Havoc

Chapter 28

Grim

We could have had this meeting on the twentieth floor, but I couldn’t run the risk of anyone hearing. If word got out that Elio’s men were digging, the fuckers would scatter. Everything had to be hush-hush. I made the unusual decision to hold the meeting at the office in my suite rather than go to the basement. It would be easier for my parents.

“This is the list of hitmen for hire in the New Orleans area.” Elio clicked a button on the keyboard, and a list of names, pictures, and locations came up on the screen. “Because we can’t assume he wasn’t from out of town,” he tapped another button, “I cross referenced the list with this one from nearby, and here’s what I found.”

“Impressive.” Dad stepped closer to the screen and rubbed his temples. We could be looking right at Leo’s killer, and there was a part of me that figured we should just kill them all, and maybe I would.

“I’ve still got my men on the ground digging for more.” Elio tried to ease the sting of all the photos. “It’s just a matter of time before something shows itself.”

I glanced at Mom sitting on the leather couch. I reached over from where I perched on the armrest and gave her hand a squeeze.

“And there’s zero chance Alina Li could be behind this?” I needed to be sure it wasn’t Alina. Since we’d broken up after Singapore, I found out she had ties to Chicago. She had me fooled for a while, and I was glad to be rid of her. She had been ruthless.

“No, mio amico,” Elio assured me, “Jesse already had me look into her.” I gave a nod, relieved I didn’t need to deal with anymore crazy exes.

“It’s important not to make any moves yet.” Elio pointed to two men on the screen. “That being said, these two here are connected to the Fentanyl Father.”

“Which means chances are they’re connected to Sonny,” I grunted, knowing the fucker was keeping his distance from Indulge but remained in Vegas.

“Excuse me.” Kenna’s voice had us all whirl toward the door. How the hell did she get up here without me knowing? Then it hit me. The fucking keycard was still under my name, so she bypassed the security system that kept everyone else out. “Mr. Gates,” she avoided my glare, “my deepest apologies for the interruption, but?—”

“It’s not a good time, Kenna.” I cut her off, but she stepped into the office with her chin held high.

“I’m sure it isn’t, but I would never have come up here if I didn’t think this was incredibly important and something you need to hear.”

Dad turned off the screen and waved her in. “Of course, Kenna.”

“Kenna, please come in, dear.” Mom smiled.

“Perhaps I should step out,” Elio tucked his phone in his breast pocket.

“Actually, Mr. Capri, I think you might need to hear this too.”

“Please, Kenna,” he inclined his head, “and it’s Elio.” He took his seat, and I waved her to a chair. I was outnumbered.

“I know this is an extremely sensitive topic, and this comes with my deepest respect, but I think I might know who is behind Leo’s killing.”

We all sat in silence as she told the story Yen Hong had described of the organization called Potens. She answered every question we threw at her. I glanced at Elio when she mentioned the crocodile. Now I knew why he was shocked.

A few tears trickled down her cheeks as she pushed on, and the longer she spoke, the more I felt shitty for the way I’d treated her. I’d known what I was doing. I’d pushed her away purposely because I knew she cared for me. I hurt, and I wanted her to hurt like me. The only problem was no one could feel the hurt I felt, because Leo was dead, and I knew it was supposed to be me.

“Elio,” my father addressed him when Kenna finished, “no rock unturned, no door left unopened.”

“I’ll pass the information along.” Elio looked at me, and I gave a nod that I had nothing to add. “I’ll be in touch.” He left.

“Thank you, Kenna.” Mom’s voice caught. “I know that was hard to bring us, but you just gave us a new direction.” Dad put a hand on Kenna’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head then took Mom’s hand and helped her up. He murmured something about going to their suite to be alone.

Once they left and we were alone, Kenna pulled herself together and reached for her purse.

“Kenna.”

“No.” She held up a hand then turned and headed for the door. I pressed a button on the table to lock it. “Grim.”

“Hear me out.”

She whirled with fire in her eyes, and I was glad we were in my suite. If she screamed at me, no one could hear. “No. I did that last night. I gave my body, and fuck me, I even gave you a little of my heart, and where did it get me? A whole lot of nastiness, a kick to the gut, and a knife where it hurt the most.”

