King for a Day (The King Trilogy #2)(8)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

“I’m sure he’s gone into hiding. He knows the drill.”

“Drill?” I asked.

“King gave us very specific instructions of what to do should anything ever happen.”

“What were your instructions?”

Mack smiled. “Not to come looking, and to get the hell away from here.” He disappeared down the stairs.

I supposed that, like me, Mack had a strange loyalty to King. Then I wondered how evil King could really be if two good people saw enough redeeming qualities in the man to care about him.

Maybe we are King’s redeeming qualities.

I looked back down at the ring in my hand and noticed it had an unusual shimmer to it, just like the one in that crown. But what did I know about diamonds other than this one was huge? And King wanted me to find it. There was no way any of this was a coincidence. I knew that for sure now. The little card that came with the key had the number ninety-two written on it.

Why does this all feel so contrived? Like we were rats being herded into a labyrinth. In any case, we didn’t have much choice but to push forward and hope that a slice of cheese awaited us.

I shoved the ring deep into my jeans pocket and glanced at my watch. Quarter to eight already? Where in the hell are you, King?

CHAPTER THREE

8:00 P.M.

When I arrived at my mother’s flower-filled hospital room, I was thrilled to see her sitting up, laughing with my father and brother, watching something on TV. In fact, seeing them really made me hit pause and take a moment. Everyone was together, safe and alive. Happy. Well, almost everyone. I tried not to think about how, by this time tomorrow, things might be different. I might be out of their lives forever.

What would that do to my mother’s health? What would that do to my father? Christ. I couldn’t believe this. About six weeks ago, when Justin went on the run from Vaughn and disappeared, I’d been sick to my stomach, worrying how it might impact everyone. Now, my life was on the line, threatening everyone’s happiness.

Well, better me than Justin. I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to my baby brother.

“Mia!” My mother’s powder-blue eyes lit up when she caught sight of me in the doorway.

“Hey there.” I made a little wave. “Nice to see you’re feeling better.” I moved to the foot of her bed. “Only one more day and you’re out, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. But your father says he’s not going to let me do any shopping, and the holidays are coming soon.” An image of them sitting around the table at Christmas dinner without me popped into my head. It felt like a knife in my heart. It would just kill them if I didn’t fix this.

I swallowed the sadness building in my chest.

“Something wrong, sweetie?” my mother asked.

I forced my mouth into a smile. “No. I’m happy, that’s all.” I looked at Justin, who wore black jeans and a sweatshirt. We had the same wavy blond hair, only his was pretty short. Mine was cut into a shoulder-length bob. I’d also had it highlighted a few months ago and hadn’t gone for a touch-up, so the color was growing out in a sad kind of way. I guess after everything that had happened recently, it didn’t seem important.

“Can I talk to you, Justin? Outside?”

His eyes shifted a bit. “Sure.”

I smiled at my parents. “It’s a little surprise we’re working on.”

He followed me out through the waiting area into the stairwell. “What surprise?”

I turned and looked at him, trying my best not to flip out. “King is missing. You have to tell me what you know.”

He didn’t seem at all shocked, which meant I’d been right. He did know something. Nevertheless, he said, “I don’t know anything. I already told you.”

“Tell me again, Justin,” I growled. “Because I’m in serious shit. If I don’t find King, 10 Club is going to confiscate his property. All of it.”

I hadn’t shown Justin my tattoo. In fact, I’d been wearing mostly long-sleeved clothes to cover it up. I hadn’t decided what to do when summer finally rolled around. Now, I guess I might not have to worry.

“Look.” I pulled back the sleeve of my red sweater. “I’m his property, Justin. Me.”

Justin’s green eyes widened. “Fuck! Mia. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What would I say? That I agreed to be some crazy, rich guy’s assistant for the rest of my life to save you? What good would that do?”

“Motherfucker!” Justin ran his hands through his hair. “How? How did this happen?” he fumed.

Don’t get me wrong. Justin was my “little” brother, a year younger than me, but he was a huge guy, like my dad. He could’ve been a linebacker if he’d wanted, but his passion had been bones and stones, aka archaeology. Regardless, when he got mad, he was pretty scary.

“I’ll f**king kill him! Did King touch you?” Justin asked.

I wasn’t expecting Justin to be happy, but his reaction was much more emotional than I expected.

I held out my hands, trying to calm him. “No one’s touched me.” Exactly.

“Don’t lie to me, Mia.” He grabbed my wrist. “I know what that means. It’s a brand members use to mark their significant other.”

My brain did a double take. “What do you mean, ‘significant other’?”

He shook his head. “Mia, you know exactly what I mean.”

“You mean spouse?” But that wouldn’t make any sense.

“No. Spouses can be divorced.”

I blinked several times, and my brain started to cramp.

“You really don’t know?” he asked.

“No. I really, really don’t.” But he was scaring the hell out of me.

“King claimed you as his.”

“Yeah, I know. As his property,” I argued, trying to avoid the slippery slope I feared was coming.

“No. It means you’re his most prized possession. It means he’s chosen you to…” Justin cleared his throat, “be his.”

I felt my blood pressure plummet. “Meaning?”

“It’s like,” he searched for the words, “you’re married, but there is no divorce option—only death.”

“What? That’s not possible. He doesn’t…We’re not…I mean—he would have told me…”I stopped my ridiculous thought right there. “Married?”