Vomit rose up from my stomach as laughter went off around the circle.
Damon turned to me. “Who do you belong to? Who do you love?”
I shook my head, anger shredding every bit of happiness I’d just felt down in that grave. Goddamn him.
But blood was forever.
“I love you,” I said, looking up at him.
And I caught the glint of relief in his eyes before they turned hard again. Did he actually have any doubt?
He kissed my forehead. “Go to my room and wait there,” he instructed, slapping me on the ass and looking back to his friends. “I may want a piece when I get home. Whenever that’ll be.”
Chuckles surrounded me again, and David put his hand on my back, leading me away.
The four of us walked toward the SUV, leaving my brother and his friends, but I caught his warning to Kai as I pulled my hood back up.
“No one else touches her,” he told him. “Not ever.”
No. Not ever.
Banks
Present
Kai Genato Mori, I read to myself. Born: September 28, Thunder Bay…no siblings.
Page after page detailed his life, his impeccable grades, and his basketball and swimming stats.
And his arrest and activity since he’d gotten out more than a year ago.
Aside from what got him arrested—assaulting a child-abuser who just happened to also be a cop—he had always been a model kid. He knew how to party but never went over the limit like Will.
He enjoyed women, but they never seemed to hate him for it like they did Damon.
And he could be tough and hard and scary, but it never came off as mean like it did with Michael.
Kai was the best of their whole little crew.
Until he got out of prison. Now he was different.
No women, at least not publicly. Never more than one drink, at least not publicly. And not only was he mean, he seemed almost cruel at times.
I stopped on the photo of him taken as he was walking to Hunter-Bailey one day. The PI caught him on the sidewalk, his black suit coat whipping in the wind, his white shirt collar open, a duffel bag hanging on his shoulder, and his black hair making his eyes stand out, looking stern. I stared at his crisp shirt, remembering the feel of the man underneath when it was a T-shirt and hoodie.
Warm. That’s what I remembered.
Really warm.
I shut the folder, inhaling a deep breath and shoving it under the seat with the others. I’d seen my brother play with countless girls, treating them like insignificant toys and then throwing them to the side like trash. I knew how horrible men could be to women they were fucking. And the women not only took it, but they came back for more. Begged for it, in fact.
That would never be me.
“Where the fuck is he?” David grumbled from the driver’s seat, flicking the ash off his cigarette through the crack in his window.
I turned my gaze out the rear passenger side, looking through the streams of rain pouring down the window, up to the black brick house. We arrived fifteen minutes ago, and I’d texted him to let him know we were here. He hadn’t texted back, but I knew he was home. His RS7 was in the driveway, under a tree, getting shit on by all the thistles above coming loose in the rain.
Checking my phone, I saw it was now eight-fifteen. If he didn’t get out here, I was going to leave. I had other things to do besides wait on him.
Lev yawned to my left, and I glanced over, seeing his seat reclined, and his eyes closed. He still wore the same black jeans and sleeveless white T-shirt from last night, and he smelled like a bar bathroom.
“When is Vanessa due to arrive?” David asked me.
I stared back out the window, my heart pumping hard despite itself. “A week or so.”
“How did she take the news?”
“Does it matter?”
I could feel his eyes through the rearview mirror but ignored him. Gabriel had made the call to London late last night and sent me instructions to handle her when she arrived. She wasn’t happy, but she knew this day was coming. Eventually she would’ve been sold off to someone, and as long as that someone kept her in the lifestyle to which she’d become accustomed, she’d do what she was told.
She was, Gabriel divulged, happy that Kai was at least young and good-looking.
I let my eyes drift closed for a moment. Kai won’t go through with it. That was one thing that I was confident hadn’t changed. His integrity. The Nikova princess, who pouts if she has to suffer a sneeze, would annoy him to no end.
I smiled to myself. There was no way he’d endure her.
“You know, if you need me,” David said, and I opened my eyes, meeting his in the mirror, “—anytime—I’ll be there.”
I wanted to give him a nod. I’d worked hard to get the notice and respect I now had in Gabriel’s house. I hated being sent off like I was expendable. But my shoulders relaxed a little, knowing I wasn’t really doing this alone. They were still there for me.
He blew out smoke, shaking his head as if thinking out loud. “I don’t like this guy.”
I kept my smirk to myself. “What kind of guys do you like?”
Lev started laughing under his breath, his eyes still closed, and I glanced up, seeing David shoot me a bemused middle finger in the rearview mirror.
I looked back up at the house. The shades on the windows were so cheap. I could tell from here. The outside paint was worn away, and the bricks were chipped in so many places. I hoped the inside was better. It would take a shit-ton of guys to get this place in shape in two weeks.
“Damon was fucked up,” David went on, “but he never hid it, either. This guy…” He looked over through the passenger side window to the house. “I don’t know.”
He laid his head back on the headrest, and while my heart warmed that he was actually worried about me being left with Kai, I didn’t want him to be. I wanted to keep the power I had and earn more. It didn’t help if the guys I worked with tried to help me traverse every damn puddle just so my petticoats didn’t get muddy. I could handle Kai Mori.
“He’s too controlled,” David said. “People who are wound that tight are unpredictable.”
