Chapter 71
I stoodon the balcony of the Monte Carlo Hotel, staring out at the gorgeous blue sea. Vivian and I arrived yesterday on Grayson’s plane. Grayson and Natalie joined us on this trip while my other friends remained in Providence.
Vivian had asked the girls to “babysit” Kaylee while we were gone. We didn’t want Kaylee missing any more time at school. She had already missed a few days when we’d brought Aimee back to California.
Kaylee didn’t seem to mind all the attention from myfriends, who knew she was my half-sister. The DNA test results had come in and confirmed what I already knew. The proof and sense of belonging seemed to make her even happier. Vivian and I would make sure Kaylee had a bright future.
At first, I didn’t want Vivian to accompany me to Monaco. It was too dangerous for her, and she was still recovering from her wounds. My stubborn woman told me she would go with or without me. She refused to provide the code to her new crown unless she went with me.
“It’s important to me,” she had said. “I want to be there with you. We’ll capture Ghost together.”
I’d only agreed to it under one condition and gave her my demand. After she agreed to go under a different identity, we made it to Monaco.
Vivian was coming as Athena Chapelle, Natalie’s fake French cousin. I didn’t want Ghost targeting Vivian if he saw her name on the hotel guest list. According to the world, Vivian was still in Providence, recovering from her wounds. Grayson was here to help me locate the elite members and Ghost, while my other boys would monitor events in Providence in case something unexpected happened there.
The stakes were high, and tension had run my body ragged for the past few weeks. I wanted this shit over—I wanted Ghost dead. A massive storm was brewing, and I was doing my best to brace for it.
Two days ago, Orion had sent me a message apologizing that he couldn’t attend the event like he had anticipated. He had to deal with a family emergency. I understood and told him I’d keep him posted. He’d been helping me enough already. Besides, family came first.
Though this trip was for the wine event, my focus was on apprehending Ghost and the elite members of The Trogyn.
“I’m ready.” Vivian’s voice drew me around. “What do you think?”
The mesmerizing image of her froze me in place. All thoughts vanished from me.I read somewhere that beauty was a powerful force in itself. That people rarely understood the meaning and power of it.
I didn’t know what that statement meant until this moment when it hit me in the gut, taking my breath away. What followed was a sense of wonder and peace that opened me up. It was as though I was standing in front of the most breathtaking landscape, allowing its magnificence to overwhelm me in the most subtle way. My body and soul released a sigh of awareness that filled me up in the most inexplicable sense.
This was that moment of revelation. I felt like I had dropped into another plane of existence. The world around me seemed to disappear, leaving me with a mostly blank canvas with only one woman on it.
I swore I felt my heart breathe, inhaling and exhaling in a slow, rhythmic pattern. An analytical person like me didn’t—shouldn’t—understand it, but I did. It was easy, like my heart had been waiting for this moment when it could break free from the chains of its past.
Bat wings flapped wildly in my stomach as I looked at the stunning woman staring back at me. She wore a red satin gown with thin straps. The tailored bodice hugged her waist, then flared to a full skirt, making her look like a queen. No, like a goddess with more power than a queen.
Vivian had entered my life and opened my closed heart. An open heart could feel, see, hear, and sense things it hadn’t been able to before. I was more alive now because of her.
She twirled for me, and my heart skipped. Natalie had designed the perfect dress for my love. The back was especially elegant, hiding the scars. Vivian wore dangling gold earrings and a matching bracelet from Audri’s jewelry collection, and Natalie hooked her up with a pair of gold Jimmy Choo shoes.
“You’re . . . beautiful.”
Love was like wine; it intoxicated you. If I were to die right now, I’d be a satisfied man to have experienced this kind of love. Love inflated me like oxygen filling up my lungs, energizing me. There were no words to explain how much I loved her.
Her love was the fermentation and distillation of my soul.Like a beautiful chemical reaction, she had transformed and purified me.
Blushing, she walked up to me, slipped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. “Thank you, handsome.”
The kiss was slow and stimulating. I didn’t want to leave this room without having her first.
“You’re stunning, and I love you.”
“I love you more.” She stepped back and raked her gaze down my body. The heat in her eyes increased the pressure in my cock to an uncomfortable level.
My breath hitched as she brushed a hand over my black tuxedo with a cream-colored shirt. She adjusted the black bow tie. “You look yummy.”
I yanked her flush to me so she could feel what she did to me. “Feel that? That’s all for you. You look delicious, Tulip. How about we ravage each other right now?” I bent to nuzzle her neck, and her perfume aroused me.
