Bennett Mafia(102)

“Yes.” Kai turned to the man. “You’ve been my guard for four years. Have you always been working for Bruce Bello?”

The man coughed, jerking forward.

We waited until he was done.

He lifted his hand to wipe his mouth. There was blood on it. He took a second to compose himself. “No. I was a faithful and loyal employee until I received a coded email from Bello just a few weeks ago.”

“And this email said?”

God. Kai was emotionless. His demeanor said each and every question he asked would be answered. This man had been tortured into submission.

“He had a picture of my daughter in a man’s arms. He was holding a knife to her throat. The email said I was to do what he wanted or he would kill my little girl.”

“And what were his instructions?”

“I was to kill his daughter to save mine.”

Kai lifted his eyes to mine at that very moment. No reaction. No shock. No remorse. No sympathy. He knew all this already.

He knew, and he hadn’t told me, but then again, why was I surprised? This was something my father would do.

“Any other instructions?” Still so cold, Kai turned away.

“Yeah.” The side of his mouth he could still use tipped upward in an ugly grin. “I was supposed to kill you, or as much of your family as possible. Bello said he would pay me good if I did.”

Kai folded his head down. “Thank you.”

The spokeswoman cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “And his daughter, Kai? I assume you’ve helped resolve that.”

“I have. She is safe.” He turned to the ex-guard/my father’s would-be hitman. “Your wife and daughter will be cared for. I give you my word.”

It took a second.

Why would he speak that way? Why wouldn’t he just say they were safe and being cared for, not that they would be cared for? Why did the man’s head jerk back, his eyes glistening with tears as he nodded.

“Thank you,” he said hoarsely.

Kai turned back to the council.

“Sir?”

Two men entered our room. Kai had been given a signal without anyone knowing, but it wasn’t them who spoke. It was the ex-guard.

He saw the men coming and leaned forward. “Sir, if I can say something?”

Kai faltered.

I held my breath.

I expected Kai to listen to him without emotion, being his ruthless, cutthroat self. He was the head of the Bennett mafia and no one else in this moment, but he didn’t turn to his past employee right away.

He looked to me first, and pain flashed in his eyes. It was there, then gone.

He grew resolved again, his face tightening up. Only then did he look back at the man.

A tear slipped down the man’s face. “I know what will happen to me. I betrayed you, and there’s a code. I broke that. For that, I apologize. I truly am sorry I didn’t come to you when I received that email. I just—” He looked away. “I wanted you to know that, and I know you’ll care for my family. Thank you.”

Death.

That was the penalty.

I shrank back against the wall. Kai was going to have this man executed because he’d tried to kill me.

As if sensing my turmoil, Kai regarded me again. His eyes were piercing, blazing with an unnamed message, and I gasped silently.

He held a hand up for the men, then brought it down.

The two men each took an arm, and they walked the disgraced guard out of here. Kai watched me as I watched him. There was no fight in the man anymore. He went willingly. He was already dead, and he knew it.

Kai wanted me to see this, all of this. There were two more to come. Why would he want me to see this? To scare me? To warn me? To ready me—

Bang!

I jumped, clamping a hand over my mouth at the gunshot.

Kai had come over and cupped the back of my head. I would’ve hit the wall, but he cushioned my jerk. My eyes were wide, staring into his, and I couldn’t stop myself. A tear slipped down my cheek.

He bent forward. “Ssshhh. They can’t see you. I don’t want them to know you’re here.” His eyes closed. His forehead rested against my cheek, and his thumb rubbed the side of my jaw. “Trust me. Please.” He lifted his head again. “There’s a point to all of this. I promise.”

My heart pounded, but I reached up and grasped the back of his head, pressing his mouth to mine in a hard kiss. “Go. Do what you need to.”

His hand slid down my arm, and he pressed a softer kiss to my mouth before pulling away.

He returned to the front of the room, center stage for his council, before motioning to the door again.

It opened, and they dragged in my father.

My ribs were beginning to ache, but Kai said to trust him. I would do that, though it took all of my strength to remain in that room.

Kai whisked the bag off my father’s head. He was struggling, trying to run, and grunting around the duct tape over his mouth. The guards forced him down into the chair. He kept bucking back, the chair scraping against the floor, and Kai waited. The council watched.

No one spoke a word.

Kai waited for his prisoner to be subdued. The council was merely waiting for the next point on the agenda. This was their business meeting. What PowerPoint presentations were to others, interrogating/torturing/executing a prisoner was to them. Only one had even protested the time of this meeting. There were looks of resignation on the others, as if a late-night/early-morning get-together was common for them.