Beautiful Tyrant (Enemies to Lovers - Dark Romance Book 3) Read online

  'To be honest, it's the least of my worries right now. My number one concern is how are they going to get us down from here? After that's sorted I'll worry about the leg. Thankfully it was just a glancing wound, and I know it's stopped bleeding so don't worry about me. We have much bigger things to worry about.' He's right, but I can't worry about something I know nothing about. As soon as Mal tells me what he wants us to do, then I'll worry. For now, I'm doing my best to stay sane. Every time I think about Mal I think about what he might be doing to Harper, and I can't bear the thought of her hurting.

  'He's going to kill her,' I whisper. I can't help it, my voice gets all choked up, and if Gabriel wants to call me a pussy he can go fuck himself.

  'She'll be all right. We'll get to her in time. Don't panic.' Gabriel's eyes are now open, but that's only because it's dark outside and he can't see the bottom of the shed any more. It's calmed him down somewhat and his voice is oddly gentle. It's a little disconcerting.

  'I don't even know where he's holding her. How will we get to her in time? We don't know where to look.' So much for the not worrying part. Now that the words are being said out loud I'm freaking out. I'm never going to see her again, or if I do, it'll be on the front page of a tabloid with blood splattered about everywhere.

  'Breathe. I know where he operates from. I used to deal, and I've known inmates on the inside who worked for him. He's in the East End, very close to where we are now if I'm not mistaken. He'll want to check in on us before he lets us loose.'

  'I need to get Harper out.' I want to bang something, but that's not an option at the minute, so I settle for spewing out a string of expletives instead.

  'You need to get yourself out first, and that's going to be difficult enough. When you've done that, I advise you run. Get out of the country and run as far and as fast as your legs will carry you. Then there's a chance you might live through the ordeal. If you continue on your path it's almost guaranteed suicide.'

  'I can't leave her. Not with him. You of all people should know that, Gabriel.'

  'She's poison,' he snaps. 'She put you away for five years, and maybe she'll try and put you away again before this is all over. Harper is going to do anything Mal tells her to.'

  'And with good reason,' I snap right back. 'You heard her story. She'll be fighting for her life, and you'd do exactly the same thing if you were in her position.'

  Gabriel just shakes his head and sighs. 'You'd be a fool to try and rescue her.'

  This angers me no end. Although I know he is a cold-hearted bastard, I can't believe he'd happily leave her to the wolves. 'I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try. There are worse things than dying.'

  He shakes his head. 'Not at the hands of Mal Adley there aren't. Your death could be strung out over several days while she watches. You have no idea of the amount of pain that asshole can inflict. If you go after her, you have to be prepared to suffer. The predicament we're currently in is particularly tame by his standards.'

  'I'm not running. If you want to run that's your decision, but I can't do that to her. She's been through too much. If you and I thought we had it bad, we've got nothing on her. I've seen the marks. The woman has been through hell.'

  Gabriel doesn't answer me. I'm not sure if that's because he thinks I'm a colossal idiot or because someone downstairs has switched the lights on. Either way, if we get out of this it looks like I'm on my own, which is fine by me. Seeing as how I'll probably get myself killed anyway, there's no point dragging anyone else down with me.

  'Wakey, wakey, sleepy heads.' There's a man down there who looks a bit like a brick shithouse but bigger, and he's staring up at us. I already know, just from a glance, that I do not want to get on the wrong side of him. He is enormous. He also has a semi-automatic strapped to his back, which is another good reason not to cross him.

  The bald muscle-head surveys us with amusement as a team of men file in behind. What's going to happen next? Is this the part where we die, or does that happen later?

  'Evening gentlemen. I just thought I'd see if anyone wanted to get down from there? And if you do, let me know who wants to go first.' He's wearing this smile that says bad shit is about to happen, so I'm not eager to go first, but I know Gabriel is probably wetting himself because he's suddenly gone rather pale.

  'Want me to go first?' I whisper.

  'Yes,' he hisses.

  'It might be better if you go first, then you won't know what's coming.' I don't mind waiting. My body is now pumped full of adrenaline, so I'm primed for whatever they're about to throw at me.

  'You first,' Gabriel chokes.

