Deceived: A Dark Reverse Harem Romance (The Devil's Syndicate Book 1)
THE DEVIL’S SYNDICATE
BOOK ONE
SARAH BAILEY
Deceived Copyright © 2020 by Sarah Bailey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
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 persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Please note the spelling throughout is British English.
Cover Art by Sarah Bailey
Published by Twisted Tree Publications
www.twistedtreepublications.com
info@twistedtreepublications.com
Contents
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
Acknoweldgements
About The Author
To all those left out in the dark
One day, you’ll find your way home
Chapter 1
I could pinpoint the moment in my life when everything fell apart to the day the love of my life walked out. At least I thought he was the love of my life. Nate Tucker was the epitome of perfection. From his signature ice-blue eyes to his always neatly styled blonde quiff and blue suits which clung to his muscular body. A body I knew intimately. For instance, I knew he liked to work out every morning before he took a shower and that his health was very important to him. Meals had consisted of grilled chicken, salads and these disgusting green smoothies he’d whizz up every morning. He never put anything in his body that wasn’t good for him. Junk food was banned from our house, although I managed to sneak it in every so often when he wasn’t at home.
I should’ve known it was too good to be true, but I was blindsided by his handsome features, southern American charm and the attention he paid me. I thought we were going to get married, have babies and grow old together. That was the plan. I guess sometimes plans got derailed because here I was left with the broken shards of my heart in a mess on the floor. Two years of my life wasted on a man who clearly cared very little about me.
How did I know he didn’t care?
Well, the fact he was cooing over this leggy blonde with fake tits and a nasally laugh which grated on my ears across the room from me might cue you in. Trust me, the daughter of a man who led a prominent crime family in London to fall for the first man her father approved of. He practically shoved Nate in my face. It was all “Nate is my new American associate, Ashleigh, you should show him the town” and “Nate is a nice guy, he’ll treat you right”. Pity Papa didn’t tell me Nate was only using me to get in his good graces.
How did I know that?
The second Nate received an invitation into Papa’s inner circle, he dropped me like I was an annoying fly buzzing around his head.
The worst part of all?
Papa wasn’t even mad. It’s like he knew Nate was using me. I hated them for it. Hated they’d used me so cruelly. I’d loved Nate. Took care of him. Moulded myself to fit in his life. And it was all for nothing. All I had left was our flat, which Papa bought for me and the memories of the life I’d shared with Nate haunting every inch of it.
Nate knew I was staring at him, but he refused to even glance at me. Fully engrossed in Ursula fucking Gregory. I hated that bitch. Not because she was flirting with Nate. No, she’d sneered and belittled me from the first day I’d arrived at Hawkshead Prep School until the day I left. Now she’d wormed her way into one of Papa’s inner circle parties like the sneaky bitch with no shame that she was. Ursula had no idea what she’d got herself into. She didn’t know about the criminal empire my father ran. His investment company was a front for his drugs and illicit dealings.
“Ashleigh, darling, it’s rude to stare,” my mother hissed in my ear.
Isabella Russo, née Davenport. A force to be reckoned with. Coming from money and marrying into a family like my father’s was seen as a power move. There was no love lost between my parents these days. She attended his parties to keep up appearances. That’s all they cared about. Making sure their image in polite society wasn’t tarnished.
“Yes, Mother,” I mumbled, dragging my gaze away from Nate and Ursula.
“That boy never deserved you.”
I looked over at her. Mother was always impeccably dressed in the latest designer brands. Nothing but the best for Isabella. Today she was sporting a deep red cocktail dress which pushed her breasts up and complimented her hourglass figure. Her blonde hair was up and her smoky eyeshadow perfectly highlighted her blue eyes. I’d inherited her looks rather than my father’s dark hair, olive skin and dark eyes. It’s why I hated the fact that Nate had gone after Ursula. He clearly had a type. Blondes. Not for the first time, I wished I didn’t look like a younger, much shorter version of Isabella Russo.
“He deserves to have his dick cut off.”
“That could be arranged.”
I couldn’t bring myself to smile at that. In my world, if you messed with our family, you’d likely turn up in hospital with broken legs or in a body bag in the morgue.
“Papa would never allow it.”
He’d likely be looking around at his men as we speak, deciding which one to marry me off to. The Russos kept things within the family. I was expected to marry for strategic purposes rather than love. Papa never shielded me from the harsh realities of his world. I’d witnessed things which might make a lesser girl’s stomach turn.
