“It actually wasn’t that hard to figure out,” Will added, speaking for the first time.
I glanced over at him. I hadn’t talked to him a lot lately, and I wondered how he was holding up. Was he okay with all of this? He had a lot of shit in his head over Damon, I was sure.
I’d talk to him later.
The elevator crawled up the building, stopping on its own on, what I assumed, would be the hidden floor. I wasn’t sure if it was the twelfth floor in this building, same as The Pope, or if it was a different floor this time.
The doors opened, and all of us looked ahead, out into the vast room ahead of us.
Long and wide, it was like a large sitting room with doors off to the side and the back, probably leading to bedrooms and a kitchen. Jesus. It was huge.
It was designed like a luxury suite with a common area, but the extent of it wasn’t completely visible yet. A fireplace sat off to the right, while windows covered the east wall with velvet drapes and the light from the cloudy sky outside filtering through.
“Unbelievable,” Rika said as we all walked in and spread out, taking in the large room. “All this time this was here, and we didn’t know.”
Yeah. And he’d been here. The cigarette scent was pungent.
Portraits covered the walls, and there were several sitting areas with cushioned chairs and tables. I drifted up to a table, seeing a bottle of Dewar’s half gone, and an empty glass. I lifted the glass, sniffing it.
Michael searched the rooms, while Rika stayed with me and Will looked out on the terrace. But Damon wasn’t here.
Maybe he saw us coming somehow or maybe he had jumped over to The Pope.
“Why wouldn’t he have just left the country and stayed gone?” Rika stuck her hands in her jacket, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders.
But it was Will who answered, “Because everything he wants is in Meridian City.”
“But all the times I was gone,” Michael said, drawing closer, “she was so vulnerable. He could’ve done anything.”
“But he didn’t, so just calm down,” Rika countered.
“He fucking watched us!” Michael scowled at her. “He lurked like some sick fuck right under our noses!”
Rika averted her gaze, while Will ran a hand through his hair. Michael was right. It was definitely creepy as fuck, but…
“Rika’s right,” I added. “Why didn’t he do anything? I worked late alone at the dojo countless nights, while he was probably right across the street at The Pope. Will was right here. Rika was alone here. Why didn’t he act?”
Everyone was silent as the thought hung in the air. What was he waiting for? Why did he just sit here, doing nothing? He had a year and multiple opportunities.
“Because just that,” Will finally offered. “Michael, Rika, and I are here at Delcour. You and Banks are in Whitehall.” He paused, dropping his eyes. “The rest of the world has nothing that Damon wants. He wanted to be here. Close.” His eyes flashed to mine. “To us.”
I shook my head. Bullshit.
But it rang true. Why he stayed. Why he waited until now. “Devil’s Night. All of us. His friends. It’s his favorite time,” I mumbled.
“How do we find him?” Michael asked.
I shook my head, thinking. But then a text rolled in, and I took out my phone, swiping the screen.
Games are better with more players, don’t you think?
Another number I didn’t recognize. Why did he keep this up? Come on. Let’s do this.
Another text popped up.
The Pope. 9 PM. Don’t come alone. I won’t.
“No need. He’s not hiding.” I answered, walking to the elevator. “Get in your street clothes and meet me at my house within the hour.”
I had to get home. He needed leverage, and he’d go after her.
I entered the elevator, leaving them behind, and remembered one last thing, calling out, “And don’t forget your masks.”
“Why?” Will shot out.
“Because it’s Devil’s Night.” I pushed the button, the doors starting to close. “And I’m not getting caught this time.”
Banks
Present
Making my way down the stairs and into the kitchen, I gazed around the dim, empty room, a little fuddled at what my next move was. If I were home, I’d be grabbing a fistful of whatever Marina had on the table that morning, or if I were at my apartment, I’d be boiling up an egg and fixing a piece of toast, in a rush to get wherever Gabriel had ordered me to go.
I didn’t have anywhere to go.
I didn’t have a job anymore.
I was only at the mercy of my brother, and all was quiet so far this morning. Except for the fact I had no idea where the hell Kai had gone? David knocked on my door earlier to check on me, hand off the bags of new clothes he’d picked up from my apartment, and to let me know Kai had run out and would be back in a while.
I was actually pretty grateful for the clothes. All I had here was my wedding dress, and while I would’ve happily worn something of Kai’s, I really liked the more form-fitting jeans and black, short-sleeved blouse I’d picked out of the bags. It felt good to try something new.
Turning on the light, I walked around the marble island to the refrigerator, glancing at the trees outside the wall of windows to my right. The wind was in high gear, the leaves whipping under the towering thunderhead above, and I remembered a storm was coming our way today.
Another round of chills spread across my arms.
Opening the fridge door, I sifted through an array of food I barely recognized and a lot of other things I’d never tried. Tofu and meat wrapped up, green and orange-colored juices, and some interesting mushroom dish with sauce that actually smelled pretty good. There were also eggs and milk, as well as two shelves of fruits and vegetables. No cheese or cookies or soda. Should’ve known he’d be a clean eater.
