by S Kline
“The fuck you do that for, Troy?” His words are rushed out between panicked gasps of air.
“Troy? Troy Donovan?” Delvin question’s over the phone.
“That’s right.” I speak over the line. “I suggest you get your pathetic ass to your cabin within the next half hour, or you’ll be finding your son’s body the same way I found my moms. Lifeless.” I hang up and toss the phone to an angry looking Sean.
I flick my gaze around. Where did Dylan go? I stand and move toward the back bedrooms. I can hear Kaci’s voice through the door so I stop, trying to hear what’s being said. I can’t make out the words but when I hear Dylan’s voice I swing the door wide open without a second thought. They are standing at opposite sides of the room, but just the sight of Kaci alone with another man has the rage inside bubbling over. It doesn’t matter that it’s Dylan.
“Get the fuck out, D.” My words are full of anger as I force them from my clenched jaw.
Dylan doesn’t wait around. He just hurries past me without a backward glance. I silently thank him for putting up with all of my ridiculous bullshit.
“You get the fuck out!” Kaci’s screech has my gaze snapping back to her, and narrowing at the frenzied look in her eyes.
“Excuse me?” I step further into the room, and duck as something heavy flies past my head.
“You fucking heard me! Get the fuck out!”
I rush toward her, and secure her arms at her side before she can throw anything else at me. “Watch your fucking language, Kace!”
“Don’t fucking touch me! Get your hands off of me!” She’s flinging her tiny body around, trying to break the firm hold I have on her arms.
I let her exhaust herself. Her movements slowing as her body begins shaking in my arms. My stomach and my chest compete for which can cause me the most pain as I watch her lose it. Moments later her forehead drops to rest on my chest.
I release her arms so I can wrap mine around her more thoroughly. I thought it would be best if I ended things now, but this? This was not better. It isn’t even close to better. I pull back slightly; just enough that I can tip her chin up, force her to look at me. The anguish reflected back at me shatters any part of my heart that I had fooled myself into believing was protected from her. She owns me completely.
“I didn’t kiss her, Kace. She kissed me. I pushed her away.” The words tumble from my lips without thought, and I know in this moment I will do whatever it takes to have her back.
I search her gaze, mentally begging her to believe me. Kaci nods, but the sadness in her eyes belies her actions.
“I swear, Kace, I only want you.”
The look of sadness morphs once again to anger as her mouth drops open and she tries to push me away. I refuse to let go.
“Fuck you, Troy! Let me go!”
“You aren’t going anywhere until we work this out.”
She freezes as she stares dumbfounded up at me. “You broke things off. There is nothing to work through.”
“I’m a fucking moron. I can’t lose this. I can’t lose you.”
She shakes her head back and forth in disbelief. “Don’t do this, Troy. It will hurt so much more the next time you walk away.” The words are practically a sob on her trembling lips.
“I’m not going anywhere. If this ends again it will be because you ended it. Not me.”
She holds my gaze while searching through the chaotic emotions displayed there. “You need to explain. I can’t keep up with your bipolar tendencies.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “I got scared. I had a dream… about the day my mom died.” I look away, and swallow thickly, as if this will somehow clear the pain away. “I just can’t lose you, Kace. I thought that if I put a stop to things now…” My words trail off and I look back to into the deep blue eyes of the woman I love. My end game. My forever. My Kaci.
I’m so entranced in her beauty I don’t notice the slap to the side of my face until the sting rings out against my skin. I jump back.
“The fuck was that for?”
“If you ever pull some moronic shit like that again it’ll be worse.”
Can she be any more perfect for me? She doesn’t nag me for more information. She doesn’t keep me at arm’s length and force me to beg. She accepts me, faults and damaged parts. This time when her lips meet mine I meet every inch of hers with fevered desperation.