“Your father wants what’s best for you. That boy will never be it.”
I wisely kept my mouth shut. No point arguing with Isabella. She’d only tell me I was being naïve. Instead, I scanned the room again until my eyes fell on a group of men in the corner. Normally I wouldn’t give a shit who Papa had invited to these things. This group I hadn’t seen before. Four of them. All equally striking in their own right. One had dirty blonde hair with a scar running across his right eyebrow. Another had chestnut hair with dark eyes the colour of an evergreen forest. The third slouched against a bookcase with a whisky tumbler in his hand, his auburn hair glinting under the lights and his blue eyes piercing. It was the last man who caught my attention. He had dark hair and eyes as black as night. He looked like he’d wa
lked right out of hell, wearing all black with a single red handkerchief in his suit pocket. The look in those dark eyes as he scanned the room with a sneer on his face sent a chill down my spine.
If I was the superstitious type, I’d say these men were a bad omen. Something about them made me want to shrink into the background so they couldn’t see me. Especially the dark-haired one. He could gut a woman with a single glance. I decided then and there, I never wanted to make their acquaintance.
“Who are they?”
“I advise you not to ask that question, Ashleigh.”
I turned to her, my eyes wide.
“Why not?”
“Forget you saw them. They’re not men you want to know.”
My mother’s eyes were narrowed. She gripped her glass of champagne tighter. Her reaction only confirmed my suspicions. They were not good men. Why were they at my father’s party? How had they gained entry?
“Mother…”
“Don’t. Stay far away from them. Promise me you won’t go looking for trouble.”
As if. I knew what type of men graced this world. Growing up with hardened criminals changes a person’s perception. You’d think Papa might have shielded his own daughter from the horrific nature of his business. No such luck there.
“I won’t.”
She eyed me for a moment longer before nodding and sauntering off towards the games room where my father was gambling. I decided I’d seen enough. Papa expected me to make an appearance tonight, and that was it. I’d done his bidding, now it was my time to escape.
Glancing around one last time, my eyes lingered on the man from hell. His eyes were fixed on the open doors of the gaming room where my father could be seen laughing. The rage and hatred in his eyes were unmistakable. Whatever problem he had with Papa, it was no concern of mine.
I slipped from the room into the hallway and walked towards the stairs. That’s the last thing I remember of that night. My foot landing on the first stair before a hand slammed over my mouth and the sharp sting of a needle slicing through my flesh. I never got a chance to scream. Darkness overtook me, dragging me down as my body slumped against a solid chest and all my senses faded to black.
Chapter 2
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound rang in my ears.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Why was it so loud?
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Sleep tugged at my senses, but that sound was maddening. I tried to move and found my body unresponsive. My fingers wouldn’t even twitch. Willing my eyes to open, I heard the low murmur of male voices.
“We should move her.”
“Is she awake?”
A shuffling of feet brought the voices closer.
“No, but she can’t be comfortable there.”
“I don’t give a shit about her comfort.”
Who are these men? What happened to me? Why can’t I move?
“I don’t hurt women.”
“It’s his daughter. Why the fuck would you care about her?”
Had these men taken me because I was Frank Russo’s daughter?
“There’s just no need to keep her like this.”
“Oh, because you’re such a paragon of virtue and morality.”
“Fuck you, Knox.”
The footsteps came closer. I could feel the heat of another body. It made me aware of how cold I felt and how I seemed to be trembling despite my inability to move.
“She’s freezing,” the one who’d sworn at this Knox said.
“Do I look like I care?” Knox said, although he sounded further away.
“Might I remind you we need her alive.”
“Fine. Warm her up but don’t give her any fucking creature comforts, you hear me?”
“Whatever, Knox.”
The sound of retreating footsteps echoed in my ears.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
“Fucking prick,” muttered the man who’d come closer to me.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
I felt his hands tuck under my legs and back. A low whimper escaped my lips as I realised they’d stripped me bare. What else had they done?
“Shh, it’s okay, angel, I’ve got you,” he murmured close to my ear as his warm breath fluttered across my face.
I still couldn’t move. He tucked me up in his arms and I felt the sensation of being carried. The sound of his heart beating in his chest where my head was resting lulled me back into oblivion.
When I next regained my senses, the dripping sound was gone. My body ached all over like I’d been sleeping on a hard concrete floor all night. I attempted to move my fingers, finding them twitching with the effort. I cracked open my eyes. The light was almost blinding. My head pounded immediately. I squeezed them shut again, groaning at the pain.