“No time, Bullseye.” She palmed me, squeezed, and gave me a look filled with promised pleasure. “Later, love.”
Ten minutes later, we made our way to one of the many luxury lounges. People were out and about. Groups of tourists crowded the various halls as other events were happening at the Monte Carlo Hotel besides the wine competition.
Vivian checked the tracker on her phone for Ghost’s location. The last time we checked, he was in Monaco. For some reason, the tracker wasn’t working. I glanced around and noticed cameras.
They probably had jammers in place, forcing people to log into their server for internet services. I didn’t want Vivian to log in because their security team could inadvertently access it.
We needed Ghost to lead us to the elite members. After that, his life would end in various scenarios I had envisioned.
The last location put Ghost in a different hotel not too far from the Monte Carlo.
“There are probably high-tech jammers interfering with the connection,” I said.
Vivian looked disappointed.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get him.”
My phone was linked to hers and had the same connection issue.
We stood in front of the extravagant wine display. CheckMate Red and CheckMate Black glowed under the spotlight like celebrities.
Next to them were two other wine competitors. It didn’t matter who won today. Just to see people buying samples from the adjacent desk made me happy. The exposure would increase profits for sure.
The competition judges were in another room. They’d announce the winner today.
“Look at all the people buying your wine.” Vivian beamed.
I’d already met the judges last night at the dinner for all the nominees. There wasn’t anything I needed to do today except show up and mingle. Media from all over the world were present as well. I’d met a couple of them last night and told them about a new wine debuting next month. They offered to do a segment, and I returned the favor with free samples being sent to them soon.
The crowd increased as the wine event began. People dressed in tuxedos and beautiful gowns filled the ballroom.
Grayson and Natalie spotted us and headed over.
“You look absolutely stunning.” Natalie embraced Vivian.
“You too! I love the purple satin on you. Gorgeous.” Vivian twirled Natalie around.
“All good?” Grayson looked at me.
I nodded and glanced around. “Let’s hope we spot them soon.”
Each of us was responsible for locating members of the elite. Grayson and Natalie would keep their eyes open for the governor and the judge. Vivian and I would search for the prince and Ghost. Since we both had dealt with Ghost, it would be easier for us to spot them.
Grayson and Natalie made their way into the ballroom first. They’d monitor one end of the room while Vivian and I oversaw the other.
I clasped Vivian’s hand and met her gaze. “My charger for all things.” She smiled as I lifted her hand for a kiss.
The ballroom was decorated like a royal event with extravagant lighting, impressive centerpieces, hanging crystals with flowers draping down from the high ceiling, and silky curtains that enhanced the tables and chairs. This was why the Monte Carlo stood out from other hotels.
A hostess walked by with a tray of various drinks. I looked over to ask Vivian if she would like anything to drink, but she had her phone flush to her ear.
Vivian looked at me and mouthed, “I hear them.”
“No, thank you,” I told the hostess.
I ushered Vivian away from the crowd to the wall and listened in. Ghost was talking to the prince, the governor, and the judge.
Keep talking.
Everything they said wouldbe recorded. Human trafficking. Drugs. Racketeering. Money laundering. Then the recording picked up static, disrupting the feed. I couldn’t hear everything. Hopefully, the recording would be fine.
No voices came on for the next minute or two. Then an explosion erupted somewhere, and the fire alarm sounded, forcing the sprinklers in the room to activate.
Panic filled the ballroom, and people scattered everywhere. They crowded my space and separated Vivian from me.
“Arrow!” she shouted as frightened people swarmed between us.
I pushed my way toward her. A weapon pressed into my back, and terror slithered up my spine.
“Come with me, or I’ll shoot you.”
Ghost.
I met Vivian’s eyes for a moment before people blocked my view. I didn’t want her anywhere close to me right now.
Ghost led me down a hall.“Make a sound, make a move, and I’ll blast your guts out just like your father’s.”
Ghost killed my father?
We entered a conference room, and he closed and locked the door. He wore a blond wig and a black tuxedo, blending in with the crowd.
“You killed my father? How did you know him?”
“He owed The Triad a lot of money. Guess he had a lot of hospital bills.” Ghost grinned. “But he owed The Trogyn more. Alcohol and gambling got him into a lot of trouble.”