“Yeah, I was prick last night,” I admitted.

“Don’t do that.” She stepped close as angry tears pooled in her eyes. “Just because you acknowledge that you’re a prick doesn’t justify your behavior.”

“I wasn’t justifying anything. I was agreeing with you that I was a prick.”

“Are—” She stuck her finger in my face. “You don’t think Leo’s death affected me, too?” Her voice went up. “I worked with him for almost a year before you walked into my life. He was the nice one, the one who actually cared what came out of his mouth. Where you?—”

“I what?”

“You hurt people. Use their own demons to tear them down to join you in your misery. I would never do that to someone I—” She stopped herself.

“You what?”

“No.” She looked away.

“Finish your sentence.” I pressed my chest into hers and towered over her in the way she loved. “Kenna.”

“Cared about.” I could tell those were not the words she wanted to use, but at least she said it.

I threaded my fingers through her hair as my other hand slid up her throat and tilted her chin to look at me. “I do care,” I stumbled over my own confession, “about you.”

“You have a hell of a way of showing that.”

I raised a brow then dipped low to snag her lips. “Let me show you how much I do.”

“No.” She pushed against my chest, but I grabbed her wrists and spun her around to hold her in my arms. My lips pressed to her ear, and she wiggled to get free.

“The day you walked into the office and sold this hotel to Salazar like a fucking pro turned me on like no other.” I moved her hair to kiss her neck. “Then when you shot venom at me over a misunderstanding with your client and me in the spa that day, well, that,” I sucked on my favorite spot, “that was the day I knew I was capable of feeling for a woman.” Her body relaxed as my words sank in. “I generally hurt the ones I let in. But you,” my hand moved down her front but stopped at her stomach, “when you’re near, you make the pain go away.”

“What are you saying, Grim?”

“I’m saying I’m sorry.” I couldn’t believe I just uttered those words, but I did.

“I won’t tolerate that from you, Grim. I’m better than that.”

I kissed her again. “You are.” I slowly released her, so she’d know it wasn’t purely sexual. She wiped a tear and nodded. Then Leal hobbled out of the bedroom.

“Hey, baby.” She brushed by me and knelt to rub his head. He pushed into her with a whimper. Who the hell was this dog? “Do you still hurt?” He complained again, and I rolled my eyes. For someone who hated anyone in his space, he sure didn’t have a problem with her.

“Is he eating?” She slit her eyes at me.

“Yes.”

“Taking his pills?”

“Yes.”

“Getting lots of rest?”

“Why are you questioning me?” I glared at the little shit that was getting more attention than I was.

“Because you’re a prick,” she smirked over her shoulder, “and I wanted to make sure Leally is getting what he needs to get better.”

“The fuck you say?”

She chuckled as she stood and gave me a playful look. “You heard me.”

“You have three seconds to come over here.”

“Nah,” she dropped her purse on the bookshelf by the door, “I think I’d rather make you work for this one.” She bolted from the room, and I threw a glance at Leal and chased after her.

* * *

I peeledmy body from hers and tried to catch my breath. We’d gone three rounds, starting in the kitchen, dining room, and ended up in the bedroom. The tight grip around my chest was gone, and for the first time since Leo’s death I felt like I could live.

“I’ve got a meeting.” I grabbed her and tugged her to me so I could kiss her once more. “Rest up because I want more later.”

“I’ll be right here, in the same position.” She laughed.

“I’m going to hold you to that. I want you exactly that way.” She rolled her eyes and looked sly.

I reached for my phone to check the time and saw my inbox was light. Good. I tossed the phone in the sheets and rolled to hug her once more then hopped off the bed. I avoided Zhar, who looked less than impressed he’d been locked in the room with us. I heard my phone alert me there was a text message just as I got to the bathroom door. Kenna fished though the sheets and picked it up. Her face fell, and I realized I’d left it open.

“No,” she cried, and I leapt toward the bed to snatch it from her hand. The words on the screen changed everything.

