9. ACE
Chapter nine
ACE
S itting in the corner of my dark room, my hand firmly holding onto a glass of whiskey, unable to sleep, I stare at a sleeping Emma.
My twisted mind playing games, deciding what is best to do with my new bride and that fucking demon car she drives.
I don't trust her. I know she's going to tell me she won't race anymore, but she will, she's not going to stop. She's proved that.
With my thoughts stirring and my gut twisting into a knot, knowing what I have to do, and what I am doing, and I won't change my mind...
She has to understand how serious this is. She's going to get herself killed, or worse, Luca Costa will get his hands on her.
Taking a sip of my whiskey before setting my glass down. I pick up my phone, texting a good friend, back in Russia with what I need him to do.Then sending Caz a text with his orders, I sit my phone down.
This is going to break her, but maybe now, she will understand.
She starts to stir in the bed and I just sit here, watching her, until she sits up and looks at me with sleepy eyes, and that smile lights up the room. “Are you watching me sleep?”
A deep chuckle rumbles up through my throat, before I stand, walking over to her and sitting next to her in the bed. "We have to go somewhere. ”
She cocks a brow. “And where may that be?”
“You'll see.”
“You're being sneaky.”
If she only knew just how sneaky. But I am playing the games she has started with her Catch Me shit.
Trying to avoid the Devilish grin from cracking, it does as my eyes burn into hers.
“Just being like you, now get dressed.” I get up and turn away from her, walking to the bathroom for a shower, trying to keep the fire in my blood from engulfing.
I am fucking pissed about her sneaking off and racing last night, even though I fucking loved what happened after, taking her for the first time, the anger over takes that.
EMMA
After Ace walked away from me, I went to my room to take a shower.
He's up to something. I can feel it.
Getting into the shower, letting the hot water wake me up, still slightly sore from last night, but the warm feeling that clings to my heart, is just getting warmer .
But I also hate myself right now. I shouldn't have left Ace like that, and I know that.
I'm not used to people interfering with my racing, I have worked hard to get where I am.
The states race is why my grandfather and I did everything that we did, and I had to defend my title last night.
Ace and I have to figure this out, somehow, someway, we have to.
I know Ace is angry with me, I can see it in his dark eyes, he has every right to be too.
And now I make a promise to myself to quit with my shit and do fucking better.
ACE
Receiving a text from Caz letting me know that his order is completed, I swallow the lump in my throat. Preparing for the damage it will cause.
Getting Emma out of the fucking house finally, we get in the car and I drive us to the shipping yard where she is soon going to be smacked in the face with realization.
After pulling into the shipping yard, driving all the way to the loading docks, I park the car and we get out .
“What are we doing here, Ace?”
“You'll see. Come on.” She shoots a questioning look at me as she walks closer to me, but I start to walk, not giving her any touch, knowing it may cause me to question my fucking self.
She follows me and I round the side of a container, seeing her demon already loaded and tied down, in a shipping container.
I look back over my shoulder and watch for her reaction as she rounds the corner.
Her eyes widen as she stops in her tracks.
I stop and turn towards her, preparing for what's to come.
She stares at me dangerously before the words seeth from her mouth. “What have you done?”
I swallow the lump in my throat, swallowing down the feelings I have for her, flipping my switch, knowing what she is about to hear, will break her. “You've broken my trust, Emma. I told you not to go to that race, and you did it anyway. There was a fucking reason I told you not to go.”
Her breathing quickens as her nostrils flare and I know it's coming, but I don't care right now.
“If you think I'm going to let you take my car away from me, you have no idea who you're fucking with.” She hisses.
I want to let the smirk escape my lips but I bite it down. “You can do whatever your little heart desires, Baby Girl, but that car.” I point at her car in the container, hissing the words out of my mouth “Is leaving this country, where no one will find it.”
Her fist connects with my jaw with a mean right hook, before she tries to run for her car, but I snatch her before she can. “Let go of me, Ace! You fucking bastard!”
I wrap my hand around her throat and pin her against the shipping container next to me, before the words hiss from my mouth, filled with venom, finally losing my control.
“You did not grow up in the world I did, you know nothing about the twisted fucking shit these bosses do. You may know what your grandfather wanted you to know, but it goes way beyond that.” Sliding my hand up, taking her jaw in my hand, making her look at me, the tears well in her eyes.
“That car is leaving, you can hate me for it, so be it, but at least I know you will be safe, and you aren't risking our fucking empire.
