Bennett Mafia

by Tijan

  With that, he turned and started forward.

  I was stunned enough that I didn’t move, and a guard had to grab my arm and guide me forward.

  I almost stumbled over my feet, but I couldn’t go there. I couldn’t think about Brooke, or Blade, or what was going to happen next. If I did, I was going to do something to get myself killed. And I couldn’t do that. Not yet.

  I had people to live for. I had a mission to live for.

  Pay attention! I heard Blade reprimand me in my head.

  He was right, or my training was right.

  I had to take note of what we were doing, always. I had to remember everything.

  We went to a back elevator, in a back hallway. It was the cargo elevator, the one the workers used for food and laundry and who knew what else. It took us to the top floor, and the hotel worker seemed nervous. She dropped the key card twice before the guard used it instead.

  The doors opened.

  We stepped out to a small hallway, turned immediately to the left, and another door opened for us.

  It was the penthouse. Or so I assumed because it was grand enough to overlook the bay behind the hotel.

  It had a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and there were three rooms just off the main one. Three bedrooms.

  I knew, without looking, without asking, that Kai Bennett had rented the entire floor. He wouldn’t let his privacy or security be challenged by having outsiders so close.

  The worker spoke to him as I walked to the window, looking out over the pool and water beyond. She was still nervous, but there was also a hitch in her voice. She wanted to impress him. She would’ve slept with him. I heard that too in her voice. She was offering her body, and when he didn’t reply, but his guard did, it was a rejection.

  Why I cared was beyond me.

  It just made me burn even more with hatred. I hated Kai Bennett.

  He could fuck whoever he wanted.

  The worker said her goodbyes, adding that if we needed anything, her number was on her card. She was the manager, I realized, but it didn’t matter. She still wanted Kai, not even noticing there was a female in his presence being kept there against her will.

  Maybe that was on me? Maybe I should’ve made it more apparent, but chancing a look at Kai where he stood a few feet away, I knew it wouldn’t have mattered.

  Power oozed out of him. I could’ve told her I’d been kidnapped, and he would’ve just laughed, saying I was making a joke, and she would’ve believed him. He could’ve said I was sick. I was bipolar. I was off my meds. Anything, and she would’ve believed him.

  The door shut behind her.

  Kai nodded to his guards, and they all dispersed as well.

  I didn’t look. I knew a handful would stand guard outside our door. They would all take their turns, and the rest would either sleep in the other rooms or relax.

  For all the badness in him, Kai treated his guards well.

  He spoke from behind me. He was close, but I didn’t know how close. I didn’t look to see. “You can have the room on the right.”

  I could’ve baited him, said something about not trusting me, not making me sleep with him, but I didn’t. I bit my tongue, and I felt him leave the room. The other bedroom door closed.

  I still remained. A full minute, maybe more. My eyes were blinded, with emotion or tears, I didn’t know.

  I felt trapped.

  And helpless.

  And… I wasn’t sure the exact reason for either of those emotions, because under both of them was another one, one I didn’t want to feel at all.

  Instead of naming it, I turned for my room.

  I stopped short in the doorway. He’d given me the bigger of the two rooms. This was the master suite, with a king-sized bed in the middle of the room and an ensuite bathroom—glass-walled shower, clawfoot bathtub, two sinks.

  I turned and found that yes, there was a balcony, but as I moved toward it, my heart sank. Like the one at the house, it was at least thirty floors up.

  There was no pool underneath, just the edge of a golf course. Two golf carts drove by down below, and I noticed Kai sitting on his balcony. He watched me, seeming almost curious as to what I would do.

  “You’re not worried I’ll climb down?”

  He frowned, just slightly. “Why would you, if I’m going to return you to your friend soon?”

  He had me there.

  The side of his mouth tugged up. “Unless you think, like I do, that your friend is lying to us?”

  I straightened, my head rising. I grabbed the railing and my hands curled around it, tightening enough so my knuckles stretched.

