Bones (Dark Kingdom, #5) — Chapter no 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MIA

I LIE IN Dillan’s bed with a bowl of ice cream in one hand and the remote in the other, flipping through the channels. It’s been a week since I practically threw myself at him in his office. He made a phone call and had all of my stuff delivered from his house in Malibu. I already have what little there was put away in my very own closet. I was surprised when he showed me he had a his and hers. Of course it was empty—just like the rest of the house.

I’m always alone. Dillan is very rarely home. He had told me that once, but I have a feeling he’s also staying away to avoid me. Either way, I’m lonely at night. Just like I was in Italy.

I’ve become friends with the girls, but April and Emilee are home with the guys at night while Jasmine and Alexa are at the club and Kink working. They are getting ready for their grand opening soon. I’m still not allowed to go out in public, so I have to hide out here.

Deciding on a cooking show, I lean my back against the headboard and toss the remote beside me on the bed while I start to eat my ice cream just as my cell rings.

Picking it up off the nightstand, I frown when I see it’s a blocked number.

Dillan told me he had saved all the numbers I needed for this new phone.

But maybe it’s a private line from Kingdom, and he’s calling me from it.

Hitting answer, I smile. “Hey?”

“Hello, sis,” a familiar voice whispers.

My back stiffens. “How did you get this number?” I ask, my hands instantly shaking.

Matteo chuckles. “Do you really think that dark castle he keeps you in will save you?” I swallow nervously, looking around the dark room. The only light is from the TV. “We’re always watching you, Mia.”

“What do you want?” I ask, trying to swallow the knot that forms in my throat. I hate how right he is. No one can hide or run from my family. I’m

no different.

“Tick tock,” he says vaguely.

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you’re running out of time. Make Bones—”

“I can’t.” I interrupt him. We might be having sex, but that doesn’t mean anything. He won’t love me. My brothers don’t know that I’ve told him about their plan. But even if he wasn’t aware, he still wouldn’t fall for me.

“I have an incentive for you. Check your messages.”

I pull the phone from my ear and stare at it when it vibrates, alerting me of an incoming text. I open it up and play the video. And just when I think Matteo can’t be any worse of a human, he proves me wrong.

“Make it happen, Mia. Or we’ll give you away for fucking free.” He hangs up.

BONES

I WALK INTO my house and rip off my black leather jacket, checking my watch. It’s a little after six in the morning, and I’m exhausted. Having to divide my time between Glass and Kingdom this week is wearing me thin.

Titan is helping with things at Kingdom, but he’s growing irritated at the fact I won’t let him help at Glass. And that’s not adding Kink to my schedule. I may be a silent partner, but Alexa and Jasmine want my opinion on the build. Which I’m more than happy to help out with. And just yesterday, I had to make a mad dash up to Kink because Jasmine threatened to kill the plumber.

I turn the knob to my master suite slowly so I don’t wake up Mia. But stepping inside, I realize she’s not in here. I frown, walking over to the bathroom door and pushing it open as well. I hear the shower running. I go to look away but realize she’s dressed in a T-shirt of mine and a pair of cotton shorts, sitting on the floor, under the sprayer.

“Hey?” I walk over to it and pull the glass door open. “What are you doing up so early?” I’m not even going to ask why she’s wearing clothes in my shower.

She has her back against the tile, her knees pulled up to her chest, and her head down on her knees.

“Mia?” I call out her name, but she doesn’t move.

I reach out to feel the water, and it’s ice cold. “Christ,” I hiss, reaching over and turning it off. I yank the towel from the rod and open it up. “How

long have you been in there?” I demand.

Still no movement or response.

I step into the shower and bend down. Wrapping the towel around her, I place my hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at me. Her eyes are red and puffy, her lips a light shade of blue, and I notice her small body shaking. “What happened?” I rub the towel along her arms, trying to warm

her up.

“He called me,” she whispers.

My hands slow. “Who?”

“My brother.”

How did he get the number? “What did he want?” I’m guessing it’s not Luca because I spoke to Dr. Lane last night, and he was still in a coma.

“Sent me a video.”

