Prince Charming Read online

  Or my apartment. Because I have one of those now. A safe place to go if everything goes to hell. I’ll never admit it to Winston, but I am sort of thankful to have it, even if I never go there. Just the fact that I could if I wanted to is enough.

  Dad: I just miss you, but I know you’re growing up. One day I’ll blink and you’ll be married with a family of your own. Probably with that Constantine since he’s so adamant about spoiling you every chance he gets.

  Don’t I wish. It’s going to take a hell of a lot of convincing to get Winston even on the same page as being my boyfriend. I can see through his teasing. I’m not really his—not how I want to be.

  Me: He’s my employer. Don’t start planning a wedding yet.

  Dad: He’s more than that and we all know it. Be careful with him, honey. A man like him could destroy the heart of a girl like you.

  Too late.

  My heart is in Winston’s hands, and he’ll be the ultimate decider on what happens to it.

  Me: See you at five.

  I walk into the brownstone, my armor on and bitchy attitude in place. The triplets will want me cowering, but I refuse to let them see me afraid. Dad and Manda will be here so it’s not like they’ll do anything. If this had happened to Winston, he sure as hell wouldn’t hide from them. He’d face them head on and look them in the eyes.

  I’ll get them back eventually.

  “In here, sweetheart,” Dad calls from the kitchen.

  I follow my nose to where he’s standing at the stove, stirring his homemade Alfredo sauce. It reminds me of when I was a girl and Mom would be standing beside him, teasing him about the only meal he could cook. I’d giggle and tell her that he could make frozen waffles too, which, looking back, didn’t really help his case.

  God, I miss her.

  I hug Dad from behind, resting my cheek on his solid back. He’s not a beast of power like Winston, but he’s steady and solid, powerful in his own right. There’s something to be said about the strength of a father. Knowing he chewed out the triplets has me relaxing.

  “Smells good. But can it possibly be as good as your frozen waffles?” I tease, smiling when he chuckles.

  “There’s no comparison to my frozen waffles. Why don’t you grab the stuff to make a salad?”

  I release him to busy myself pulling out the ingredients. For a moment, I can almost pretend it’s just the two of us back in our old apartment. Sometime after Mom and before Manda. When we were each other’s entire world. He whistles a familiar tune while I cut tomatoes for the salad.

  “Smells delicious,” Manda says, entering the kitchen and cooling it several degrees. “Hello, Ash.”

  I give her a wave with the knife in my hand, not meeting her hard stare. The sloppy sounds of their kissing kill any happy moments I’d enjoyed a few seconds before.

  “Will the boys be joining us?” Dad asks, his voice low and tight with tension.

  “Yes. Just as we discussed. This dinner is important.” She sighs and then pats me on the back. “Everything will work out just fine, right, sweetie?”

  I cringe at the endearment but manage to nod my head. Dad seems hellbent on making things right in this family, so I won’t argue. I doubt either Dad or Manda can convince the Terror Triplets to stop being psychos, but I suppose it’s worth a try.

  “Hey, sis,” a deep voice booms.

  Swiveling around, I glare at the new arrival. Sully. The nicest of the three, but not by much. His dark brow lifts at the sight of the knife in my hand.

  “Don’t stab me.” He grins, playful and charming, as though he and his brothers didn’t cut my dress from my body and rob me blind.

  Manda frowns in disapproval at me. Dad puffs out his chest and squeezes Sully’s shoulder hard enough to make him wince.

  “Want me to hold him so you can get your revenge?” Dad asks, his smile a little on the evil side.

  Manda gasps, and I crack up laughing at the sight of Sully’s wide eyes. I pretend to think about it for a second and then shake my head.

  “Maybe later. After dessert,” I say before turning back to the salad.

  Manda and Sully chat about what new cars they’re going to get next since theirs were destroyed last weekend. I personally think they should have to Uber everywhere, but no one asks for my opinion. Sparrow joins us, and like Sully, pretends he’s a stellar stepbrother. They both take turns ribbing Dad about his favorite football team, the Patriots, and how they’ll never make it to the Super Bowl. I help Dad by setting the table, and Manda assists him by bringing the food over. She then pours wine for all of us. Scout’s empty seat has me relaxing even more.

