King Maker Read online

  King Maker

  Terri E. Laine

  First Edition

  Copyright 2020 Terri E. Laine

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The scanning, uploading and distribution of the book via the Internet or via any other means without permission is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support for the author’s rights is appreciated. For information address to SDTEL Books.

  Michele @ Michele Catalano Creative - cover design

  Sara Eirew - cover picture

  Author’s Note

  If you want to know when my next release will come out, please sign up for my newsletter. https://www.subscribepage.com/terrielaine

  If you are a fan of this series or me, make sure you join my fan group. Terri’s Butterflies

  And you can join my reader group to talk books. Terri E. Laine Reader Group

  Contents

  THIS IS NOT A STANDALONE -

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Terri E. Laine

  THIS IS NOT A STANDALONE -

  This CANNOT be READ as a STANDALONE.

  You MUST READ Money Man FIRST and Queen of Men SECOND.

  One

  Time melted away as I projected a calm I didn’t feel. Bailey was in the hands of someone with nothing to lose. Hours had passed without any contact from anyone for ransom. This was most likely personal. The longer she was gone, the more likely we wouldn’t find her safe.

  Turner’s pacing came to a stop. He looked up at me with fathomable eyes that clearly spoke volumes of the love he had for a woman I’d claimed as mine.

  “Who’s coming again?”

  I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. I’d already explained this to him, Bailey’s father, and then to the council members of the community.

  Though my temper flared, I managed to tamp it down. He did hold the same fear I did.

  “Matt,” I gritted out. I took a second to breathe before I finished. “The brother of Lizzy, Bailey’s best friend from college.”

  His hand scrubbed over his face before he nodded. “Why would he fly here at a minute’s notice?”

  Frustration welled up in me. Gaelic words hung on my tongue, but I held them back, knowing he wouldn’t understand them. I fought the urge to push back at the guy. Putting up with his grilling was starting to crack my façade.

  “She’s his sister’s best friend,” I repeated. “And a cop.”

  Turner wasn’t a stupid guy. He looked at me man-to-man, calling me on my bullshit.

  “I think he may have had a thing for her,” I admitted.

  He shook his head as if to say he figured as much.

  “I don’t think anything ever came of it. She’s really close to their family,” I said and wondered why I was explaining myself.

  After taking a cleansing breath, I opened my eyes to find his brown eyes trained on me as he spoke. “A security team from your friend’s company is picking this Matt up before heading here.”

  “Yes,” I said, my nerves frayed.

  “You have a stake in the company?”

  It was my turn to scrub my face in hopes of wiping the grimace off it before I spoke. “No.” Though that wasn’t exactly true, I didn’t tell him that. I’d helped Griffin with the start-up cost, but he’d long ago paid me back.

  I was also one of his largest clients, as I’d brought his team in-house to combat hackers and help screen future and current employees of King Enterprises. Now he was working to help clear my name of possible charges against me.

  His eyes conveyed he wasn’t convinced. “Why are you even here? She told me you broke up.”

  We hadn’t actually been together. Though I didn’t contradict his statement.

  “Because it’s my problem.”

  A fire blazed in his eyes that mirrored my own. “We can take care of her.”

  I wanted to shout, can you? But considering she was gone, I hadn’t been able to protect her either.

  Instead, I calmly explained, “If it weren’t for my company, she wouldn’t be in danger. Even if it was someone else, I would be involved. I’m responsible.”

  It took a few moments before he nodded. “How long before this Matt shows up?”

  A quick look at my watch revealed it would be soon. “Maybe a half an hour.”

  “Fine. I’ll be back.”

  I watched him go and breathed a sigh of relief. His tension only added to my own. I took the opportunity to call Griffin.

  “Tell me you have something,” I said.

  “We’ve narrowed the make of the vehicle based on the pictures of the tire tread you sent.”

  “And how does that help find her?” I snapped.

  “We’ll know what car to look for when we pull video.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. Frustration was wearing on me. “Yeah… right… Sorry.”

  “I’ve got everyone working on this. But if we don’t know what kind of car we are looking for—”

  “I get it.”

