Ravenous Kingpin (Kingpins of the Syndicate #4)

2. Emory

CHAPTER 2

Emory

H e smiled broadly, sending my heart into a fluttering mess.

“Then let me take you out, Em.”

My lips twitched. “Is that a hitman’s code, or are you asking me out on a date? I’m cool with either, just give a girl a warning so I can dress accordingly.”

His grin was warm, and I honestly couldn’t remember ever having such a strong reaction to a man.

Today was the most normal I’d ever felt, though I wasn’t sure you could call this conversation “normal.”

“You’re dressed perfectly.” His eyes traveled the length of me and goose bumps rose on my skin. “And we’re talking about a date. Anyone tries to hurt you, they’ll have to go through me.”

In another life, the second part of his response might’ve raised some red flags. As it was, with my overprotective brother and cousins, I was used to it.

“Did you forget my rule of several dates before jumping between the sheets with a man?” I said with a teasing smile.

“We’ll have to cram several dates into one night, then.” He winked playfully. “Are you up for it?”

The temptation had me wavering already, and he smirked, as if he could read my thoughts.

I decided to play.

“I am.” I let my eyes rove over him before I added, “But I have stipulations.”

He barked a laugh, deep and strong. “Let’s hear them, Em.”

I stared at him flatly, trying to decide whether he was joking, but judging by his expression, he seemed up to the challenge.

“Okay, first,” I counted off, holding my fingers between us. “The Taylor Swift concert. It starts in an hour, and I’m dying to go.” Yes, it was shitty that I was giving him an unattainable goal. Her concert tickets had been sold out for months, and since I was supposed to be on a flight out of the country this very minute, I hadn’t bothered trying. “Second, dinner at the Ritz at Green Park. And lastly, a helicopter tour over London to catch the sunrise.”

He smirked, reaching for his phone as he began typing. “Is that all?”

I could feel myself blushing, and for the first time ever, I was thankful for my olive skin tone. Was it wrong that I listed off the items on my bucket list? Probably, but I wasn’t counting on this guy to pull it off.

Especially in the twenty-four hours I had left in this city before catching my next flight out, weather permitting.

“I think so.”

Gosh, no man should smell this good.

He tilted his head to the side. “I think I can make the first two happen, but considering all flights are grounded, the helicopter ride isn’t looking promising.”

I stifled a grin. “That’s a letdown.”

I was feigning disappointment like an Oscar-nominated actress, but internally, I screamed. The concert tickets were a long shot for even the most connected people. My father would never allow me to go to such an event sans security with how exposed it would leave me. The only reason I was able to travel back from Italy without security was thanks to my little white lie. Sometimes I just wanted to be a normal girl with a normal life, and while my brother, Basilio, would probably try his best to make something like the concert happen, I’d never let him. I knew how brutal our father could be, and no amount of rebellion was worth it.

He smirked as he turned his attention to his phone that kept buzzing. “How about you let me surprise you with the third date?”

I felt my cheeks flush. I was acting out of character, brazen even, and it felt exhilarating.Maybe it was the product of three drinks or maybe it was this man.

“Hmm, I’m thinking about it,” I lied. The truth was that I’d made up my mind already.

“Think fast,” he whispered, his eyes lingering on my face as he took another sip of his drink. “Or those Swiftie VIP tickets might be gone.”

He was dangling what he knew I wanted.

I blew out an exaggerated breath and flipped my hair over my shoulder. “But that helicopter ride. I really had my heart set on it.”

He leaned closer, his breath brushing along my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Your safety is more important.”

I rolled my eyes. “You might not get lucky without the grand finale of a helicopter ride.”

He laughed, holding his glass up to clink with mine. “Pleasure of your company is more than enough.”

The air crackled between us as his eyes darkened and dropped to my lips.

“Then lead the way to my first concert, mister.”

Helicopter ride or not, I’d be getting lucky tonight… and so might he.

I’d never been this happy or relaxed. No exaggeration.

My eyes lingered on a set of soft blues that I could stare at all day. Or all night, in our case. Tomorrow would come all too soon, and he’d be a memory that I would cherish forever.

“You know,” I started softly, “I was skeptical that you’d be able to come up with the concert tickets at the last minute. But this ”—I motioned with my hand to our surroundings inside London Tower—“is unbelievable.”

He flashed me a grin. “I’m full of surprises.”

“Sin and pleasure wrapped in a package full of revelations, huh?”

My first ever concert was phenomenal. Four hours of music, dancing, laughing, and kissing. Nothing was going to stop us, not even the weather. After the concert, we kissed our way around every famous sight of London, until Killian declared it was dinnertime.It would be a very late dinner, but there’d be no complaints from me. I was having the time of my life.

Imagine my surprise when he brought me to the Tower of London.

“I hope it’s better than the Ritz?”

My eyes darted around the empty space, snagging on glass cases that I knew displayed some of the crown jewels.