  That's fine by me. I hope he doesn't live to regret it, though.

  'Yes, we'd like to come down,' I yell to the monstrosity below. He looks like steroids on legs. I wonder how much time you have to spend in the gym to look like that. Most of your life, by the looks of it. He's at least four times the size of me. 'I'll go first.'

  'Well aren't you the brave one?' he replies, and before I get a chance to answer he makes a slashing downward sign with his wrist which has a thug to the left of him cutting a rope. Uh oh. I have a bad feeling about this, and sure enough, in the next instant the rung I am tied to goes hurtling downwards towards the earth and I have about two seconds to brace myself for instant death. I don't have time to panic. I don't have time to do anything, but inches before the floor hits me I shoot back up in the air experiencing a second or so of weightlessness before I shoot back downwards. It seems the ladder I'm on is connected to some kind of rubber cord. On another day I might have thought the whole thing quite good fun, but I'm really not feeling it today. I suspect the bastards just want to watch me piss my pants. By some miracle I haven't, and I feel quite proud of the fact.

  'Get the other one down.'

  When Steroids makes slashing motion number two Gabriel screams, 'No!' But he might as well save his breath. The rope has already been cut and he's in freefall. I wince as I hear him screaming at the top of his lungs. He is not going to be happy after this little stunt, but maybe that will work in our favour. If he gets a chance to take out any one of these bastards they'll be dead in a heartbeat.

  Steroids pays no attention to the racket Gabriel is making. He and his men are concentrating on tearing the duct tape from all around me, and they are none too gentle about it. It feels a bit like I imagine waxing would, and I can't understand why anyone in their right mind would want to do that. Girls are really weird creatures.

  'Don't even think about moving. You guys put one foot out of line and we'll make damn sure you don't move again.' Steroids barks the command like an army sergeant. I take the threat seriously, but just in case there's any doubt guns begin appearing all around us. Mal is taking no chances. Now I know that Gabriel and I are ex-cons, but we're not certifiable. I think he's giving us more credit than we deserve judging by the amount of firepower surrounding us.

  Steroids chucks a cell phone at me. It takes me a moment to realise it's my own, which was confiscated as soon as they took me away. Why are they giving it back to me now?

  'Well pick it up,' Steroids drawls. 'Don't you want to know how your fiancee's doing?' I blink. I can't think of anything further from my mind at the moment if I'm honest, and I have no idea where this is going. When a heavily booted foot connects with my stomach, though, I show a little more enthusiasm for the task.

  'Absolutely,' I drawl right back. 'You want me to text her now? You want some sexting in there, too?' I get another boot in the rib for my troubles. Steroid's sense of humour appears to be very one-sided.

  'Tell her you're going to come see her tomorrow night and that you can't wait to be married.' The man has got to be kidding. Is he serious? 'Do it now!' he yells when I make no move to obey. Okay. He's serious. I'd better get with the plan.

  Reaching out for my phone I switch it on and key in my code. When it bursts into life I get beep after beep after beep as the messages rack up. They're all from Helena. I'm not sure I can handle this ri
ght now, but I scan through them all and summarise that the gist of them is wondering where I've got to. I'm kind of wondering the same thing. The last one is particularly pleasant.

  Where are you, you piece of shit? If you don't get back to me within the next twelve hours you can find some other slut to marry. Helena

  Well, at least she got one thing right. She is a slut. Frowning, I look down at my watch. It's been a while since that last text. Forget twelve hours and think more along the lines of twenty-four. It's more than possible she's deleted my number from her phonebook by now, and for that I would be entirely grateful, if some hulking great bloke wasn't waiting to shoot me. Hmm. Here goes nothing.

  Sorry hun, I've been sorting out all the stuff in storage since I've been inside. I managed to lose my phone round Liam's, but I've got it back now. Did you want me to come over tomorrow? Brandt

  I draw the line at leaving a fucking 'X'. The woman makes my skin crawl in the worst way, and I have no idea what I'm about to do to save my hide, but I really hope I don't have to marry the twat.

  'It's done. She might not be speaking to me as I haven't texted her in quite some time, but that's your fault.' I give Steroids a shrug. I have to admit, I rather hope she isn't speaking to me. I have a feeling my life would be a whole lot simpler if that were the case. There is then a tell-tale ping that suggests otherwise.

