Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War Read online

  Matt Dunn was a successful contract killer, and Robert’s old friend. Well, not so much of a friend, but they had goofed around a few times. This was why Robert would kill him quick.

  Matt let out a deep chuckle and took a step forward. “You are outnumbered, Spook Steele. You should watch your mouth. You’re lucky that your brother caught us before we came in here to massacre you and your women.”

  Suddenly the piercingly shrill scream of Carter’s nanny, Christina, filled the house. Arching an eyebrow, Robert chuckled, but it was cut off by a groan of pain as he ran his hand down is face. “If you thought that the tortured cry of my daughter’s nanny would rattle me into begging you for something, then you don’t know me at all.” It wasn’t nice of him because, in truth, Robert had known Christina since he was a teen, but Robert couldn’t pretend he was a nice man in a situation like this. There were only two people in this world that truly mattered to him, and they were the two females that belonged to him. Anastacia and his daughter.

  Robert inhaled a deep, shaky breath as he began to feel the effects of the chemicals in his body. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his hands began to shake.

  Matt smiled, looking down on Robert’s shaking body. “You don’t look too strong down there, do you?” Chuckling, he came forward until he stood directly in front of Robert, and squatted so that they were face-to-face. “I’m just glad I get to tell everyone I made the great Spook Steele piss in his pants.”

  Robert didn’t reply; he looked into the man’s dark eyes. He continued to stare for a moment longer before he mustered up the strength to lean forward a bit. “What did Silas offer you out there?” he asked. He knew the money-hungry bastard wasn’t doing it for free.

  A frown fell over Matt’s face. “Everything, Robert. He offered us everything.”

  “What will you tell Mitchell?”

  “That you are dead, that your daughter is dead. We will give him your money, and your bank books. We will make sure the woman downstairs is unidentifiable. They will all think she was Cecilia. After we hand you over to your brother, we will find her. She is to be given to one of Silas’s men. He wants to use her to bring forward Anastacia Stone.”

  Robert nodded his head slowly. “Tell me, Matt. How many men are in my home?”

  “Six,” he answered. “That is including myself.”

  Robert’s swallowed and clenched his jaw tight. Shit! Six men. How the fuck am I supposed to kill six men with this shit in my body? Once again, he looked into the dark eyes of his former acquaintance and silently wondered if there may be a possibility that he could convince Matt to fight for him. He pondered the possibility, then realized that there was no way it would happen. Silas had already lured the men over to his side. He’d most likely threatened them. Silas was good at that. He had the ability to make other’s think that he was more dangerous than he actually was. The truth was, in Robert’s opinion, Silas was a coward … always had been, and always would be.

  Robert shrugged. What better way to light a fire under Anastacia’s ass than to start some shit?

  Robert sighed, silently hoping she wouldn’t take too long finding him and Carter. After saying a quick prayer in his head, he wiggled his arms a little to make sure they worked. When he was positive that he was strong enough, Robert made his move. He quickly reached forward and snapped Matt’s neck … effortlessly.

  Matt’s body fell to the floor with a loud thump. Knowing the noise would alert the other men in his house, Robert scrambled up quickly. He knocked over a few lamps and a bed table as he stumbled out of the room. His vision was blurry, but he fought when the first man attacked him.

  Robert felt a fist connect with his face and he stumbled back before springing forward. He tackled the man to the ground, but he knew he had no chance at beating him. He could feel his entire body going completely numb. More shots were fired, and three more tiny objects pierced his legs, paralyzing his body and making him fall face first to the floor.

  Silence fell over the house. Robert laid on the floor, paralyzed and listening to the men walking around his body. He couldn’t move. He felt blood on his face, but he couldn’t wipe it off. For the first time in a long time, he was completely vulnerable in a dangerous situation. He knew that this was what Silas wanted … to pull Robert from his peace, his comfort zone. He wanted to take away Robert’s strength, and tonight he’d succeeded.

  “He killed Matt,” one of the men said.