“A thousand times better,” I admitted, nodding to the delicate tiara embedded with sparkling rubies and diamonds. “Honestly, I didn’t even know they kept these here. Do you think they’re real?”

“They are. They’ve been kept here since the 1600s.”

“How were you able to arrange this?” I asked, bewildered.

“I know the governor.”

“Won’t he get fired?”

“Only if we post our visit on social media or tell the wrong person.”

I gasped.

“I won’t,” I promised. Not because I didn’t have any social platforms but because it was a secret I wanted to keep for myself.

“He’ll very much appreciate it.” Killian lifted his glass and brought it to his lips.

“What kind of favor did he owe you?”

His grin spread wider as he scrubbed a hand along his jaw. “You’re very perceptive for someone so young.”

He took a sip of his drink, then put his glass down.

I blew a raspberry. “You’re not that much older than me. What are you? Like twenty-five?”

He braced his elbows on the table. “Twenty-six.”

I brought my own glass to my lips, suddenly worried he’d see too much, or maybe even learn my full name and my connection to the Syndicate.

He watched me too intensely, and I started to wonder if I was in over my head here.There was an aura to this man, the kind I’d seen in my brother and cousins, and suddenly I worried whether this adventure was smart or just reckless.

But no, I was just being paranoid. If he knew who I was and he was part of the criminal world, he would have probably already attempted to grill me about my father for his own gain.

“Stop staring at me like you’re trying to figure me out,” I teased, keeping my emotions under wraps.

He shook his head, leaning back.

“I can’t help it. Everything about you intrigues me.” His eyes found mine. “It’s an odd feeling.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” I blurted.

“No,” he said, his smile rueful. At his admission, a sense of relief flooded me, and I hummed quietly, instantly cursing myself for being so transparent.

“Do you have a boyfriend waiting somewhere?”

“No.”

“And what if I gave you my phone number and asked to see you again?”

Surprise shot through me, but there was something else too. A warmth that felt eerily like sunlight.

“Oh,” I croaked, clearing my throat. “That would be… nice.”

He recited his number, and when I didn’t move, his eyebrows furrowed. “Aren’t you going to write it down?”

I smiled. “I’m memorizing it.”

Then, to reassure him that I wasn’t brushing him off, I recited it back.

“Excellent memory.” He nodded, looking impressed.

I didn’t tell him that I never wrote down the most important things in my life for fear it’d be found by the wrong hands.

“I can’t give you mine,” I mumbled begrudgingly, hating that I had to lie to him. “I’m getting a new phone and won’t get a new number until I get back home.”

He took my explanation at face value, which made me feel even worse.

“How about a selfie?” he asked. “It’s all the rage these days. All the young people are doing it and we’re definitely young.”

I smiled awkwardly. “How about we do that on the fifth date?”

My brother had told me, more than once, that facial recognition was the easiest way to retrieve someone's identity, and I wasn’t prepared to reveal mine.

“Let’s make the best out of these dates,” he said, gesturing toward me with one hand while using his other to bring his drink to his lips. “Tell me something about you.”

Telling him the truth was out of the question.

“Twenty-one. Italian with an overbearing but loving family,” I said, forcing a tight smile. A part of me regretted my white lies. Everyone always assumed Italian families were big, loud, and loving, so I hoped that would work in my favor here.

He frowned, as if something didn’t sit well with him, but he let it go.

“What about you?” I asked, desperate for a subject shift.

“Irish. When I was a kid,” he said, clearing his throat, “my baby sister and I moved to the States. It was… after our parents were killed.”

I barely knew him, yet something about the way he said those words had my throat closing, and I regretted lying to him once more. But it was for his own safety.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, folding my hand over his.

“It was years ago.”

He flashed me a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I’d seen those ghosts before. In my brother’s and cousins’ eyes. It would seem you didn’t have to grow up under a ruthless mafia father to be haunted by ghosts.

I didn’t trust myself not to say something dumb—or worse, honest—so I just squeezed his hand in comfort, hoping to relay the message that way. For a moment, we sat in silence, our gazes locked in a wordless exchange where only the two of us existed.

“Now, how about a guided tour?” he suggested.

My eyebrows dipped. “There’s someone else here?”

He smirked. “I’d never share you, Em. I’ll be your tour guide.”

Relief filled me. “Perfect. Lead the way, then, Killian.”

I’d soon come to find out that the man knew his history and was an excellent tour guide.

He made me feel at ease. It was as if we’d known each other for years, every word and every kiss feeling right . He was witty and funny as all hell, and in my opinion—which, in truth, could be totally skewed with how much alcohol I’d consumed—he was worth the risk… because I knew I would never get the opportunity to be with a man like him again.

The spontaneity of the situation and freedom at the knowledge that my family would never get to this stranger had me feeling all brave and reckless.

So when we got back to the hotel, I invited myself to his hotel room knowing exactly where it would lead.