Rouge: A Dark Billionaire Romance (Tattered Curtain Series)

Lacey

No. No. No.

I shake my head slowly.

“Why… why would my father do that?”

“I don’t know. The O’Shea never gave us a reason. One day he notified my father that he was breaking the marriage contract and never gave cause. It’s the first time that’s ever happened in Garde history. The McKennons have lost business deals and friends because the society thinks the Keeper must’ve found out a terrible secret about my family. They assume there’s something horribly wrong with us—with me—because why else would he have broken our deal? Your father reinforced those beliefs when he chose Monroe fecking Baron as your husband, a man whose family only just got accepted into the Garde and one who very likely killed his own father to gain half his inheritance. So you tell me. Why the feck did Charlie O’Shea try to destroy my family and put his only daughter in danger?”

Stress rolls in my stomach and bile bubbles up my throat.

This can’t be true.

It can’t be. Because if it is, then my father has been lying to me for years.

Kian releases his crushing hold on his dark-auburn hair. It looks brown when it’s damp and apparently like he’s been electrocuted when he’s frustrated. Concern furrows his brow and his calloused hands grip my shoulders gently as he tries to get me to spill my secrets.

“You can tell me, tine.”

My own soaking wet hair drips on my shoulders, making me shiver, and I lean into him, even though I know I should be running the hell away.

“I’ll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours, Kian McKennon.”

His jaw tics. “What do you want to know?”

My breath catches at the opportunity, but it doesn’t stop me from asking the question that’s been burning in my mind.

“Why did you marry me? The real reason. What’s in it for you?”

He shakes his head slowly. “I won’t tell you that. Not yet.”

“And why not?”

“You haven’t earned it.”

I scoff. “That’s rich. Just like a Garde man. Thinking he can take while refusing to give. You deserve everything and I deserve what you deign to give me, is that right? Is that how it’s going to be?”

“Of course not—”

“Then stop asking for answers I can’t give! Your reasons for holding your cards close to the vest are just as valid as mine, I can assure you.”

Honestly, I wish I could confide in him. I want to talk to someone about the fact that my father has been lying to me and that he sabotaged my marriage arrangement with Kian to…

To what? Secure the Baron’s testimony? I’d thought Monroe had stepped up to the plate to marry me when no one else wanted to and that, as my father’s financial manager, he was able to testify on my dad’s behalf. In my naive mind, one didn’t mean the other and that’s what my father had me believing, too.

But what if the Baron is only testifying if I marry him? If that’s the case, there has to be an explanation for why my father lied to me. He wouldn’t do that for no reason.

And Kian wants my dad to go to prison, right? If I told any of those secrets to Kian, he could sabotage my dad’s trial. The risks are too high.

He ruffles his hair and paces until he halts midstep. His eyes narrow on me like he can read my mind if he looks hard enough.

“Does it have to do with your father’s case? Maybe I can help.”

“He… I…” Kian’s chest stills as he holds his breath, but uncertainty gets the best of me. “I can’t say. I want to, but I can’t.”

Disappointment slouches Kian’s shoulders and my chest caves in with guilt.

“You don’t trust me.”

I want to trust him, and in some ways, I do. I don’t know when that began exactly, but even though I may trust him with my own secrets, I can’t trust him with my father’s.

“I’m sorry. I’d trust you if it was just about me, but it’s not my secret to tell. Whatever I say could hurt my family, and I’ll do anything to prevent that.”

Kian’s head tilts and my heartbeat skips as my mind mulls over that last sentence. Even with so few words, I’ve still said too much. Hopefully he doesn’t make me regret it.

“I admire your loyalty to your family, but—”

Something buzzes in the other room and I sit up to hear it better.

“Is that my phone?”

I’m about to go look, but Kian leaves the bedroom and comes back with his discarded slacks. He pulls the device from a pocket, and at first, his lip curls as he analyzes the screen, then a smug smile replaces the scorn.

There’s something like pride brightening his face as he hands me the phone.

“‘The Baron,’ huh? Not his name, no picture. Quite the personal touch you’ve got there for the man who was supposed to be your fiancé.”

I roll my eyes as I take the phone from him, but what can I say? He’s right. Even in my contacts list, it’s obvious I want nothing to do with the man. Kian chuckles as he plucks a silver poker chip from his pocket and flips it in the air.

Trying to ignore the anxiety constricting my chest better than any corset, I follow the chip’s gleam going up and down… up and down. It’s soothing, like a hypnotic meditation, and when I’m ready, I take a deep inhale and exhale at the same tempo to brace myself.

On what has to be the very last ring, I pull my towel farther up my chest like a shield and finally answer.

“Hello—”

“Lacey O’Shea, why the fuck isn’t your location on?”

“Charming,” Kian mutters as he catches the chip again. My eyes widen at him to get him to shut up and I speak in a rush, hoping the Baron didn’t hear.

“I’m so sorry, I keep forgetting to turn it on—”

“My bodyguards have been looking for a whore in a runaway bride costume all morning!”

“There’s your first fecking strike, arsehole,” Kian growls.

“Lacey, who was that?”

