Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
CARTER
“ Y ou feel so fucking good,” I tell Kai as I pound into him. “You gonna come for me, pretty baby? Huh? Gonna let me feel this tight ass squeezing my cock?”
I’ll never get enough of Kai’s sweet moans as I fuck him, tunneling into his hole. My hole.
I move his damp hair to the side and bite along the skin of his neck, leaving my marks behind. He’ll wear his hair down for the charity event tonight, but we’ll both know they’re there. We’ll both know I marked him as mine.
My fingers go around to his nipples, tweaking them as the shower water cascades down on us.
We’re supposed to be showering so we can get ready for the charity event, but I never look at Kai’s round, firm ass and not want to stick my dick in him.
Kai thought the same, turning to the shower walls and spreading his cheeks, showing me his wet and stretched hole. It took me no time to sink into him.
My pretty baby tips his head back against my shoulder, seeking my lips as he pants and moans. I cover his mouth with mine, groaning as my tongue is coated with the flavor that only belongs to Kai.
I drop my hand and grasp his cock, jerking him in time to my thrusts. Kai’s moans heighten and he tenses in my arms. His body vibrates against mine just before he sprays his passion all over my hand and the shower wall, mewling into our kiss. I follow closely behind, giving him a groan as I use his hole to milk my cock.
A laugh bubbles up from Kai and I join in, even though I’m not sure what’s funny.
“We’re supposed to be getting ready for the event,” he says through chuckles.
“That’s what we’re doing. I was coming in here to wash your back.”
“Mhm.” He pushes me away and I’m sad when my dick leaves the warmth of his entrance. As soon as we get back home, I’m wrapping his legs around my waist and getting as deep into him as I can. “Can you really wash my back so we can get dressed? We don’t want to be late.”
I grab a new cloth and add body wash and wash his back. When he turns around, I wash the rest of him, paying special attention to his dick. It bobs under my attention, even though Kai gives me a flat look.
“What?” I ask, trying to look innocent. “I want to make sure you’re clean.”
He scoffs and takes the cloth from me, washing the rest of his body. I do the same, then hand the cloth to Kai so he can get my back. Unlike me, he just washes me, his hands don’t travel elsewhere.
Pity.
While I shave, Kai stands next to me and blow dries his hair. The waves curl around his shoulders, covering up the purple bruises I just sucked into his skin. I grin at him in the mirror and Kai makes a show of arranging his hair so the marks are covered. I laugh loudly before pulling him in for a quick kiss.
I’ll never get enough of Kai’s mouth. He always tastes so sweet and he melts into me like he wants to live in my skin. His hands are always eager when they loop around me, touching and gripping my back as if he never wants to let me go.
That warm feeling I can’t identify stirs in my gut as his lips move slowly against mine. Something flares inside me, something strong and bigger than I can pin down. Kai is my everything. He means more to me than I could ever imagine.
I’m not sure when it happened. It’s like I woke up and Kai became my sun, and I had no choice but to orbit him. He is my center. Fuck, I’m in deep.
I release his lips, slapping his ass before I unwrap my arms from around him. Kai rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling, a blush high on his cheeks. “Hurry up,” he tells me impatiently. “Your hair looks fine. Stop fucking with it.” I laugh and follow him out of the room.
Kai is pulling his dress shirt on when I step into the room. I look at him and shake my head. “Wait,” I say, walking to my closet and opening my tall safe. I pull out a bulletproof vest and hand it to him. “Put this on.”
He takes the vest from my hands, then looks up at me with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve been to charity events, and I don’t remember stuffy suits shooting at us.”
Something is telling me that Kai needs to be protected at all costs and if this helps—even just a little bit—I’ll be less worried about him. “Put it on.” I pause. “For me.”
He sighs as if he’s put out, but he does what I ask, sliding the vest over his ribbed undershirt, then pulling his dress shirt over it. “Happy?”
“As a clam.”
His soft chuckle makes my chest tingle.
We dress in silence—I also put on a bulletproof vest so Kai doesn’t feel alone—hide our guns under our jackets—Kai hides his favorite knife—and trot downstairs when we’re ready. Once we make sure we have all the men that are assigned to watch out for us, we get going.
The event is swanky, a bunch of people that have more money than they need rubbing elbows with the who’s who of the state. It’ll be a boring, stuffy event, but the Whitlocks and St. Clair’s have been attending and donating for years. It helps with our legit standing in the community.
I help Kai from the car, and we head inside to be bored out of our minds.