  Through dinner, Sully and Sparrow turn on the charm. A few times, they almost have me convinced that they’re done being assholes. Almost. I’ll never fully let down my guard with those three, especially Scout. Luckily, according to the guys, he was meeting up with a friend so he couldn’t be at dinner. It’s almost pleasant when I tune out Manda and her boys, enjoying my time with Dad. I’m just helping Dad clean up the kitchen when Manda gets a call.

  “What?” She holds a hand to her chest, blinking hard in shock. “Did they take anything?” A pause. “Oh no.” Another pause. “We’ll be right there.”

  “What is it?” Dad demands.

  “The Baldridge building,” Manda says with a frown. “Several offices were broken into, including mine. Files have been rifled through. I need to get up there and talk to the police.”

  My heart stutters at the mention of the Baldridge building. Of all the times I’ve heard Manda speak about her office, not once do I remember her ever stating the name of the building. It makes me wonder if Winston knows she has her office there. It certainly makes sense as to how she would know Meredith, though, since it’s her husband’s name on the building.

  “Go,” I mutter to Dad. “She needs you. I’ll finish up cleaning and then head out myself.”

  Dad glowers at Sully and Sparrow. “I can trust you two to behave?”

  Both of them nod before hugging Manda.

  “Need help cleaning?” Sully asks.

  I shrug and then hug Dad. “Text me later and let me know how it went.”

  He kisses my forehead, and then they’re gone. Sully and Sparrow don’t pounce on me like I expect. I’m thankful I decided to leave my phone and purse at Winston’s. There was no way in hell I was taking another chance with them stealing my things again. I brought enough cash with me in case of an emergency, but it’s stowed safely in the glovebox of the Escalade along with my driver’s license. My keys are also inside the truck, because I can access the vehicle through a touchpad on the door. I was prepared this time. With the Terror Triplets, you always have to be one step ahead.

  Sparrow leaves the kitchen, and Sully continues to help me clean up. We don’t speak or look at each other. I’m just wiping off the stove when the front door closes. My head snaps over to look at Sully who’s smirking.

  And that’s my cue to leave.

  I drop the dishrag onto the counter and walk out of the kitchen without so much as a goodbye. Luckily, I don’t encounter anyone along the way. I open the front door but a strong hand slaps on it, slamming it shut.

  Whirling around with my heart in my throat, I meet the pissed-off glare of Scout.

  Fuck.

  Lifting my chin, I meet his dark stare. “Leave me alone.”

  “No can do, sis,” he growls. “I went to too much trouble to get you right here by yourself.”

  I narrow my eyes. “You stole from your own mother?”

  His chuckle is low and without humor. “I messed her office up a bit, but I didn’t steal anything. I’m not a monster.” He lifts his hand to toy with a strand of my hair.

  I smack it away. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Aww,” Scout mocks, “it’s cute how you think you have a say.”

  Before I can try and escape, he pounces on me. All too easily, Scout uses his strength against me, overpowering me before I take my next breath. I let out
a shriek from beneath his palm as he carries me up the stairs. My heart is racing inside my chest as I wonder how in the hell I’ll get out of here.

  I kick out, trying to find purchase on anything, but end up swiping empty air. Scout bypasses my room and takes me straight for his. A terrified mewl crawls up my throat to find Sully and Sparrow inside waiting.

  Scout tosses me on the bed, and I scramble to my knees, eyeing the door behind him.

  “Dad will be back soon,” I warn, my voice shaking with fear. “He’ll kill you if you touch me.”

  “He’s not going to find out,” Scout barks back, “because I’ll send your dirty sex videos to everyone on his client list.” His smile is sinister. “He leaves his computer unlocked all the time. All it took was once to download what I needed to a flash drive.”

  “So?” I hiss. “You think I’ll bend over and take it because you threaten me?”

  Sparrow snorts. “You have no choice.”

