Page 8 of Duchess (Royal Harlots MC: National New York Chapter #1)

I yanked the computer toward me and proceeded to respond. "Does it have anything to do with Lazarus' game?"

Three dots appeared and the tension in the room was heavy as we waited for a response. I referenced Alan’s obsession with Lazarus hoping for a bite.

I see you've been researching.

"And I'm assuming you've done your own research since you know my name.”

I also know what you look like, beautiful.

I stared at Obsidian, and she yanked the laptop away from me. “Fuck, he can see us!”

“How?”

“The damn laptop has a camera.” She covered the lens and turned to me angrily. “Listen, Sis, I have no time for this. What the hell is Lazarus’ Game?”

I hesitated and she narrowed her eyes on me. “Talk or this relationship ends here."

“Alan used to talk about it. He was obsessed with the story of Lazarus rising from the dead. He’d reference it constantly so I mentioned it as bait.”

We both stared at the screen and Obsidian began to bite her nails. “Looks like he fell for it.”

I see you have a beautiful assistant as well.

…

You’re not easy to find, Black Obsidian.

“How the fuck do they know who I am?” She murmured, staring at the screen, looking entirely frightened.

You have something I want.

The messages continued to come in.

"And I presume you want it back?" I responded.

Precisely.

“How?”

All I want is for the shipment to be handled with care. Just like Lazarus has done for me in the past. I’ve got the clients waiting to get paid on their investments. All you have to do is find a buyer and get me the profit.

“I’m not Lazarus.”

“ Who is Lazarus?” Elizabeth whispered to me.

“It’s Alan.” My fingertips hovered over the keyboard.

No, you are not. You are the Duchess, and you get shit done for the Turks, am I wrong?

“ They are the Turks!”

“We don’t know that.”

“Yeah, well, then how do you explain how they know all that info if they’re not!” Elizabeth shot up from her seat, anxiety riding in her voice. “They know who we are and they're distracting us to kill us.”

I want to do no such thing.

The message popped up and both our hearts skipped a beat.

“Fuck! He can hear us.”

Yes I can. Every word that comes from those beautiful lips.

"What do you want?" I asked them.

We just want your help. Finish this job and we’ll leave you alone.

“Who do you mean by, we?”

My clients. Wealthy clients who expect a specific product which was promised to them.

“Your job got Lazarus killed.”

I’m well aware of that and I am sorry for your loss.

“How do I know I can trust you?”

I waited, and a minute later a link popped up. Obsidian's eyes narrowed. "It's an invitation," she whispered.

"For what?"

"A meeting."

My fingertips shook as I clicked the link. A black curtain and a chair with a desk appeared.

"What is this?"

Suddenly, a man appeared wearing a black mask with a blue neon skull face. He was broad shouldered and tall. Obsidian gasped as he leaned forward into view.

"Killian," she whispered.

He tilted his head to look at the camera and I could almost feel Obsidian melting into the chair next to me.

"Who is Killian?" I whispered to her, knowing full well he could hear me.

"Let's just say he plays the game just like me. One of the few who could easily make someone disappear."

"Good to know," I replied, turning my eyes back to the screen.

"It's nice to officially meet you ladies. I felt negotiations should be done face to face, to make things fair and as a sign of good faith." He stated.

I smiled. "Gutsy move, but I don’t think a mask qualifies as face to face."

“I can’t let all my secrets out of the box, now can I?”

“I suppose not,” I whispered, cautious in how I was going to handle this.

Obsidian sighed beside me, placing her chin in the palm of her hand. I rolled my eyes and waited for him to speak.

"We know what you can do, Duchess. What you both can do. We want to work with you. I need a middleman and you need a way out, so how can we help each other?"

“I need a guarantee.”

“Do this job for us and we may do business again in the future. These clients of mine are willing to pay a pretty penny for certain items.”

Elizabeth nudged at my leg. “Do it,” she whispered. “We have nothing to lose, and maybe he can help us.”

Obsidian slid closer to me, appearing on the camera. “We don’t want the money. Instead, if we do this, can you help us disappear.”

He considered it for about half a second and then nodded. “You got a deal.”

I placed the video on mute and pulled her toward me. “Are you crazy? Who the hell told you I didn’t want that money? And you also don’t know who those people are. ”

“I know him . I’ve heard of him for years. He works mostly for himself. I think we can trust him.”

“How?”

“He’ll make our tracks disappear and give us that brand new life you talk about so much. He could shield us from anything and he’ll also be able to protect my brother.”

Her eyes gleamed with the hope that I would say yes, and in turn I couldn’t deny her. Taking the video off mute, I turned towards the man on the screen.

“I’ll help you run this job and you help us get the Turks off our trail.”

“You got it and as a show of good faith, you can keep the money. As well as the twenty million Lazarus earned.”

My eyes narrowed, he knew everything about us. I had a feeling he was worse than Caleb.

“Oh, and Black Obsidian?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered like an infatuated schoolgirl, leaning in to look at him.

I shook my head and placed my arms over my chest as he spoke to her. "I've been wanting to meet you for a long time. You're a ghost in this world, did you know that?"

Her eyes widened. "I am?"

He nodded. "I look forward to learning your secrets. If you're willing to share them with me."

Before she could respond, I turned the laptop towards me. "No secrets Killian. We do this job for you and we’re done. I’ll get you a buyer as soon as I can."

“Twenty -four hours, Duchess. Any longer and I’ll have to look for another mover.”

“You’ll have an answer before that,” I shut the laptop down and turned to Elizabeth.

"What are we getting ourselves into, Stephanie?" She looked at me wide-eyed.

"Something we should have done a long time ago. Can you create an anonymous account?”

"Honey, I can do anything." She flexed her fingers.

“You want to know how I’m going to help you?”

She nodded and I pointed at the screen. “I’ve got twenty million ways of helping you.”

“Fuck! What the hell are we going to do with all this money?”

That was the question of the hour. What was I going to do with it, and how was I going to get rid of it without the Turks knowing about it.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is it’s mine now. It’s ours. And with it we can have a new life.”

“Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?”

“Because you deserve to be free. We all do.”

I grabbed my jacket and helmet and headed to the door. “Open an untraceable account and move the money, then pack up whatever you can. I'll pick you up in two hours. You won't be back, so pack only what you need."

"This is crazy!"

"Crazier than working for the Turkish mob?"

"Well, n-not exactly."

"You want to survive this?"

"Yes."

"Then call your brother and let him know someone is coming for him. I’ll let you know who as soon as I can."

I left Elizabeth’s place and called one other person. The only one who had cared enough about me to try and save me from Alan's grasp, right before I fell into the hands of the Turks. I wasn't sure if she'd help me, but it was worth a try.