  Oh thank God. I was beginning to wonder if someone had killed you. Honestly Brandt, we're getting married in a few days' time. You need to get your ass down here ASAP. I'd thought for a moment we were going to have to cancel the wedding, and I can't cope with another scandal. This will all work out wonderfully. You'll see. Helena Xx

  Jesus Christ. It's official. I now hate Mal Adley more than ever. 'Will that do?' I slide the phone back over to Steroids so he can take a look. For a second I almost wish we had sexted. I wonder if the big twat blushes?

  Scanning the text, he takes a good look at it and grunts. 'That'll do for now, I suppose.' He then hauls me upright and barks, 'Follow me.'

  My first step has my knees buckling and I nearly fall over. Shaking my legs out to try and get my circulation going, I try again with a bit more success. Walking slowly I turn back to Gabriel, but the men have closed ranks between us.

  'Uh, uh, uh,' Steroids says. 'If you play nice and do what you're told you'll get your little buddy back. Until then he stays here for insurance purposes.'

  'No way,' I snap, looking like someone's just punched me in the gut. 'Gabriel is the killer in this pairing. If you send me in on my own I'll be dead in seconds.' I mean every word I say. Prison might have taught me a lot of things, but it didn't teach me how to kill in cold blood. It didn't teach Gabriel that either; he knew how to do that before he went inside.

  Steroids gives me a dark look. 'I think that's kinda what the boss is hoping for. So get your shit together and get out, unless you want to go back up there. Which reminds me, you can put him back now.' He makes a hand signal upwards and the men begin hauling on the rope that holds Gabriel.

  'Oh no fucking way,' he yells. 'Brandt, you cannot leave me here like this. If you do I'll never forgive you.' He means every word and I don't want to cross Gabriel, but I don't see that I have much choice.

  With this is mind, I do my best to reason with the big guy. 'I'm not doing this without Gabe. You might as well kill me now because I'm not setting a foot out of this door otherwise.'

  Steroids grins, revealing a mouth full of fillings which suggests dental hygiene hasn't been big on his agenda for some time. 'You sure you want to play it that way? I really don't think you'll like the consequences.'

  'Just for argument's sake,' I say, 'what are the consequences of me not doing as I'm told?' I think it's a fair question. Gabe might not like it, but I need to know.

  'Mal told me you're smart,' Steroids says, with a bark of laughter. 'Okay, if you give me any trouble, I've got orders to get everyone in the joint to fuck your friend and then shoot him. Just so you know, they don't have an amazing bedside manner. If that isn't incentive enough, we can also fill Harper or yourself with bullet holes until that gets the job done. I'm also allowed to be more creative, with various kinds of torture if necessary. But it's not going to be necessary, is it?' Steroids has his hands on his hips, and I swear the fabric of his T-shirt starts to tear as his biceps flex. Forget being between a rock and a hard place. I am in the middle of a full nuclear meltdown.

  I shake my head at him. 'No, that won't be necessary,' I say quietly. Shit. What do I do now? The only thing I can do for the time being, I guess. I need to try to stay alive.

  'Gabriel, you're on your own!' I call out as I'm manhandled out of the door. Doing my best to ignore the string of expletives that exit his mouth, which have a lot to do with fucking and my mother, I really hope he isn't serious about all the lovely things he wants to do with me when or if we finally get out of this mess.

  Chapter Seven - Brandt

  Several hours later I'm being driven to Helena's house at roughly the speed of sound. Mal's goons have no respect for any of the speed limits imposed by the UK's Road Traffic Act, nor do they care that I'm about to throw up if they don't slow down. I haven't eaten in hours and I'm feeling nauseous enough as it is without this added to the mix. There's no point moaning, though. I'm going to be the last person they listen to. Still, if I heave all over the new suit they've just bought me, with any luck Helena and her family will send me packing.