  Robert knew who each man was, and he kept a mental list of their names … He was going to kill them and everyone they loved when he got through this.

  “He says to put him on speaker phone.”

  “Do whatever he says. Let’s just get this over with.”

  Robert heard the click of a button, then his brother’s voice. “Robbie?”

  His tone of his voice always held a bit of insecurity and fear that only Robert could detect. Robert always thought his brother weak, but he’d never said so because he loved him. Well, no more. Silas had finally done it, had finally made Robert hate him.

  “Robbie, say something.”

  To the others it may have sounded like a fierce command, but that was only because they didn’t know Silas. Robert could clearly hear the plea in his voice, so he did not respond.

  “You are upset with me?” Silas asked. “You shouldn’t be, Robert. I am doing what’s best for you. You need to be punished for your betrayal.”

  Rage hit Robert hard and fast. “I did not betray you,” Robert shouted. “I owe you nothing!”

  “You say that to me after all I’ve done for you? After all I’ve given you?”

  “You haven’t given me shit,” Robert spat. “All you do is take from me. I’ve always protected you, loved you, and made excuses for you. But no more. I’m through with you!”

  “How dare you accuse me of such things? You took from me!”

  “They do not belong to you, Silas. Anastacia and Carterina are mine.”

  “I gave my child to you as a gift!”

  “You gave her to me because you fucked up.” He practically screamed the words. “You’re a fucking coward that nearly killed the woman you claim to love. They were both near death when you left them at my doorstep, and once again I cleaned up your mess. I’m the reason they’re alive. I raised Carterina. You only want her back because you’re selfish!”

  “And because she’s mine,” he yelled. “So is her mother. Anastacia gave herself to me, and we made children from our love. You took her from me! You’ve been fucking what’s mine, and you declared your love for her. You think I’m going to allow you to take my family, Robbie? No!”

  Robert steadied his angry breathing. “What exactly do you think you’re going to do about it?” he asked through clenched teeth.

  “I’m going to kill you, Robbie … At least that’s what everyone will think. These fine men won’t utter a word. They know what will happen if they do, and what will happen if they don’t.”

  “You have their families,” Robert said, knowing it was the truth. Silas had to have something.

  “I do now. It took a day, but I located them,” Silas stated. “Why else do you think these animals are behaving so well? If they do anything other than what I tell them to do, I’ll set their homes on fire with their families inside.” Silas cleared his throat. “Just like now. My Cecilia has just made her way back to the house …”

  “No,” Robert whispered as his heart rate instantly shot up and dread overtook his entire system.

  “Now we are going to put on a little show for her. Shall we, boys? Then you all will go outside to retrieve her and do as I instructed. Lift him up.”

  “No!” Robert bellowed as they lifted him roughly and began to drag him down the steps. They quickly neared the living room as Silas instructed them to pull a chair near a window in the living room, and set Robert in it.

  “Now, Robert, if you don’t do as I say, I’ll make things bad for our little girl.”

  Robert wanted to nod
his head vigorously, but he couldn’t. Instead, for the first time since he was a child, he begged. “Yes, anything. I’ll do anything just please don’t hurt her. She’s only a child. Just let her go.” Robert didn’t play games when it came to his daughter. For her—and her alone—he would do absolutely anything. That included surrendering to Silas. “Let her go, please,” he said weakly. He felt a syringe pierce his neck.

  “Good, Robbie. Very good. She’s watching. Now what they have just given you will make you very sleepy. You don’t have much time. You will appear dead, but in truth, the medication is only slowing your heart rate, not stopping it. Now give them your money information. Let them have it all … You don’t need it anymore.”

  “Anything. Take it all, just leave her out of this. L–let her g–go.” Robert weakly gave them the information they needed, knowing that it wouldn’t save his daughter. She was going to have to save herself. These men didn’t know it, but as soon as they sent whoever they would send to capture his baby girl … they’d be in for a rude awakening. Robert closed his eyes and prayed again.

