When Fates Align Read online

  When

  Fates

  Align

  Isabelle Richards

  Other Books

  by Isabelle Richards

  When Fates Collide Series

  When Fates Collide

  When Fate Isn’t Enough

  When Fates Align

  Hate to Love You

  Love to Hate You

  Copyright © 2015 Isabelle Richards

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

  The following book contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual content. It is intended for mature audiences only.

  Editor: Cassie Cox

  Cover Design: Regina Wamba

  To my book belles

  Every word was written

  With your love for

  these characters in mind

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty- Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty- Six

  Chapter Thirty–Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peak

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Lily

  “You know what, crazycakes? If you’re going to shoot me, then just fucking do it already. I’ve got shit to do, and I don’t have time to waste.” I turn on my heel and walk away from Olivia toward the bedroom. Please don’t shoot me, you crazy bitch!

  “Did you seriously just turn your back on me?” she shouts in her shrill voice. “No one turns their back on me!”

  “Guess I’ll be the first then.” I turn the corner, and as soon as I’m out of sight, I start trembling. Dammit, Lily. Get a hold of yourself. With as much bravado as I can muster, I say, “We both know you’re not actually going to shoot me. This is just an ill-conceived plot to get Gavin’s attention. If you think about it for a sec, you’ll realize your plan can only backfire. So far, you’ve only broken a couple of picture frames. No harm, no foul. I don’t even need to tell Gavin about it. We’ll keep it our little secret. Why don’t you go home, take your meds, and give some serious thought to inpatient therapy?”

  I turn the corner into the bedroom and search for my phone to call Gavin. I hope to hell her sanity kicks in and she decides to go home, but at this point, I think I need backup. I’m searching the room for my cell when a loud bang reverberates through the condo, and I dive to the floor.

  That twat actually took a shot at me!

  “Oh, you’re going to pay for that, Lily,” a deep, heavily accented voice shouts.

  Oh, fuck. That wasn’t O. They’ve come for me.

  “Who the fuck are you?” O shouts.

  “Think about it, pretty girl. I’m sure you can figure it out,” the man says. “We’re going to have a nice time together.”

  The gun goes off again. I hear the muffled sounds of a struggle and a loud clang and something sliding along the hardwood floor. I’m guessing O dropped her gun and the guy kicked it away.

  “Puta, you think your little gun scares me? Oh no, women are always better when they’re feisty.”

  O screams again. I hear a loud smack, like flesh hitting flesh, then a thud. O whimpers and says something. I can’t make out what she’s saying over her sobs.

  I scan the room. My cell phone and laptop are in the office. I rush to the side of the bed and look at both nightstands. Phoneless. Fuck! Why the hell don’t people have home phones anymore? I search for anything I can use as a weapon, but there’s nothing in here. Gavin used to keep cricket stuff in the closet, but after the cricket bat landed on my foot once or twice, I had the fabulous idea of putting all of Gavin’s sporting equipment in the hall closet. Great thinking, Lily!

  A blood-curdling scream echoes through the hall. What the fuck is he doing to her?

  The scream goes on for what feels like forever. I have to do something. As much as I hate O, I can’t just stand here while some jackass hurts her. Think, Lily, think! Maybe I can sneak to the office without being seen, then call for help. Maybe I can get into a kitchen and get a knife?

  The scream stops. Stop isn’t the right word. The scream disintegrated. Her voice waned, as if she ran out of scream. Please don’t be dead, O. I hate you, but I don’t want you dead.

  Crouching, I slowly creep down the hall, my bare feet not making a sound. When I reach the living room, I spot the gun.

  Crap. Didn’t I once read that people who don’t know how to use a gun are more likely to shoot themselves than an intruder? Do I even know how to use a gun? Is there a safety? If so, how the hell do I turn it off? How do I know if there’re any bullets left? Why the hell didn’t I let Max teach me about guns? One of these days, I’m going to learn that being stubborn is actually hazardous to my health. Fuck it, I just have to wing it. People do it in the movies all the time. How hard can it be?

  Going with the “fake it till I make it” approach, I hold the gun as if I’m one of Charlie’s Angels and I tiptoe closer. From where I am, I still can’t see them. I step in something wet and immediately jump back. Looking at the yellowing trail of liquid, at first I think it’s urine. I probably would have pissed myself too if I were O. But fumes burn my nose. Holy shit, that’s not piss! He’s going to set the place on fire. I have to get O and get the fuck out of here.

  The floor vibrates as a hammering sound comes from across the apartment. Something tells me he’s not here to redecorate. My mind goes to the demolished walls in Crystal’s apartment. Do they think I still have something? I gave them their damn money, what else is there? I come around the corner and see a huge man driving a nail into O’s wrist. She’s covered in blood. It’s down her face, her neck. Her white sweater is soaked and red.