As soon as we step inside, I spot Declan and Hendrix by an ice sculpture, sipping drinks from their squat glasses. Even though they look relaxed, their eyes dart around, taking everyone in.
Kai and I head over to them. Declan up nods me and Kai, though he probably wouldn’t have greeted him at all if he could help it. Declan will probably never like Kai, but he won’t disrespect him again because of me. That’ll have to be enough.
I paste a smile on my face and step closer to Declan. “See anyone here we need to worry about?”
“No. Looks like it’ll be the same snooze fest it is every year.”
Since we were kids, Dad would bring one of us to these events, so we’d know what we had to look forward to as we aged. I never liked them, and Declan did even less. But we don’t have to stay long. Just enough time to donate and make sure we’re seen by the rich elite in the room. Like we’re normal, productive members of society.
Declan and I exchange a few words, then Kai and I excuse ourselves. We walk around, talking to different people and checking out the causes needing donations. I put down a one-million-dollar donation from our family for a statewide seminar on financial literacy. Kai pledges half a million to the arts, which surprises me, but he said it’s because it was the only thing that sounds interesting.
As we walk past a group of older gentlemen smoking cigars and swirling brandy in a glass like they’re passengers on the fucking Titanic, one of them stops Kai. Kai smooths his irritated expression quickly, but I caught it. I smile over at him, making him scoff.
“You’re Kaison St. Clair, correct?”
To my surprise, Kai says, “St. Clair-Whitlock, yes.” He entwines our fingers and stares at the man in an almost aloof way, like he doesn’t care what he has to say about him being married to a man. My chest swells with pride that he’s claiming me like this even if it’s in front of people I don’t know.
The man takes it in stride. “My apologies. Mr. St. Clair-Whitlock. I’m Bert Montgomery. I heard from a good friend of mine that you own St. Clair’s Construction. I was wondering if you were interested in hearing a quick proposal. Or should I schedule a lunch with you?”
Kai looks nonplussed but recovers quickly. “Lunch would be best. My husband and I have a lot of people to talk to, and the silent auction is beginning.”
“Of course. Do you have a card?”
Kai nods and pulls his wallet out, handing Bert his business card. Bert takes it, nodding in satisfaction. “I’ll be calling you soon, Mr. St. Clair-Whitlock.”
With a hand on the small of his back, I lead Kai over to the room that hosts the silent auction. Bending close to his ear, I whisper, “That was unexpected.”
He nods. “Most of the time, I’m the one that puts my business out there. Maybe word is spreading.”
I’m sure it is. Despite the shit the Fensters pulled with one of his builds and how Charlie tries to talk shit about his business, his company does very well. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of Kai’s money comes from the construction company. He told me he wanted to expand, which will bring in even more money.
A few weeks back, one of the construction sites for a strip mall was vandalized, the dry wall had holes kicked in them, all the pipes removed, and it was flooded with water. Spray painted on the walls was: We’re coming for you . We all know it’s the Fensters. The cops and the investors didn’t place any blame on Kai and our illegal business, suspecting teenagers out doing dumb shit.
We walk around the silent auction, checking out the artwork and season tickets to football, basketball and hockey games. Nothing interests me, so I don’t make any bids. Art isn’t my thing—even though my house is full of expensive pieces—and neither I nor Kai have time to watch sports or attend games.
“Want a drink?” I point over to the open bar.
He nods, so I guide him in that direction. Before we get to the bar, Charlie materializes in front of us like he appeared out of thin air.
Kai sighs, though I see the brief flash of happiness in his eyes. I don’t know why, but he still loves Charlie. Charlie doesn’t fucking deserve Kai. “What are you doing here, Pop?”
“Making sure you don’t squander the family money on some art bullshit your kind like.”
“Fucking watch it, Charlie,” I growl. If it weren’t for the affection Kai had for him for some ungodly reason, I would have taken Charlie out by now. “I will fucking put you on your ass if you keep disrespecting Kai.”
Charlie takes a step towards me, but Kai steps between us. “Any money I donate will come out of my pocket. Like everything has since I’ve been an adult. You don’t have to come and fucking babysit me, Pop.”
“You don’t tell me what to do,” Charlie seethes, his face red. I swear if he keeps that up, he’ll have a fucking aneurysm. “I’ll be here if I want. No matter what I said before, I’m still the head of this family. You’re just in my way.”
I don’t have time to retort before Charlie storms off. Kai stomps over to the bar, ordering two shots, tossing them back before I can come to stand next to him. “Easy,” I murmur, ordering us two beers to nurse. “Don’t let Charlie get under your skin. Regardless of what he says, the St. Clair’s are yours. He’s a fucking angry old man that doesn’t know how to stay in his fucking lane.”
