The Dark Prince (The Dark Prince Trilogy #1) (14 page)

“Oh, Chase! I haven’t seen you in ages,” the women gushed, rushing to take Chase into a tight hug. He considered this woman to be like a second mother to him and returned her hug, but kept Summer at his side. This woman had kept Chase out of trouble a time or two while he grew up in this very house. She was more like a nanny to him than a maid.

“Hello, Emma,” Chase said once the woman pulled back, seeing her dressed nicely. Kayla gave her hired hands wonderful pay. “I would like to introduce my wife to you. Summer.” He watched at his words rang through Emma’s thoughts, and her light brown eyes take in his wife. He knew the second it registered to her, on who Summer was.

Summer stood stiffly against Chase, craving more than his arm around her. She wanted to bury her head in his chest and make everything disappear, sure it had to be a better place than where she was at now. She hated having attention on her. She took in the older woman in front of her, thinking that she was someone she had seen somewhere, even possibly know. But no names rang a bell to the girl. Summer had seen so many people come and go, that the possibilities were almost endless.

“Summer?” Emma repeated, sure that it couldn’t be right. “When?” Her hands were shaking as she brought them to press to her mouth, tears brimming her eyes. Her gaze went from Summer to Chase, then back again.

“I married her just a couple of days ago. It was small thing,” Chase shrugged. He watched as Emma’s eyes jumped from him to his wife once more. “It has been many years,” he said after a few moments after seeing his wife would make no move, nor sound, towards knowing who stood before her.

He wasn’t sure if Summer would know who this woman was. She didn’t seem to remember him at all from the short amount of time that they had been together while growing up. So it was very likely that Summer would not remember her own mother, either.

“You have grown up so much,” Emma gushed, holding herself back from hugging the girl. Instead, she gave Summer a small smile, folding her hands in front of herself.

Summer didn’t know what to say, so she leaned more against Chase, hoping someone would eventually fill in the blanks for her. There was quite a bit of information she had forgotten over the years, mostly because it was easier to forget than to remember, or it was beaten out of her.

“She is your mother,” Chase whispered near Summer’s ear so only she could hear. “You don’t have to say anything, or do anything if you are not ready, or comfortable to do so.”

“Shall we go to the dining room?” Kayla asked, breaking the silence. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

Emma gave Summer and Chase a small, sad smile before turning her back on them to check on the food. Her heart was rejoicing to have been able to see her child, as well as breaking because her daughter didn't even recognize her. What had that poor child gone through?

There was a clatter of activity, as everyone headed to the other room where a huge table that could seat twelve people was. It was made of glass with vases of mixed colored flowers setting on the top. A beautiful chandelier hung above it. Each place was already set, waiting on them to arrive.

Chase made sure to pull out Summer’s chair, letting her sit before he took his own next to her. Clare ended up sitting between Zinna and Kayla, while Ivan took the seat at the top of the table and Kayla the other end.

Ivan began to say grace right away, and Summer was lost on the entire thing. She never once had spoken grace. Sure she believed in God, or a higher power, but she didn’t believe in good luck, nor was she sure there was such a thing as blessed food. Food was food, what was the difference did it make? Once he finished, everyone began to dig in. Emma was in and out of the room, making sure everyone had their drinks filled.

“So, Clare, did you pick a school yet?” Trent asked, already knowing through Chase that she had been looking at a few choices.

“Yes. I have it down to two. They both seem too good to be true,” Clare answered, a smile in her voice. “I like the programs they offer, and they are similar.”

“Do you have any hobbies?” Kayla asked Clare between a bite of food and taking a sip of her white wine.

“I like to draw,” she answered, her voice shy. “I just haven’t been able to lately.” It had been over a year since she had the ability to do so.

“Oh, really? If that is the case, I have some supplies upstairs you can have. I tried to draw as a hobby once, but I just didn’t find much thrill in it,” Kayla said with a smile.

“Really?” Clare asked, sitting up straight at the thought. She missed drawing and it had been awhile since she had any proper supplies.

“Of course, dear. After dinner, I will be happy to show you. You can take whatever you wish,” Kayla replied. “I tend to hold onto a number of things, so I most likely have anything you could ever need to start out with. What about you, Summer, dear?”

Summer shrugged. She really didn’t have any hobbies, not that she had time for anything else anyhow. She was never a fan of writing, or drawing for that matter.

“I’m sure something will come along that she will like,” Chase said, not deterred.

Conversation flowed easily. Not many questions were asked to either Clare or Summer, which they were both thankful for. They were happy just listening to the chatter around them. Valerie didn’t go out of her way to talk to the two new girls, but she didn’t flat out ignore them either. Zinna on the other hand, tried to keep her questions to herself, knowing that it wasn’t the right time to ask much. Ryder kept a hold of Zinna’s hand, keeping her calm.