I grabbed the eggs.
Turning around, I set the carton on the counter and pulled a pot off the rack.
“You’re smiling.”
I looked up, seeing David walk into the kitchen.
Was I smiling? I let the corners of my mouth fall. “Well, I don’t mean to.”
He chuckled. Pulling off his jacket, he hung it on the chair on the other side of the island as Lev walked in behind him.
He yawned, his black hair hanging in his eyes as he tossed some keys down on the counter. My mind trailed. For a moment, he looked like Damon. When Damon came in late, with that dreamy weariness in his eyes, because he was so drunk he was actually at peace for once, and all he wanted was sleep.
“Kai will be back soon,” he told me.
“Is everything okay?”
He shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Oooookay.
I proceeded to pour three juices and then looked up at them. “You guys hungry?”
“You cooking?” David reared back, looking shocked.
“I know how to make eggs, but…” I turned, opening the fridge, a little overwhelmed. “He has enough food here to cater a wedding.”
Their eyes lit up, and they shot out of their chairs, circling the island.
“Well, we just had a wedding,” David said, bending over and scanning the shelves “So, fuck it. Let’s make a feast.”
“That’ll make a mess,” I pointed out. “Kai doesn’t like messes.”
He snorted, pulling out meat wrapped in brown paper packages. “His wife can do whatever she wants in her house, right?”
I grinned. “I guess we’ll find out.”
I bit into the beignet, my teeth sinking through the air pockets of the soft pastry. “That’s actually pretty good,” I told Lev, licking some powdered sugar off my lip.
He scarfed his down, nodding. “My grandma raised me. She used to make them all the time. It’s not Marina’s cooking, but I can live off it if I have to.”
I laughed to myself but then stopped. “Marina,” I thought out loud.
Her prick of an emp
loyer, and all the other pricks on Gabriel’s payroll coming in and out of the house. I shouldn’t have left her behind.
Lev walked back to the stove, flour smudged on his face, as David ate the steak he’d cooked up and shoveled more eggs onto his plate.
“Banks.”
I jerked my head toward the entryway and saw Kai standing there. He didn’t spare the guys a look.
“Come here,” he told me and then turned and walked out of the room.
I wiped my hands on the dish towel and brushed off the flour dust on my shirt. I followed him, momentarily fiddling with the new ring on my finger, but I forced myself to stop. Dropping my hands, I stopped in front of where he stood in the foyer.
“We’ll clean the kitchen up,” I assured him.
“I’m not worried about that.” He shook his head, his eyes softening. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”
The front door opened, and Will stepped inside, carrying a bag and followed by Michael and Rika.
Kai turned back to me. “Have your guys finish eating, and then I need them outside.”
“What’s going on?”
He paused for a moment, holding my eyes with a concern in his. Taking my arm, he led me back to the wall.
“Did you know that Delcour also belonged to your father at one point?” he said in a low voice.
Delcour? “What?” I didn’t know what to say. “It did? No, I didn’t know. I didn’t manage his businesses. Not his legitimate businesses, anyway. I thought I would’ve heard something, though.”
“He owned it before you were born,” he informed me. “It used to be a hotel. His family built it, in fact.”
A hotel. So…
“So, the secret floor…”
“Is there, as well.” He nodded, knowing what I was asking. “Looks like Damon was dividing his time between the two properties.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. That meant that when I was there, dropping off the contract at Michael’s party that night, my brother might’ve been in the building. I had no doubt he was in the city, but God…
Why had he never told me about Delcour?
“I’m ready to be done with this,” Michael said, dropping a duffel bag at the foot of the stairs. “He’s got us running around like assholes.”
“Exactly.” Will walked out of the kitchen with a beer. “We shouldn’t even go to The Pope. Let him to come to us. Let’s just leave the fucking door wide open. Why not?”
The muscles in Kai’s jaw flexed, and I knew he was frustrated.
“Please, don’t call the police.” I dropped my voice, leaning into him. “Gabriel won’t…”
“Won’t what?”
I didn’t want to tell them what my father’s next move would be. It might only give Kai ideas. “He won’t let Damon embarrass him with another arrest again,” I told him, keeping it vague. “I can get him under control. If I can talk to him—”
“He’s not coming near you.”
“He’s my brother—”
“It’s not happening!” Kai barked. “I will deal with him.”
“Will’s right.” Rika stepped forward. “Throw him for a loop and make him come to us. All this time he’s been here, he’s yet to be a serious threat anyway.”
But Kai just laughed, sounding more condescending than amused. “And sharks will circle things they’re trying to decide whether or not they’ll eat, too.” He looked down on her. “Sometimes they leave. Sometimes they bite. He may want to have a few words with us,” he gestured to Michael and Will, “but he’d love to get his hands on you two.” And he looked between Rika and me. “I’m not taking the chance that tonight is the night he decides to do that.”
“Exactly,” Michael replied.
“We’re meeting him later.” Kai pinned me with a stare that was more of a warning. “You, Rika, and Alex will stay here with Lev and David.”