  “Kalen, we’ll find her.”

  I hoped so. “Call me when you have more.”

  “Will do,” he said.

  I ended the call and tried not to think about what someone might be doing to my girl. A sobering huff escaped my lips. Was she mine?

  The question plagued me because of her eyes. The way she gazed at me, even after I arrived. They betrayed her words in every way, causing doubt, especially after last night.

  With irritation, I ran a hand over my head before stepping outside to find space to breathe. I would never understand women. If not Bailey, I would never let another woman into my heart again. Ever.

  A second later, a call came through, but it wasn’t Griffin.

  “Lizzy,” I said.

  “Where is she?” Bailey’s best friend sounded like she was spitting fire.

  “I’m going to find her.”

  “You better because this is your fault.” The blow connected right where she wanted. “Bailey
doesn’t deserve this. She’s a sweet, kind, girl—no, scratch that—woman. She’s never done anything to anyone.”

  I wanted to dispute that. She had me tied up in knots and I would bet the same could be said for Turner. Not that it was her fault. She just had that something special.

  “I’m going to find her,” I said again with more conviction.

  “Really it’s my fault,” she babbled. “I’m the one who told her to screw you. And look how that turned out. She’s practically lost her job and now her life.”

  I breathed through the guilt before I said a final time, “We will find her.”

  “Do you know she was practically in tears after screwing you that first night?” she huffed. “My girl is not that kind. She’s like the no sex before marriage type.” She paused. “Not exactly, but damn close enough, and now you’ve ruined her.” I thought she was done, but I was wrong. “I ruined her. If you don’t find her…”

  A sob came from the other end of the phone.

  Softly, I said, “I will get her back safe and sound.”

  “If you don’t, I’ll cut off your balls and feed them to you unless my brother kills you first. And if he does, I’ll kill you again and bury your body with him.”

  “I don’t doubt you will.”

  “Good.”

  I was pretty sure she was on the verge of hanging up.

  I said, “You can’t go home.”

  “What?” she said, sounding surprised.

  “Where are you? Are you still in Chicago?”

  “How did you know I was in Chicago? Matt better have told you. I don’t want to find out you’re stalking me.”

  “Are you in New York?” I asked, getting us back on track.

  “Yes. I’m waiting on my luggage.”

  “I’ll have someone pick you up.”

  “Wait. You’re not the boss of me.”

  “You heard about the break-in.”

  “I did,” she said. “But Bails said you had it cleaned up. I assume they did a good job.”

  “It’s clean but not secure. I won’t risk you. I have a place you can crash.”

  “Hotel?”

  “Better. You’ll like it. Trust me.”

  “What about my things?”

  “It’s on me.”

  “A shopping spree,” she said with a wicked edge. “Because I can do damage.”

  “It’s on me.”

  “I don’t need your charity, Scottish boy. I can pay for myself.”

  “You can, but I’m inconveniencing you. So I’ll cover any costs.”

  “I won’t stay there forever,” she said as if this was a negotiation.

  “I’m not asking you to. A few days, maybe a week.”

  The lass would never forgive me if anything happened to her friend.

  “Fine. Now where is this place?” she asked.

  “I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

  “You like being mysterious, don’t you? Bails might like bossy, but I don’t.”

  “Please,” I said.

  “Fine. Text me the deets. And get my girl.”

  She ended the call, and I knew if I didn’t get Bailey back safe and sound like I promised there would be hell to pay. Lizzy might be a slip of a woman, but she had fight in her.

  My satellite phone buzzed in my hand before I put it in my pocket. “Griffin,” I said.

  “ETA, five minutes.”

  I wanted more information than that and would have said it, but he said something else.

  “Someone wants to talk to you.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to ask who it was before I heard, “Da.”

  Every time I heard my son’s voice, he thawed the frozen thing that managed to beat in my chest.

  “Gabe.”

  It wasn’t often my son called me in the middle of the day. When he did, he usually wasn’t feeling well.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  His voice broke when he spoke, breaking me in turn. “When are you coming home?”

  Guilt hit me like a sledgehammer. Though we’d video chatted last night with me telling him a bedtime story so our routine wouldn’t be completely broken, it wasn’t the same as being there.

