Havoc

Chapter 5

Kenna

Sleep, a long shower, and a good breakfast perked me back up. I pushed down all the nervousness that was rooted deep in my stomach, because what choice did I have?

I hated to admit it, but I was pleased Grim wasn’t there when I woke. It gave me the chance to slip out after making the bed. We’d had a moment in the night that played over and over in my sleep, and though it was a nice distraction from the nightmares, it left me feeling strange. Like something had shifted slightly inside me. It was a foreign feeling and one I wasn’t sure I wanted to explore.

I was still a bit sore but felt much better, and that was good because people had started to notice my absence. It wasn’t like me to take time off, and I didn’t want to call any more attention to myself.

“You look better.” Minnie appeared next to me and made a show to check my outfit. “Nice to see the girls again. They needed some sunlight.” Her gaze went up and down my short, skin-colored dress. “I thought you were naked when I spotted you across the way.” She made a sad face. “But I see I was mistaken.”

“God, we’d make an excellent couple, wouldn’t we?” I smiled and threaded an arm through hers. I turned her so we could see our reflection in the glass. Then she turned so we could both admire her ass in her leather pants.

“Your tits and my ability to bend like a pretzel at almost forty would make us unstoppable.”

A blur of color and a sudden waft of weed came to us.

“It’s like every man’s fantasy.” Rail puffed out a cloud of smoke as he draped an arm around our shoulders. “Min, your man’s lookin’ for ya.”

“Duty calls.” She winked at me. “I want to talk later.”

“You know where I’ll be.”

“Fuck, all these gorgeous women.” Rail grinned. “I’m always sportin’ a hard-on.”

“How are you?” I swatted his shoulder as he patted his crotch.

“Nope, that’s my line.” He shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a fat joint. “Tess wanted you to have this. It’s her favorite. Called Dragon Butter.”

“Thanks,” I slipped it into my cleavage before anyone saw it, “and to answer your question, I’m fine. Rattled, a little sore, but better.”

“Grim told Trigger,” he whispered loudly. I reached out and pressed my fingers against his lips to stop his words.

“Rail, you can’t say that stuff. Whoever it is, they have people everywhere. They seem to know what I’m doing—hell, where we all are.” I forced myself not to look around.

“Fine, but that means now we all know,” he lowered his voice and held up a hand to stop my mini freakout, “which means Trigger wants to meet up tonight and make a plan and flush this fucker out.”

It wouldn’t work, but I didn’t have time to argue. I had to meet Mr. Harris to make up for not being there when he signed the contracts.

“When and where?”

“Ten.” He looked up at the roof.

“Here?” My eyes bugged out. “He’s like big brother. No, it can’t be here.”

“It’s actually perfect. A big meeting on the roof will make him call you and ask what it’s about, then you’ll apply the plan.”

“The plan? All I can say is it better be a damn good plan.”

“Remember Allen and the airplane hangar story?” He took a moment to remind me of a huge takedown Trigger had orchestrated years back.

“Fine.” I nodded but felt that nervousness threaten again. I knew the roof was rented out for a birthday party of twenty or so people, so it wouldn’t be overly crowed. I also knew we would blend in, given that it had been booked by a nephew of one of the Harley Davidson club members. “I have to go. We can talk later.” I kissed his cheek and hurried off.

The rest of morning went by fast, and just as I was saying my goodbyes to Mr. Harris, I felt someone come up and slide a hand around my waist.

“Kenna, you look gorgeous as ever,” Sonny cooed, and my face instantly heated. When the hell had he arrived?

“Mr. Conti,” I eyed Mr. Harris, who didn’t look impressed, “I didn’t know you were back in town.” I slid out of his hold and almost tripped but righted myself and flashed him what I hoped was a mega-watt smile. I was totally blindsided by his sudden appearance and knew Mr. Harris could see my discomfort.

“Yes, I’m back. I was trying to get Sasha a tour of Secrets. As usual, Grim made things difficult. You know what a good friend he is of your father’s. I’m gonna have to tell him Grim refused to cooperate.”

He looked over at Mr. Harris, who just stood there watching. He looked at me with worry on his face.

“Well, Kenna, I’ll see you a bit later, then.” He stumbled, and I felt badly for him. It was obvious he wasn’t sure how to handle my discomfort. “Thanks for this morning.”

“Anytime, and I’ll see you soon.”

Please don’t leave.

“So,” Sonny stepped forward and blocked my view of Mr. Harris, “I need you to bring us over to Secrets.”

“Wait,” I just caught what he was saying, “how do you know Sasha Landry?” Hanna’s warning that Sasha was dangerous made my heart race.

“Your father introduced us the last time I was here. He’s a great guy.”

My phone buzzed, and I welcomed the distraction.

Grim: Walk away from Sonny.

I looked around but couldn’t spot Grim.

Kenna: I’m trying.

Grim: Try harder.

“Um,” I thought about a way out, “I’m sorry, Sonny, but I have so much on my plate right now.”

“Oh, please, I just so happen to know that your week is lighter than usual.”

“And how would you know that?”

“Your father.”