  “Good job, Robbie. Your work is done. When you wake up you will be home,” Silas said with a quiet excitement in his voice. “When he passes out, cut his throat. Not too deep. You kill my brother and you’re all dead. Two of you can leave to get your spoils for what you have accomplished. Mitchell Romano will be given the majority, and I will award you all with more. Mitchell is to be told that you accomplished what he told you to do. The word will be spread of “Spook Steele’s” demise and all will be well. One of you stay and wipe the place for evidence, the other two go and find my daughter. When you all are finished, I will come for my brother.”

  Robert’s entire world went black.

  ~*~

  Sitting quietly in his car outside of his brother’s house, Silas anticipated his next move. He couldn’t wait to get Robert and Cecilia home. He’d finally done it. He would have his spouse and offspring soon, and would have his brother somewhere safe. He’d be able to pop by and see Robbie anytime now that he was going to have him captive. Silas knew it may have not been fair for him to keep Robbie locked up, but Robbie had given him no other choice. His misbehavior had now reached the point of unforgivable, and if they were going to salvage what was left of their relationship, Robbie needed to be punished. After Cecilia was captured, he would put her to sleep until they arrived home. When they got home he’d call her mother, and his family would be reunited by the end of the week.

  Silas couldn’t keep the smile from his face at the thought.

  He’d had many women, and many children, but no other woman had ever been able to suppress his unwanted need for Anastacia. He hated loving her still after all of these years. He would never, for as long as he lived, be able to get their time together out of his mind. Although it’d been seventeen long years since she’d last let him touch her, Silas still remembered the feel of her body like it was yesterday. No woman had ever made him feel so powerful, so strong. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she realized that he’d saved their daughter from the attack. She would love him instantly and see how much he’d changed. How good of a man he’d become for her. Cecilia will love him, too. He wanted to share with her all of the good times they’d spent together, and apologize for all of the bad times. Then he would bring out the big gift.

  His son.

  Sighing, he sat up in his seat at the thought of his son. Hopefully this family reunion would be just the thing Silas needed to earn his son’s forgiveness. It had been two years since he had last laid eyes the boy, and Silas still felt remorse for his actions. Don’t get Silas wrong, he still felt a great bit of anger for his son’s betrayal, but he also regretted the way he’d handled the situation.

  Silas closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.

  It’d all started when his son began to resent him. After Silas had shown him favor and love for fifteen years of his life, his son decided to attempt to escape him. Just like his mother had. Just like Robbie had. Silas tried to do everything he could to please the boy, then Gabriel disappointed him greatly. After he’d run away, Silas had to chase the boy down and beat him into submission. He didn’t want to, but he had to. He needed to teach his son that he was one of a lucky few.

  After Silas had beaten him, he’d nursed him back to health. He’d had to explain to him how fortunate he was that he hadn’t been sold like the rest of the children. With features like a Stone, Silas could have made millions off of the boy, and his sister.

  Even though his son had hurt and disappointed him, Silas continued to love him. So instead of selling him off to the highest bidder, Silas had practiced mercy and thrown him in a nice, spacious basement. The place was clean, luxurious, and had what he needed to provide his son with the necessities to make him smart, keep him in good health, help him grow strong, and keep him entertained. He could give his son food, water, and all that he needed without the chance of him escaping. It was perfect. If Silas kept his son away from him, then there was no chance of him fucking things up with the boy any more than he’d already had. When Anastacia finally came back to him, he’d set his son free. Silas knew he could be a better father with Anastacia and Cecilia there. His perfect wife would teach him all he needed to know.

  “What’s taking them so long, Silas?”

  Silas looked up when Aziz spoke, then looked over to the house with a frown.

  “I don’t know,” he muttered. “But if they don’t hurry, my brother will bleed too much. That would be horrible for their families.”

