drinks together at the bar, and the point of all of this is to lead anyone looking into believing that Carson King is your father’s bastard heir.
” He shrugs. “Now, I truly don’t know if your dad fucked Carson’s mother, but I do know, unequivocally, that there weren’t any children that came of it.
” He smiles coldly at Andrés. “Victoria King underwent a voluntary sterilization after Carson was born.”
Andrés’ jaw ticks.
“But,” Vaughn smiles. “If you’d like more concrete proof that Carson isn’t your half-brother, I’m sure he’d be more than thrilled to leave a DNA sample all over your front door.”
Andrés’s face darkens.
Vaughn shrugs. “There are forty women who’ve come forward over the years accusing Diego of being the father of their children.
I’ve got the list if you want, but I’ve already gone through it hoping to get leverage against your father and none of the accusations has any substance. You do not have a half sibling.”
The seconds tick by as Andrés face darkens even more. He brings the glass in his hand to his mouth and knocks back the rest of his sherry.
“I’ll take that list.”
Vaughn shrugs. “It’s all yours. But it’s a lesson in futility.”
The seconds tick by.
“Fine,” Andrés finally growls. “But the rest of the arrangement stands. I don’t destroy Evelina’s life, and in exchange, you walk away from Knightsblood and all your plans there. I’ve even taken the liberty of drawing us up a contract.”
He pulls a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket and drops it on the table between us. Then he holds up a pen, grinning.
Slowly, doubt begins to sink icily into my body.
What if Vaughn doesn’t agree?
What if what we have isn’t worth more than his plans involving the Syndicate?
He’s told me how the Syndicate is everything. His family, his life. I’m…what?
A plaything? A distraction? Even “girlfriend” isn't much when you look at it from that perspective.
Andrés smiles. “You give me your board seat, your power at Knightsblood, and I keep the money you’ve already paid me. In exchange, I won’t appear in court sobbing about how brutally your girlfriend treated me during my captivity.”
My heart tightens. How could he possibly choose me over—
“Deal.”
There’s zero hesitation as the word falls from his lips. He just takes the pen, bends down, and signs his name at the bottom of the contact.
I stare open-mouthed as he drops the pen to the table and stands upright, locking eyes with a similarly shocked-looking Andrés.
“There’s your contract. If you go back on it, or if you ever threaten her again, I’ll cut your fucking head off.”
Andrés dips his chin. “A pleasure doing business with you both.”
“Let’s go.”
Vaughn grabs my hand and pulls me after him as he walks from the room.
We make it all the way downstairs and out onto the street before I can’t take it anymore.
“Wait,” I blurt, my hand darting out to grab his wrist as I stop walking. “Just…wait. Why did you do that?”
He arches a brow “Do what?”
“That deal!” I blurt. “Why would you trade all of that just for—”
“Because I fucking love you, Evelina. I have loved you since the night you ran from me through the woods, and every fucking day, and every fucking night ever since then.”
Then he grabs me tightly, yanks me against his hard body, and crushes his mouth to mine.