I leap up from the bed and clap my hand over Kian’s mouth so quickly I almost fall. He pockets the chip and grabs my waist to steady me, but he doesn’t let go, and I… don’t want him to. As nerve-racking as it is having to stop him from interrupting, it’s nice to have someone who has my back during one of these calls.

“Who was what, Monroe?” I ask.

“Is there someone with you? Where are you?”

My mind races to think of a distraction, but all it can come up with is what’s been bugging me since I talked to my mom earlier today.

“Where were you this morning? My mom said you weren’t at the courthouse.”

Monroe scoffs, but my diversion seems to do the trick, so I don’t care if he gets angrier at me.

“Well, when they couldn’t find you, obviously I didn’t bother going to the courthouse. Why would I waste my time for a silly socialite who’s too hungover to get married?”

Kian’s hands tighten into fists, but Monroe just gave me an out and I flee to it.

“I know. I’m sorry. I just got… so so drunk last night. I’ve been recovering all day—”

“I don’t give a fuck about your excuses. My lush of a sister couldn’t give me any details about last night, and frankly, I don’t want them, nor do I care. You will now be on your best behavior. Starting tonight at dinner. You’ll meet me at Vincelli’s at six.”

I pull the phone away from my ear and my eyes widen at the time. “That’s in… an hour? It takes me that long to get ready.”

“Not my problem. We have things to discuss and I won’t wait after you stood me up this morning.”

“But tonight’s Halloween. People will expect me to go out—”

“Oh, please. Don’t give me that. You weren’t going to go out tonight if we had signed our license this morning, anyway. Vincelli’s at six. Be there, or you won’t like my decision.”

A decision? What decision…

My pulse quickens, but I don’t dare ask what he means with Kian looking at me with so much curiosity.

Not that it matters since the prick hangs up anyway. I shake my head and Kian gently moves my hand from his mouth.

“Do you ever get to finish a sentence with that gobshite?” he asks and I sigh.

“That was one of our better calls, actually. I was expecting worse after this morning.”

I turn away from him and pet the silvery organza sleeves of the gorgeous, simple white dress Kian picked out for me.

“You want me to wear white?”

“Well,” I feel him come up behind me and I have to resist the urge to relax into him as his warm hands squeeze my bare shoulders. “It is your wedding day.”

A laugh huffs out of me and I give in to lean back against him. “Allegedly.”

Silence rests over us. Is his mind racing like mine is? Is he bracing himself for what I’m going to inevitably have to do? Will I have to face it alone, like everything else?

“I have to go to this dinner,” I finally whisper.

“No, you fecking don’t, and you’re not going to.”

“Yes I am.” I turn around and let my worry show on my face. “You don’t understand. There’s more at stake here.”

“Help me understand, then. Let me help you, Lacey.”

My mouth opens, but my mind stops it just in time. They call Kian “wild ace” for many reasons, some more mercenary than others. Aside from it being his brutal calling card, he’s unpredictable, and without knowing what the Baron is thinking, I can’t place my father’s life in Kian’s hands.

“I can’t tell you. Not yet.”

He sighs and rests his hand around my neck. I should be scared after everything he’s pulled, but my muscles relax under his touch.

“If you’re not going to tell me what Monroe has over you, I will find answers on my own. And you can’t be angry at the way I get them, either.”

I open my mouth to argue with him, but I snap it shut.

Do I want him to know my family’s secrets? If he learns them without my help, then it’s not my fault if they get revealed…

Once again, Kian’s giving me an out. First from marriage with the Baron, and now from being a snitch with family secrets that technically aren’t mine to share.

I shrug a shoulder, trying to seem nonchalant while hope flutters in my chest.

“Do what you need to.”

He scoffs. “I need my wife to stay at home with me and not go to dinner with another man.”

“He has answers I need! I don’t want to go any more than you want me there. Once I trick him into blabbing to me, I’ll go home, alright, but that sure as hell isn’t your penthouse.”

“Still don’t believe we’re married, then?”

I snort. “Oh, I believe it. You’re just the type of man to steal a wife.”

He huffs and shakes his head. “You really don’t get it, do you? I know you had no choice with Monroe, but didn’t you ever wish you could marry for love?”

“What?” The question startles me so much my voice squeaks. But then I laugh. I can’t help it. “Women in the Garde don’t fall in love. We smile while the men make money and we make babies. And the last one is only if we’re lucky. Where is this coming from?”

He groans. “Fecking forget it.” He shakes his head and huffs as if he’s made a decision. “Look, if you won’t let me help you and you insist on going to this dinner tonight… we’ve got to bluff.”

“What?” Shock and relief war through me. “How?”

When he speaks again, it seems like he’s having to drag out every word. It makes my own throat dry up and I swallow.

“My father is concerned about us.”

I blink. “The man who wanted to have me killed or ruined is concerned? For me?”

Kian nods and the veins around my bite mark on his forearm bulge as his fist tenses beside him. My god, he must really hate whatever he’s proposing right now.