  “Fuck you,” I spit out. “You promised Dad you wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “Sully and I both did,” he agrees. “But no one said anything about Scout.”

  I launch myself off the bed in an attempt to make it to the door, but Scout is faster. He body slams me onto the bed before he starts pawing at me. I know he’s looking for my phone, but he won’t find it. As soon as he realizes I don’t have anything on me, his features harden. Like a switch goes off, he starts yanking at my T-shirt.

  “If you touch me, I’ll tell them you forced me,” I choke out. “You’ll go to prison.”

  Scout sneers at me. “And who will they believe? Three boys just being boys, having sex with a girl they find attractive? Or a prostitute who fucks rich old dudes for money?”

  “You said we were just going to—” Sully starts, but Scout cuts him off by barking out his name.

  “Help me get her clothes off,” Scout orders.

  I scream and squirm as the three of them work together. I manage to kick Sparrow in the nose and Sully in the balls, but in the end, they strip me and hold me down. The sobs escaping me sound more like desperate gasps of air. Like a fish on the banks of a river writhing under the paw of a tiger.

  Scout produces a Sharpie and begins to write on my stomach. Where it once said Winston’s Dirty Whore, it now says Scout’s Slutty Sister. They laugh as they take turns writing crude things on me. But, aside from the words, they haven’t violated me in ways that might send them to prison.

  “Text her boyfriend,” Scout orders Sully. “Tell him what we want. In return, we’ll let her go.”

  I glower at Scout as Sully snaps pictures of me. Then, his fingers fly over the keys as he no doubt sends his demands to Winston. Several long minutes go by with no response.

  “He’s in a meeting, dumbass,” I hiss at Scout, tears leaking down my temples.

  Time drags on as we wait.

  “Text him and tell him he has five minutes to respond or else I’m going to fuck his pretty whore.” Scout smiles at me like the damn devil, stopping my heart in the process. “And then we’ll send him a video.”

  “Please don’t do this,” I beg.

  Five long minutes pass by with the boys laughing and me tearfully begging. Finally, Sully says, “He responded.”

  “What did he say?” Scout demands.

  Sully frowns. “He doesn’t negotiate with terrorists.”

  “Fucking asshole,” Scout roars, launching himself at me.

  I let loose a blood-curdling scream as Scout starts to undo his jeans. I catch Sully’s wide-eyed stare and beg for him to save me. Sparrow curses and paces beside the bed.

  “Dude, we said scare her, not this,” Sully says to Scout.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Scout bites back. “Constantine wants to play fucking chicken, then we’ll play fucking chicken.” As soon as his dick is in his hand, I close my eyes. I can’t do this. I can’t be mentally present for this.

  But, instead of him violating me, I hear sweet music to my ears.

  Police sirens.

  Scout scrambles to dress, and I realize I’m safe. Winston called the police. All the way from halfway across the world, he saved me.

  The pounding on the front door has me sucking in a breath of relief.

  Thank god.

  19

  Winston

  Pissed off doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel right now.

  Infuriated. Maddened. Rage-filled. Near a nuclear meltdown.

  I’m about to explode with the need to murder those fucking animals. Especially Scout. I should be doing damage control on the massive account we just lost, but instead, I can’t stop thinking about her.

  Is she safe?

  Did they hurt her?

  Why the fuck was she over there?

  “Keaton just texted me,” Perry says from beside me on the plane. “He and Tinsley are at your place now with Ash.”

  It’s been a full fourteen hours since I got the text with a picture of my girl once again in the clutches of those motherfuckers along with a demand to get them back into Harvard. Rather than playing their games since I was all the way in goddamn France, I immediately called the police. I couldn’t risk it. I’ll get those assholes back in a way that hurts, but at that moment, all I could think about was making sure she was safe.

  I left the meeting that had gone late into the night where millions were at stake to turn around and fly back to New York. I’d expected Perry to tell me what a bad fucking idea it was because it’s one of our big accounts, and one he’d been working on, but he’d been just as eager as I was to get back to the city.

  On the flight back, I didn’t sleep a wink. All I could do was stare at the picture they texted me. Reread the threat over and over again.