“So, where did you meet?” Zinna asked once the plates were cleared away.

“At a house,” Chase answered. There was no way he was going to tell his family where he found his wife. “A similar house as I had met you in.”

Instantly, Zinna knew where the two girls had been, what they were forced to do. Her hopeful look turned into a knowing, understanding look. She was surprised that Ryder had not said anything about it.

“That’s okay,” Zinna said towards the two girls. “It will get better now, trust me, I know.” A pause as she wet her lips. “I too had to adjust to this life, even. Kayla was a college student when Ivan ran across her. Of course, it was love at first sight, but now, you could never tell how much Kayla struggled to make ends meet.”

“I do my best to stay out the limelight, and ignore what I don’t like,” Kayla said with a tender look at her husband, speaking more with the look than her words. “It does get better. And I surely hope you two will let Chase take care of all your needs.”

“More than he needs to. He spends too much,” Clare said jokingly, a pleased smile on her face. “He gets us something every couple of days.” Kayla glanced at her son and smiled after Clare said this. She knew she had raised a caring son.

Meanwhile, Ivan kept his thoughts to himself, refusing to give either girl his attention. He flat out disagreed on his son’s actions. Chase had unwillingly brought a war upon them all.

“You deserve to be spoiled,” Chase said lightly. “I plan to get you something every chance I can.” He meant every word he said.

“Why, Chase?” Valerie said with a sneer, still jealous. “What gives them the right for you to spend money on them? Who cares that you are married her? You only wanted a wife to get what Ivan owns.”

“Valerie!” Trent said, giving her a deadly look, making her snap her mouth shut instantly. It was not like Valerie to be so cold. He had been up to his neck in problems with her lately, and he was getting tired of it.

“Listen here, Valerie,” Chase said in false calmness, leaning his elbows onto the table. “Yes, I needed a wife to be able to take over for my dad, who will be slowly giving me the green light to handle things the way I want. But you have no idea on what I plan to do, and you won’t until I say you can. Just because I was crowned Prince for our family, doesn’t mean I didn’t want a wife nonetheless. I actually enjoy Summer’s company, no matter where she came from.” He gently pulled Summer to his side as he said this.

“But she’s Jason’s daughter!” Valerie shouted, throwing her hands in the air. “That man only lets you have her because he’ll use her against you! Jason has more say over that girl than you ever will!”

Summer, until now, never felt pure rage at someone’s words. She had more than enough of Valerie’s attitude, and she didn’t deserve it. Yes, she was born connected to that man, but that did not make her his daughter by any means. She wasn’t sure how to tell Valerie off, but she glared at the blond.

“And you are Saul’s daughter, but yet you are in
our
family home,” Chase replied darkly, if not darker than he had ever talked to her before.

Ivan simply sat back, enjoying the show. He wasn’t a man that spoke often as it was, but wanted to see how his son would handle this simple disagreement. He would never allow someone to talk about Kayla in such a way, and in her presence at that.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Chase went on. And really it didn’t. If Summer had been born to the Romanian’s, he would have fell in love with her anyway. “She is my wife, my Princess. She will be spoiled, adored, and treated with the same respect as I am.”

“I didn’t ask for anything,” Summer finally spoke up, her voice quiet, but strong. “I didn’t ask to be born into the world the way I was. I didn’t ask for Chase to give me the things he has. And I
certainly
didn’t ask to be treated in any special way.” By the end, tears gathered in her eyes and her voice was weak. “It’s not my fault.”

Summer had been weak. She was told over and over that she would never be someone. But little by little, Chase was making her into being someone worth his attention.

“I’m sorry, Mom, Dad, but we will be leaving,” Chase said, standing up. Summer and Clare followed his command, both with silent tears. “I’ll bring Clare back later this week to pick some art supplies out. Trent, if your wife cannot contain her thoughts, or her tongue, I won’t be in the same room as her. You’re lucky I left my gun in the car today.”

Trent nodded once, his expression blank. His wife had never acted out in such a way, and he would handle it. He would no longer give his wife any leeway.

Chapter 13

Chase sped home, lost in thought. He had never seen Valerie be so disrespectful towards him, or anyone for that matter. Even with being a spoiled, bratty child and getting everything she wanted, Valerie had not once talked to Chase that way, nor in his parents’ presence. He wasn’t the only one shocked, as everyone around the table had the same look on their faces. Trent was the most surprised, as his wife had never acted like that. Trent’s look was almost murderous.

What Chase knew of Trent’s wife, because at that moment that was all she was to him, she had never seemed so cold. She had everything at her fingertips. So why did she act like that? Why was she so
fucking
bitter over Chase’s wife, who didn’t ask for a damn thing? He just didn’t get it.