Kai makes a noncommittal noise as he drinks some of his beer. He polishes it off in two more swigs, then sets the empty on the bar. “I’m going to the restroom.” He hustles off before I can check on him.
Fuck, Charlie is an ass. I can’t figure out why he gives Kai so much shit, other than he’s gay. My dad would be fucking thrilled if me or Declan owned a lucrative business. It’ll only be a matter of time before Charlie and I come to blows because of the shit he talks to Kai. My husband can handle himself, but it’s getting on my fucking nerves.
I tip my beer back to take a gulp, but my eyes snag on someone entering the building.
Sam Fenster.
Anger surges through me, but I keep my composure since we’re in such a public place. His gaze connects with mine and he smiles like the fucking cat that caught the canary. Someone walks in my line of sight, and by the time they move, Sam is gone.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I fire off a quick text to Gavin, then Declan. Gavin and Nico are doing the rounds, making sure there is no danger.
Gavin responds immediately, telling me he’s on the way to my location. Declan says he and Hendrix are upstairs but will head down immediately. I slide my hand into my jacket, gripping the handle of my gun while I look around for Kai. He said he was going to the restroom, but he should be back by now.
Commotion by the entrance catches my attention and I focus on the two men that are arguing. The noise level rises, the shouts reaching my ears clearly.
I stare at them for a moment, then it hits me. This is a fucking diversion. Just as the thought enters my mind, Gavin and Nico approach me.
And all hell breaks loose.
“Gun!” someone shouts, and everyone starts running towards the exits. Not even a second later, the ringing of gunshots rents the air. Screams crop up and the three of us are shoved back and forth, being separated by fleeing bodies.
I’m pushed against the bar, hissing when my ribs strike the edge hard. I shove the man that bumped into me and pull my gun from its holster, looking for danger. More shots ring out, one of them pinging off the bar when my hand just was. I look up and aim, seeing Gabbi Fenster standing near the stairs in a flowing red dress with a slit up the side and strappy red heels, trying to get another clear shot at me. I fire off two rounds, both striking her; one in the arm and one in the stomach. She doubles over but doesn’t start bleeding from her belly. She must have a vest on, though how she managed it in that get up is beyond me.
As she scurries away, I give chase, keeping my eyes peeled for Kaison. I see Gavin tussling with a man in a white suit that I’m sure is one of the Fenster guards. When he gets the man to the ground, he plugs him with two bullets in the chest. He turns to me and gives me a nod and I return it, then move further into the room, wanting to locate Gabbi, but needing to find Kai. I’m not sure how she got away from me with those heels on, but with the confusion of people running in all directions, I couldn’t keep her in my line of sight.
The ball room where the music was playing and people were dancing is a fucking shit show, attendants running around looking for an exit. A man runs in front of me and his head explodes, a bullet meant for me sinking into his skull. He drops heavily into me and more bullets riddle his body. I feel the force of them through my own body. If I weren’t wearing a vest, they’d probably find their mark.
When the shooting stops, I push the body off me and get to my feet, rolling to the side quickly. Bullets ping off the floor, then one shatters a vase near where my head was. I find the shooter, then take him out with three well placed shots to the chest.
Just then, I see Kai, standing next to Nico and firing at the men across the room. I hurry over to them, needing to be near my husband, needing to protect him.
He looks up at me and says my name. Then he’s struck by a bullet in the chest, the force so great, it takes him off his feet.
“Kai!” I shout, dropping beside him, not worried about bullets flying towards me. I grab him by the jacket and drag him into the room with the silent auction. Bodies litter the floor, but I don’t care. None of them matter. Only Kai.
Behind cover, I look down at his prone body, afraid I’ll see blood pouring from his shirt. It’s ripped in places and there’s an obvious entrance location, but he’s not bleeding. He looks up at me dazedly, grabbing my hands that are in his shirt. “I’m okay,” he says in a gruff voice. “I’m okay.” He smirks shakily at me. “Good call with the vest.”
“Fucking dammit, Kai,” I force out past my tight throat. “Fucking dammit.” I drop my head to his chest and breathe him in, forcing the tears to stay in place. I shudder when he buries his hands in my hair, holding me close.
My heart fucking stopped when I saw Kai go down. I thought I fucking lost him. In those short few seconds before I could see for myself, I couldn’t breathe. My life flashed before my eyes, my days long and drawn out without the man I love.
