by Tijan
“How long did you know?”
Kai didn’t waste time. “After I killed our father. He had encrypted notes that I deciphered. I figured it out then.”
“You are a fucking piece of shit.”
Kai didn’t respond.
Tanner rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Randall Cordell Ritzo. That’s his full name. Cord. Did she—was Cord—” He exhaled sharply. “You know what I’m fucking asking.”
“Yes, he was Cord’s father. Mom had a diary. She talked about her affairs in there.”
“Jesus Christ.” He pushed back in his chair, his arms folding over his chest. “How’d you get that?”
“That’s a story for another day, but Tanner…” Kai’s voice dropped, almost comforting. “She was unhappy with our dad.”
“But her first kid? I’m surprised he didn’t kill her immediately.” His tone grew hoarse. “Are you his kid? Me? Brooke?” A bitter laugh. “We know Jonah isn’t, but how many others?”
Kai didn’t respond.
“Kai.” Short and curt.
“Brooke and I look like him, but you have a rounder face, so I don’t know. Is that something you care about?”
Tanner stood slowly. “You ever keep me in the dark again, and I will kill you. I don’t give a shit what that means for the rest of us. You got that? I don’t get left in the dark. Ever.”
Kai inclined his head. His eyes cast my way. “If you want in, you have to be in.” He looked back to Tanner, heat forming in his eyes. Finally. After all of that, he let the real Kai shine forth. “You don’t want to be treated with kid gloves, you start acting like a fucking adult. You want in? You take over the Bello Company for Riley.”
Tanner looked for me, and so did Kai.
I stepped forward, crossing the room till I could be seen on the screen.
Tanner’s nostrils flared. “Is that okay with you?”
“Yes,” I breathed out. I didn’t want to be involved, or as minimally involved as possible. “I will announce that I’m alive, and with whatever happens, I’ll take over, then you can step in. You can do what you want with it.”
I didn’t want anything of my father’s.
“Okay.” He rolled his shoulders back. “Then I’ll do it.”
“Good.” Kai touched the back of my elbow lightly. “I’ll see you when you get down here.”
He glanced to the side of the room, and just like that, the image was gone. The call was done, and in a few seconds, the remaining guards had exited the room. It was only Kai and me.
“Are you sure that signal couldn’t get hacked or watched by the government?”
“Yes.” He stepped in cautiously. “We’re safe. I make sure of it.”
He was making sure I was okay with his touch too.
I grabbed his hands and stepped into him. My arms slid around him, and I rested my head to his chest.
He’d fulfilled his promise. In one afternoon, he’d done more than I ever could in an entire lifetime as a Hider.
He’d helped. Even though he was in the mafia, he’d still done well today.
“Thank you,” I murmured, feeling his hands sweep through my hair.
His arms tightened around me, and I felt his lips on my shoulder. A deep, shuddering breath left him. “You don’t hate me?”
I pulled back to see him. “Is that why you brought me in here? To loathe you?”
“No.” He bent back down, nuzzling me. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know why I brought you in here. I wanted you here. I wanted you to understand this world better. I wanted you to see that you don’t have to regret hating your father, in case you did.”
I felt his tension and reached up, my hand cradling the back of his head. My fingers began running in small circles, comforting him.
“Is that what you do? Regret hating your father?”
His body tightened, then relaxed. “No, but you’re better than me. I can see you feeling that. I wanted to line everything up for you and let you deal with your father, but I can’t bring myself to let you go or haul him in here.”
I laughed softly, “So let’s not. Let’s handle him another time.’” I tipped my head back to grin up into his eyes.
He lifted his head, his eyes darkening, dipping to my lips. “That sounds perfect.”
I framed his face with my hands and nodded my head, feeling his arms tighten around me, knowing he wouldn’t let me fall.
His body was riddled with tension and knots. What he’d done just now, pulling all of that off, I could only imagine how much energy it had taken.