  Just when Silas was about to instruct Aziz to get out of the car and go in, something unexpected happened that shocked both of them. The front door burst open, and Cecilia came running out with a backpack on her back and a frighteningly blank expression on her face. She was now dressed in jeans and a large T-shirt, and running with the speed of a track runner down the dark street.

  “We need to follow her!” Aziz said, nearly exiting the car before Silas gripped his arm.

  “No!” Silas yelled. “Let her go.”

  They sat until she was out of sight before Silas exited the car. He heard Aziz following behind him as they both ran for the house. Racing up the steps, Silas burst through the front door. When he walked in, he gasped at the sight before him. Robbie still sat peacefully in the chair he’d been left in, but there were now two men lying dead on each side of him.

  “Holy shit,” Aziz said. “Did she do this?”

  Silas nodded slowly. “I think so.”

  “What the fuck, Silas?”

  Frowning, Silas shook his head. “This is unexpected. I didn’t see it coming. It ruins my plan.”

  “You’re fucking right it does!” Aziz frowned when he spotted a piece of paper pinned to one of the hit men’s chest with a knife. After reading it, he locked eyes with Silas. “Read this.”

  Silas read the note, dropped it on the floor, and ran up the stairs. When they walked into Robbie’s bedroom, the sight that greeted them surprised Silas, and caused Aziz to run frantically into the bathroom to empty the contents of his stomach.

  “Oh my lord,” Silas said in disgust, covering his nose to try and block out the foul smell in the room.

  He walked fully into the room and surveyed what his daughter had done. Smirking, he shook his head and chuckled. Daddy’s little girl indeed.

  “You know I told Robert to buy her dolls, but he did not listen to me,” he yelled to Aziz. “Are you recovered yet?”

  “I’m not fucking coming back in there Silas!” Aziz yelled. “You know I can’t stomach shit like that.”

  “All right,” Silas said with amusement in his tone. “We will leave now. Call them and tell them to come and get my brother. Get the doctor here now. I’m going to clean his wound.”

  Nodding, Aziz hurried out of the room and went down the stairs as quickly as his feet would carry him.

  Within three minutes, his brother was being moved from the house and replaced with another man. Silas didn’t kno
w who he was, nor did he care.

  “What do we do about your daughter?”

  “We figure out a different approach. I was not aware that she was so—”

  “You,” Aziz interjected.

  “And Robbie, and Anastacia,” Silas added. He would not be the only one labeled a monster. Both Anastacia and Robbie had a hand in making that child the way she was, it wasn’t just him. “No one go near her,” he instructed his men. “She’ll kill you if she feels danger near. If she’s anything like her mother she’ll probably stab you or something,” he muttered.

  One of the men spoke up. “But if she gets close enough to—”

  “There is no close enough!” Silas snapped. “Do as I say. Stay away from my daughter! Whether you’re standing right in front of her, or fifty feet away, she can kill you with a knife. Do you have it?”

  Nodding, the men left the house. After closing up, Silas and Aziz left as well. Silas intended to call the authorities within a few days in order to get the details of this in the papers. He knew Anastacia would have already come by then and seen that their daughter was missing. She would start looking for her, but Silas was already one step ahead.

  He needed a new plan.

  Chapter 2: Finding Carter: Seven days after Carter was taken.

  Present day …

  It wasn’t his fault. He’d come to that conclusion days ago. He didn’t want to be this person, and he knew his mother was surely looking down on him from heaven with disappointment. Unfortunately, Nathan couldn’t control himself. He was acting out and he knew it—he didn’t need to be told—but there was no way he would stop. The Steele family brought this upon their self. If Anastacia and his father hadn’t kept him out of the loop on this whole Silas Steele bullshit in the first place, they would have gotten further in their search a long time ago. Both Angelo and Anastacia had bigger armies, and much more experience as well as more knowledge about the past than Nathan, and he knew that. When it came to all of that, Nathan wasn’t ashamed to admit that he needed their help. However, what he had, that they didn’t, was what made this search move a lot quicker.