  It’s not enough that they were arrested.

  Their rich mommy bailed them out as soon as she could.

  This incident is but a blip for them.

  For me, it’s more than a blip. It’s a bomb that exploded on me and everything I thought I knew. I’d struggled with whatever it is me and Ash are, but in that moment, seeing her in their grasp, I lost my fucking head.

  She’s mine.

  Not theirs or her father’s or anyone’s.

  Mine.

  Everything my mother tried to drill into my head at dinner a couple of nights ago has long been forgotten. I’m clearly an idiot when it comes to Ash Elliott, and I can’t find it in me to care.

  The stewardess lets us know we can depart the plane in just a few more minutes. Our car is waiting. Within the hour I’ll be home with Ash back in my arms. I’m wound up so tight I feel like I could snap at any second. I know I won’t calm my ass down until I see with my own two eyes she’s safe.

  “Manda should have let them rot in jail,” Perry grumbles from beside me. “From what Keaton says, her dad is pissed.”

  “Pissed?” I spit out, turning to glare at my brother. “I’m pissed he left her alone with those fucking monsters.”

  “That’s basically what he told her dad. That if he couldn’t keep her safe, we Constantines could.”

  “We?”

  Perry shrugs. “We like Ash too. You think Keaton was going to let her stay there where those assholes live?”

  It pleases me to have my siblings on my side. We may not always see eye to eye but when someone fucks with our own, we stand in solidarity. And since Ash is mine, my brothers and youngest sister have my back.

  I make a call to Ulrich, our private investigator, while we wait to deboard the plane.

  “Ulrich speaking,” he rasps out, his voice abused from a lifetime of chain smoking.

  “I want everything you can dig up on Manda Mannford. Everything.”

  His chuckle turns into a smoker’s cough. “Wanna know what brand of toilet paper she wipes her ass with too?”

  “Everything,” I reiterate. “I don’t want anything left out.”

  “On it, Boss.”

  I may have shown weakness by calling the cops on those snakes, but it was a
temporary solution to my problem. I’m only getting started on my retaliation. They’re going to feel violated like she felt violated when I fuck their lives so hard they have no choice but to become my compliant bitches.

  The alternative for them is the fucking grave.

  I walk into my condo, dropping my bag just inside the door, and storm into the living room. Ash sits beside Tinsley, curled up in a blanket, her bird cradled in her hands. As soon as she locks eyes with me, the fierce façade she’d somehow formed crumbles away revealing the sad, broken girl. I drop down on the other side of her, grab her hips, and haul her into my lap.

  “I’m here, baby,” I rumble, kissing the top of her head. “You’re safe now.”

  Baby?

  I ignore that endearment, but I know Ash heard it because she starts to cry, clinging to my chest. Shrimp chirps loudly and skitters up the front of my jacket to my shoulder as if to tattle on the triplets right in my fucking ear.

  I know, bird. I fucking know.

  Keaton’s brows are at his hairline as he watches me hold Ash. He has to know by now that Ash is more than some employee. She’s so much more. Just because I’m in denial or can’t articulate it doesn’t change that fact. My smart brother certainly doesn’t miss a thing.

  “Mother isn’t to know about this,” I say to Perry as he plops down beside Keaton.

  “That you’re in love?” he taunts, grinning at me.

  Ash lets out a teary laugh and then smiles at me. “What’s that? You’re in looooove?”

  I roll my eyes at the way she draws out the word, which sets Tinsley off into a fit of giggles. Despite these assholes teasing me, I’m happy Ash isn’t completely ruined by the Mannford triplets.

  “Lust, Cinderelliott. I’m in lust. Happy?”

  She cackles and kisses my lips. “Very.”

  Shrimp sings and flaps his wings. Then he sets to pecking at my head behind my ear. Damn bird likes to look for bugs in my hair. Ash says it’s his way of taking care of me. I think it’s fucking weird.

  “Never thought I’d see the day where Winston lets a bird peck at his head,” Perry says with great amusement. “This is hilarious.”