“Let’s go upstairs.”
His lips were on mine almost before I finished speaking, and he swept me up in his heat, the tingles already spreading through me, his arms holding me fast. He carried me out of the room, to an elevator, and we rode it to the next floor.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Kai was standing shirtless at the window, looking out at the lake when I woke up in the morning. He had a coffee cup in one hand, and his other rested against the wall.
Fuck. A magazine cover right there.
I pushed back the covers, reached for a robe, and padded over to him.
He grinned, bringing his arm around me as I fit in next to him.
I slid my arms around him. “Did you sleep?”
A half laugh/half snort came from him.
We hadn’t slept, hardly at all.
There’d been a frenzied need in Kai, a desperation to release whatever demons had been in him through the long night before. The first time had been rough. The second slow and loving. The third had been in the shower. For the fourth, he took me from behind. And still, a few hours later, he reached for me again, pushing inside and watching me the entire time.
I was sore as I leaned against him.
He smoothed his hand down my back, resting it on my hip. “I told you to trust me last night.” He stepped back, his hand finding mine. He set his coffee down on the nightstand and pulled me toward the closet, where he handed me an oversized sweatshirt. I pulled it on, along with a pair of pants. He tugged a Henley over his head and led me to the elevator.
His guards were waiting for him, and they fell in step around us.
We all walked outside, then down to the lake’s edge. There was a small dock with a boat tied to it and two people waiting on it.
As we stepped onto the dock, one of them stood up.
His hood was pulled over his head, but after a moment I recognized him and faltered. It was the first prisoner from yesterday, the guard that had been blackmailed by my father.
He extended his hand, tears glimmering in his eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Bennett. Thank you.” His voice cracked. “This means a lot. You have no idea.”
Kai shook his head before stepping back to stand beside me. He nodded to the other man. “You gave him his paperwork and everything?”
The man nodded. “Yes, sir. He’s set to go. New ID for him and his family. I’ll drive him up, make the drop so he can reunite with his family, and continue to my normal fishing expedition. I’ll take good care of him.”
It was then that I noticed the penguin—small, but pinned just inside his coat collar. He’d been watching me, waiting, and I stepped closer to Kai’s side.
Kai was using a Hider operative for this man.
A look passed between the Hider and me, a shared understanding. He knew who I was too.
I… I had no words.
The fact that Kai had done this, that he was using my previous employers for the very mission I’d held so dear to my heart—it meant more than I could’ve imagined.
Kai shook hands with the boat driver, the ex-guard again, and they prepared to go. His arm came down around my shoulders, and he pulled me in close, leaning his head down to rest against mine.
We watched them pull away, then head north on the lake. As they disappeared, the guards moved back to give us privacy until it was only Kai and me on the dock.
I tipped my head back to see him. “You kept him al
ive?”
He nodded. “He was one of mine. He should’ve come to me straight away, but he was one of mine. The council thinks he’s dead, and that’s all that’s needed. If I hadn’t killed him, they would’ve tracked him down and done it themselves. Knowing that, he’ll stay hidden and silent for the rest of his life. If he shows again, he knows what will have to happen. But he was one of mine first. I take care of mine.”
Kai had an odd look on his face, his eyes distant, a slight frown. Then, shaking his head, he cleared the look away and draped his arm over my shoulders. We walked together back inside.
For once, things felt right. Things felt like they’d be okay. Finally.
• • •
So much seemed to have happened right after the council meeting. Kai told Brooke about Levi—the truth of what he’d been planning and doing, and the truth about how he’d met his end. She’d broken down.
Kai had asked Eric to be here when we broke the news to her, and he was at her side. I’d glanced around as she wept, my heart tearing for her pain. I wasn’t sure who was going to go to her. So when both Eric and Jonah hesitated, I started.
Then Kai surprised everyone. He’d scooped her up first, cradling her like she was a child. He’d rested his forehead to hers, whispering something over and over again.
