Malone - The Billionaire’s Secret

Derrick? Theo?

Whoever he was had bruises and contusions around his neck and collarbone. Had he been beaten? Jesus Christ. I glanced out on the water. It was pitch black except for a sliver of moonlight beaming on the water. I couldn't see anything. Where had he come from? Where had he been? What game were he and Theo playing?

That was the true question.

As we pulled him from the beach, Tamsin looked not at all thrilled. I didn't have time to argue with her though, because Jax and Trace had shown up for backup. They took one look at the figure we were dragging and one look at Theo, and Jax muttered a string of curses under his breath that sounded like unintelligible English. Trace just kept to, Fuck. Fuck me. Fuck this. What the fuck? Jax was far more inventive.

We loaded Derrick and Theo into the van, and Tamsin was nearly silent as she peeled out of that parking lot like her hair was on fire. Trace rode with us and watched our rear while Jax tailed us in the follow car.

I glanced in the rearview mirror. I knew my life was never going to be the same. The man I was falling for didn't exist. He was an impostor. And once again, I'd been betrayed by my own foolish heart.

Liar.

Conman.

Duplicitous fuck.

As I leaned against the wall of the makeshift medical room wed set up in the penthouse, I thought about the two versions of the man I had started to fall for.

Two versions of one of the richest men in the world. One of them was a billionaire, Derrick Arlington. And the other was someone I didnt know.

And currently, one of them was bleeding all over what looked like a massage table.

Id fallen in love with a mirage. None of what Id felt had been real.

As the doctor Royal Elite had on call worked to patch up Derrick, I watched them both. The resemblance was beyond uncanny. They were freaking identical.

No. You can tell them apart.

At the moment, I could. But without the scruff and long hair, would I be able to?

I forced myself to take a closer look. To focus on what was different, what stood out.

For starters, Theo, or whoever the hell he was, had broken his nose. There was a slight bump in the ridge. It was barely noticeable, but it distinguished them. That and the eyes, that stormy gray, surrounded by thick lashes. They were the same shape and color, but Arlington's were a little closer together. Or maybe a little wider. It was hard to tell now as he had a cut above one and it was nearly swollen shut.

Heightwise, they looked about the same, but I couldnt be sure. They weighed about the same. And I only knew that because Id helped drag Arlington off the beach with Theo, who had mumbled some bullshit about me not finding out that way. And sorry, sorry blah blah blah. If I was being honest, the shock had rendered me deaf and dumb right then.

But once the crisis was over, my voice was back, and I had a shit ton to say. Starting with Liar. Conman. Duplicitous fuck.

It didnt matter what form of explanation came out of his mouth. As far as I was concerned, he was full of shit.

On the beach, I'd been so numb I couldn't even think. All I could do was help him drag the body to the car. Tamsin had done a double take but hadn't asked a single question. But that was Tamsin. She had this ability to focus on the task at hand and pack away the emotions until later.

All the way back to the penthouse, Arlington had insisted that we call for a doctor instead of going to the hospital or Royal Elite.

Theo, or whoever the fuck he was, had argued with that plan and insisted on the hospital. Id failed at my job then. Instead of focusing on protecting Theo or Derrick or whoever I was supposed to be protecting, Id been too wrapped up in my emotions or lack thereof. Just completely unable to process anything. Thankfully, Tamsin had been there to make the final call.

While she had done the job shed been assigned, my ever-helpful brain had been wallowing in the spiral of lies and confusion. The prominent emotion being a sense of betrayal.

He was just like Garrett. I had spent all this time with someone I didn't even know, all along knowing something was wrong and ignoring that feeling. Jesus Christ, was any of what I felt even real?

From what Id been able to cobble together so far, Derrick knew about Theo standing in for him. Was it some kind of job? It wasnt unheard of for prominent people to employ doubles, but their resemblance was uncanny.

There were too many questions.

If this was all a job for Theo, how could the job be to pretend to fall in love? It didn't make any sense.

And why not tell me the truth? I was hired to guard him. Was this what he was hiding all along?

Do you really expect a bigger secret than this?

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I wouldn't get any answers immediately. Not with Theo staring down at Arlington like he was equal parts messiah and demon. Not with Arlington biting out moans and groans and generally looking like he was on the verge of dying.

At one point as the doctor stitched up the cut over his eye, Derrick trained the good one on me. "Who is she?"

I blinked in surprise as Theo's gaze snapped at me and back to Arlington. His lips pressed into a firm line. Not important right now.

Not important? The hell I wasnt. I stepped forward. "Mr. Arlington, my name is Lady Zia Barnes. I'm a King's Knight. Your cousin, King Sebastian, assigned me to protect whoever the hell your imposter is."

Arlington groaned as the doctor gently forced his head back to resume stitching. "I seem to recall specifically telling you to stay away from the royal family."

Theo's words were quiet but clearly annoyed, and they held a hint of a growl. "Well, I also seem to recall you telling me this was an easy gig. Thirty days and no one would be the wiser. But left and right, people tried to kidnap or kill me, so I think our rules of engagement are moot at this point."

My gut curled into a tight ball of nerves and resentment and disgust. I'd known something was off. I had felt it. But Id ignored it. Again. All because a beautiful man had said he wanted to take care of me. What the hell was wrong with me?

Youre easily duped.

But there was another, smaller part of me that called out, Cut yourself some slack. He looked exactly like the real thing.

I ignored both of them. I knew to follow my instincts, but I hadn't because I was desperate for love.

"Regardless of whatever arrangement you have, the royal family is involved. You need to explain what the hell is going on. If not to me, then certainly to my boss, Ariel." I couldnt bear to look at Theo as I pushed away from the wall.

Arlington tried to raise his head again. "Where are you going? I was enjoying the view."

I stilled and slid my gaze over to him. "You're bleeding. You have a head wound. Youve got lacerations all over your body, and you're taking the time to flirt with me?"

He gave me a sloppy grin. "Absolutely. Ive got to get it where I can."

Now that was what Id heard about Derrick Arlington. That he was brash, rude, and a total dick.

And it jived.

Then it occurred to me that while Theo had been difficult at times, he was never like that. There might have been yelling, but it was more around wanting to do the job for the company and not about just being a dick for shits and giggles.