Letting go of her, I step out of the shower, praying it’s not the one I’ve seen. Her phone is on the counter, and I open it up, prepared to go to her messages, but she already has it opened, and it’s paused on a video of her in a darkly lit room. “Fuck!” I hiss, turning and throwing the phone. It hits the wall and shatters the screen. Spinning back to face her, I see she’s staring at it on the floor. “I’ll get you a new one.”

“It won’t matter.” She lowers her head again to her knees. “He’s watching me.”

I storm back into the shower and grab her upper arms, yanking her to her feet. Now is not the time for her to close off or give up. I need her to tell me everything that she knows. “He said that?”

She tries to pull away from me, but I just dig my fingers into her arms more, refusing to let her go. “Please…?”

“Mia!” I snap her name. “This is serious. What did he say?”

She lifts her eyes to mine, and she sniffs. “Tick tock.”

Letting go of her, I sigh, running my hands through my hair. I know exactly what the fuck that means. They gave her a timeframe, and although she still has time, she’s not moving fast enough for them. If they have eyes on her, then they expect a show, and they’re not seeing one. “Then we give them what they want,” I state, knowing what needs to be done. Titan was right in a sense. I have to buy her some time while waiting for Luca to wake up. At this point, he’s our only hope.

“What do you mean?” she asks, her lips and shoulders shaking. I don’t miss the fact that my T-shirt she wears is wet and clinging to her body. I can see her hard nipples poking through the fabric.

“He wants a show, so we’ll give him one. We go public and make them think wedding bells are in our future.”

“No.” She shakes her head, her wet hair sticking to her face. “No, Dillan.

We can’t …”

“Yes, we can.”

“Wedding? Are you serious? He’ll kill you the moment he knows we’re married,” she growls.

“We won’t do it tomorrow. Or next week. We don’t even have to announce an engagement. Just make it look like there’s a possibility for one.” All we have to do is look like we’re in love. That will satisfy John for a little while.

“My father will push for a quick wedding.”

I understand that she’s been kept in the dark all her life. And even though she wasn’t allowed schooling, she’s smart. But she doesn’t understand how things work. Even if we did get married, her father wouldn’t gain access to Kingdom immediately. Like she said, he’d have to kill me first. Or both of us. Either way, we’d be dead. “I don’t give a fuck what he wants,” I decide to say.

She sighs. “Obviously, you do, or you wouldn’t be doing this. You’re not even thinking.”

“I’m thinking of ways to save your life,” I bark, confused as to why they would send her that video. They can’t release it to the public because that would expose their illegal operation. Why hide her for so long to expose her in their sex trafficking? It’s an idiotic move. “They put their hands on you.

They shot Luca. What do you think they’ll do next?” I gesture to her body and quickly look away, trying not to get a hard-on right now.

“Oh, so I’m supposed to believe you care about me?” she snaps.

“I don’t,” I lie. I keep reminding myself that I made Luca a promise, and I intend to keep it. But she doesn’t need to know that. “You should be thanking me.”

She snorts. “Thanking you? For what? Kidnapping me? Drugging me?

Dumping me off in the middle of nowhere and leaving me defenseless?”

My teeth grind. “No one was supposed to know where you were.”

“Well, someone did!” Her voice rises.

“Mia—”

“I didn’t start fucking you to give him what he wants.” Now she’s screaming at me.

“I never said you did.” I haven’t thought once that she’s carrying out their plan. Mia is easy to read. And allowing me to fuck her was a fuck you to her father. It was the only situation she had control over.

“I won’t let him win. He doesn’t deserve that …”

“Calm down.” I grab her arms and yank her wet and shaking body into me, her wet clothes soaking mine.

“I’m not them.” She stares up at me with tears in her eyes. “They won’t use me.” She sniffs. “Not anymore. I won’t do it, Dillan.”

I kiss her wet hair, trying to think of a plan. I always knew I had to come up with one. I just figured I’d have a little more time.

“I just need to disappear,” she whispers.

“No,” I argue. “We’re not doing that again.” I can’t keep track of her and be here for Luca while running three businesses at the same time. You also can’t continue to fuck her if she’s away.

“It’s pointless. No one can beat them.” She pulls away from me and takes the towel, wrapping it around herself though she’s still fully dressed.