  “Blade wouldn’t lie.”

  Not even a blink. “I would, for the woman I loved. There’s nothing I won’t do to get my sister back.” A glimmer of a smile showed. “So yes, your friend would lie. For you.”

  I felt a punch from his words. Good or bad, I didn’t know, but I felt it. I loosened my hold on the railing.

  He stood, nodding toward the view. “Climb down, if you want. I’ll just find you again.” Goddamn him. He smirked now. “There’s nowhere you can hide from me. And you know it.” He turned to go inside, but said over his shoulder, “Sleep, Riley. You need some rest. We meet your friend in two hours.”

  Two hours.

  My arms were suddenly shaking. I smoothed a hand over my stomach, trying to calm myself, but it was pointless.

  I had two hours, until what?

  Blade wasn’t a liar. I knew him, but Kai was right. Blade might not lie, but he would set a trap. He would choose his words carefully, and I didn’t have a good feeling about whatever was going to happen in two hours.

  I just didn’t know what I could do about it.

  • • •

  Two hours later, I hadn’t slept.

  How could I?

  Something was going to happen, and it was going to be very bad. I felt it in my gut. When I heard Kai open his door across the suite, I sat up in my bed. I felt him coming toward me, literally felt him. There were no sounds. No warning, just a trickle of energy that spread over my body. I stood, crossing to the door just as I knew he was on the other side.

  Holding my breath, I could hear my pulse pounding in my eardrums. After a moment I heard his voice. Quiet, a tender whisper. “Riley.”

  It wasn’t a question, as if he were wondering if I was asleep and didn’t want to wake me. It was a statement, resigned.

  He knew I was standing a few inches from the door as well.

  Reaching out, not saying a word, I turned the handle, and there he was. He was suddenly so close. His presence was overwhelming. I felt him sliding inside of me, taking over, and I gulped because my body responded to him, to his closeness.

  He had a hold of me, whether I wanted him to or not. I couldn’t deny it any longer.

  Biting my lip, and feeling fucking parched, I asked, “It’s time to go?”

  I already knew it was. I raked my gaze over him, trying to clear the cloud of possession I felt from him.

  He was dressed in black—form-fitting sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt. His dark hair had been combed back, and those eyes… I tugged my eyes up, away from the way his lips had flattened. If his eyes were normally dark, they were black now, and they were darkening every second I held his gaze.

  An emotion flickered there, then disappeared.

  “It’s time.” He held out a bag. “Put these clothes on.”

  I hadn’t even noticed the bag.

  Embarrassment washed over me, and shame.

  I needed to get a fucking grip on myself.

  “Okay.” I reached for the bag. We were both careful our hands didn’t touch when I took it.

  My heart tried to stampede itself out of my chest as I drew back, shutting the door with more oomph than I needed. I almost sagged against it. Almost. I caught myself. He would’ve heard. He would’ve known his effect on me, if he didn’t already.

  Who was I kidding?

  He knew. He knew ful
l well what power he had.

  Biting back my humiliation, I emptied the bag onto the bed. A pair of pants and a shirt similar to what I had on fell out. Black runners. Socks. He had everything in here, even a sports bra and underwear.

  I held up the lacy thong and arched an eyebrow.

  Really?

  As if sensing my thoughts, I heard him chuckle from the other side of the door. “Tanner picked the clothes.”

  Tanner.

  Asshole.

  But I grinned. That made it better, less embarrassing for some reason. With a sigh, I changed out of what I was wearing. Everything fit like a glove. The shirt and pants were incredibly soft, but firm against my body. I didn’t want to think how much they’d cost, and the socks and runners fit. I felt better support with these shoes than I got from my normal workout shoes. The bra fit too. As did the underwear.

  It was eerie how well Tanner could shop.

  A hair tie fell out of the bag, and I swiped it up, putting my hair in a braid. I had showered before trying to rest and my hair was dry now. My fingers made quick work through the strands.

