Page 21 of Paradise Ties

Before he had a chance, though, Scarface walked to the Princess and backhanded her, making her cry out. He heard Jack growl beside him. To say his cousin wasn’t keen on men who harmed women was a gross understatement. He glanced at Jack and saw his jaw was rigid, his eyes cold.

“Princess, you are going to call your brother and tell him I want twenty million dollars transferred into this account within one hour or I will have every one of my men rape you until you are nothing but a cum slut for my men and post it on every social media account for all the world to see. I will then slit your throat on live television. If you say anything other than that, I will kill a hostage.” He motioned for one of his men to grab a hostage. A man with a cold, dead stare and bald head grabbed a young man, barely older than nineteen, and hauled him in front of the Princess. “Make the call.”

The Princess raised her head in the regal way that only people of extreme privilege could do. “I will not.”

Jace felt his heart sink at the show of pride and stupidity. He watched with inevitable sadness as Scarface turned and put a bullet in the young man’s skull. The Princess looked in open-mouthed shock at the dead man, her shoulders beginning to shake.

“Let’s try this again.” He lifted his chin to the bald gunman who walked towards Lucy, Celeste, and Aubrey.

Jace felt the men beside him freeze in a death grip. Bile filled his throat and his ingrained training died, fear gripping him and the men beside him. The gunman grabbed Aubrey, and Jace felt Will move.

Jack grabbed his brother back as best he could without being blatant and held him. “Stop,” Jack hissed, and his calm authority seemed to filter through to Will. Aubrey was led towards Scarface and the Princess and pushed to her knees.

“Take me,” Jack said as he stood. “Leave the woman alone and use me as your hostage.”

Jace heard Will suck in a breath. Jesus Christ, this was fucked up. Jack would swap his life for Aubrey if the Princess made the wrong call again. He would’ve done the same in Jack’s position, but the anguish on Will’s face reflected the impossible situation.

“You are either very brave or very stupid.” Scarface addressed Jack, then shrugged. “I do not care either way.” He motioned for Aubrey to be returned to her place beside Lucy and Celeste as Jack was dragged forward.

“Jace.”

“It’s going to be okay, Luce.” He held her fearful eyes and watched as she visibly pulled herself together before turning to watch Jack. His cousin was now on his knees in front of the Princess, a gun to his head. Jace wanted to look away but held Jack’s eyes, wanting him to have something to cling to if these were his last moments on earth.

The moment seemed to hang in the air as everyone in the room held their breath, but none so much as him and Will—who had gone statue-still as he watched his brother prepare to die for the woman he loved. There had been so much anguish between the brothers, and now when things were finally good again, it was cruel that one decision from a spoiled Princess could snatch it all away.

“Make the call.”

Chapter 10

Dane

Paradise was the only way to describe the small secluded cove Dane and Lauren were in with the twins. The sand was off white and so fine it was soft and warm against his toes, the water was clear and shallow, and the palm trees provided shade from the morning sun.

I could stay here forever he thought, as Leah climbed all over his chest. Lauren was paddling in the warm water with Aaron just a few feet away, her blonde curls piled high on her head, showing off the perfect arch of her neck.

“You want to join Mummy and Aaron in the water, Princess?” He tilted his head at his daughter and smiled as she clapped her hands on his chest. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

He laughed as he sat up, carrying her in his arms and running to the water, making her belly-laugh as he did. Lauren turned at them and smiled. Her beauty took his breath away. Dane moved to her and kissed her shoulder tenderly before lowering Leah until her feet just touched the water, her tiny hands holding onto his finger as she splashed.

“I love this place.”

Dane nodded. “I can see why K and Roz love it so much.”

“Me too. Lucy chose well, picking this for the wedding.”

He turned to her then as he thought of something. “Do you wish we’d done it separately from Luce and Jace?”

Lauren shook her head. “No, not at all. Sharing it makes it perfect. We’ll have all the people we love together and doing it with Lucy makes it even more special.”

“Yeah, I agree. I just wish Lizzie could find this kind of happiness.” He looked at the yacht in the distance as it bobbed peacefully.

“I think she will, one day. She has a lot still to deal with and process, and it takes time.”

“Do you know she’s taking Systema classes with Blake?”

Lauren arched a brow. “Blake from Eidolon?”

“Yes, she doesn’t know that I know. She wanted it kept secret.”