Stolen Love, The Complete Collection: An Alpha Billionaire Romance (13 page)

I slid slowly off his softening cock and knew for certain I was going to be very sore the next day—or two. But it would be worth it. I went into the kitchen and brought back some wet paper towels so we could clean up. Then we both quickly redressed, our clothes a little more rumpled than when we had started.

I straightened the throw pillows on the couch. I don’t know why I bothered—our screams of pleasure would have left Lexy and James little doubt about what was happening. Plus, I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face, and my body still felt shaky and a little weak. Hopefully, that would wear off soon.

“So I take that as a
yes
that we’re officially dating now?”

He had a stunner of a smile, and the look he gave me made me want to start all over again. Would I ever be able to get enough of this man? Would it always be this way? God, I hoped so.

I smiled back. “Yes, I think that’s what it means,” I laughed and then pulled him in for another deep kiss.

* * * * *

I called out to James and Lexy that it was safe to return to the living room. They both wore knowing smiles on their faces and seemed pleased that the tension between us had all but dissipated. They set coffee down on the table, and James looked around the room.

“Hey guys, is it just me, or does it smells like sex in here?”

Lexy smacked him on the arm, and I tried to stop myself from smiling. Then we all went back to work to save Janelle.

Chapter Four

Jason

I was still basking in the afterglow of sex with Mackenzie as I watched them all get back to work. Mackenzie and I were like fire together in bed, but we had the kind of connection where things could get heated between us in nonsexual ways as well. I knew she’d meant well when she’d tried to convince me to stay home, but I still didn’t like it. I wanted to be a part of the action. Janelle was my sister, after all, and I couldn’t just sit back and wait at home, wondering what was going on. My sister could easily end up dead, and I wasn’t about to hear about it over the phone. I needed to be there, and I was sure there was some way I could help out.

I knew Mackenzie would be doing most of the legwork while Lexy and James did recon. Maybe there was a way I could assist her. We could be a team, she and I. But most importantly, I wanted to get my sister back alive.

Watching Mackenzie work was like observing a master artist creating a painting on canvas. It enthralled me to see her economy of movement. There was no doubt as to why she was able to make it as a thief. She knew how to map out a location and get in and out as quickly as possible.

My mind kept wandering as I watched her. She was beautiful, independent, strong…and very flexible, I thought with a smile. She was the perfect package, and I was so glad she was in my life. I suspected, though, that it wasn’t going to be easy keeping her there. She was a kind of gypsy due to her lifestyle. Plus, to be honest, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to fit her into my own lifestyle. But no matter how difficult it was, I would do whatever it took to convince her to stay with me long-term.

“Mackenzie, I think we need to be a team,” I spoke up. “I don’t want you going in alone, and I’m not going to stay here and wait around for you guys to get back.”

She looked up at me and nodded. She knew I wasn’t about to back down. We could work through whatever problems came up. Working as a team was the only way I would get my sister back alive.

My phone rang, and I answered it before the second ring. The kidnappers were calling again, and I wanted to get the ball rolling. We were ready to go, and the sooner we left, the sooner I’d return with Janelle, safe and sound.

“Mr. Kensington, you’ve made a fine mess out of this situation, haven’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Why did you tell me that my sister was dead when she’s obviously still alive?”

“It was a warning to get you focused. You seem to be involving people who don’t need to be involved.”

I looked up at Mackenzie with fear in my eyes. Did they know about my new team? No, they couldn’t possibly know. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Your friend Brett seems to have escaped your home. He came to us again to try to rescue your sister.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Brett had awakened and returned—without calling me? Oh god, I should have gone back home to get him. But there were only so many things I could juggle at once. And I still didn’t understand how Brett had become involved in the first place. And how on earth had he known where Janelle was located when I was still trying to figure that out. Up until tonight, I would have trusted Brett with my life, but there was something about his involvement in all this that just didn’t sit right. There was obviously so much more to the story. But again, my questions for and about Brett would have to wait.