Chapter Nineteen
Kaci
This is the way it's supposed to be. Troy's lips setting a steady rhythm against my own as his hands run over the length of my body, settling on my hips. My mind is running on a loop. I want to ask him about his dream. I want to be angry about the way he handled his fears, but Dylan's words are stuck in my head. I knew about the dream before Troy even came in here.
Dylan filled me in on the gist of it. I thought that when I got a chance alone with him again we could talk it out. I would tell him what Dylan had confided in me, but one look in his rugged face and anger like I’ve never felt before surged through me. He hurt me. In the end that's all that had mattered, regardless of his intentions. I wanted him to hurt too.
Now I want nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms. Troy will talk to me when he's ready, and I'm okay with that. As long as I have this, I'm okay with waiting.
I tug the strands of his dark hair gently emanating a growl from his firm lips. His hands squeeze my hips in a possessive hold of my body, and tingles, that shoot sparks to the delta of my thighs, sweep through me.
His firm grip of my hips hinders me from yanking his shirt off, but I tug at the hem so that he knows how insane I am for him. I nip a little harder at his bottom lip until he releases me on a chuckle, and I quickly clear the shirt over his head.
Troy’s hands are back on me instantly, yanking at my clothes at the same frenzied pace I'm grabbing at his. I trip slightly over my jeans as I stumble backwards, but Troy’s solid grip stops me from falling without even breaking our kiss. I don't realize were moving across the room until my naked back meets the mattress and his sinfully delicious body covers-- firm muscles to soft curves. I moan around his hungry kiss. I don’t care how old I get the sight of Troy naked is something I’ll never tire of.
"I don't deserve this." His words fall like a benediction on his unyielding lips.
I want to question what he means, but I lose all train off thought as he slips a finger inside of me. My back arches off the bed as I press my body as close as I can to his, a moan of pleasure erupting from me. My skin is flushed, and the pleasure is growing in intensity with every deep plunge and rhythmic twist of his dexterous fingers.
“God, the noises you make are so fucking hot, Kace. I could cum right now just watching your lips part in pleasure and your skin flush this pretty pink." He slips his finger from me, a despairing sound leaving me right before he enters me with a broken growl.
"Oh God!" He stretches me perfectly, I feel completely full, whole.
"You are so fucking perfect. So fucking tight."
He plunges in before slowly leaving my body only to repeat the delectable move with a deep swivel of his hips. Every move is executed with exactly the right amount of pressure to keep me on the edge of pleasure and pain, and I'm ready to explode around him seconds after he starts his punishing thrusts. I can feel my insides greedily tighten around him.
"Oh God!"
"That's it, babe. Let go. Let me feel your pretty pussy milk my cock." His words, along with a firm press of his thumb against my clit, are my undoing.
I shatter around him. A loud, blissful moan of pleasure fills the room seconds before he stills and empties himself into me.
"Fuck!" The word tears from his lips, shattering my post orgasmic haze. “I forgot the damn condom!"
He slips from me, moaning at the too sensitive sensations. His hands run through his hair roughly in frustration. "What do you do to me?"
My heart is hammering against my ribs. I’m not sure how to react through the shock settling over me, and plummeti
ng like a rock in my stomach.
"Please tell me you're on the pill."
I shake my head as dread settles harder through me, and I can feel the blood drain from my face.
"Shit! God damn it!" His words are laced with venom. At me or himself?
I sit up, pulling my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on my bent knees. What do we do now? I watch as Troy begins throwing his clothes back on, covering his beautiful body, and making me feel suddenly vulnerable in my naked state. He says nothing else. He leans in pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head, his lips lingering a moment as he breathes me in, and then he leaves, closing the door gently behind him.
I feel like a complete moron. I stand up, feeling a deep ache inside from Troy's punishing rhythm, as warm liquid pools onto my thighs. My chest constricts with the thought of how completely moronic that was. Even through the knot in my gut I can't help thinking that someday, many years from now, I'd want this again. But I'd want it to be because I married the man I love, because we want a family together.
