Devious Kingpin (Kingpins of the Syndicate #2)

Prologue

JULIETTE

“T was the night before Christmas,” I rhymed as I swung my bag, back and forth, “when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”

The words of the poem kept repeating in my head, over and over again.

Christmas was my favorite time of the year. Usually it was about the only time that we resembled a family. I had two bags of gifts, Killian trailing alongside me while handling something on the phone. He was in his first year of college, and suddenly he was very important. At least he thought so.

I rolled my eyes; he was more annoying than anything. At the tender age of thirteen, I thought myself to be the most important girl in the world. After all, I’d be going to high school soon.

“Wait here, Jules,” he ordered, stopping in front of Tiffany’s.

“Are you buying a gift from Tiffany’s for Wynter and me?” I squealed excitedly.

“Stay here,” he ordered. In typical brotherly fashion, he ignored me and entered the store. Curious and a bit nosy, I pressed my face against the cold glass, but couldn’t see anything apart from Killian’s broad shoulders.

The cold wind swept through, sending a chill through my bones. Winters in New York were frigid. I couldn’t wait until Killian, Dad, and I flew back to California.

Warm weather. Palm trees. That was heaven.

Glancing around, I took cover in the alley where I hoped the wind wouldn’t whip against my legs as badly. I felt the chill even through my jeans and heavy coat. It was just impossible to warm up, so I started jumping up and down, my ponytail whipping back and forth.

“Hurry up. Hurry up,” I muttered impatiently, my teeth chattering.

A kicked can echoed through the alley, startling me.

Another kick and I mustered up the courage to turn around, only to come face-to-face with a man.

A stranger. His features were obscured by a hoodie but his hands weren’t.

Glinting in the light of the streetlamp, I could see he was holding a knife.

“What are you doing, little girl?” he drawled in a thick New York accent.

“N-nothing,” I stuttered, my eyes darting over his shoulder to the storefront where I should have been waiting for Killian.

He took a step forward, and I instinctively took one back. Except now, it put me even deeper into the dark alley. I knew I’d made a mistake. My little heart pounded against my chest, threatening to crack it open.

Another step toward me. Another mirrored step backward.

My heart continued to drum under my rib cage, but still I tried to be brave. Smart. That was what Dad always said. Be smart. So I attempted to scare him off. “M-my brother’s with me.”

He chuckled. “Then I’ll slice his throat too.”

My eyes widened, then darted around in horror. I opened my mouth, readying to scream when another voice interrupted.

“Take another step toward her, and I’ll shoot you.”

My eyes snapped in the direction of the voice. A tall boy stood there, about Killian’s age. Tall. Strong. He flicked a gaze my way before returning his attention to the man with the knife.

“Last warning,” he said. “Get lost or I will end you.”

“I know you,” the old man hissed.

“No, you don’t know me,” the boy-slash-man with eyes as dark as midnight claimed. “If you did, you’d be running for your life.”

The man must have decided to live and that I wasn’t worth it, because he scurried away. No, he bolted. I watched him disappear while I held my breath, and it wasn’t until he was out of my sight that I was able to release it.

“You okay?” the boy asked softly.

I swallowed, extending my hand with the bags. “H-here, you can take it all,” I offered. I felt disoriented, worried that maybe this boy saved me from the other thug, only to rob me himself. It wasn’t worth dying over. It would seem shopping right before Christmas was a bad idea, after all.

He smiled, pushing the bags gently back. “You keep the bags.”

My eyes darted between him and the bags. “You… you don’t want them?”

He chuckled. “What am I going to do with Victoria’s Secret bags?” he mused as the smell of rain and damp forest mixed with the crispy winter air and filled my senses.

My cheeks heated when I realized what I was holding in my hands.

“It’s for my aunt.” Wynter and I wanted her to find someone, and this could be the first step.

At least, that was what Cosmopolitan magazine had told us.

“I’m buying for my dad next, but I have money,” I mumbled, embarrassed.

“I don’t have anything else to give you.

” I drowned in his dark gaze. I had never seen such dark eyes. They were like obsidian pools of night.

“What makes you think I want something?” he asked curiously.

“Don’t all muggers want something?” I retorted.

He smiled, his eyes shining with amusement. They reminded me of the dark nights and beautiful nightmares.

“All right, then,” he agreed, amusement sparking his gaze. “How about…” He appeared to think as I held my breath. What could he possibly want? “Your hair scrunchie.”

I reached up to touch my ponytail. “My scrunchie?” I repeated, confused.

He grinned this time. “Yes. That way when I find you again and you’re older, you’ll remember that you owe me.”

“And if I don’t recognize you?” I wondered.

He smirked confidently. “Don’t worry, I’ll recognize you.”

This time, I smiled too. “So you’ll be like my shadow prince, stalker, or something?”

He nodded. “Or something,” he confirmed.

I pulled my hair band out, my mahogany strands cascading down my shoulders. He extended his hand and I dropped my hot-pink scrunchie into it, the bright color looking silly in his large palm.

“Thank you,” I murmured, offering him a big smile. “For saving me. One day, maybe I’ll be the one to save you.”

I wanted to return the favor and Dad taught me never to leave a debt unpaid. As he walked away, sadness lingered in my chest when I realized I had no way of knowing whether I’d ever see him again. I could only hold out hope.