Chapter 26
Istay with Empire until she drifts off to sleep, the adrenaline leaving her in a rush. The crash is sometimes worse than the initial buzz in the system. Her shaking stops, her eyes flutter closed, and her breathing evens out as I watch.
What would I not do for this precious girl? She’s been through so much, and instead of helping her clear her mind, to be happy, I brought darkness to her door, and I’m not strong enough to walk away.
Not from her.
She starts to jerk, sleep taking her, her nostrils flaring and her eyes rolling around.
Whatever nightmares she has tonight will be on me, too. She’ll probably see Parker die again and again, shot before he had a chance to pull the trigger. I’ll remember the blood spatter on her and the dark trails of crimson mingling with her tears.
It’s an effort not to touch her, to not gather her in my arms again and rock her, cradle her, step in front of every bullet that will surely be headed our way after this.
Fuck me.
Nothing about this day went accordingly, and now, I’ve got to deal with not only making sure a body is hidden, but another meeting. I’d promised Stanic as part of our new arrangement. Thinking about him now brought much needed clarity, like the slice of a knife across my wrist.
I slowly pry myself off the mattress and leave Empire dozing, tucking the blankets tighter around her.
Six pm tonight. I glance at my watch. I”ve got about an hour before I have to drag my ass downtown to the one place I promised I’d never be again. Good thing I didn’t gamble. This is one bet I would have lost.
He isn’t a man willing to wait to get the wheels moving. My move back to the top of the pile meant a certain amount of transition that had to be considered immediately. Every step counted, but at least things at home were partially settled before I headed out.
One last look at her. Too pale, but her features are soft in sleep.
She deserves to rest.
Because pretty soon, things are going to go from bad to worse, and although I promised to do my best to protect her, shit happened.
I shove the hair out of my eyes and walk out of the room leaving the door slightly ajar behind me.
Once I’m back in the office, a trail of blood leading out the door and abruptly ending, I send off a few quick texts to my assistant, just to make sure the rest of my things are in order before the meeting.
By the time I’m ready to go, Empire still hasn’t woken up. I don’t have men in place yet to watch her in my absence. I pause at the door and palm my car keys. Will she be safe without me here?
It’s a risk I’ve got to take, because Stanic doesn’t handle tardiness well. Or anything, really. He’s a volatile toddler with enough money and guns to be an actual problem.
And he knows how much she means to me.
Which hopefully gives her more clout than anything else, considering she might be the perfect bargaining chip if I don’t fall in line.
I draw in a deep breath and head out to the car.
Every step I take back to that place is an unraveling of how much effort it took to get out in the first place.
Stanic’s palace is only a block off Rodeo, in a nondescript building no one would pick out as a den of iniquity, a hotbed of illegal bullshit, just as no one would pick Stanic out of a crowd and pinpoint him as a mafia kingpin. It’s his key to survival.
I have to remember I had a choice.
I chose this path.
Would I change a thing?
I think about it on the way to the office, with plenty of time to spare. I’m not sure. Changing my past takes me away from Empire. Out of her presence, out of her sphere of influence and social caste, everything.
The past is the past, I silently assure my reflection in the rearview mirror. Now, I’ve got to make sure my past doesn’t touch her. It’s that simple.
I find a spot down the street and walk the rest of the way. Tall, clean buildings. Swaying palm trees in a sky darkening from pale robin egg blue to a deeper peach and gold. The others walking along giggle and lap at their ice cream cones, swinging shopping bags stamped with designer labels.
They’re lost in their worlds without a clue as to what kind of darkness hides around them.
Stanic has moved up in the world, the same as me—street thug to Hollywood mogul. The area he chose as his homebase marks his ascent.
What we do for power.
I slide my hands into the pockets of my jeans as I walk.
I’m the same.
I pushed Empire into a part she didn’t really want to ensure my own bank account stayed flush. The thought is humbling, and I hide my wince.
There’s no one to greet me by the door, but the elevator doors swing open at my approach. I press the number for the top floor. It’s got to be the top, even without the signage to point me in the right direction. Only the best for Stanic Maxim and his cruel empire built on agony and blood.
The plane crash was for me.
Had I thought about it before?