“So you are still with us,” came a male voice, one I recognised vaguely from before.
“Wh… what?” I croaked.
My mouth felt like it was full of cotton wool. My lips were dry and cracked as I ran my tongue over them.
“You’re awake.”
I opened my eyes again, wincing at the light. I couldn’t move my head yet, but above me was a white ceiling and a single bulb shining down on me. My eyes flicked down and I found a man sitting in a chair at the end of the bed I seemed to be laid out on. He had auburn hair cropped close to his scalp. His heavily tattooed arms rippled with muscle as he turned to me. His piercing blue eyes were like beacons in a storm, drawing me in.
“Wh… who are you?”
“No one important, angel.”
“What happened?”
I couldn’t remember anything. The last solid memory I had was of talking with my mother at one of Papa’s parties.
“Not really meant to tell you anything.”
My eyes flicked down to my own body covered by a thin blanket. Underneath said blanket, there wasn’t a stitch of clothing on me. I let out a choked gasp, my eyes finding those blue ones again.
“Where are my clothes?” I rasped, realising I should’ve been asking for water.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t worry, angel, no one has taken advantage of you.”
The gleam in his eye told me he’d thought about it. My stomach churned at the implications.
What the fuck?
It wasn’t as though this man who called me angel was unattractive, but clearly he was complicit in taking me. Somebody had kidnapped me. So regardless of whether he was hot or not, there was no way in hell I was letting him or anyone else touch me.
He looked away from me and fiddled with his phone for a moment. Then he stood, stretching as his joints popped. He came around the bed, picked something up from near my head before sitting down next to me. He reached over, tucking a hand behind my head and lifting it. I almost protested, but then I realised he had a glass of water in his other hand. I gratefully sipped at it with his help.
He placed it back on the bedside table as the door to the room slammed back on its hinges. Both of us looked over at it. Blue eyes huffed and muttered, “Here we go,” under his breath.
“I told you no fucking creature comforts, Xav,” growled the black-haired demon who’d appeared in the doorway.
The memory of last night came flooding back in full force. I looked between blue eyes and the demon from hell as two other men appeared behind him. It all clicked into place.
The four men from last night.
They were all here.
They had taken me.
The question which formed on my lips was, “Why?”
All four men fixed their eyes on me, making me realise I’d spoken out loud.
“Why what, angel?” blue eyes asked.
“Why am I here?”
He looked over at the other three men as if to ask what he should say in response. No one spoke for a long moment. Then the demon advanced into the room, ripped the blanket from my body and practically dragged me off the be
d.
“Hey, Knox, be careful with her.”
“Back off, Xav,” the demon hissed, his dark eyes wild.
I stumbled, unable to hold myself up as the drugs still coursed through my system. Falling against him as my knees buckled, he gripped my arms to steady me. Next, I found myself hoisted up in his arms and pressed against his solid chest. He didn’t look down at me, but I took a moment to study him as he carried me from the room. He had one of those devastatingly attractive faces if you didn’t count the fact that he had a scowl etched deeply on it. High cheekbones and a beautiful jawline most women would swoon over with incredibly long eyelashes fluttering across his cheeks when he blinked.
“Knox, you don’t have to do this,” called blue eyes.
“I said, back the fuck off.”
His jaw ticked after he clenched his mouth shut with his retort. Perhaps his stern look should’ve scared me, and in many ways it did.
“Xav’s right, we don’t have to keep her chained up,” another voice sounded down the hallway followed by footsteps.
“You can fuck off too, E.”
The footsteps stopped. I continued to stare up at my kidnapper, wondering what I should say.
“Who are you?” I croaked out.
“Quiet,” he snarled, not even deigning to look down at me.
If he thought because I wasn’t able to struggle against his grasp due to the effects of the drugs they’d given me that I’d do what he said, he had another think coming.
“Who are you?” I repeated, my voice a little louder this time.
“I told you to be fucking quiet.”
My hand twitched where it was resting against his chest. I should’ve probably been embarrassed about being in his arms when I was completely starkers, but they’d all seen me now, so what did it matter. Blue eyes, or Xav, said none of them had taken advantage of me. I doubted this Knox wanted to either judging by the rage radiating off him, but who knew what was going on behind those piercing eyes.
“No. Why did you take me from my father’s house? Surely he knows it was you. He’ll have everyone looking for me.”