Dropping her eyes to the marble floor, she says, “Ending it would be best.”

I frown. “Ending what?” She doesn’t answer me. She just continues to stare at the floor. “Mia?” I step into her, lifting her chin to where she has to look at me. “Ending what?” I demand this time.

“I don’t expect someone like you to understand where I’m coming from.”

“Try me.” She can’t possibly be talking about dying. My lack of sleep is fucking with my hearing. It has to be.

She licks her lips. “When they showed up at the beach house, Matteo grabbed my ass and spoke about fucking me until one of the twins stopped him.” She swallows. “Yeah, I’d rather die right now than have my own brother rape me.” She pulls away from me, and my hand drops to my side like a rock off a cliff. “I can’t keep running. They will find me. And Matteo will get whatever he wants.” Tears build in her eyes. “Don’t you see? I’m just alive to do my father’s bidding. Once I’m your wife, your life is over, and mine will be too.”

“I can save you.” I say the words before I even think them through.

She steps back into me, the corner of her plump lips lift, giving me a sympathetic smile, and she places a hand on my racing heart. “My life isn’t

worth the cost.”

At this moment, I hate all the Bianchis. Even Luca. What did he think was going to happen to her? Why didn’t he protect her from their father?

“No one else needs to be hurt because of me,” she adds softly.

“No one was hurt because of you.” I know she feels that way about Luca, but so far, nothing has led us to believe that. If anything, he was hurt because of me. The Kings haven’t gotten any closer to finding anything out.

There’s nothing but silence on the streets. But somewhere, someone has to

know something.

She sighs. “Luca isn’t the first.”

Frowning, I ask. “What does that mean?”

“Nite.”

“What about him?” I ask, stepping into her.

Her silvery-blue eyes meet mine. “He can’t speak … because of me.

What happened to him is my fault.”

“What happened to him, Mia?” I demand. The Kings don’t know the specifics regarding Nite’s refusal to talk. We were told he chose to take a vow of silence.

She bows her head, crosses her arms around her chest, and closes her eyes. She’s closed off. I won’t be getting any more information out of her about it at the moment.

I’m all this woman has. I’m not known as Bones for nothing. I own a fucking Kingdom. I’ve dug holes to bury bodies in the desert. I’ve ended so many lives, and now I have a chance to save one. Deciding what I must do, I remove my cell out of my pocket and dial a number I know can help.

“Well, well, well,” she greets through a yawn. Of course, I woke her up.

“It’s the infamous Bones calling me. What can I do for you this early in the day?” She laughs, adding, “You better be calling to tell me you’re on your way over.”

“Not that kind of call,” I say, taking a quick look at Mia, and she’s staring at her bare feet. “I want to give you a story. An exclusive story.” The Kings have had shit written about us for years now. We were too young to run an empire. Then it was our ruthlessness to knock anyone down who got in our way. Then it went to our relationships. Who we were fucking. Grave has been arrested multiple times in the past for his drug and alcohol use. That always got him front and center. But I’ve managed to stay clear. I’m never seen out with a woman, and I keep my nose clean and my mind on work.

“I’m listening,” she says, shifting in bed.

“I’m going to be at Winstons tonight with the Kings. I’ll arrive at eight thirty. Be ready.”

She gives a rough laugh. “I know some are obsessed with you, Bones, but I don’t think where you’re eating will make headlines.”

I smile. “It will. I’ll be arriving with someone. A special someone.”

“Oh?” I have her interest. “Who is she to you?”

I look over to see Mia standing in front of the shower, the towel wrapped around her still wet body and clothes underneath. She looks terrified with her wide eyes and trembling lips. “You are to make assumptions,” I answer.

There’s a long pause before she asks. “Her name?”

“Not giving it,” I state. No one knows this woman even exists, and I’ve made those who do sign an NDA. If I give a name, then the Bianchis will know it’s a setup. We need it to look like she’s got me falling for her. That I’m taking her out for a nice dinner, not that we’re playing them.

She huffs at my unwillingness to give her any information. “Is there anything specific you want me to add to the story?”