Fuck, I fell in love with Kaison, and I almost fucking lost him. He’s my world, my fucking sun and he was almost taken from me.
When I focus back on our surroundings, I realize the shooting has stopped. I peek out and see only my guys standing around, guns at their sides. “We’re good.” I turn to him, pulling open his shirt. Buttons fly everywhere, but I don’t give a fuck. I undo the vest and place my hand on his chest, feeling his frantic heartbeat under my palm.
“You fucking scared me, Kaison. Don’t do that again.”
He pushes my hand away but falls against me. “Not like I asked to be shot, Carter.” I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck. “I’m okay,” he says, his voice muffled against my chest. “Just sore.”
I open my mouth to say something, anything, but I’m cut off by Gavin shouting my name. I help Kai up and we round the corner, finding both of our guards looking around for us. “Here,” I say, holding on to Kai tightly. “You hurt?”
They both shake their heads. “Cops are coming,” Nico says, hands on his hips. “Those fuckers crossed the line, bringing shit in public like this.”
I agree as I look around at the carnage. Dozens of dead bodies litter the floor, most of them innocent civilians that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The man that Kai gave his card to, Bert, lies on his back, his unseeing eyes peering up at the ceiling. Some of my men are either dead or dying, blood surrounding them. Men in white suits that I can only guess were Fenster men far outnumber the bodies of our dead, their prone bodies looking like so many piles of snow.
Rage consumes me. This has gone too far. We’ve been doing what we could to find the Fensters, but it was obviously not enough.
I don’t give a fuck about collateral damage. What I do care about is how this will blow back on my family. How we’ll now be under the spotlight of the cops. The only good thing is the Fensters will too. I bet they didn’t count on any of their men dying, let alone about twenty. If they were smart, they would have waited until we left to try to take us out. They probably figured with more people around, it would be harder to pin anything on them. Fucking idiots.
Beside me, Kai makes a strangled sound. I look over at him, wondering what happened. I follow his line of sight and see he’s looking at a man with most of his head missing. It takes a moment for me to realize it’s Charlie.
Kai rushes over, grabbing Charlie by the front of his jacket. One hand hovers as if he wants to touch Charlie, but most of the remainder of his face is covered in blood and brain matter.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Kai mutters, tears making tracks down his face. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Walking over to him, I get on my knees beside him and turn his face towards me. “We’ll get them,” I promise vehemently. “We’ll find them and kill them all.”
“Carter, I don’t…fuck.” He looks back down at Charlie as if trying to memorize his face.
I’m not sure how long we sit there, but soon, the room is swarming with police. Everyone but Kai raises their hands over their heads, our weapons long forgotten. Thankfully, every gun brought here tonight is legally owned and registered, with no bodies connected to them. We can easily say we were shot at and defended ourselves. We also have the chief of police in our pockets, so not much will come out of this, other than the news and media.
After we’re searched and released from the cuffs the cops put us in, I’m questioned on the events of tonight. Kai is taken to be checked out by an ambulance, his eyes vacant and his shoulders slumped.
Before Nico gets too far, I grab his arm. “Take him home for me. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.” He nods and follows behind Kai and the paramedics.
The police ask me question after question. I answer them quickly, wanting to get home so I can take care of Kai. He doesn’t look too good after holding the corpse of his father.
I don’t tell the cops shit. I could easily tell them it was the Fensters so they could all be locked up and sent up the fucking river, but they’re fucking mine. I don’t want them to go to prison. The entire family will be fucking wiped out.
Maybe an hour later, I’m free to go with instructions not to leave town. I grunt and hustle out, Gavin hot on my heels. The sound of tires peeling fills the air as Gavin presses his foot to the floor and gets us home.
Less than twenty minutes later, he’s pulling up to my house, men converging around me like a human shield.
Once inside, I find Nico standing outside the fancy sitting room I never use. “He’s in there. He won’t leave.”
Nodding, I push past him and enter the room. Kai is sitting in front of the empty fireplace, staring into it with unfocused eyes. He still has on his bloodied shirt, his pants not faring any better.
“Baby,” I whisper, walking over and kneeling before him. He doesn’t answer or look at me. “Kai, baby, we gotta get you out of these clothes. You’re a mess.”
One beat passes. Then two. Then three. Finally, his unfocused eyes look over at me, taking me in as if just realizing I’m here. “Carter.”