I tucked my phone inside my ski vest and pulled down the sleeves of my sweatshirt.
“Don’t worry about her,” Lev said, eyes still closed. “In two weeks, he’ll have his pretty little bride to play with.”
And I couldn’t help it. My lips twisted in a little snarl before I quickly hid it away again.
Yeah, he’ll have her, won’t he? And an image of them came to me, alone in that house, looking at each other, bumping into each other, connecting and shit…I sat up and threw off my seatbelt.
“If Gabriel wanted you guys to think, he would’ve put you in charge,” I mumbled. “I’ll be back.”
Fat raindrops pummeled the cap on my head, and I squinted through the downpour, stuffing my gloved fingers in my pockets and running up the cement slab stairs.
I rang the doorbell.
This place was a dump. Dingy-looking, overgrown and neglected landscaping, and a filthy porch, strewn with newspapers, empty flower pots, and dead leaves. Why did he live here? I’m sure he could’ve moved into Delcour—Michael Crist’s high-rise, luxury apartment building on the other side of the river—for free. Erika Fane and Will Grayson lived there, so why did Kai choose to stay so far away, here, and without his friends?
Of course, I knew where he lived when he bought this place a year ago, but it didn’t occur to me to be bothered by it then.
Now, since I had to ready this pit for a wife, I was starting to realize how much work needed to be done.
I hit the doorbell again, growing aggravated. Where the hell was he?
I pounded on the screen door, the old wood hitting the frame with each knock. “Hello,” I called out, more like a demand than a question.
Peering through the window to my right, I could make out a dusty floor and a small, overturned table, the rest hidde
n from view by the yellowing plastic shade hanging by one corner over the window.
Suspicion crept in as I stood up straight again.
This didn’t feel right. No one lived here.
I never got the impression Kai Mori needed a palace to be content, but he was definitely the sort of man who took pride in himself and anything that belonged to him. He took care of his shit, and this place was not taken care of.
I glanced up to the top of the hill, to my right, seeing a big, gray stone house. A little small to be considered a mansion, but it was damn close. It was surrounded by a tall, black gate, and it was Kai’s only neighbor. I should’ve researched who lived there. Made sure they weren’t nosey.
Casting a quick glance back at the car, I couldn’t see Lev through the tinted windows in the back, but I could see David in the front, watching me.
Fuck it. Turning back around, I swung open the screen door and twisted the knob, finding it unlocked. I pushed the door open and hesitantly took a step inside, my gaze shifting left to right as I took in the inside of Kai Mori’s house.
Gray light hit the floors, streaming through filthy windows while shadows of raindrops danced across the dingy wood. Dust-covered sheets lay over objects which looked like chairs and tables and one couch.
Leaving the door open, I walked slowly into the living room, taking in the fireplace with its soot-stained brick and a pile of charcoaled kindling before heading to the kitchen and taking in the 50’s refrigerator and stove, as well as the ancient linoleum and retro-pink countertops.
I choked out a laugh. Jesus. Who was he kidding? This wasn’t his house. No fucking way.
Charging back through the foyer, I climbed the stairs, taking two at a time and walked into two bedrooms and a bathroom, none of which looked lived in. There was no food, no used dishes, no tooth brushes, no laundry, no TV, no lamps...
Until I walked down the hall, entering the last room, and looked around. I stopped, instantly seeing a bed. The only room with one.
There were sheets on the bed, and it was perfectly made. Was I supposed to believe he just slept here then?
“Hello!” I called out again.
But I heard nothing but the sound of rain outside.
Walking out of the room, I entered the hallway and threw open some closet doors, checking every nook and cranny. The shelves were empty, not even containing bath towels.
What’s with the mystery here, Kai? “Hello!” I bellowed.
I closed the last door and turned, suddenly seeing him standing right in front of me.
I gasped, my heart stopping so hard it hurt. “Shit!” I burst out, breathing fast as he just stood there. “Where the hell did you come from?”
He stood in the hallway, wearing jeans and an expensive-looking, black pullover, partially unzipped to reveal the white T-shirt underneath.
He jerked his head behind him, his perfectly styled hair not moving. “The bedroom.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “I was just in there,” I told him. “And you weren’t.”
There was a bed and candles and a dresser and nothing else. Where was he? Hiding in the closet?
I realized I was breathing hard, so I forced myself to calm down.
“I rang the doorbell and called out. It was like no one was here,” I said.
But he ignored me, looking bored as he asked, “Did you bring the blueprints, keys, and codes like I asked?”
His stern expression looked impatient. Okay, fine. I’ll have to get in here and dig around soon, anyway, so I could wait to be nosy.
“In the car,” I answered curtly.
He nodded and walked for the stairs, taking them down and knowing I would follow.
We stepped out onto the porch, and his gaze instantly found David and Lev sitting in the SUV, waiting.
Kai turned his dark eyes on me. “You’re with me now. Tell them to beat it.”
I hooded my eyes in aggravation. But I turned around and headed down the steps, toward the car, while he walked for the side of the house toward his.
David rolled down the passenger side window.