“Since we’re married, our families are tied forever. My father and I want to make sure we know all the facts and circumstances that led to your father and Monroe’s unlikely alliance. Our parents hate each other, but what happened after your father was arrested makes no sense. So until you tell me the truth or until I find answers on my own, we have to keep our marriage quiet during your dinner tonight.”

A sudden jab in my chest makes me tense as he continues.

“The dinner is already quickly approaching, so you’ll get ready here, then you’ll go to dinner to placate Monroe. After that, you’ll come back home.”

“Home… like the O’Shea hotel?”

He grunts. “Of course not. Your home is here now. With me.”

My stomach flips at the sentiment, but I shake my head. “You know that won’t work. We’ll be found out in a second. I have to go back to my residence at the O’Shea. I’ll be safe there.”

His brow furrows as he shakes his head. “You’ll stay here, Lacey. Hopefully dinner will give you some direction and we can discuss where we want our next steps to go.”

My lips roll between my teeth as I think about his proposition. More than anything, I’m surprised that I wish I didn’t have to leave. But I love that he’s trusting me with my decision to keep my secrets and giving me the opportunity to find out more information from the Baron myself.

When I nod my acceptance, Kian mirrors the motion.

“Grand. And I’m putting one of my men on you for protection.”

“No, the Baron will find out. He already has his bodyguards on me every second he can! It’s a miracle they haven’t found me yet.”

“It’s not a bloody miracle, it’s the McKennon Hotel. Do you think we’d ever let Monroe or his men step foot above the casino floor? We only allow him there because he loses a shite-load of pride every time he gambles.”

“But, Kian—”

“This is nonnegotiable.” The hardness in his voice makes me swallow back the rest of my objections. “It’ll either be me or someone I trust who will be watching you from the moment you leave, or the whole thing is called off and I play our fecking wedding video on the biggest billboard in Vegas.”

My belly flutters at the thought, but then the reality of my situation hits me again and the breath in my lungs freezes.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Test me, and I’ll have no problem showing it off. I could give feck all about any of these pretenses, but you and my father are of the same mind and I’m trying to put my trust in you both. I won’t budge on your protection, though. There’s still the matter of the woman who was murdered at Rouge. We haven’t ruled out Monroe’s involvement, but hopefully I can get answers on that soon enough.”

Blood drains from my face and queasiness churns in my stomach. “Fine, okay. But what if he sees one of your men?”

“Then so be it. The man is a New Yorker, Lace. I don’t care what power he’s managed to swindle in the Northeast, this is Las Vegas. Your father might’ve tried to extinguish my family, but we’ve fought our way back to the top. My dad has found loyalty from families on the inside, and I’ve collected allies and businesses from Ireland to Vegas without the society’s influence. Charlie O’Shea reigned over Vegas once upon a time, but now I rule its underworld. No one has the pull I have. Not Monroe, not your father, not even the Garde. No one can best me in my city.”

Shock makes my jaw drop.

He doesn’t need the Garde?

If that’s true, Kian McKennon is one of the Garde’s biggest threats.

Total control of assets is a tactic the society uses to maintain loyalty. We don’t get a penny of our inheritances until our parents die. Most of the members rely on an allowance from their parents in the meantime and can’t seem to—or don’t try to—make a buck on their own. That’s what Kian is supposed to be: penniless and powerless. At one point, I wondered if that’s why he insisted on marrying me. But if he’s amassed wealth, power, and loyalty outside of the Garde, he doesn’t need me or our society. The Garde needs him, or he’ll become a danger to its very existence.

“So we do this together, or we don’t do it at all, alright, wife?”

I nod slowly, still too stunned to come up with an argument.

“I have a few more stipulations if you want to keep me from calling Monroe right fecking now and tell him to bloody apologize to you. I’m already counting in my head.”

“Counting?” My brow lifts.

“My grievances with him.”

“I don’t know if I could do that.” A laugh huffs from my chest. “There are too many to track.”

“Don’t worry, this will all be over before I have to count too high.” A slow grin lifts his lips at the promise. His confidence gives me hope. Too much hope.

I find distraction in a silver button at the bottom of the dress’s sleeve as I try to tamp down the foolish feelings lightening my chest. But Kian gathers my hands in his, prompting me to look up again. His gaze captures mine completely as he kisses the simple silver ring that already feels like a part of me.

“If we’re to hide our marriage tonight, this never leaves you. Understood? I get not being able to wear it. But I want it on you at all times.”

My lower belly flips and my heart tightens. “I… I can do that.”

“I’ll be there, so if you need me or if you ever feel unsafe, my number is in your mobile. I made you put it in last night.”  

I roll my eyes. “Of course you gave me your number. That’s the least psychopathic thing you’ve done yet. Anything else?”

“He’s not allowed to touch you.”

I shrug. “Easy. The Garde won’t allow it. Not intimately anyway.”

Kian squeezes my hands and locks eyes with me.

“Lacey… no one touches you. At all.”

“I don’t want him to, but…” My lips tighten before I ask, “How do I make sure he doesn’t? I can’t very well tell him my husband will kill him if he does.”

The dark laugh that escapes Kian makes my nipples peak.

“All you have to do is report it to me, tine. I’ll take care of the rest.”