“I see.” I ran my tongue along my teeth to curb my anger. My father hadn’t checked in with me since he was told I’d been late for the contract signing. My guess was he had no idea what had happened to me. I could live with that, but I didn’t need to hear his “what did you do?” speech.

“Kenna,” he stepped toward me, and I felt my phone alert me again, “I’m trying not to get a complex here, but I signed on with the understanding that I’d get you as my hostess, but then I was told you don’t have room for me on your roster.” He reached out and took my hand, and it was everything I could do not to lash out at him. “Now I come here and ask for some help, and you can’t even spare me an hour?”

I felt my fight return in a rush.

“Mr. Conti.”

“Sonny,” he corrected me. “Please, Kenna, we’re closer than that.” His other hand brushed down my arm.

“That’s exactly my concern.” I slipped into a mocking tone as I ripped my hand away. “You say we’re close, yet you slipped a drug in my drink.” He held my gaze, and I saw no emotion flicker there. That concerned me more than if he’d lied. “You tried to get me up to your room that night. To do what, Sonny?”

“First, it was just a party drug. It’s Vegas, Kenna.” Obviously, he didn’t see how fucked up that was. “Second, you seem like a girl who enjoys a good time.”

“Well, you’ll never know, now, will you? After that stunt, you won’t ever see that side of me.”

His hand hit his chest like he was in pain. “Kenna, your words hurt.”

My phone buzzed again.

Grim: Walk the hell away.

Grim: Read my texts, Kenna!

I looked up at the camera and knew he was watching me from there.

Kenna: I can handle it.

“Hey,” Sonny covered my phone with his hand, “why don’t we start over, fresh?”

“Sure. Why don’t you walk over to the entrance and wait for me there?” I turned on my heel, only to hear him chuckle. I got three steps before Sasha stepped in my way.

“Can I steal two minutes of your time?”

“It’s not a good time.” I went to move, but he caught my arm.

“Your father said you could help me, and I’m running out of time.”

“Despite,” I looked down at his hold, “what my father thinks, he’s not in charge of my time.”

A hand suddenly reached forward and fastened itself around Sasha’s wrist. Sasha grunted in pain, and I broke free.

“Wrist, nose, and three ribs, that’s what I can break before your next blink,” Grim snarled, and I stepped away from them.

“Mr. Gates, I was just hoping?—”

“Like I explained earlier, my hotel isn’t ready to be toured yet. Miss Lodge has a job to do, and you and your friend,” he tossed a look at Sonny, “are keeping her from it.”

Sasha looked down at me with unreadable eyes then nodded a few times, and that alone sent a chill down my spine.

“Understood, Mr. Gates.” Grim let him go. “Sorry for the inconvenience. Let’s go, Sonny.” Sonny didn’t say anything else, which surprised me. They both walked away as we watched. “I’ll see you tonight, Kenna,” Sasha called over his shoulder.

“What the fuck does that mean?” Grim turned his temper on me.

“It means I get to relive my teens all over again.” I rolled my eyes. Apparently, Dad’s entourage was back. “He’s invited Sasha to a family dinner.” I watched as the two men went into a bar. “How’d you know he was here, anyway?”

“We’ve been watching Sonny since he bombarded me at my hotel and made a comment about you. I didn’t trust he wouldn’t go looking for you. Seems I was right.”

“Well, thanks, but I had it under control.”

“Clearly.” He snickered.

“Meaning?”

“I told you to walk away, and you didn’t listen. If you had, this wouldn’t have happened, and I wouldn’t have had to come down here.”

The hell?

“I’m confused, Grim. At what point did I ask for your help?”

“Excuse me.” He stepped closer.

“You’re coming down on me because I didn’t jump when you said so, but I was perfectly fine handling things myself.”

“Was that before or after Sasha had his hands on you?”

Oh, shit, he was pushing my buttons today.

“His hands have been in a lot more places than on my wrist.” The words sprung unwanted from my mouth, and I wanted to bite off my tongue.

His face went to stone and his chest rose as he dragged in a deep breath. If we weren’t in the middle of the lobby at Indulge, I bet he’d have me thrown in a trunk and dumped me somewhere.

“For the sake of your safety, Kenna, I’m going to walk away, but hear me when I say this. You will not be attending that dinner tonight.”

He did not just threaten me.Oh! I felt my inner Minnie rise to the surface, and I licked my lips, ready for the kill.

“Small problem with that, Mr. Gates.” I pressed my toes into the floor to gain some height, leaned in, and pressed my hands flat against his vibrating chest. I let my perfume invade his nostrils for a moment and slowly licked my lips as I peeked at him from under my lashes. “I know exactly what you’re capable of.”

His eyes flashed something wicked as I stepped away, aware of where we were and who might be around. It had been a daring move on my part. It felt good to know he had no option to display his feelings here in the middle of his father’s hotel lobby. I turned and marched away before he could gather himself. The one good thing about Grim pushing my buttons was that the feeling of being scared in my own skin was replaced with hot flames. It fueled my fire and made me think I could handle everything, at least for a while.