“Go back to Thunder Bay,” I told him, reaching in and gathering the files for The Pope and the roll of blueprints off the seat. “I’ll see you tonight.”
He thinned his eyes, looking uneasy.
“It’s fine,” I assured him, starting to walk away. “Finish the collections, don’t forget the inventories for Weisz’s and Brother’s, and make sure Ilia got the kennels done.” I glanced at the time on the dash. “And remember, De Soto’s coming in at three. Make sure a car picks him up.”
I turned around before he had a chance to respond and walked toward Kai’s Audi. He backed down the driveway, the heavy rain slowly washing away the thistles all over it, but he stopped when he saw me heading toward him.
Rounding the car, I climbed in the passenger seat, tossing everything in the back and wiping away the rain on my face. I could feel the water seeping through the fabric of my hat, and I wanted to take it off, but I’d have to wait until I was alone.
Without speaking, Kai let off the brake and backed the rest of the way out of the driveway, and I shifted my eyes anywhere but to him. He shifted the car into first, and my breath caught, feeling him move next to me as the smooth whir of the engine vibrated under my feet.
He hit the gas and raced down the avenue, pulling down into second and up into third as the car propelled us faster and faster.
“You don’t live in that house,” I said in a low, even voice.
He held the wheel, the top arm locked steel-rod straight as he stared ahead.
“You think I can’t rough-it?” he joked, reaching over and turning up Emotionless playing on the radio.
“Rough-it?” I hid my smirk. “I think Howard Hughes was less anal than you. You would never live in that dump.”
“I lived in one for two and half years,” he replied, his voice turning hard. “Things change.”
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, seeing his eyes drift off faraway, impassive. I swallowed through the sudden dryness in my throat, shutting up for the moment.
It was easy to forget, given his clean fingernails and expensive clothes. But not long ago he was in a three-dollar T-shirt and locked in a cage with people telling him what he would do with every minute of his day.
Still, though, he deserved it. He did the crime.
“You’re not staying at the Torrance’s anymore,” he told me, shifting into fourth and laying on the gas. “You work for me now. I want you in Meridian City.”
“I live in Meridian City.” I turned my eyes out the passenger side window. “And even if I didn’t, you don’t get to dictate where I sleep.”
When they got out of prison last year, I moved to the city to be close to Damon. My father started paying me—barely enough to keep a rat—but it was enough to find a place to sleep.
“And where do you sleep?” he asked.
“Not far.”
He adjusted his rearview mirror, giving it a lengthy glance. “With one of them?”
I slowly turned my eyes on him and then looked behind us, seeing the Escalade following. I couldn’t help but smile a little.
I should be angry they disobeyed an order, but…
If Gabriel had told them to go home, they would’ve. He only had their loyalty as long as he paid them. I didn’t pay them anything.
I let my head fall back on the head rest, the rare peace of contentment washing over. “It’s all I’m good for, right?”
His lips twisted up. “Damon must really have done a number on you to keep you so loyal,” he spat out. “I’ve seen him with women. Do you really like what he does to you?”
What he does to me…. I fixed my eyes out the rain-covered windshield, zoning out. I belonged to Damon, and whether or not Kai ever learned the real reason why, it didn’t change that I would always stand at his side.
“That night—”
“Don’t,” I said, interrupting him.
/>
He stopped, and I could hear his heavy breathing pouring out of his nose.
“I love that he saw us that night,” he went on, his voice almost a growl. “Loved that furious look on his fucking face when he saw you all over me.”
I tightened the muscles in my legs, wincing at the memory. I was so awful that night. And the feeling of every inch of him on me was still so clear.
“There’s something about you, kid,” he said, still watching the road ahead. “I don’t know what it is, but most of the time, teaching those classes, meeting with contractors, talking to my friends, shit…” He shook his head. “I can barely stand it. I even have trouble chewing my goddamn food most of the time.” And then he looked over at me, shifting into fifth. “But not around you. Around you, I get hungry. Like I’m starving.”
I kept my gaze forward, the instinct to shrink into myself and try to be invisible nearly taking over.
“You’re wearing his belt.” His deep voice sounded dangerous and made the hair on my skin stand up.
Damon’s belt. I shifted in my seat, suddenly very aware of the tight, leather band around my hips.
He gestured down to the belt before turning his eyes back on the road. “I recognize the tally marks carved into the leather for every slam dunk he got in high school. On and off the court.”
On and off the court? Jesus, Damon. I held back my sigh.
I’d taken the belt when he went to prison, and he never asked for it back.
“Wear it every day, Banks,” Kai ordered. “Every damn day.”
“Oh, I do,” I whispered, but I knew he heard me.
I bet he wondered if there was a tally mark for me on the belt. Damon was right. It was strategically advantageous for no one to know who I was to him. If Kai thought I was a Torrance toy and tool, he wouldn’t know exactly what he had or what cards he could really play.
God help me if he ever found out, though.
Kai kept driving, descending into the Whitehall district, and I could see a cargo ship and a few tug boats drifting down the river in the rain. The city loomed in the distance, skyscrapers partially shrouded in cloud cover, and I could just make out the black and gold of Delcour, sitting in the center of the best shopping and the finest restaurants.