Jonah and Eric seemed as surprised as I was.
But Kai knew what Brooke needed. He’d held her for a good hour, carrying her to the couch and holding her almost on his lap. Jonah had sat on the other side of her, his hand on her arm. Both brothers had tried to be there for her.
I’d sat on the floor, within reach if Brooke needed me. Eric did the same.
I could hear Kai whispering to her.
“We’re here for you. I’m here for you. I’m so sorry, Brooke. I’m so sorry.” He was almost rocking her back and forth. “We love you. Tanner loves you. Jonah loves you. I love you. We’re here for you. We will carry you. I’m so sorry.”
Jonah’s hand had clenched her shirtsleeve. “We love you, Brooke,” he’d croaked out. “We’re fucking Bennetts. You’re a fucking Bennett.”
She passed out after another hour of crying, and that night, Kai was the one who’d carried her to the vehicle. Jonah had walked behind, holding her bags, and Eric went with them. Kai placed Brooke inside the SUV, draped a blanket over her, and kissed her forehead.
She’d looked shattered. Pale. Her face was tear-drenched, but when Kai stepped back, she’d reached for me. “Riley.”
I went to her, hugging her, and I kissed her forehead as well. “I’m so sorry, Brooke.”
She nodded, sniffling. More tears slid down her cheeks. “I loved him. I did, but he betrayed me.” Her voice broke, and a hard look flashed in her eyes. “He had to die.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I nodded before hugging her once more and easing back. She caught my hand, squeezing it. “Take care of my brother.”
I nodded again. “I will.”
Her eyes clung to mine— fierce, yet outlined in wetness. “I’m a Bennett. First and foremost. If you hurt my brother, I’ll come for you.”
My mouth almost fell open, but Kai caught my hand and tugged me back. Jonah and Eric had gotten in on the other side. Eric nodded to us through the window. I saw Jonah raise a hand before the vehicle pulled away.
I hadn’t known how to process what Brooke said, so I just accepted it. The family loyalty was strong.
Kai’s arm had come around my shoulder. “What’d she say to you?”
I repeated it, expecting a laugh, a statement dismissing Brooke.
I got neither. He only stared after them, a somber look in his eyes. We watched as the caravan of SUVs disappeared. Kai moved in front of me, bending down, and picked me up. I faced him, my legs on either side of his waist. I laid my arms over his shoulders, my hands dangling behind him. His eyes found mine, and I rested my forehead to his. I closed my eyes, enjoying the way he carried me back into the warehouse and he laid me down on the bed.
CHAPTER SIXTY
I was pressed against the shower wall, my breasts against the wet glass and my hands pinned above my head as Kai thrust into me from behind. Every inch of him was molded against me, his teeth nipping, kissing the back of my neck and shoulder as he moved deep inside of me.
“Kai,” I moaned, gasping for breath as water slid into my mouth.
He groaned in response, his hand moving from my hip to wedge in front of my body. He grabbed one of my breasts, cupping it, his thumb rubbing over my nipple. He continued thrusting in me, moving slowly, so slowly.
I was burning up. The water did nothing to cool me down.
He tugged me back against him, his hands sliding all over me, torturing me. He circled my breasts, caressing them, then trailed his hands down until they rested between my legs. He rubbed over my clit. He’d already given me one orgasm before he began to move inside of me. Now his dick stretched me, filling me completely, and he rotated his hips, getting me in just the right spot.
I gasped, arching my back against him, and his hand moved up to my throat. His thumb stretched up to press against my mouth, and he turned my head back to his, his mouth on mine.
“Oh, God.” I whimpered. “Kai.”
He growled, nipping my bottom lip. His hips drove against mine, pushing one last time and lifting my entire body from the force. He caught me again, holding me in place, his fingers clamping down on my hip before he dropped his hold on my wrists. Grabbing my waist, he bent over me, sucking the back of my shoulder, and he began moving more forcefully.