“You can’t blame me for his involvement. I have no idea how he knows where to find Janelle. You haven’t even told me where she is, so how could I possibly have sent him there?”

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, and I was afraid the kidnapper had hung up.

“Your friend failed in his rescue attempt, Mr. Kensington. I’m afraid we had to put him down.”

My body went cold. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means he’s dead.”

I doubled over as if punched in the gut. My best friend in the world was dead? And all because he was trying to help rescue my sister? Nothing about this night was making any sense. Was my sister going to end up the same way? The thought of it almost brought me to my knees. I couldn’t lose my sister. I just couldn’t. We had to save her.

“Please, you have to stop this. Stop killing people. I just want my sister back, dammit!”

“Then do as you’re told,” he said brusquely then hung up.

I looked at Mackenzie and relayed the conversation. I was lost at that point and didn’t know what to do. People were dying, and my sister was under the care of some real sickos. I needed some reassurance that everything was going to be okay. But would it? Would it ever be okay again?

“Something isn’t right here, Jason.”

“What do you mean?”

“With your friend. None of it makes any sense. I think he was a little more involved than you realize.”

“What are you saying?”

Chapter Five

Susan

I was still in the kitchen when Brett came through the front door looking ragged.

“Where the hell have you been?” I demanded. “Don’t you know we have work to do?”

He came in, headed straight for the fridge, and cracked open a beer. Men! They were all the same—none of them could handle stress. With a pained expression, he looked at Janelle sitting in the chair.

“What happened to her face?”

“It had to be done to initiate the next stage.”

“What the hell is wrong with you, Susan? You said you weren’t going to hurt her. She’s just a kid.”

“Give me a break. She’s a spoiled rich kid. She can get that little mark fixed. It’s no big deal.”

“She’s scared to death.”

“You rich kids are all the same, aren’t you? Except you aren’t one of them anymore, are you, Brett? You’re just another trust fund baby that blew all his money. Millions and millions of dollars wasn’t enough for you, was it? No, of course not. You blew it all just like Edward. It makes me sick. That’s why you’re here working with us, right? You’re deceiving your friend because you need the money just as much as we do. So how about you just shut up and let me handle the details.”

“You’re forgetting you blackmailed me.”

“Oh, please. You saw an opportunity to make your money back, and you took it. You didn’t even care that you were betraying your best friend. How do you think he would feel if he found out that you were the one who snatched his sister? What would he think about you then?”

“Have you always been such a fucking bitch?”

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it, Brett? You rich folk make me sick. You’d slit each other’s throats for money without even thinking about it twice. It’s pathetic.”

“Fuck this, I’m out. I’ll go confess to Jason myself. I’ll tell him exactly who’s involved, and you guys will have the FBI so far up your ass you won’t be able to shit for months.”

“Excuse me? You can’t back out now.”

“Watch me.”

He stared me down, and I felt my blood pressure rising. He thought he could intimidate me, but I was so far beyond that. Nothing scared me anymore. I had a goal, and I wasn’t about to let him ruin things for me just because he suddenly developed a conscience. Did he really think I would let him walk away just because he was feeling tearful over his long friendship with that damn Jason Kensington? Not on my life. No—not on
his
life. I had always known that rich people couldn’t be trusted, and this was just further proof of that belief. I was doing the right thing in trying to destroy them.

He set his beer down and headed toward the door. I pulled a gun out of a kitchen drawer and aimed it. Edward was sitting on the living room couch, and his mouth fell open into a silent O. I shot Brett three times in the back and watched him fall to the floor. I was never one to take chances, so I approached his limp body and shot him a fourth time straight in the head. He didn’t move after that.

“Now what are we going to do?” whined Edward.

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea. “We’re going to frame Jason Kensington for this murder, that’s what we’re going to do.”