Chase was livid. He left, knowing he would either punch something or say something, doing more harm than good. Plus, he never wanted Summer to see that side of him if he could help it. He may be the mafia Prince, but that didn’t mean he behaved as such. He never acted like a spoiled brat. He was a family man, and his family –
his wife
– came before anything else. No matter what.

Both Summer and Clare stayed quiet, watching wide eyed, as Chase pushed the car as fast as he could. It didn’t take hardly any time at all to get back to his house, where he almost forgot to help his wife out and into the house before storming to his office, slamming the door behind him. His phone rang just as he shut the door. He didn’t even look back to see the frightened look on his wife’s face, either.

Summer finally let her emotions take control once he was out of sight, collapsing right there in the kitchen as sobs wracked her body. She was sure it was her fault. She always ruined everything somehow.

Clare held her sister, letting her figure things out on her own. Chase really wasn’t mad at either of them, but Summer was so strung out already, and with the abuse she had suffered, it didn’t help her at all. Clare tried to sooth Summer the best she could. She cried along with her, worried that her sister had such a hard life, and nothing was helping to make it better. Clare feared that it was likely that Summer wouldn’t be able to handle much more. What would happen then? What would Summer do if she had no more life to live?

Money and gifts only went so far in helping to bring someone back from the brink of giving up. Chase had a lot to learn, but first, he was pissed. He poured himself a scotch, downed the shot, then took swigs out of the bottle. He needed to calm down; needed to tend to his distraught wife. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know
how.
Didn’t know how to let her know she was perfect the way she was.

After a few more drinks, his blood ran warm, his emotions not calming, but dulled. He felt better for the time being, but wouldn’t be exiting this room for hours. No one bothered Chase as he drowned in self misery as he ignored the many phone calls from both his father and Trent. He was sure he was missing something, just not sure what.. He looked over every account he could, looking into where money was spent, what was brought in. He looked into his family accounts.

There had to be a reason for his sister-in-law to act like that. She never had any issues with Zinna when Chase brought her to safety, so why now? Why his Princess?

Ryder’s words over the phone kept repeating in his head in time to his heart beat.
“Valerie has been seen talking to a few of the men my guys have been keeping tabs on. She’s up to something, Chase. I just don’t know what. But I’m positive that is where her new attitude is coming from.”

Chase knew she was a rat, but for what? For who? It couldn’t possibly be only due to the fact he was married.

The girls, finally calmed down, started dinner, but were too afraid to knock on that office door that had slammed hours ago. They chose to leave Chase be, as not to get in on his bad side. They did their chores, which wasn’t much, before trying out the TV that had been installed in the new class/office room upstairs as they ran out of things to do. Summer was beyond tired as her emotions were everywhere. She was close to being done. Done with everything. Life, trying, living.

Summer did things on autopilot for days after the incident. She ignored her thoughts that kept swimming around, not wanting to deal with the ‘what ifs’. It was just easier to ignore it and move on. She slept with Clare, feeling more comfortable there. If Chase wanted her, he’d be able to find her easy enough. But as the days turned into weeks, he never once saw either girl. Or at least neither of them noticed. It was almost like he wasn’t in the house.

Summer’s thoughts kept bringing back memories as the time between chores grew. She remembered seeing her mother, her memories fuzzy, as a young child. She now knew, at least, who that woman at the Marcel house was, and why she was so sad looking when Summer didn’t know her at the time. As Summer’s memories kept coming, in short flashes, a much younger, Chase promising to make things better.

Chase was in out of the house at all hours’ day and night. He was quiet, so the girls never knew when he left or arrived. They kept the house clean, made meals and also ate the leftovers that Chase refused to touch. It was like they could do anything, but knew that eyes were watching them if they tried to leave. Not that either of them had anywhere to go.

Kayla brought over the art supplies that first week for Clare, who was happy to have something to do. She was waiting on Chase to pay the fee for her online classes before she could start, and left the paper on his desk one day when the office door was opened with a note explaining what she needed. She set the easel and other art things in one of the other empty rooms, knowing that Chase wouldn’t mind. He had told them both more than once to treat this house as their own.

Summer refused to talk, keeping to herself like she had in the past. Kayla said that Valerie was sorry for the way she acted, but the Princess did not believe it for a second. She knew Valerie hated her, mainly because of who she was born to. It was no secret. Chase may not see it, but Summer knew that Valerie had a connection to her father. And that fear didn’t leave her.

Summer had always been able to tell if someone was working on her father’s side or not. Even if it was one of his men, as a few of them were only in it for themselves and held no allegiance to Jason Meads.

Summer had hardly slept, lying awake most nights listening to the sounds around her, jumping at every noise, every creak. When she did get to sleep, she woke up breathless from nightmares. It was only a matter of time before Jason would find her once more. Her health started to declined. She was tired all the time, nervous and emotional, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Clare knew, but didn’t tell Kayla when she would call or stop by to check on the girls.