Jesse: Confirmed it was Cameron who put the hit out on you. He got Leo killed.

Kenna’s mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear her. My ears were filled with a high-pitched ring that went straight through the center of my head.

I went numb.

The man we let into our lives had killed Leo. Maybe not himself, but he ordered it.

I let the darkness that had finally lifted fill me again.

“Grim!” Kenna’s voice finally broke through, and I looked down at her wild face. Her eyes were wide with terror. “Please-please, don’t do this!”

Terrified eyes were nothing new to me, and I couldn’t care less what she wanted. I had a name, a face, a heartbeat to end.

“I know he’s a miserable monster, and I can’t even begin to process what you’re going through.” She clawed at my arms. “He’s my father, and we need to handle this the right way.”

I glared down at her. “Well, he’s nothing to me.”

Her hands went to her hair, and she closed her eyes as tears streamed from under her lashes. Any emotion I had toward her was quickly replaced with rage and hatred. She was a Tame, after all. She carried the blood of the man who tried to kill me, who killed my brother.

“You need to go.” I brushed past her.

“No, no, no!” She whirled, and her hair whipped around her head. “Stop!” She blocked my path and pressed her hands against my chest. “Grim, please listen. A huge part of me hates that man as much as you do. But you’re not hearing?—”

“Oh, so, now you remember you hate him!” I shouted, and her face flinched at my volume.

“But,” she gasped for air like someone drowning, “he deserves the right kind of punishment, not the Gates kind!”

“That’s where we disagree.” She yanked on my arm when I pulled my gun out and checked the clip. Not that he’d be so lucky to get a bullet.

“You’re not listening. I beg you, look how far we’ve come! One wrong move, and things could get so much worse,” she sobbed. “He’s my father, and people are watching him, too!”

“Yes, your father,” I spat, “killed my brother!” She cowered at my voice. “A hit that was meant for me!” I boomed throughout the room. “How can you even justify his actions?”

“I’m not!”

I tossed a lamp across the room, and she cringed as it smashed against the wall. “I’m going to break all his bones,” her face paled, “savor each snap,” I stepped closer, and she stepped back, “and when he begs for mercy, I’ll snap his neck.”

“Grim!” she screamed and got in my face again. “Listen to what I’m saying. Yes, my father deserves to be punished. I know that. But think about who’s watching us. We have no idea if what Jesse just found out will lead you into a trap. This needs to be handled as a family.”

I cut her off. “You’re not family. You’re a Tame.” I saw the hurt flash over her face. Good.

She shook her head like I wasn’t getting it. “Then talk to them!”

“No. This is my kill.”

A sob ripped through the room, and I fed off her fear. Suddenly, her eyes moved toward the door. I lunged at her, but she was ready and slipped past me. I stepped back and clicked the button on the nightstand to lock the door.

“Grim!” She yanked on the handle like a wildling, which gave me a moment to grab her arm and yank her toward me. I couldn’t have her get to anyone before I could. “What are you doing?” I dragged her flailing body toward the bed. She bucked her legs in the air. “No! No! No!”

I dropped her on the bed, reached behind my headboard, and yanked down the handcuff.

“What? Are you insane? You can’t do this!” She had nothing on my strength as I attached it to her wrist. I knew she couldn’t get away.

“I just did.” I stood back as she took a swipe at me. She screamed obscenities, and I tucked her phone in my pocket.

I shoved my weapon in my waistband and headed for the door.

“Grim,” she cried. Her tone made me turn. “Why can’t you see I’m trying to help you?”

“Help?” I whirled, spewing venom in her direction. “Where was your help before my brother died? Why couldn’t you see what your father was going to do?”

“That’s not fair.”

“No,” I lowered my voice, “what’s not fair is your father’s here and Leo isn’t.”

“That isn’t my fault,” she choked out.

“Isn’t it?”

Her face twisted as my words hit her hard. Then I saw her chin rise. “If you leave, that’s it, Grim. There’s no more us.”

Leo’s smile faded from my memory, and I nodded.

“I know.” I closed the door.

The End