I reached back, grabbing his neck. My back arched, and my breasts grazed the glass wall.
I was building, building. Coming. Closer. Higher.
“Come.” His command was savage, and my body responded.
With breakneck speed, he pushed me over the edge, and I collapsed in his arms. He waited as my body trembled, and then he turned me around. His cock was still hard. He wasn’t done.
Sometimes he would lay me on the bed. Sometimes he would bend me over the bed. Sometimes he would place me on the bathroom counter, slide in, and finish. I never knew for sure where he would take me.
This time, he merely hoisted me up, his arms under my ass. My legs wound around his waist, and he moved back inside of me.
Reaching up, I held on to the shower head and arched my back again. He caught my breast in his mouth, and then he pushed deep, deeper, farther inside. It was these moments—after I had come the second time and right before he climaxed— when he would pause and I would feel him so much inside of me that we were one person.
I breathed that in again, one hand leaving the shower head and trailing down his back. My hips moved with his until he roared, coming, shooting inside of me.
We’d been like this for the last four days.
There was an insatiable need inside of Kai. He never spoke of it, but it was there. We hadn’t left the warehouse, not once.
He carried me out of the shower, placing me on the counter and moving away. Silent. This was the pattern.
Now he would dry off, change. He would towel me dry, bring me clothes. Sometimes he would help me put them on, as if I were precious and delicate. Sometimes he’d stand back and watch, a darkness swirling in his depths, his eyes growing heated. When I was dressed, he’d take my hand and lead me back to the main room. We would either eat, curl up on the couch, watch a movie, spend quiet time on our computers, or relax in bed. A few hours later, he would reach for me again, and we’d start the routine all over.
He barely said a word.
I barely asked a question.
This was hedging on day five now. It was four in the morning, and I let out a sigh. I would need to press the issue.
“Kai.”
He paused, pulling a shirt over his head. He glanced at me, but said nothing.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, his eyes shuttering, closing me out from whatever was going on inside of him. He pulled on some pants a
nd padded over to me. He cupped the back of my head and leaned in for a soft kiss. It was too soft. Tantalizing. I went with him as he started to pull away, unable to keep a moan from escaping.
God. He tasted so good.
His forehead rested against mine. “We can’t leave until you’ve seen your father.” Then he pulled away, leaving me in the bathroom. For the first time over the last few days, I walked out alone, with a towel wrapped around me, dripping water onto the floor. Some of me had begun to air dry, but my hair was soaked. Kai was in the closet.
I went to the dresser where my clothes were and finished drying off. I pulled on black leggings and an oversized V-neck tunic that draped at my thighs. When I was done, Kai had moved to the kitchen, so I went after him. I watched him start the coffee machine, still patting my hair dry, and I curled up on one of the kitchen chairs.
“You’re waiting for me? Is that what you’re saying?” There was more to it. There had to be. I now watched him pull out a pan, a loaf of bread, as the coffee machine brewed.
I waited for him to answer my question. When he didn’t, I said, “Kai.”
He sighed, pausing to look up at me. “No. I’m waiting for myself.”
“For yourself? What do you mean?”
This was it. I felt it then. This was the day we would face whatever was going to happen in the future. A fear pricked me, making me wonder if he had plans for me I didn’t know about. My mouth dried. “You’re not—you’re not going to leave me?”
His eyes widened. He was out of the kitchen in a flash.
I expected him to say something, anything, to ease my sudden paranoia. He said nothing, but he picked me up, so easily and swiftly. I knew he was strong. I had felt it so many times, but I still marveled.
He hugged me to him, smoothing a hand down my hair and back. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you go, to be honest.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and I heard his words like a whisper carried away on a sudden breeze. I wondered if he’d actually said them.
But then I heard, “Not fully.”
I smoothed my hands down his front and tried to smile. “You sure? Because you just scared me a bit.”