  Her eyes open a crack when he pounds the biggest nail I’ve ever seen into her feet.

  Run, she mouths before closing her eyes again.

  Run? I can’t just leave her! She’s alive. I have to do something.

  The man is still bent down, hammeri
ng. I point the gun at his back, close my eyes, and squeeze the trigger. The gun explodes in my hand. The deafening sound reverberates in my head, causing my ear drums to feel as though they’re going to shatter. The kickback is stronger than I could have imagined. I have to fight to stay on my feet. I squeeze again and again until there’s no longer tension in the trigger, but I have no idea if I even came close to hitting anything.

  Prying my eyes open, I look at O. She hangs limply on the wall. Oh my god, I think she’s dead. Did I shoot her? I don’t see any bullet holes in her, but there’s so much blood, how could I tell? The man stands and smirks, not phased at all. Did I hit him even once? The evil glint in his eye makes my blood run cold.

  “Well, what do we have here?” Removing a frighteningly long knife from his pants, he steps away from O. “My boss will be so excited to see you.”

  A sickening grin spreads across his face as he strides toward me. With every step he takes, I take one back, trying to flip though my mental Rolodex of options. If I can get to the front door, I can use the intercom to call the front desk or hit the panic button on the alarm.

  Think, Lily. Think!

  He smiles at me with the most diabolical expression. Judging from the saucers he has for pupils, I’d say he’s high as a kite, but it doesn’t detract from the sadistic look in his eyes. He’s captured me in his gaze; as petrified as I am, I can’t look away. It’s as though his evil is magnetically attracted to my fear.

  With his free hand, he pulls a matchbook from his pocket. With a flick of his thumb, he removes a match then runs it along his fingernail. Once the fire catches, he flips the match between his fingers, somehow managing not to get burned. As the match reaches his pinkie, he flicks his fingers, and the match goes flying.

  WHOOSH!

  O’s body goes up in flames.

  He lit her on fire! I know I need to run, but I’m stunned that this is actually happening. A second later, my instincts kick in and I turn to run, but he grabs me by my hair and pulls me close to him. The more I try to squirm away, the harder he pulls. He hooks his arm around my neck.

  With his hot breath tickling my neck, he says, “For months Rafa didn’t know whether he wanted to kill you or sell you. Now he gets both, and I get to hand him to you on a platter. You’re going to make us a pretty penny. But maybe after I’ve had taste for myself.” He licks my cheek.

  Revolted, I kick backward, crushing his balls with the back of my leg.

  He doubles over but doesn’t loosen his grip. “You’re going to pay for that!”

  He flexes the arm around my neck, pinching my windpipe. I flail against him, scratching at his arm, neck, and face, anything I can get my nails into. But my assault does nothing to him. Instead, he squeezes tighter and releases a deep-bellied, maniacal laugh. As he laughs, he grinds his crotch into my ass. Even after getting his balls bashed, he still manages to get an erection. He’s getting off on my pain. This is one sick fucker. My heart pounds as my body screams for oxygen. Spots spread across my vision and my muscles burn from exhaustion, but I use whatever remaining energy I have to fight back.

  In an instant, water pours from the ceiling as the smoke alarm goes off. The chaos of the moment just makes him laugh harder. With each laugh, his arm moves the slightest bit, giving my windpipe a nanosecond of reprieve. Gasping for any air I can get, I continue to writhe and squirm, trying to break free. Pressure builds behind my eyes, and a haze infiltrates my brain.

  “What are you doing? We have to get out of here. La chota will be here any second,” a man yells from across the flat. I can’t see him, but I hear his footfalls getting closer. “Fuck! What have you done?”

  My captor turns his body, and by extension mine, to face his friend. My body jars as he pivots, easing his hold on me. Sucking in as much air as I can get, the oxygen burns my lungs.

  “Don’t you think the boss will like his present?” he says in an oily voice that makes my skin crawl.

  The man in front of me is large and tattoos cover his exposed arms and neck. He’s painfully ugly, with severely pock-marked skin and a nose like a small potato. The fury on his face makes him that much scarier. “You dumb fuck! I told you to not to get high before you did this! This was not the plan! If you fuck this up, you’ll get us both killed!”

  “The plan’s changed, cabron.”

  Chapter One

  Gavin

  There’s a romantic notion that if the person you love dies, you’ll somehow feel it. You’ll feel the connection sever as the other half of your soul is ripped from you. But I didn’t feel anything when Lily died. Nothing. I should have felt something, shouldn’t I? Like the tether she holds around my heart snapping or a surge of electrical current when the connection between us was lost? Something. But there was no warning. As I drove to my flat, there was no sign of the devastation waiting for me. Nothing to prepare me for the reality that my heart was about to be irrevocably shattered. Even if I had felt something, it couldn’t have prepared me for this.