I shake my head and pull on a pair of lose sweats and one of Troy's t-shirts. Shouldn't we talk about this? I head to the bathroom, mentally calculating when my period should be due, and if this will actually amount to a real problem. But I can't figure it out. I wasn’t on the pill because I wasn't having sex. Isn't that what the pill is for?
Once I'm in the bathroom I slip my sweats down my thighs, grab a washcloth from the shelf, run it under the warm water, and gently clear away the remnants of mine and Troy’s love making. Wincing at the soreness he's caused between my thighs.
In retrospect I can tell the difference between the only two times we've had sex, and I should have been able to tell in enough time to stop him. I was so lost in the sensations that he caused, so lost in the love I feel for him, that I didn’t. When did I go and fall in love with him?
Who am I trying to kid? I've loved Troy since I was twelve. Having him in my life like this only intensifies the feelings I've tried to ignore for so long. So where does this leave us?
Aside from his gentle kiss goodbye he was completely despondent. I have no idea how to approach him. Once I'm all cleaned up I pull my sweats back up, run my fingers through my sex mussed hair, and head back into the living room. My stomach heaves as I catch sight of Kane. His body is pale, blood running down his leg from a nasty wound on his thigh.
"What happened?" I practically screech the words.
Kane lifts his eyes to me, the action looking as if it takes all of his strength to do so. "Your boyfriend is a psycho."
Troy did this? I turn away, looking around the room. Sean is the only person in here with us, and his eyes are narrowed at me in accusation. I ignore him—too horrified by the thought of my could-be-half-brother hearing me have sex to meet his eyes. I walk around the two of them toward the front door, but it swings open before I reach it. A tall man that looks like an aged version of Kane is pushed inside; gasping at the sight of what I suspect is his son.
Troy and Dylan walk in behind him, both holding handguns that are aimed on this new man. His eyes, which are the same gray as Kane’s, flash up to me before looking over and taking in Sean's angry position in the kitchen chair. The man swallow's again and Troy shoves him further into the cabin and slams the door closed behind them. Troy shifts his gun so that the barrel is now aimed at Kane’s head. The man starts to speak but Troy stops him with a shake of his head.
"I'm going to ask you some questions now, and I better like the answers." His voice is so menacingly quiet. I've never heard him sound like this, and I never want to again.
Chapter Twenty
Troy
I can't see anything past the anger clouding my vision now that Delvin Kennedy is finally standing in front of me. One press of my finger and he'd be dead. I shift the gun to Kane in order to help me curb the temptation to pull the trigger and end this now. I have to remind myself that I need these answers. I need to relax enough to get the questions out.
Delvin stays silent as he stares at his son, his skin looks a little green as he takes in the state Kane is in with wide eyes. I waste no time getting to the point.
"If you didn't kill my mother, then who did?"
Delvin swallows thickly as his eyes flicker between me and his son. "It's more serious then you realize kid. These answers that you think you want." He shakes his head softly at me. "These answers will get us both killed."
His gaze is holding mine now. "I had my orders. I had plans to follow them out, but I never got the chance. The mission was intercepted."
I look at him with a sarcastic expression on my face. Anger coursing so hard through my body that I'm about lose control. I suck in a deep breath, and squeeze my eyes shut against the pain mixing with my anger, pushing it back into hiding.
"You were sent to kill my mother." It's not a question, but when I open my eyes Delvin is shifting nervously, his hands wringing around each other.
He nods. "I was. Neason Molony ordered the hit."
"Why?" The word slips out like a silent prayer, and I clear my throat in another attempt to keep my emotions in check.
"Your mother was having an affair with Neason."
My whole body tenses as I narrow my angry gaze at him. "What in the hell are you talking about? You're going to disrespect my dead mother now?"
Delvin’s eyes go wide, and I can see fear begin to fill them. "I'm not being disrespectful. You want answers; I'm giving them to you." He shifts on his feet. "You may not like the answers, Troy, but that doesn't change them."