He stood a few feet from me while pointing the gun in my direction. I could reach into my pants pocket, turn on my phone, and activate the button to end him right now. But that required too many steps, giving him too many opportunities to shoot me. Like Grayson, I’d worn the special Kevlar-infused suit for extra protection, but my face, neck, and hands were exposed.
Ghost had information about my father that I needed to know. “He borrowed money from The Triad for hospital bills?”
Ghost smiled. “From my father, who also collaborated with The Trogyn. They offered us money we couldn’t refuse.”
Ghost and his father were traitors to The Taipans.
How had I not known about the medical bills? I’d been young, and seeing my mom sick had narrowed my world.
“You didn’t know about your family’s debt?” He smirked, and I wanted to crater his face.
I said nothing.
He continued, “Money issues turned into a drinking issue. He did extra work for us, which got him into prison. Prison cleaned him up and when he got out, he refused to help us. Blaming us for ruining his family. Saying his son hates him.” He laughed. “Do you hate him?”
My fingers itched to kill Ghost right now.
“You knew I was his son when you were my employee?”
His eyes darkened. “Fuck no. If I had, I would have burned more warehouses, killed more employees just for fun.” He stepped closer. “You’ve caused too much trouble for me recently, so I did some research on you.”
“Why did you kill my father?”
“He chose to die rather than work for me. Wanna know what his last word was?”
Ghost thought he was torturing me by telling me about this. What he didn’t know was that this story gave me the much-needed closure to my relationship with my father. Now I understood why he had changed when my mom had gotten sick. The sudden change of character, the abuse, the dark cloud that hung over my family after my mom passed—all of it made sense. My father did illegal jobs to pay for my mom’s medical bills when we thought he’d been cheating on her.
I didn’t reply to Ghost, so he said, “Arrow.”
My father’s last word was my name.
I pretended not to let the information bother me and shrugged. “We never had a good relationship. I’m more interested in your relationship with The Trogyn.” I shifted my feet, noticing a door on the other end of the room. The door cracked slightly. It had to be Grayson.
Luring Ghost’s attention to me, I said, “You’re a traitor to The Taipans. You killed King Viper, your own father, and countless members of The Triad.”
Ghost flared his nostrils, not noticing I’d made my way toward the rolling office chair.
“They didn’t respect me. Never took my suggestions seriously. I should have been the tycoon! My father was useless, wanting to sever ties with The Trogyn, who had provided us with more money, respect, and opportunities than The Triad everdid.”
“The Triad is looking for you.”
He let out a dismissive laugh. “They’ve got their hands full right now. I’ve created a huge financial burden for them. They’re too busy trying to fix it. Plus, where I’m going, they won’t find me.”
“Is that what the governor, the judge, and the prince told you?”
“How do you know about them?”
“Let’s just say I’m involved.”
Involved in a plan to eliminate them.
“You’re with them?”
“Life could bring a lot of surprises.” I smiled. “I’m a new member, making my way up to the elites. Do you know other elites?”
Take the bait.
He considered me for a moment and smiled. “Let’s meet the prince, and he can tell you himself.”
With mighty force, I kicked the office chair into his legs. He fell back a step back, taking him off guard. He shot at me but missed. I charged at him, threw a punch, another kick, and the gun fell to the ground.
Picking up the gun, I aimed it at him. I should kill him, but he needed to suffer first. I blasted his knee. He screamed, cursed, and dropped to the floor. Blood poured onto the rug.
Infuriated, he tried to reach for a chair to throw it at me. “I’m going to kill you just like I did your father!”
I should have ended him for murdering my father and countless other people. But I knew the person he had hurt most was my love. She needed the closure.
A creepy tune that made me think of clowns echoed in the room. Where was it coming from?
The song also distracted Ghost. Then the door swung open, and Vivian stepped inside, looking pissed rather than scared. She held out her phone, pressed a button, and the song grew louder.
The song came from Ghost. Shock splashed onto his face.
His crown could play music? I loved this woman more and more.
“We’ve recorded everything. You shouldn’t have come to me for dental work,” she told Ghost. Then she flicked me a look I understood. Take cover.
“You bitch!”
He charged at her furiously, and she tapped her phone. “Who has the last laugh now, asshole?”
“Duck, baby!” I shouted to Vivian even though she already knew.
I ran and crouched beside a long table. Ghost’s mouth detonated. Parts of his head scattered to the floor. His body swayed and finally dropped to the ground.
I rushed to Vivian, gathering her in my arms. “You okay?”
Though her body trembled, her eyes gleamed with tears as she smiled at me. “It’s over.”