  It all seems unreal. Lily can’t be dead. Despite the numerous times I lectured her about the danger she was in, I never truly believed I’d lose her. I thought as long as she was with me, she’d be safe. What a fool I was.

  Time’s come to a standstill. I’m frozen whilst people move all around me. A constant squawk of radios echoes in the hall. Police officers and firemen hustle in and out of my flat, moving with such purpose. Tasks to complete. Because this is just a job to them. Just another murder scene. One of many. They take notes, collect samples, snap pictures. When it’s over, they’ll go home, or to the pub, and the horrors they saw here will eventually fade away.

  Not for me. My anguish from this day will never fade. It will fester inside me, trapping me in eternal misery. Since I’m perishing in hell, I’m going to make sure the bastards who did this to her perish right along with me. I’m certain vengeance crosses the minds of most people who have lost someone to such senseless acts of violence, but I know this isn’t just a passing stage of grief that will wane with time. Cartels like Morelia survive because they know how to work the system. Blackmail, extortion, and bribery make them untouchable by authorities. The only way I’ll get justice for Lily is if I annihilate them myself, and unlike most people, I have the resources and connections to make it happen. I fish my mobile out of my pocket and send a text to an old friend that I know can help me.

  After I hit send, Leo Goldstein, a contact at SIS and longtime family friend, sits next to me on the floor. “I’m so sorry, lad.”

  “MI5 and SIS know then, I take it?” I reply.

  “Your FBI friend has stirred up all sorts of attention. He and some chaps at the FBI have been on the phone with anyone who will listen in order to get the proper people to pay attention to this case. At this point, the powers that be at MI5 are saying it’s too soon to say for certain what this was all about. You and I both know that this was probably the cartel, but right now, we don’t have enough hard evidence to prove that. So they’re going to want to look in all directions. That means the enemies you’ve created through your work, which are countless. We both know you personally have had a number of stalkers. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that some deluded lass took matters into her own hands to win your affections or some bloke saw Lily’s picture in the tabloids and thought she deserved ‘better.’ Until there’s enough evidence to point in one direction, the task force will look at everything.”

  Looking down, I pull at loose threads on the carpet. “That’s bullshit. We both know who did this.”

  “Which is why you need to use your influence and resources to act quickly. Be productive whilst the task force is running around chasing shadows.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, and I look at him. “Do you hear what I’m saying? I’ve been doing this job longer than you’ve been alive. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that cartels are not caught within the confines of the law. I never said this, but between you and me, if you want justice, you’ll need to get it yourself
.”

  I nod. “I plan on it.”

  He pats my shoulder. “That’s a good lad. You’ll get through this. I know it’s hell—”

  Leo’s cut off by Max screaming in my flat. “You’re contaminating the evidence. What the fuck is wrong with you people? Don’t you have proper forensics training over here, or do you just sit around drinking tea all day?”

  Leo jumps up faster than I would expect from a man his age. “I think I’d better help collect your friend.”

  Isaac, my head of security, pulls Max from my flat and pushes him against the wall. “They let you in here as a courtesy. Pull yourself together.”

  Max pushes back, trying to break free of Isaac’s grasp. “They’re fucking everything up! Lily deserves better than the clusterfuck circus they’re running in there.”

  Leo helps Isaac block Max. “Calm yourself!”

  A uniformed officer steps out of my flat, bellowing at Max. Leo points a stern finger in Max’s direction, then walks over to the officer.

  He returns a few moments later and gets in Max’s face. “This isn’t the United States, my friend, and this isn’t how you make friends on this side of the pond. The lead investigator has just revoked your invitation to observe. If you want to have any role in this investigation moving forward, you need to jam your hype.”

  Pinching his eyes shut, Max releases a feral scream dripping with frustration and anguish.

  Isaac gets in his face. “Mate, get your shit together.”

  Max holds his hands up in defeat. “I’m cool. I’m cool.”

  Leo steps toward me and extends his hand. “Come on. It’s time to go.”

  Leaving Lily feels wrong. I hate the thought of abandoning her here with all these strangers, but the harsh reality is that she’s already gone. That body that was strung up on my wall isn’t her. I can’t think of her that way.

  Leo pulls me to my feet. He nods in the direction of my flat. “I need to get in there and make sure they’re not making a cock-up of everything. Go home and listen to your man there. I know you think you’re untouchable, but you’re not. They could easily come after you next. You have security a security team. Use it.”