I went back into the kitchen to hash out a new plan, and I knew it would be an easy one. I had every intention of making sure the police would have no choice but to go hard on Mr. Moneybags. Not only would the police be involved, but the press would have a field day with the information. Imagine poor Susan and Edward treated so badly while they worked for Mr. Kensington. Due to his greed, he exploited them to the fullest extent. Jason would not only gain a terrible reputation, he would go to jail for the rest of his life. And meanwhile, Edward and I would be so rich we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves.

Oh, yes…I was about to make them all pay.

Stolen Love

The Thief Series, Volume Five

(An Alpha Billionaire Romance)

By

Katie Kyler

www.KatieKyler.com

Chapter One

Mackenzie

The night was so clear the stars lit the street with a soft glow. The moon hung low in the sky, seeming close enough to touch. There had always been something about the moon that made me feel safe and secure. Cloaked in its light, you could always find your way both into and out of trouble.

The breeze felt cool against my bare skin, and I closed my eyes briefly as if meditating. I was completely at ease. Most people would be nervous and sweating, but this was my moment. I breathed deeply and remained calm the entire time. This wasn’t the time to panic and lose control. I was composed, and I knew what I was doing. Staying relaxed and focused was the key to staying alive.

I positioned myself behind a box on the cargo hold. There were containers of all shapes and sizes scattered over the dock, and they made for good cover, which was probably why the kidnappers had chosen the spot as well. Peering over one of the crates, I scanned the area. Nothing moved. Not even a rat scurried in the shadows. Where were they?

I looked into every shadowy crevice I could find, seeking the holes. Plans always had holes, and I suspected we were most likely dealing with amateurs. There were definite signs that amateurs were involved. Maybe the people who had Janelle were dangerous and violent people with the ability to kill, but there was no doubt in my mind that this was their first kidnapping, possibly even their first major crime.

Jason hadn’t liked my suggestion that Brett was in some way a part of his sister’s kidnapping, but this situation had betrayal written all over it. I hoped for Jason’s sake that I was wrong about Brett, but I knew deep down in my gut I was right. I knew people, and I knew crime even better, and Brett had been up to his eyeballs in this deception. His first mistake had been showing up at Jason’s place covered in blood. He had no reason to be involved at all, and yet he had put himself right in the center of it. Talk about suspicious—and amateurish.

I felt bad for Jason. I knew what it was like to be betrayed by someone close to you. My whole life had been about that. That’s why I had trusted only Lexy with my life up until this point. Jason was learning a hard lesson about who you should trust. A best friend is only your best friend until he wants something from you that he can’t have, and then the loyalty shifts big time. I wasn’t sure what had motivated Brett to betray his friend, but whatever it was, it was enough that he would also risk Jason’s safety—and Janelle’s—to get it. There were lives at stake here, and Brett was the cause of it. He wasn’t the one in charge, though—that much I knew for sure. He was the one making the mistakes, and he’d made too many rookie errors to be the one running the show. No, there were more people behind the scenes.

I listened quietly to the night air for any sound that would alert me to where the kidnappers might be. It was all about sneaking in and getting Janelle out before the kidnappers were aware there was no money coming. Once they realized their demand was denied, they’d be pissed, and then the killing would start. They’d try to take down as many people as they could.

There was nothing discernible at my location, so I moved to another position and listened and watched for movement. This was one of the most exciting parts of my job, and I thrived on it. I loved the moment just before sneaking into a place where I wasn’t supposed to be. By moving quickly and being ninja-quiet, I’d be able to slip in without the kidnappers having any idea I was even there. And tonight especially, no one was going to bring me down, least of all some amateur.

Darting into the shadows, I moved to a spot near the office area. It was the only place that made any sense for them to be holding Janelle. The room was dark, but I knew that’s where I would find the girl. They wouldn’t leave her out in the open just in case things went sideways. The kidnappers would be outside somewhere as well, waiting for the money drop. They were most definitely watching for movement, but they wouldn’t see me. I hoped Jason felt as confident about that as I did.