Ruthless Mate

2

With every step, my heart pounded harder. I worried that whatever had happened had endangered my sister, but that made no sense. Neither twin worked for my stepdad.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I went into the kitchen. With the open floor plan, I could see Eva and Elliott still engaged in their video game as if nothing had happened.

I wished I could be so oblivious.

I rushed past the rectangular white oak dining table that sat close to the windows and snatched my car keys off the cream-colored granite countertop of the cherrywood island marking the entryway into the kitchen. The cabinets and countertops matched throughout the room, and a glossy baby blue backsplash gave the space a modern edge.

Mom and I had picked out this kitchen when she’d been diagnosed with cancer. She’d wanted to do something special with me since I was losing my last parent, and she’d wanted this house to feel like home to me even after she was gone.

The familiar twinge of hurt zapped me, but I blinked hard, regaining focus. If Peter wouldn’t tell me, then I had to find Drake to determine what was going on.

Marching past the sofa to the front door, I said, “I’m heading out for a little while.”

Neither of the twins responded, as if I weren’t even there. Like I was invisible.

As I stepped onto the long porch, the chill of twilight caused me to shiver. I should’ve grabbed a sweater on my way out, but I didn’t want to waste time going back for one. I scurried to my white Audi A4 and slid into the black leather driver’s seat.

If Drake had stayed around town, there was one place I could likely find him. He owned Dragon Alley in downtown Asheville, a luxury bar frequented by the city’s elite and a handful of residents who were splurging for a special occasion. My stepdad had mentioned it when I was in town for Christmas.

Luckily, it was only a ten-minute drive away.

When I pulled up at the bar, I found a metered spot nearby. On a Friday night downtown, most people would want more than one hour’s time, but that would be plenty for me.

I paid for the meter on my phone and climbed out of the car. As I shut my door, a pleasant, almost tickly sensation ran down my back. I glanced around, my gaze drawn to a black sedan two parking spots down on my side of the street. A man sat in the vehicle, his gorgeous sky blue eyes on me. His baseball cap and the dim streetlights cast his face in shadow, but those eyes gleamed in the dark like beacons. From what I could tell, he was very attractive.

Everly! Get a grip. I couldn’t believe I was standing here like a crazy person when I had to figure out what was going on with my stepdad and, more importantly, my sister. Forcing my attention off him, I walked to the thick wooden door that had the bar’s name written on it in an elegant script.

Before I could reach the handle, a young man dressed in a black button-down shirt and slacks, who I hadn’t even noticed standing there, opened the door. He smiled. “Welcome to Dragon Alley.”

I walked into the most whimsical bar I’d ever seen. The floor was hardwood, each board alternating between dark and light. The bar and tables were made of a coffee-stained wood, and the underside of the crowded main bar was lit with warm, yellow-toned lights. The overhead lighting was perfect, neither too bright nor too dark, but rather the sort of soft illumination that felt like an invitation to curl up and read one of my favorite contemporary romances. Varying shades of brown bricks accented the walls. The low hum of intimate conversations and soft jazz music added to the ambiance.

Unsurprisingly, there were no open seats. Even though everyone was dressed up, the place was trendy and welcoming.

Drake and his two shadows were sitting in the back at a corner table away from everyone else.

Even as the weight lifted from my shoulders, something hard settled in my stomach. Panic, maybe?

“If you’d like a drink, you can wait—” the host started.

But I had no desire to listen. Instead, I marched toward the person I’d come here to see.

“Ma’am!” the host called after me. “You can’t go back there.”

Like hell I couldn’t. Drake might be rich and influential, but he couldn’t just barge into my stepdad’s house and threaten him, especially if that threat involved my sister.

Drake sat at the end of the table, facing the door. His attention locked on me, and he said something, causing his two shadows, who were facing him, to look over their shoulders at me.

Arching a brow, Drake tilted his head, observing.

As I grew closer, something inside me urged me to turn around and run. But that wouldn’t get me any answers.

I stopped at their table and placed one hand on my hip.

“Ma’am!” the host exclaimed. “This is the owner’s private—”

“Leave her,” Drake commanded as he ran a hand along his chin. “She can stay.”

Footsteps hurried away as the host left us.

“Sir,” the cobalt-eyed man said.

“Falkor, Ladon, get us a round from the bar.” Drake motioned for them to go.

Jaws twitching, the two men growled but obeyed, leaving Drake and me alone.

“How can I help you?” Drake placed his hands on the table.

“Tell me what that was about back at the house with my stepdad.” I tensed as every cell in my body told me to run.

He chuckled humorlessly. “Your stepdad embezzled from my company. He hasn’t deposited all the cash payments from the tenants for a few years now, and he needs to pay me back the missing money or provide something of equal value.”

My stomach roiled. “My sister? What are you going to do? Pimp her out?” I clenched my hands, ready to punch the smirk off his face.

“Of course not. It’s hard to find women who aren’t after my money. Your sister has the proper status and education to suit my…specific needs. We’ll be legally united with no way to sever ties.” Drake tapped his fingers on the table. “She’ll never want for anything, and she’ll bear the heirs I need to carry on my legacy.”

My sister would be forced to marry this man and have his children as repayment for my stepdad’s crime? That was disgusting. “How much does he owe you?”

“One million dollars. Give or take.” He grabbed the half glass of brown liquid sitting in front of him and drained it, his eyes remaining locked on me.

I inhaled. My mother’s dying wish replayed in my head. I couldn’t abandon my sister to that fate. There had to be another way out of this situation; it wasn’t Eva’s penance to bear.

“Take me in her place.”