As much as I wanted to skip out on dinner, I couldn’t. I’d received a short text early that morning that left me with a haunted feeling. Did he have eyes everywhere?

Unknown: Be at the dinner tonight.

The text wasn’t the only reason I’d be at that dinner. I sure as hell wasn’t about to let Grim tell me what I was or wasn’t allowed to do. He might feel he could tell me what to do at work, but I had to set some ground rules when it came to my personal life.

* * *

“More wine, miss?”The waiter held the bottle, and at my nod, he poured it. I used the tip of my finger to tilt the bottom to add more to my glass. He chuckled and left the bottle behind.

My nerves were incredibly shot, and the dinner didn’t help. Mom announced she was about to leave on another job, and I wasn’t sure how I would be able to navigate my family without her.

“Thank you.” I smiled, but it dropped when I realized Calli had focused on me.

“So, is it true?”

“Is what true?” I knew better than to play into her games, but I’d been silent through most of the dinner, so I figured I’d entertain her for a moment.

“The rumor.”

“Calli, maybe not here.” Simon threw a pointed look at our guest, Sasha. Of course, that caught Dad’s attention.

“It’s fine.” She dismissed him. “Is it true you got jumped in the parking lot?”

“I’m sure that’s just gossip.” Dad attempted to wave her off, but Mom caught it and threw a worried expression at me. Dad’s face went tight, and he glared at Calli as the table went quiet.

“I heard it from the staff.” She shrugged at my parents and picked up a glass.

“I did have an altercation the other evening, but it was taken care of.” I glanced at my father.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Mom put a hand to her chest.

“Don’t overreact.” Dad patted her hand. “Look at her. She’s fine.”

“Kenna?” She raised her tone, ignoring dad.

“Yes, Mom, thank you. I’m fine.” She eyed me then nodded, but I knew she’d bring it up again when we were alone. At least she cared enough to.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Simon nodded politely, bringing a glare from my sister.

“It wasn’t a client of mine, was it?” Dad peered over at me as he cut into his steak.

“No, Dad.”

“Good, because if it was and you didn’t tell me about it, I wouldn’t know to do damage control with that client.”

“Right.” I shook my head and tossed back some more wine. Simon changed the topic, and when the conversation picked up, he gave me a quick glance and I mouthed a thank you.

Sasha, who had made it a point to sit next to me, leaned over. “Are you really all right?”

“Oh, you care?” I laughed and thought how ridiculous he was. I’d been young and naive when we dated years ago, but seriously. He’d never cared then. That seemed to be a job I’d done solo. Whyever would he care now? There was a time when my heart had been invested in Sasha; he’d been my first love. I was older and wiser now with a lot of experience in how people worked.

“I do, actually.” He cleared his throat. “I just find it interesting that the very busy owner of the hotel with much more important things to do just happens to come up on us while we we’re having a conversation.”

“You mean when you had your hand on me?” I tried to redirect his comment.

“You didn’t seem to mind when we were up on the cliff watching the sunset,” he purred. I felt a wave of nausea come over me.

“It’s really sad that you’re referring to something that happened in my teens. It’s way past time to move on.”

“Or maybe we could go somewhere and talk?” Suddenly, Hanna’s warning about him crept into my head. She said I needed to be careful of him.

My phone vibrated in my purse, and I tapped the screen to see who it was.

Unknown: Lean in and tell Sasha you’ll get him a tour of Secrets tomorrow.

My skin went cold. The thought of constantly being watched by God knew who creeped me out. On cue, I scanned the restaurant and wondered where he could be. I could be looking right at him and not know it. I decided to make a mental note of who was around me at all times so I could do a process of elimination. Simon turned his phone over to read something but didn’t text; he just flipped it back over and took a sip of his water. I pushed that thought off, Simon was like a lap dog, sweet and kind. He seemed to only want to please those around him, almost to a fault.

“Look, Sasha,” I sighed, “if you want a tour of Secrets, I can arrange it.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“I would.”

“Why?” He studied my face as he asked.

“Because.”

“Because?” He leaned in, and I held up a hand.

“Because it’s my job, actually.”

“Well, I won’t question that because I really want to see the place.” He seemed to think for a bit. “Thank you, Kenna. I really appreciate it because something tells me your boss wouldn’t agree.”

I took a deep swallow of wine. “Just know that this,” I waved between us, “will never be anything but friends. You had your chance.” I couldn’t resist the dig, but as normal, he let it roll off his back.

“We’ll see about that.” He gave me a cocky smile, and I shook my head, thinking how juvenile he was.

“Don’t look now, but that boss I just mentioned, he’s at the bar.” Sasha slid an arm around the back of my chair as he said it.

“He’s here for me.” I ignored his arm and excused myself from the table. I tossed my napkin on my chair and went to meet Grim before he decided to come to our table. Grim pushed off from the bar top he leaned against as I drew close.

“I see you went to dinner?” He cocked a brow.

“I did,” we both began to walk toward the elevators, “but I need to tell you something.”

“It’ll have to wait.” I could tell he didn’t want to take the call. “What’s up, Dad?”