“Yeah, baby. It’s me.” I put a hand on his cheek and stroke it with my thumb, rubbing off some of the blood he got onto his face from Charlie. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“Pop. He’s…”
I sigh, but nod. “Yeah, baby. I’m sorry.” He nods, folding his lips in. Two tears fall quickly from his eyes, but I wipe them away just as fast. “Come on. Let me get you in the shower.”
He nods stiffly and I help him from the chair. I wave Nico off when I step out of the room and walk Kaison upstairs to ours. When we get to the bathroom, I undress him, tossing his soiled clothes into a corner. Before I put him in the shower, I grab a cloth and wipe the blood from his face.
Once he’s naked, I start to undo my clothes to get in with him, but he stops my fingers. “I want to be alone right now.”
That’s the last thing I want. I need to be there for him, especially now.
I didn’t think Kai really liked Charlie. He always defended him, sure, but I didn’t think he’d look so wrecked when he died. Honestly, I thought he’d feel relief that his dad wasn’t talking shit to him about being gay or about his company. I figured he’d be glad to be rid of him.
Familial ties are a bitch.
Though I want to tell him no, that he needs me, I nod and stop trying to take my clothes off. “I’ll be right outside. Shout if you need me.”
He nods and walks to the shower, his posture that of a man that has nothing. My heart clenches.
I love you . I want to tell him so badly, but now isn’t the right time. When he’s better. Once he’s better, I will.
As soon as I step into my room, my phone rings. I fish it out of my pocket and curse when I see my father’s name on the screen. I answer quickly, stepping into the hallway. “Dad.”
“Are you okay? Your brother? Kaison? What happened?”
I smile despite the shitty turn of events. Even though I spent most of my life hating my husband, Dad didn’t hesitate to put that aside and welcome him like a son. “I’m fine. Declan is fine. I think the most we got are bumps and bruises. Kai, not so much. Charlie got killed.”
Dad’s heavy sigh drifts through the phone. “I heard. Charlie and I talked about this event, and I told him not to go. He’s headstrong though, didn’t want to listen.” He pauses and sighs again. “ Was headstrong. Where is Kai?”
“In the shower.” I lean against the wall, beating my head against the hard paneling. “I don’t know what to do, Dad.”
“Be there for him. That’s all you can do. You’ll probably have to make arrangements for Charlie.” I scoff, but Dad talks over me. “I ain’t like that cocksucker either, but it’s not for him, it’s for Kai. Take this number down and call the funeral home in the morning.” I pull my phone from my ear to put the number in, but it’s fucking frozen. No matter how hard I try to exit from the call screen, it doesn’t budge. “Hold on Dad. I have to get a pencil and paper.”
I hurry down to my office and grab a pen and paper, jotting the number down as Dad rattles it off. “Who did this, son?” he asks after I blow out a long breath.
“The Fensters. I saw Sam and Gabbi. She shot at me. I got her in the arm before she ran off. I saw Sam before he took off to god knows where. I’m not sure why they made it so fucking public, but it was them.”
My breathing is coming out in pants, and I have to force myself to calm down. I don’t give a fuck about Charlie getting capped. He had it coming for a long time. What I do care about is how it hurt Kai. The Fensters hurt Kai, so they’ll have to fucking die. All of them. Starting with fucking Sam and Gabbi. I’ll kill both of those bitches myself.
I run through the events of the night, giving Dad the cliff notes. He hums when I finish. “What do you plan to do about it?”
“They’re going to die. That’s a given. But I need to wipe everyone out. The youngest in their family is nineteen. No children that I know of. I plan to erase their family name.”
“Whatever you do, be smart. You hear me?”
“I know, Dad. Kai and I will talk it over with some experienced men from both families to come up with something. But the Fensters don’t have too many sunrises left for them.”
A few minutes later, we hang up and I figure Kai has had enough time to wash himself and wallow in the shower. I need to get back to help him dress and into bed. I plan to hold him all night, so he knows he’s not alone.
Exhaling roughly, I walk down the hallway and push into the room. The water isn’t running anymore, but I don’t see Kai. When I step into the bathroom, I find it empty. Walking back into the room, I look around frantically, trying to figure out where he went.
Then my eyes land on his nightstand. Where his cell phone is.
And his wedding ring.
Thundering out of the room, I rush down the stairs to where Nico is in the kitchen. “Have you seen Kaison?”
He looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “He’s with you.”
“No,” I growl, “he’s not. Where the fuck is my husband?!”
We both leave the kitchen and check the entire house. I even go through the entrances to the panic room, checking to see if he’s hanging out down there. Nothing. He’s nowhere in this house.
Kai is gone.