The elevator lurches into motion. Of course I had. I’d gone over that day repeatedly in my head, the last-minute call from Sherry taking me into the office on business I couldn’t afford to ignore. The way Olivia had pouted, trying to get her way, calling me an addict to the job. The way Bennett had razed me and called me dull. The day-trip would have taken us to Lake Tahoe for a few hours of fun before heading back to Los Angeles.
It was supposed to be a break from the chaos.
I’d backed out and felt guilty for it. Will I ever forgive myself for what happened?
The elevator jerks to a stop, and the doors slide open, the room before me a study in modern design. The interior of the office is clean and contemporary, with sharp lines and a black and white color scheme.
“Marcus!” Stanic’s voice comes out of left field, a surprise even though I’m expected. “It’s damn good to see you. You are right on time. Come.” He rises from a couch, his suit blending in with the black fabric, his arms outstretched at his sides. “Speak to me.”
I suck in a breath and hold it in my lungs to the count of two before taking a step forward, over what feels like an invisible line in the sand. My choice. I have to remind myself. I’m the only one who brought me to this point again.
“I’d like to say it’s a pleasure, Stanic, but as you can tell, this turn of events is somewhat of a surprise.” I close the distance between us. but instead of going for a handshake, Stanic grabs me in a hug.
His massive arms swing around my shoulders and crush me to his barrel-sized chest. The familiar scent of his cologne burns the inside of my nostrils as I force myself to return the hug.
“What? So formal now?” He claps me hard with both hands. “It’s been too long.”
And much too short for my own good.
But I returned the hug because it is expected, and I took the offered seat beside Stanic on the couch as well.
He eyes me from top to bottom, his cheeks ruddier than the last time I’d seen him, much more silver sprinkled through the black strands of his hair. He’d put on a little weight and the buttons of his suit jacket strain against his girth, but the mafia king has always been a thick man. I remember looking at him in my youth and wondering if he’d ever broken a man’s neck with a single snap.
Probably too many for him to keep track of or remember.
“You look good,” he says with a nod of approval. “Although the jeans…could you not have dressed up for me, Marcus?”
He’s a good-natured parent with a prodigal son newly returned, and I’m about to puke in my fucking mouth.
“What would you like?” Stanic asks when I fail to answer his question. “Tea? No, you’ve always been a coffee drinker. I remember.” He barks out a loud laugh and slaps his knee.
He snaps his fingers, and nearly silent footfalls herald the arrival of one of his horde of assistants. A woman keeps her gaze on the ground, her hair pulled back in a severe bun, and drops a silver coffee service tray on the table in front of us. She leaves just as silently, and Stanic is the first to move, pouring pure black liquid into one of the two cups before he turns the handle in my direction.
“Here you are, son.”
I refuse to let him see the way the word impacts me, how it digs under my skin and lodges there like a tracking device, taking me back, back to the days where I had to hand over all control to someone else.
How much has really changed?
My reins went from this man’s pudgy, ring covered fingers to the delicate, slender digits of an eighteen-year-old woman.
Unable to refuse his offer, I take my cup in hand, both of us fixing the brews in silence before Stanic takes the first sip.
It pays to be careful. I watch him for any sign of a reaction before lifting the porcelain to lips.
“I have to be honest,” Stanic says, “I never expected to receive your call. It delighted me to hear your voice again, and even more so when you made the deal.” His eyes twinkled with mirth, his accented voice low and lulling.
“You were so eager to lose Parker,” I reply, stalling before we get down to the nitty gritty.
“Parker has always been disposable. He is too singularly focused, too selfish. He never had your vision.”
“You mean my willingness to see the larger picture.” How would Maxim react if I told him my focus has narrowed? He probably already knows.
“It is an asset to be able to look ahead and consider all the outcomes,” Stanic agrees with a nod.
My eyes turn to slits as I watch him. “Did you foresee this?”
The glint in his expression says yes. If I know one thing about Stanic Maxim, it’s to never underestimate him. He looks like a jolly older gentleman, having taken the transition past middle age better than most. He’s the poster boy for looks being deceiving. It’s what got me involved with him in the first place.
I shift on the couch, the cup warm in my hands, the rest of me achy and uncomfortable and trying not to let it show.
