Bennett Mafia(90)

“You said I can’t leave again. You can’t either.”

He rubbed a hand over the side of his face. “What are you talking about?”

“I can’t leave. You can’t either.”

“Riley—”

“Say it!” I went to him. “Say it. Now.”

“What are you doing?” He shook his head, hands on his hips, and he watched me come. His nostrils flared. “What are you playing at?”

“You think this is a one-way thing? You make demands, and I have to follow? I don’t think so.” I stopped just out of reach, forcing myself to hold firm. “Say it back.”

He continued to watch me, something sparking alive in those dark eyes of his.

“Say it.”

“Say what?”

“That you won’t leave!” I shouted. “That you won’t cut and run when something goes wrong, because something always goes wrong—”

“No shit!” he snarled. “I’m in the fucking mafia. Everything goes wrong with us, and we’re the ones who do it. We do that. I do that. I give orders to kill. And sometimes I want to be the one who pulls the trigger.”

“You’re being a dick.”

“I am a dick.”

I met him face-to-face, toe-to-toe. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

He reached up, his hand curling around the back of my neck, and he pulled me close. I went up on my tiptoes, my lips square against his, but we weren’t kissing. We were both breathing hard.

I couldn’t look him in the eyes, not this time. “Tell me something new. I know who you are, and I know what you’re doing right now.” I reached up and grabbed ahold of his shirt. I yanked him against me. “You cannot scare me, so stop fucking insulting me by trying. Again. You don’t want me to shoot my father, fine. I won’t, but let’s not pretend that’s what this temper tantrum is about.” I shoved him back, making him let go of me. “You’re falling in love with me, and you’re pissing your pants because for once in your life, you don’t feel in control.”

He stared at me, long and hard, and as I could’ve predicted, he turned and walked out.

The door slammed shut behind him, causing me to jump.

Fine.

I started to turn, but there was nowhere I could go. Instead, I picked up a glass and threw it against the wall.

Fuck him!

But as it shattered and fell beside the other, it did nothing to make me feel better. If anything, I had a sudden compulsion to glue both glasses back together.





CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE


Kai hadn’t been back since he’d stalked out, but exactly eight hours later, Brooke arrived. Didn’t take a genius to figure out he’d called in a replacement. Jonah had come too. He gave me a quick assessment and declared it’d be my last one. I was healthy once again.

Brooke and I spent the first hour catching up. She told me how she’d called the guards from the woods, and they’d found her and had her checked by a local doctor. Brooke said the doctor had been “gorgeous beyond words.” Though it was only a strained ankle, it was still painful and “so worth it.” Her words. Not mine.

Afterward, she said they’d grilled her about my whereabouts for a few minutes, and that was it.

She shook her head. “I swear, they broke speed limits getting me to you. What happened?”

There was a sour taste in my mouth, but I only shrugged. “I’d rather just get drunk than talk about it.”

And she didn’t push. Jonah either.

As we opened the first bottle of wine, Brooke said Tanner had been sent north again. As we finished the second bottle, she went on to say that since she was here, she wanted to sneak around Kai’s properties. She was convinced he still had Levi somewhere and was “bound and determined” to save the love of her life.

I frowned. “Not to second-guess you, but you’re awfully flirtatious with Eric and a certain doctor.”

“Doctor?” She glanced at Jonah, who was working on his computer next to us.

He didn’t look at her. “She’s talking about Mr. Gorgeous Local Doc you were raving about earlier.”

“Oh!” She laughed, slapping her hand on the table. “That’s funny. No, no. Levi is the love of my life. I’m just flirty. That’s all.” She glanced over her shoulder, but there were no guards on our floor.

I had no doubt they were standing outside the door.

“I like flirting with Eric. He messes up if I really push him. How do you think I get half the information I do?”

Jonah sighed, closing his computer. He pushed his glasses up his nose. “Brooke likes to act as if she’s being held hostage by our brother, but that’s not the case. We’re Bennetts. There’s a responsibility that comes with our family surname. All of us hate it, but if we have to step up and bear it, we will. Brooke’s constant flirting is her rebelling against those responsibilities.”

Brooke glared at her glass of wine.

“I know.” I nodded. “Kai told me about the council.”

Both of their eyes widened.

“He did?” Brooke asked.

Jonah frowned. “Why would he tell you that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but he did. Is that bad?”