Mia’s big eyes meet mine, and I smile. “Run with it.” I hang up.

“What was that for?” Mia asks, her shoulders shivering.

“That was a reporter. She’ll take pictures and make up all kinds of shit.

We’ll be all over the front-page news and social media by tomorrow.”

“And?” she asks, biting her bottom lip nervously.

“And it will get back to your father. He’ll see us as the happy couple.”

She shakes her head softly, her wet hair sticking to her cheeks. “Dillan, you don’t have to—”

“It’s done, Mia.” I interrupt whatever she was about to say.

Accepting my refusal to let this go, she asks, “What do we say when he asks why I came to Vegas in the first place? He has to know my brothers found me in California.”

“We say it was Luca.” I walk over to her, closing the small distance.

Reaching out, I take a piece of wet hair and twist it around my finger while I stare down at her. “You were distraught over what happened to your brother, and I consoled you.” We don’t have to lie about that part.

Especially since we think it was the Bianchis who hurt Luca to draw her here. We’ll let them think they have that win.

“You really think that will work?”

“Absolutely.” Her father won’t care how she ended up in my arms as long as she stays there.

I release her hair and pull my phone out once more to send a text. “Go to bed and get some rest. You’re going to have a busy day.”

“Why?” she asks, her dark brows pulling together.

“You have a girls’ day planned.”

Her face lights up, and her lips part. “What …?” But then it falls again. “I don’t have any money. My brothers took that cash you gave me.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

_______________

AN HOUR LATER, I’m exiting the private elevator on the thirteenth floor at Kingdom in tower one and walking into our conference room to see Nite already waiting on me. I had messaged him after my conversation with Mia and told him to meet me here ASAP. Nigel let him in.

Setting my cell on the table, I unbutton my shirt and toss it onto the black surface as well. He stares at me with an arch of his brow. I wonder if he’s thinking what I was thinking when Luca stormed into my office and started to undress. I undo my belt, then unzip my dress slacks and throw them over the back of a chair. Holding my arms out wide, I spin around in a circle, only dressed in my black boxer briefs. He’s been here enough to know that we’ve got jammers in place for electronic devices, but I need him to understand that it’s just us. And nothing is being recorded.

Dropping my arms to my side, I glare at him. “Why does Mia think that she’s responsible for your vow of silence?” I demand.

He runs a hand down his face, letting out a long breath. Then he, too, stands and starts to undress down to his boxers. He spins around, showing me he’s not wired, and falls back into his seat. I stay standing.

“It was all a lie,” he says hoarsely.

Nite hardly ever talks. Everyone thinks he’s a mute, but the Kings and I know the truth—he chooses to stay silent. “What exactly?”

“Rossi—John’s rival—wanted intel on the Bianchis. He kidnapped me; thought I would talk. And when I wouldn’t, they cut out my tongue.” My eyes widen. “At the time, we thought it was regarding Mia, but it was just a ploy. When they realized I was no use to them, they dropped me off on Luca’s doorstep. Along with my tongue. Thankfully, Luca rushed me to the

hospital, and they were able to reattach it. But John saw an opportunity, and I decided to go along with pretending to be unable to talk.”

I run a hand through my hair, trying to process and make sense of all of what he just said. “I don’t understand. Why did you think it was about Mia?

How did he know about her?” I thought she was some big secret. Granted, Rossi is dead now. The Kings helped Nite and Luca bury him in the desert.

“Rossi and John were friends way back in the day, before they were rivals. Back when Mia was born. We thought he was going to use her against the Bianchis. Since he knew John wanted to keep her a secret.”

“And?”

“We just recently found out that it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Haven.”

“Luca’s wife. Why would they care about her? They weren’t married back then?” If this is true, then this happened back when we were in college. We were seniors when Nite went MIA for a few weeks. When he returned, he never spoke in public again.

“That’s not my story to tell,” he states, crossing his arms over his chest, and I know I’m not getting anything else out of him.

“You need to speak to Mia,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “I’ve gone this long without speaking. I’m not going to start now.”

I fist my hands. “She deserves to know the truth.”

Leaning forward, he places his forearms on the table. “There are a lot of things in this world that Mia deserves, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to get them.”