I told you a war is coming and yet you're still playing games.” I swallow hard, before the words come out of my mouth.
‘Maybe you'll get it now.” I look up to my men, giving a nod, they start shutting the container doors and I watch her eyes snap over, watching the doors close but I hold her jaw in my hand, not letting her go, pinning her with my body.
She squirms against me, bringing her hand up wrapping it around my wrist, trying to pull my hand from her jaw, but I won't give it to her.
“Don't do this, Ace. Please don't do this.”
“You made me do this.”
“I will never forgive you for this.” Her words sting, sting deep, knowing there is a pretty damn good chance that's happening, but so be it.
“One day you might, if not, that's fine too, but I at least now you're safe, and our empire is still standing.”
“If someone gets their hands on that car.” She huffs as she shakes her head.
I watch the tears fill her eyes instantly, obviously thinking of the worst. I know this is breaking her heart, but it's breaking mine to watch her like this; fuck.
I know this was the right fucking thing, but why does it hurt so bad, knowing I have made her cry and broke her heart all in a matter of 20 fucking minutes.
Releasing my hold on her, she rips herself away from me bolting for my car. She looks back at the container that is now closed that is carrying her car, before getting into mine.
Making sure everything is squared away as she sits in the car, they start to load the container onto the boat and I know I need to get her out of here.
I've broke her enough today, she doesn't need to watch it get loaded too, but maybe she fucking does.
This is why I have been called the soft one.
My heart feels hard, but I also have the Devil in me, and sometimes, it's not a happy medium. When the Devil rises, nothing stops me.
I get in my car and look over at her, as tears roll down her cheeks and she bites her thumb nail, staring out the window watching the container getting lifted in the air.
I start the car before I drive off, not even trying to say anything to her.
My insides are screaming, the air between us is toxic, I'm just waiting for her to snap at any moment but she doesn't until she sniffles out the words.
“I need to go to the office, I have some work to do. Can you take me there please?’
“No.”
She looks over at me with widened eyes, her lips part. "And why not?”
“Because you need to get your shit together before tonight.”
She lets out a dangerous laugh causing me to look over at her. “Oh don't you worry, I'll be the best Queen, because as soon as this mess is over, I'm leaving, and you can have this entire empire to yourself.” A devious grin slips from her lips.
“Emma.” I say her name as I pull into the driveway and she snaps.
“I don't want to hear it, Ace. You took the ONLY thing that put any bit of happiness in my life, you took everything that mattered to me.
I thought you were becoming part of that everything but I see you're no different. Everything I have worked for, for the last 5 years since my Pop passed, was just thrown down the drain.” She sighs.
“If I get called out and can't race, it's over, they get my spot handed to them on a fucking platter, and you should know that since you used to race apparently.” I raise a brow; when did she find that shit out, how deep did she go into that.
“Oh yes, I'm just like you, Ace, I have power just like you and can find out whatever I want.
I may not have grown up like you, been as involved as you, and gone away for training, but I lived here, on the streets and watched every detail in this city.
Snuck around, listening to conversations, watching the ways of this world.
So if you want the Heiress to the Beckett Empire, you've got her, but just remember, you asked for this.
I didn't want this life. I was trying to leave before you came home and since you have been home it has been nothing but heart ache after fucking heart ache.” She opens the car door and gets out before slamming the door shut, and I watch her run into the house.
Turning the car off, I sit back in my seat, running my hands over my face, frustrated at as fuck.
Her words laced with threats of leaving as soon as this is over is like venom to my heart. She keeps asking why shit is going bad since I've been home and there is a truth to that, but I'm not exactly sure I want her to know that just yet.
Luca and I go back. I murdered his son, or more like slaughtered him.
Kaiser was in my uncle's territory back in Russia.
I destroyed him and sent his body in pieces back to Luca, his father.
And I'm sure when he found out that I am to marry Emma, it got his blood pumping which is why I feel his presence, knowing he's coming.
Technically, Luca is after us both, but I won't let her know that.
I do not need her coming up with some other crazy ass idea.
My men are working around the clock, plucking off Heathens as more and more start to come into our city, knowing that the wedding is in two days.
I know it's coming, everything I've trained for is about to be put to the test, but I was never trained how to keep my love for someone in check, while fighting a war.
I’m constantly worrying about Emma, it's driving me crazy, and I hope shipping her car away has made her realize what I need from her. I need to trust her, or we both could be fucking killed.