Clare just thought that Summer was going through something along the lines of shock, and that she’d bounce back in a few days to weeks. Plus, she didn’t want to worry anyone if it wasn’t anything life threatening.

~oOo~

Chase kept busy. He went to meetings, making sure everything was running like he expected . The port dock in Texas was brought to a close after calling another tip in, finding many women and children held in some huge steel shipping containers. Everyone was deployed back to where they should have never left, and many arrests were made. The drugs and guns were taken into evidence, and the men were all arrested on a number of charges.

It truly amazed Chase how easily it was to bring in so many people when someone wanted it bad enough. He knew that the boarders were easy enough to pass through without searching vehicles. And even then if a search was demanded, most men still got past by bribe alone.

He didn’t want to, but Chase was forced to kill a number of handlers for the women and children he had come across. It was easier, as they wouldn’t have been held in jail for long, nor would they try to change their ways. Handlers lived off the thrill of watching their branded women do their bidding, earning money. Chase shot them, then called in the cleaning crew.

This did nothing to help his anger at himself. He thought maybe doing more good deeds would help, but it made it worse. He couldn’t save them all. And that thought stung more than ever. He hated finding the bodies of women and children that couldn’t live on past the abuse and neglect. It was beginning to happen more and more as larger shipments came in into his docks.

Chase used his money to keep it out of the media, not wanting to let anyone else know what he was doing. He was in and out of places before the men knew what was going on. Just the way he planned. He went with his father to the strip club downtown, making his presence known. It was one of the many establishments that he would be taking over soon, and needed to know how it was managed.

The manager wasn't in at the time, but the clerk working at the check in desk knew them by name, letting both men into the back to look over the files of inventory and cash flow. Surprisingly, everything looked clean. There was no reason for concern that they were hiding any illegal goods in the place. Chase felt lonely, craving a woman’s body. But he didn’t dare take any of the women he came upon that way.

He met with John at another lower income bar. John was dressed in a perfect green suit, his blue eyes watching all the women, and men, around him as they passed. His white hair was greasy, like normal. This was one of the only establishments that the dancers actually got to keep their pay, and were not here by threats alone. Those women worked here because no one else would hire them. Of course, who would willingly want to hire drug addicts?

John was happy to let Chase look around the bars he ran, seeing what sort of items he had on hand. John Meads was the drug lord of the family, and that was one of the main things Chase wanted to put a stop to. It would be too easy, as John would never expect it from the Marcel Prince. Not to mention that John also supplied a few things to Jason, and every tie that was between them both needed to be severed. Just because they had the same last names, Chase knew it was only a matter of time before he’d be picking apart each person bone by bone.

Chase also knew that John was working against the Marcel’s. He was trying to run his own show, and his hard work would be for nothing. Chase was waiting until the right moment to bring him down, and it would be worth the wait. The Prince couldn’t wait to see his face when that time came.

That man was not happy about his pets being found, but had no idea who was behind it, and he didn’t once think that Chase was the one who tipped the feds off. John had been the one behind most of the human trafficking business. And he was down to his last bar.

“I can’t believe that someone is watching my moves,” John said, ordering another hard drink. His voice was scratchy and dark, all the while watching everyone that passed him like a hawk. “It makes no sense. I have a few guys watching now from farther out, seeing if there is by chance anything suspicious going on.”

“We will figure it out,” Chase said, giving nothing away before downing the rest of his water. He tried to not drink heavily while at business meetings, as he needed to be more alert. He was actually trying to not drink alcoholic drinks anymore. It wouldn’t do well for Ivan to find him drunk off his ass again. The last time was bad enough.

“I’m sure you will. You are doing better than your old man had when he first took over,” John laughed. “I’m sure you know the ropes well enough on your own since he involved you at such a young age. How is your wife?”

“Doing good,” Chase lied. He knew she was not doing well. He heard her up a lot at night, well at least on the nights he was home. He was purposely avoiding everyone that he could, but knew he couldn’t keep it up. He missed her. Missed the home cooked meals and company that didn’t talk about the business.

“Well, if you get bored of her, you know I always keep a handful of girls in my home. They would enjoy another male anytime,” John laughed out. He made Chase’s skin crawl, and he couldn't wait to bring him down. Chase had no idea why this man, any man really, could like having women at his beck and call against their will. John loved to broadcast his
objects
to others in his line of work.

“I’ll be sure to let you know,” Chase said. No way in hell would he actually take that man up on his offer. The meeting was over before it hardly started. That man had so many bars that were raided by the feds that Chase had long lost count.

As the next three weeks went by, he kept a close eye on all the accounts. Normally, Trent would help keep an eye on them, but with the way Valerie had acted, Chase didn’t want to take that chance of her being near anything to do with the family. He knew something was going on all over his town. It wasn’t just Valerie, but merchandise was also being stolen from places that only a select few knew of the whereabouts.