I’d had no one to look out for me except a kindly guy who took an interest in what I had to say. He’d roped me with ease, and I went willingly.
I might have stepped up in the world, but if he wasn’t happy with the arrangement or my use to him, then I’d be gone in the blink of an eye. He’s a cold-hearted son of a bitch with only a single love in this world: his fucking dog.
I brace, waiting for the other shoe to fall, for the axe to drop and my head to roll, sullying the pristine floor.
Stanic takes another careful sip of coffee before lifting his gaze to mine. “Now,” he says abruptly, his tone colored by his accent. “Let’s discuss the details of our merger, shall we?”
I set my cup down on the coffee table as my stomach churns with acid.
“I thought the others would be here,” I start. “What happened to your second and third in line? Do you not trust them anymore?”
Stanic waves me away. “Why not keep things simple between two old friends? It makes the most sense, does it not? It seems more personal this way.”
“What would you like me to say?” I ask.
“Gratitude would be a start,” Stanic says simply.
Why? He wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger today. He wasn’t the one who sent Parker Heath straight to hell.
“I didn’t have to accept your offer.” Stanic clicks his tongue, as though he hears my thoughts out loud. “It is enough that I took your call. More when I agreed to hear you out.”
“You have a point.”
“Now, the way I see it, there is no reason for us to delay. You and your starlet will finish Heath’s movie.”
He must have noted my surprise as well, the slight tick of a muscle near the side of my eye.
“You will take over where Parker failed and bring in more money from Hollywood venues. For the family. You understand.”
It feels like another nail in my coffin, but yes, I do.
“He did as well as he was able, given his greed and proclivities.” Stanic studies his cup. “Lately, it seemed as though he lost sight of things, too focused on women and horses to pay his dues. But if he brought you back, then I must thank him—from this side of the grave, of course.”
Stanic has always used his ill-gotten gains to produce movies and move into larger and grander events in Hollywood. Now I’m part of his laundering schemes. I’ll be the middleman, taking his cash and growing it.
His territory will expand like the plague because of me. And Empire.
“I will agree to all your terms.” The words taste like ash on my tongue. “But Miss Stone is out after this movie. I refuse to let her become involved in any way, shape, or form. She’ll only take another part if she wishes and if she so chooses, it will have nothing to do with you or the family,” I clarify.
Stanic’s gaze sharpens. “Oh? You’d take your largest asset off the table before we even begin negotiations? It seems a wasted move for you, Marcus.”
“What negotiation?” It’s a risk calling him out. “I made myself clear on the phone. She doesn’t want to live the lifestyle of her parents. I thought I’d be able to force her, but I see what this movie is already doing to her. Once filming has finished, she’s out permanently if she decides it.”
“You have the capacity to make her larger than either of her parents,” Stanic says almost conversationally, and I can’t trust a fucking thing. “Parker already told me. The girl has talent. If it’s nurtured correctly, she will be nothing short of a star.”
A money train. That’s what he really means.
“Why beat a horse into doing what I want when there are others who beg me to manage their career?” I force a shrug. “There are other young women out there with just as much talent as she has and one thousand times the willingness. Empire Stone hasn’t been the same since her parents died.”
Another risk to bring up the crash, especially after what Parker said. I wait to see the reaction and find myself up against a brick wall.
Stanic doesn”t blink.
He barely moves, although his lips twitch up in a half smile, there and gone in an instant. “Ah, yes. Quite the tragedy, from what I’ve heard. A mechanical malfunction. However.” He pauses. “If you are to be believed about her willingness, then we shall focus your efforts on more lucrative assets. Yes.”
Empire is out.
No matter what else happens, Empire is safe, and that’s the entire point of this deal.
Empire is out, and the phrase repeats like a song inside my head.
“We’re in agreement?” I ask, just to make sure. “You will not pursue her?”
Stanic thrusts out his hand for a shake. “Of course, my friend. You have my word.”
His word means literally nothing.
But I have to take him at face value for now, and I harden my heart. The career of my dreams? Gone. Any chance to be with Empire? Also gone, as though I ever had a chance with her in the first place.
I can’t have both. Fuck, I can’t have either one, especially when my life is about to get even darker than it was.