“No!” Rika bellowed.
“Absolutely not!” I shouted. “I have just as much right to see him. If anyone can calm him down, it’s me. We’re not staying here and making cupcakes while the men go off hunting! If you think—”
Kai grabbed me, wrapping his arms around my torso, under my arms, and lifting me up. “I love you,” he whispered against my lips as he backed us away from the others. “And he can send me to prison again for a very long time. I’m not letting that happen now that I’ve found you. Please.”
His dark eyes, clouded with fear, were only for me. No one else would see.
He loved me?
I stared at him, wondering what was happening in his head. Why me? We didn’t fit. Was this really my home now? My bed upstairs? My clothes? My husband? Would I have our kids and know anything about being a mom?
God, the future looked so different now. These were things I thought would never be my life.
Instead of the direct line in front of me—a tunnel—my future seemed more like turning in a circle to find a road and instead finding only meadows and hills and mountains. So much to explore. No set path. I could walk and never step in the same spot twice.
But, for some reason, that didn’t really scare me. I wanted to dream again.
“Please, don’t hurt him,” I told him.
“I’ll try not to.”
He set me down and kissed my forehead before turning away.
But I pulled him back, whispering, “I love you, too.”
A smile flashed across his lips. Taking the back of my neck, he pulled me in again, kissing me on the lips longingly and then twice more, slowly.
Holding my eyes, he took a step back and turned to his friends. “Let’s get this place locked up like a tomb.”
Kai
Present
“This is fucking amazing, in all honesty.”
Michael strolled around the twelfth-floor room, taking in the little clues Damon had left behind—clothes, cigarette butts, a few dead cell phones—and the amount of space so expertly hidden in the building. You really wondered how something so incredible could go unnoticed. I suppose we don’t see what we’re not looking for.
“It’s a huge city,” he continued, sifting through papers on a desk. “Damon’s always been a night owl. Lay low during the day, and he could sneak out of his little hideaways at night and roam the city while we slept.”
“It’s not in his nature to be alone, though,” Will added, still hanging back in the doorway.
He wouldn’t come in. I didn’t ask why.
“Nice fucking view.” Michael sighed, looking out the windows.
I glanced at the bed, the sheets still a mess, and the pillows still where Banks and I had left them. It didn’t look like he’d been here since we were.
“Alright, come on.” I stuffed my hands into my black hoodie and walked for the doorway. “He’s not here. We’ll wait for him in the lobby.”
Hesitantly, Michael followed me out, and all of us stepped back into the elevator. It was after nine, and Damon hadn’t said where in The Pope to meet, but we’d checked the floor anyway, just in case. Plus, the guys wanted to see it.
We trailed into the lobby, and I turned in a circle, scanning the space. Rain was starting to fall out on the street, and lightning flashed through the windows, followed by a roll of thunder.
Something felt off.
We hadn’t seen him in a year. He’d been gearing up for an entrance. He wasn’t just going to stroll into the hotel and say “hey.”
My phone rang, and I let out a sigh. I pulled it out of my pocket and didn’t even bother to look at the screen.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Right where I need to be.”
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he asked, “Do you think she loves you? More than me?”
“Where the hell are you?” I squeezed the phone in my hand, feeling the guys draw close as they heard me. “We’re here. Waiting.”
“She’s a part of me,” he went on. “And I’m a part of her.”
/>
“You share blood.” I walked to the front doors, looking out the glass. “That doesn’t make a family.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong,” he said, a bite to his tone. “Blood is the tie that binds. The knot in your soul that says no matter where you go or what you do, there’s someone in this God-forsaken, shithole-hell-of-a-world you’re forever connected to.”
“Where are—”
“It can be a curse,” he continued. “A burden. But it can also be your heartbeat. Your center, your purpose, your belonging…” He let out a breath, slowing down. “I’ve fucked up, I’ve lied, I’ve nearly torn myself apart in front of her, but she understands that that’s what family is about. Family is what life gives you to help you endure. Their place is by your side, no matter how much it hurts, they’re the people who are always by your side. It’s duty.”
Not when it was abuse. She was my family now, and he would never hurt her again.
“And unfortunately, Kai…” Damon sounded almost amused. “Nothing could tear me away from her side, either.”
“Where are you at?” I demanded.
But he just responded, “She’s mine.” And then I heard a click.
“Damon!” Empty air sat on the other end of the phone. “Damon!”
“What the fuck is going on?” Michael stared at me.
But I didn’t know. Why did he call? Why not say that shit to me in person?
Why was he jerking us around? Again?
And then it hit me.
Leverage.
“He’s not coming,” I said.
“What?” Michael inched closer.
And I turned my eyes on him. “The girls. He knew we’d leave them at the house.”
Banks
Present
“Ugh,” Alex growled, pulling her hand out of the pumpkin and whipping the orange slop off her hand and onto the newspaper.
“You said you wanted to bake pumpkin seeds,” Rika pointed out.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know this was where they came from.”