For him.
For us.
For myself.
But my heart knows the truth—I can’t trust Enzo Black.
“Lie,” I answer.
His face falls into darkness like I plunged a blade into his heart.
Enzo drops his hands from my shoulders, and then he looks at Zeke and motions for him to stay with me. To watch guard over me and make sure I don’t do something stupid like try to leave or kill myself to avoid being sold to Milo.
Enzo wipes the moisture from his eyes and then transforms into the fiercest demon I’ve ever seen. No one would ever know Enzo’s heart was breaking just a moment ago. He’s one determined motherfucker. He’s just not my black knight, my savior.
He sold me.
The truth rings in my head as I watch Langston and Enzo leave.
Enzo sold me, and he doesn’t know if he can stop it.
2
ENZO
KAI’S WORDS WRECK ME.
I deserve them though. I have to earn her trust again. I have to protect her at all costs.
Even at the cost of the Black empire. I would give it all to Milo today if I thought that would keep her safe.
It won’t.
For one, it would only make Milo realize how much I care about Kai. It would make him want her more—hurt her more.
No, sacrificing my men and empire to Milo wouldn’t save Kai.
I have to find a way to keep Kai and my men safe. But how?
I told Kai I have a plan—I don’t.
I could offer myself up in exchange for her. But that would leave Kai vulnerable with no one left to protect her. And Milo has no use for me; he’d just kill me or sell me to my enemies. I’m not a good exchange for Kai. He knows someone else would take my place, and he still wouldn’t have what he wants—Kai.
Milo Wallace is a wealthy and dangerous man. He doesn’t have as large of an empire as I do, but it’s impressive all the same. He won’t go down easily. And it’s going to be hard for me to back out of the deal I struck with him. That’s not who Black is. Black doesn’t back down from a deal.
How could I have been so stupid and reckless? Because I was raised by the devil. And no matter how hard I try to fight off that side of myself, it always creeps back in when I lose self-control—when I let the anger in.
Kai deserves so much better. When I find a way to save her, I have to let her go before I hurt her again and again. I have to win to keep her out of this life. I have to protect her always. And getting her as far away from the monster within me is the best way to do that.
Langston and I walk toward my office where I told Westcott to bring Milo. He trades me a nervous glance as we approach. Langston has had faith in my leadership abilities time and time again. He knows I’m capable of leading my men to safety. I will do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. But Langston, Zeke, and I talked for the entire hour, and I couldn’t come up with a plan to save Kai.
The only solution I’ve come up with is to kill the bastard sitting in my office. But it would ignite a war—one the Black empire couldn’t handle fighting at the moment. Not when Kai and I would have to agree before we made any move.
But I’ll start the war if that is the only way to keep Kai safe.
I reach the closed door to my office. “Stay here,” I say to Langston.
He nods solemnly, and it’s the first time I don’t feel complete faith from Langston in my abilities.