Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Gris
Arabella Kincaid has made a deal with the devil.
That would be me. I’m the devil.
I watch from across the room as she kisses the cheek of her cousin, Luke Kincaid.
Next to her, that fucking cunt, Preston Wingate, eyes a passing blonde with fake tits and even faker hair.
The blonde catches his eye and giggles. He smiles in return and subtly shifts his cock. What a stupid fucking prick.
He’s barely touched his fiancé all evening, which is fine with me. The moment I walked into this room and saw his hand on her arm, I lost my mind for a second.
Which is a big fucking problem.
I am not supposed to feel anything but detached indifference for the Kincaid Princess.
But the plan is already getting fucked. They usually do. Plans rarely go like you think they should. I just didn’t expect this.
First, Bella is a true beauty. She’s fucking perfect. Rich, silky brown hair, classic features, completely fuckable lips, a ten for a body with long legs and a gorgeous ass. The exact right amount of tits.
And then there was the way she responded to me. I was only supposed to kiss her. Take her out, shower her with wine and roses. Woo her away from her fiancé with a bit of romance. Help her see she was making a mistake, and fucking Mason Kincaid out of his newest piggybank, Preston Wingate.
But the moment I held her in my arms, she went from shy to molten. It was the best non-sex of my fucking life, and I’m a man who has his pick of women.
So yeah. The plan has already been fucked.
But it doesn’t change what happens next. Arabella sold her soul to me, and I am about to cash in.
It’s just gotten way messier.
My brother Triston leans close, interrupting my intense staring. “Gris.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re sure you’re still good with this?”
“I’m fucking good,” I grit back, knowing that my brother can sense my hesitation. Or infatuation.
We’re fraternal twins and something about sharing a womb makes him more in tune with my thoughts than any of my other brothers.
On my other side is my brother Rushton, and next to him is Killian. Crazy fucker. On the end is Ryker.
We all look the same. Tall. Broad. Dark hair, darker eyes. Our father is the second son of the Duke of Upgrove, but when his childless older brother passed a year ago, he became the duke and we all became lords.
I couldn’t give two shits about the title.
Our eldest brother is still in England, preparing to take over the dukedom. It leaves the rest of us free to replenish the family fortune.
I love the job. And I’m good at it too. Unlike Mason, who has overleveraged himself, I play the percentages and never spend more than I can afford.
My brothers and I pooled our money three years back, bought a casino, doubled our money, bought another. Tripled it again. Made a deal with the Kincaids that we’d help them with some of their dirty laundry if they allowed us to connect our casinos to their underground tunnel. Anyone in on that project will do far more than triple their assets. It will make us billionaires.
The problem?
My last job for the Kincaids was to deliver the Italian princess, Antonia Carcetti, to the care of Jake Kincaid. Fucker fell in love with his kidnapped victim. Now his victim-turned-bride wants revenge on me. I didn’t kidnap her. I didn’t seduce her. All I did was ask her out on a date I never showed for.
But she can’t blame her husband, can she? Instead, she’s decided I’m the villain.
Which means, the Kincaids closed access to us. Fuck that. They want a villain… they’re going to get one.
And I’ve only got a little time left.
Once Mason gets over the financial hump of Luke selling his shares, and financing the tunnel, the man will be unstoppable. That’s why I need to act now.
I’m getting my rights back and I’m going to use the same trick they did. I’m going to steal a princess. My gaze narrows on Arabella.
Jake Kincaid fucked up his chance when he fell in love, but that won’t be me.
“Do we know why that Preston pansy wants to marry her? I mean besides the fact that she’s fucking hot?” Killian asks, rubbing a hand over his mouth as he stares at Arabella.
I snatch his hand from his mouth, my teeth gritting. He can keep his eyes to himself. He glares back, not the least bit intimidated.
“Mason is giving him a seat on the board,” Triston answers.
I cock my head to the side, delivering a piece of information I’ve been holding close. “And control of her shares.”
“Shares?” Triston asks. “How much?”
“Twenty percent.”
“So the man who marries her gets one-fifth of Kincaid enterprises.” Triston pivots forward again. If my brothers had known that detail, they would have been fighting to be the man in that hotel room with Arabella. But it was always going to be me.
“The plan is to break up the wedding. Keep Mason from making more powerful allies so that he has to take our deal instead.”
“Or you could marry her,” Rush clears his throat. “She’s easy on the eyes. Wouldn’t be that bad.”
“We’re not the marrying kind,” I answer. But even I have to admit the logic is sound.
“Not even to save us fifty million dollars?” Tris asks. “Need me to step in? She might not even know the difference, we look enough alike. I might make an exception to my no-relationship policy for a piece of ass like that. Coupled with the money…”
My jaw clenches as I give him a hard stare. “Twenty percent is not a controlling share. We’d still have to buy our access. And Mason needs the money, or he’ll have to sell a substantial amount of stock. That’s why he’s sold his sister to that complete piece of shit to begin with.”
My brothers can’t start getting ideas. I’ve made promises beyond them, ones they don’t know about, to get us this far. My gaze slashes across the Kincaid clan, the tension between them palpable.
Did I take advantage of their internal war? Maybe. But that’s what those fuckers get for double crossing me over Nia.
“But Preston doesn’t have any money.”
“Yeah, but he’s got a rolodex of associates who do, and Mason just received access to all of them. He’s not giving them shares, but a promise to double their investment within a year. It’s a great deal if you’ve got the money.”
Now Preston is the type of guy who will marry a woman to replenish his coffers. All while he looks down on her like she’s the one who isn’t good enough.
And, apparently, Mason is the sort of man who will sacrifice anyone to Kincaid Enterprises. Even his only sister.
My other hand balls into a fist and I tuck them under my arms to hide my irritation. Arabella turns away from her family, her shaking hand swiping across her forehead.
She feels the noose tightening. I know she does.
And I should be triumphant in this moment. Instead, regret pulls at my chest.
I push the feeling away, turning my back to her. “I’ve seen enough.”
“You got the date tomorrow?” Tris asks.
“Yes,” I answer before starting toward the door.
I’m walking a fine line here, between Arabella, her brothers, and my family. Lucky for me, I’ve got the strength and the cunning to pull this off.
Arabella climbed in bed with the devil.
And now, she’s going to have to pay with her soul.