I feel like my whole life has been tilted on its axis with just this one so-called fact. My mother had an affair? With Neason Molony? I nod my head for him to continue and press my lips into a flat line. He sighs on a deep breath.
"After Bridgett refused to leave you and Luke." He pauses as if preparing himself for what's to come next. "Neason ordered the hit on you, but when you weren't home..." He trails off, his eyes filling with a mixture of sympathy and regret.
"If you didn't carry out the hit, then why did you go into hiding?"
The bitterness wrapped around his words is impossible to miss. "What choice did I have? As soon as Luke found out, Neason made it clear that I had pulled the trigger. Everyone on the compound knew that I was supposed to carry out that hit."
His hand scrubs against his stubbled jaw. "Neason decided it best, considering who actually pulled the trigger. That I go into hiding. He said he would make sure I was protected." He laughs bitterly.
"Who carried out the hit?" This is what I need to know.
This is the information that will put an end to this once and for all.
"Neason's daughter, Callie."
My stomach twists, and Kane releases an agonized breath from my side, reminding me of his presence. Silence settles over the room, all of us letting this information sink in. I feel so many things at once, but the biggest emotion I can find is my anger. I had her here. I had my mother's killer within my grasp, and I let her go.
I fucked my mother's killer. She singled me out knowing exactly who I am. My stomach twists painfully and I turn my head in preparation for the vomit I can feel rising in my throat, but it doesn't come.
"Why would she do that?" Sean's deep voice asks the question I can't voice at this moment.
I feel a small hand run over my shoulder, across my chest. I lift my gaze to be met with Kaci's worried eyes. I reach around, pulling her tightly against my ribs, breathing her in deeply, as if she can soothe all of the pain inside. Calm the darkness that's starting to boil over.
"Neason wasn't taking her seriously. He had made the announcement that Kane will take over in his place. He didn't want to leave his empire in the hands of a weak female. Considering he only has daughters, he picked my son instead. Callie lost it. I’ve never seen a twelve-year old girl act that crazy. She decided she needed to prove her strength to him."
Delvin sucks in a deep breath, and my eyes instinctively move to lock with his. "Callie Molony
killed your mother." I feel the pain in my chest explode into a million shards of glass stabbing at my heart.
"Killing Callie would mean war, Troy. Neason will kill you." His eyes fall to Kaci. "And everyone you love."
***
I let Sean untie Kane and release him back to his father as I try to get a grip on all of this new information. Delvin doesn't even pretend to take his time getting himself and Kane away from us, and by the time I gather my baring’s enough to look around they're gone.
I know that I have to find Callie. I have to kill Callie to keep Kaci safe. I will die before I allow her to be hurt.
A hand clasps my shoulder, and I look at Dylan, his face more serious than I've ever seen it before.
"We need to get out of here." I nod, incapable of forming words.
I grab Kaci's hand and lead her back into the bedroom, memories of making love to her flooding back as I take in the rumpled bed sheets. I push those thoughts out of my head and shove our stuff into the duffle bags. When I have everything I sling both bags over my shoulder. Kaci just stands off to the side of the room and observes me with concern clear in her expression. Neither of us speaks the whole time we gather our belongings and head back into the thick trees toward my car, Sean and Dylan trailing behind us just as silently.
I don't pay any attention to the scratches against my arms as we move through the brush. That is until I think about Kaci's grip in mine and wonder if the branches are scratching against her flawless skin. I stop long enough to pick her up in my arms, her legs wrapping around my hips, her arms around my neck, her head furrowing into the crook of my neck. I hold her tightly against me. I feel like I can finally breathe with her this close, and I fell myself soften for the first time since leaving the cabin.
When we get to the car I lower her gently into the passenger seat, and close the door softly behind her. I turn to head around the trunk, but I'm stopped short by Dylan and Sean.