  Shit.

  Standing back, I recognized myself, but I didn’t at the same time.

  The outfit was similar to what I would’ve worn on a work errand, but the woman looking back was glowing. Her eyes were alive, blazing. Her skin was flushed with color. Her lips parted, seeming swollen.

  I looked like a wanton assassin.

  Double shit.

  This was him. I knew it. It was his effect on me.

  Biting down on my lip again, I looked away, turning my back to my reflection. If I looked this alive now, how had I looked before? A slicing pain split through my chest, and I struggled to get oxygen for a second.

  Then, as I blinked, it passed.

  I couldn’t think about it. I just couldn’t.

  Blade. Brooke.

  This was a mission, just like all my others. I didn’t know the parameters. I didn’t know the time, the place, the how, but I was a participant just as much as Blade and Kai were. Only I had limitations.

  The door opened, and Kai stepped in, his eyes finding me instantly.

  “Ready?”

  I clipped a nod.

  I was ready, for anything.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Kai and I went down in the same elevator as before, only it was just us this time. When the doors opened, four guards were waiting. Two turned to walk ahead of us, and as we stepped out, the other two fell in line behind us.

  We went to a white van with a plumbing company sticker on the side, and as the back door opened, Kai took my arm. He climbed in, pulling me with him, and walked us to the front where we knelt behind the driver and the passenger’s seat. Six guards already lined both sides of the van, sitting on the floor like we were.

  Two of the guards who had walked with us hopped inside, and the other two shut the back doors. A guard hit the locks from the inside, and the other two walked around to get in the front.

  The van started forward, and we drove out of the hotel’s underground parking lot in total silence.

  The men weren’t looking at me. No one made eye contact.

  I gauged the distance, and after we’d gone three blocks, all the guards took out their guns, checked them, and put them back in their holsters. Two added silencers and held them on their laps, pointed down.

  I glanced over at Kai, but he stared ahead. He didn’t seem tense. His breathing was even. He wasn’t sleepy, but he seemed calm. Then again, why wouldn’t he be? This was probably something he did once a month.

  Or more.

  We traveled one more block, then turned in to another underground parking garage.

  As we stopped, the doors opened, and all the guards jumped out. I started to follow, but Kai took my arm again. He held me back, shaking his head.

  I stayed. So did the two guards in the front.

  The doors were shut again, and we drove back out onto the street.

  We went into another parking lot and got out this time.

  The entire lot was empty, except for our van. I thought both guards would come with us, but only the one in the passenger seat got out. As we started forward, the van peeled out, hurrying to the street and turning left, back toward where we’d just come from.

  Kai let go of my arm and stepped behind me.

  The guard went forward to push a button on the elevator. It was already there. We stepped in, and the guard pushed the button for the sixteenth floor. This was another building that had thirty floors, but it wasn’t a hotel. I could tell that much. There were no sounds as we went up, and we went straight to our floor. As the elevator doors opened, I realized it was an office building. We walked through a glass-walled lobby into the larger main room. Floor-to-ceiling windows made up the walls here too, and we walked all the way to the one at the north end.

  The guard took out a pair of binoculars.

  Kai took my arm and maneuvered us so he was standing in front of me, his back to where his guard stood. My back was to the elevators now.

  I stared up at him, feeling his hand tighten on my arm before letting me go.

  “What?”

  “I know you’ve had training for your job. I know you can fight and handle yourself.” He stepped closer, his gaze boring down into mine. His eyes were heated, smoldering with promise. “I am better than you.”

  I almost laughed. “Are you serious? You want to do a whole game of I’m better than you…”

  My voice trailed off as he closed the distance. His hand held my elbow, and he pressed me against him. He was rock solid, every inch of him tense.

  He was serious, deadly serious.

  I swallowed over a lump. “Okay.”