  “Very soon. I promise.”

  “Okay,” he said weakly.

  I wanted to curse but managed to hold it in.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you too.”

  “To the moon and back,” he said, sounding a little more optimistic.

  “To the moon and back.”

  When Griffin got back on the phone, I heard him walking away as the background noise quieted with his every step.

  “You should—” he began.

  “I know. I’ll come back tomorrow no matter what.”

  “I could always switch places with you.”

  I shook my head and realized he couldn’t see.

  “I need you there,” I said. “I don’t trust anyone else.”

  “Connor?”

  That was the question I couldn’t answer. I didn’t want to believe my brother could be doing this. In fact, I didn’t. At the same time, I wouldn’t put my son’s safety at risk because I wanted to believe he couldn’t do this.

  “Connor is the last person I would ever believe would do this to me.” But I had to be smart. “Everyone is on the list until it’s proven they’re not.” A second later, I asked, “Anything on Steven?”

  There was a bigger question mark on Violet’s husband.

  “Not a lot to go on. We are searching headlines for disappearances of anyone with the name Steven and all its various spellings.”

  “If that’s his real name,” I muttered.

  “Exactly. I have your description, but our focus right now is finding Bailey.”

  “Good.”

  Though finding Steven might be the key in finding Bailey.

  “They should be arriving,” Griffin said. “I’ll let you know if we come up with anything else.”

  “Griff?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I need you to have someone pick up Lizzy from the airport. She’s back in town.”

  “Are you serious about setting her up at Connor’s?”

  “He doesn’t stay there. Our father got it for him years ago and he doesn’t use it. When his birthday passes, it will be cleared for him to sell it to me outside his trust.”

  He was giving it to me for a song as a fuck you to our father. That was why I couldn’t believe he was behind all of this.

  “The keys are in my office as we discussed,” I said.

  “Are you going to tell him?”

  I hadn’t planned on it. “He’s never there. That’s why he gave me the keys to check it out.”

  He’d gotten it before I’d come back to America. And he hadn’t lived there the entire time, which was why I’d never seen the place until recently.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Unceremoniously, I clicked the phone off and headed through the stalks edging the most likely path Bailey had been taken through.

  Time was not in our favor. It was more like quicksand. I decided not to waste any of it finding Turner. I had to brief the team and get them started fast to ensure we found her alive.

  Two

  I took command of the mobile team that showed up, which was equipped to rival any crime scene unit. They’d parked it several yards away from the evidence.

  One of the team members stepped from the back with a camera, filming everything as he went.

  Rulers were set on the ground to measure both the length and width positions of the tire tread before high quality photos were taken to replace the crude shots I’d gotten with my phone.

  Matt stood next to me watching the security team work after I told him what we found and showed him the disturbance in the stalks.

  They were as tall as those seen in horror movies. “This is where we believe he, or whoever it was, came through,” I said, pointing to the area.

  The cop moved
forward, back in investigation mode. I followed Matt down the disturbed path to end up back behind Violet’s house.

  “Whose place is this?” Matt asked.

  “Violet’s, Bailey’s older sister. She shares it with her husband.”

  He walked back toward the direction of the road.

  “What do you need me for?” he asked as we retraced our steps.

  “I need to make sure everything is above board. You’re the perfect point person to oversee things to ensure it stands up in court if need be.”

  He stared at me with cop eyes I couldn’t read. “I can’t do anything more than the local authorities. And we both know that an adult person isn’t treated as missing unless forty-eight hours have passed since they were last seen,” he said, watching me as if he could read my thoughts.

  “Which is why you’re here. We’re launching our own investigation.”

  “I get that. But if you want to do it by the book, we’ll have to wait the mandatory forty-eight hours before we can get a subpoena to get access to any potential video surveillance.”

  I understood that. Which was why Griffin was working to hack any potential online video feeds once we narrowed down the type of car we should be looking for.

  “We aren’t waiting,” I said.

  “Can we just ask?”

  Matt and I swung around to the speaker to see Turner emerge through the stalks a few feet away.