  When we get to the Foster-Lyle residence I can't get out of the car quick enough. While Helena and her parents may be unpleasant at best, they're a lot friendlier than Mal, and in this instance it's better-the-devil-you-know. Slamming the car door as hard as I can on the thugs inside, I press the bell and wait to be embraced back into the fold. The men don't wait to see if I do as I'm told. They have Gabriel and Harper. And I'm sure Mal has a backup plan if that isn't enough.

  'Brandt, oh my God, what happened to you?' Helena looks at my bruised face in horror. She's dressed up to the nines in a black evening gown and sporting half the Tower of London's Crown Jewel collection. Diamonds glisten around her neck and adorn her wrists and ears. She looks like a Christmas decoration. Should I feel honoured?

  'Ah, I had a bit of a run in with something nasty,' I offer. Now is probably not the time to announce I'm friendly with one of London's worst gangsters.

  'The wedding is in a couple of days' time, Brandt. What were you thinking?' She's talking to me as if I'm an idiot and I really don't appreciate it, but an argument is not going to solve anything.

  'I didn't really have much choice in the matter, Helena, believe me.'

  She steps backward and sighs.

  'It's our engagement party tonight, Brandt. I did try to ring you but you weren't picking up, so I texted instead. Wherever you were it must have been a really bad signal.' She examines my face more closely. 'Good God, they really did a number on you. Still, I guess it's nothing that a bit of make-up can't fix.'

  Fuck, I really cannot handle this tonight on top of everything else. I haven't had any sleep, I haven't eaten, and now I need to make idle chitchat with a bunch of people I can't stand while looking all loved up.

  'Oh, Jesus,' I say, making a show of patting down my jacket, looking for the cell phone that has once again been confiscated. 'Where's my phone? The thing has a life of its own, darling, and I can't seem to keep track of it. Life has been hellishly busy these past couple of weeks. Forgive me? Do you need me to change, or will I do?'

  I assume Mal's thugs read the message which is why I'm dressed in a suit rather than more casual attire. At least I won't look like a complete jerk. I'm not sure why I even care about it, but I do.

  'Brandt, you're worse than a girl and you think I'm blonde. No matter. You look perfect, sweetheart. The guests aren't arriving for another half-hour, so if you want me to cover those bruises there's plenty of time.'

  Flinging my arm around Helena's shoulder, I pull her close to me. 'That might be a nice idea. I'd also love a cup o
f tea, if you don't mind. For some reason I've forgotten to eat and drink for most of the day.' I place a soft kiss on her forehead. If Helena is surprised by my change of heart regarding herself and the wedding, she makes no mention of it. She must think I'm nuts. I have my reasons, though. If I want to get through the next couple of days alive I'm going to need some allies. My soon-to-be wife needs to be one of them.

  'Seriously? How can you forget to eat? I wish I could. There's no way I'm going to lose any weight before the wedding.' Helena rolls her eyes at me as if this is the worst thing in the world.

  I can't help my horrified expression. 'You're pregnant, sweetheart. I think losing weight would be bad for the baby.' I bite my lip to stop myself from saying something snarky. What is wrong with the woman?

  Helena shakes her head, as if she's trying to remember something, and then smiles. 'I know. I wasn't actually thinking of losing any. It's just that every girl wants to look perfect for her big day.'

  I let that wash. Something doesn't add up somewhere, but I have too many other problems to worry about it.

  'Have you decided on what type of suit you'd like to wear for the wedding?' Helena looks up at me expectantly. Uh oh. I wasn't supposed to have needed to figure that out. Now I've been put on the spot. Shit. Mal can't really expect me to go through with this, can he? Of course he can. He knows my wedding will be splashed all over the tabloids and that it will hit Harper right where it hurts. He's going to use it to try and turn her against me because he wants her for himself. It's all beginning to make sense. After we're married, I'll then be tasked to kill whoever it is Mal wants silencing, and no one will care too much when I'm killed straight after. Harper will be forced to stay with Mal, and he'll torment her to the end of her days. Wearily I run my hands across my eyes. I can't think straight.

  'Brandt? Did you make a decision on the suit, or did you want me to pick for you?' Helena leads me through to an English country-style kitchen and sits me down on top of an oak bar stool at the island in the centre. There are pots and pans hanging above my head, and an array of herbs in a long black planter in front of me. It makes me think of home, and it's the last thing I want to think about.