  “I travel with fewer guards than my brothers because I am as good as my men, better than most of them.” His hand tightened on my elbow, sliding up to the back of my arm. His fingers pressed in. “I am allowing you leeway by only bringing one of my men. The rest need to be on the ground. My man is here because of you, not me. I’m telling you this as a warning. Do not run, or you will get hurt. It’s not just one guard you have to calculate taking down. It’ll be me as well.”

  He pulled me all the way against him. I could feel his breath on me, warming me. A few inches separated our lips.

  His eyes moved there, lingering before looking back up.

  “Do not get foolish and make a mistake, thinking you can escape me here,” he said flatly. “You can’t.”

  His hand slid up, over my shoulder and around my neck to cup the back of my head. He closed the distance, his mouth almost touching mine.

  “I do not want to hurt you,” he whispered, his lips brushing against mine. “But I will if it means losing my sister. Remember that.”

  I couldn’t breathe.

  I couldn’t move.

  I didn’t dare.

  I didn’t know if I wanted to, so I kept still, my eyes holding his, and when he didn’t move away or kiss me, I knew he was waiting.

  I nodded, my lips brushing back against his. I whispered, “Okay.”

  That was it.

  He released me, stepping back, and I felt deprived of…something.

  Something wrenched out of me as his body moved away. I wanted to pull him back. I wanted to feel him against me, but I gritted my teeth. I pushed that desire down.

  I was fucked up—that was the only reason I could find for my attraction to him.

  My father was a monster, so I was attracted to a monster.

  That’s why I felt this lust.

  Disgust flared up in me, so much I could taste it, and I forced myself to step around him.

  “I won’t run,” I told him. Then I went to see what his guard was watching.

  I’d been expecting to be at the meet with Blade.

  I’d been expecting he would step out of his vehicle with Brooke. Kai would have me. We’d meet in the middle, and whatever happened after that happened. Whether I’d stay and fight for Brooke, or if Brooke wo
uld actually go with her brother, I didn’t know. I hadn’t fully thought it out, mostly because I couldn’t. I wasn’t in the driver’s seat for this one, Kai was.

  But what I didn’t expect was to not be involved at all.

  At the glass wall, I looked down and saw two vehicles in the lot. Neither was the van we’d ridden in. They were SUVs. Kai gave me a pair of binoculars, and as I put them up to my eyes, I saw the doors open.

  Tanner got out. So did I.

  Not me, obviously, but someone who looked like my twin.

  I was stunned.

  She was wearing the scrubs I’d been taken in. Her hair was down, swept to one side. She was hunched over, purposefully hiding her face, and goddamn, she even walked like me. The bitch had studied me somehow.

  Her/my hand came up and brushed some of my hair back, like I do.

  Like I did just now—I caught myself, and cursing, I tightened my hold on the binoculars again.

  She tugged at the bottom of her scrub top, just like I would.

  She stopped, hesitating, and her shoulders rolled back, just like I do.

  There, across the lot, was Blade. He was too far away to see it wasn’t really me as he got out of the Chevy truck. I was impressed that sucker had even made it the whole way, and it told me he was doing this off the books. 411 didn’t know about it. If they had, he would’ve been in an SUV.

  “What are you doing, Blade?”

  He paused, holding his arm up to his forehead to shade his eyes. He saw Tanner and her/me, then went to his passenger door. Opening it, a girl got out—a girl… She looked like Brooke, but it couldn’t have been. He wouldn’t have done that. I knew Blade. No matter how much he might want me back, he wouldn’t trade in someone who was hiding for her life.

  It went against his code as a 411 operative.

  Kai leaned forward. I could feel the intensity rolling off of him.

  It looked like Brooke.

  Same dark hair, same build, same height as the girl I’d seen in Brooke’s Instagram pictures. But…no way. It couldn’t be.

  “That’s not her,” Kai growled. He snapped a radio to his mouth, pressing the side button. “Abort. It’s not her.”