26
Amalia’sarms were wound tight around my waist, and I reveled in the feeling of her body flush with mine. She was warm, and her head rested on my back. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shared a ride with anyone. It had possibly been years ago when Leni and I had our thing.
But this—her—I could get used to this. The thought was terrifying because I felt it. The way I was becoming attached. How I craved to be near her all the fucking time. The fear I felt when I thought she’d been captured, or worse—killed.
I shook those thoughts from my head.
“Cain, where the hell are we going?”
Amalia’s voice filtered into my helmet through the speaker.
“A couple more miles. How are you doing back there?”
“I’m fine. Regretting not bringing my lucky blade.”
I barked a laugh. “You won’t need it. Trust me.”
“You keep saying that—”
Before she could finish, I accelerated down the stretch of dark highway, and she squeezed me to the point of nearly choking off my air.
“Kai, you bastard! You did that on purpose.”
“I didn’t take you for someone afraid of riding.”
“I’m not. It’s just, I have a hard time giving up so much control. You’re literally holding my life in your hands.”
I placed my arm over hers and interlaced our fingers. “Hey, I vowed to always keep you safe. I meant it.”
She remained silent for several moments. “You vowed a lot of things that weren’t true, Kai. So did I.”
Her tone was somber, reality always knocking us down. She loosened her grip, but I promptly accelerated once more, ignoring the creeping uncertainties the future held. Cool air whipped past us, and I felt euphoric as always. Riding was my escape. It was the only thing that brought me comfort when the demons refused to quiet. Somehow, I knew that would no longer be the case.
Giving her hand another squeeze, I slowed as we came around a bend to a small clearing just off the road. I rolled the bike toward a thin hedge of trees and cut the engine. Amalia dismounted first, removed her helmet, and shook out her hair.
Fuck. She was beautiful. She couldn’t see my eyes through the dark visor, so I took advantage and roamed every perfect little feminine curve of her body. My cock pulsed in my pants, painfully pushing against the seam.
“Okay, explain yourself. What is this place?”
I finally took off my helmet and hung it on a handlebar. “The other day, after the compound, I needed to clear my head. I took off and found myself here.”
Dismounting the bike, I walked toward her and took her hand. There was a sliver of hesitation, but she relented and let me lead her through the trees. When I found this place, it was early morning, with the sun high in the sky. The darkness now masked most of the familiarity, but I knew this was the right spot.
The forest broke, and we came upon twinkling lights in the distance toward the edge of a mountainside.
The city below was starting to wake, and a smile tugged at my mouth because I’d known the view would be so much more at night.
Amalia’s pretty features softened, and she released my hand and moved forward, close to the rock’s edge. “Kai, I’ve lived here most of my life and never thought to venture this way. It’s gorgeous.”
“Breathtaking.”
She caught me staring at her and smiled. “So, are you going to tell me about Gloria finally?”
“Why are you so invested in who she was?” I asked, tugging her to my side.
“Why did you kill a woman and name your precious bike after her? I’m not going to lie, that’s a bit creepy.”
“Are you scared or something, vicious?”
“I’m not afraid of killing people. Sometimes I think I like it more than I should.” She turned to look at me. “That’s a warning,” she added with a wink.
“Duly noted.” Moments ticked by in silence. But it was a calm reprieve from the chaos of the last few weeks. Oddly enough, I wouldn’t change a thing…well, mostly.
I felt her shiver, and I slid off my jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
“Tell me,” she whispered, as she leaned into my chest.
I sighed a long breath. My eyes fixated on the faint tendrils of color stretching from the horizon. “I’ve been part of Ares for a long time. I almost don’t remember my life before joining. But more in the sense that time seemed to be suspended before them. Derek and I…we survived as best we could. He took me under his wing the day I arrived at that home. Younger, smaller at the time, he protected me.”
Another shiver rolled through her body, and I held her tighter.
“I owe him a lot. Punishments meant for me…other things meant for me—he took the brunt of them. And for that, he’ll always have my loyalty. And he’ll always be my brother, because while I wasn’t spared completely, he never was.”
She turned in my arms. “Kai, what brought you to that place? Where’s your family?”
The wind kicked up, and strands of hair whipped across her beautiful face. I cuffed them behind her ears and kissed her forehead. “I never knew my father…I don’t know if my mom knew either. Could be anyone, if you know what I mean. But whoever he is or was, I probably look like him since the only thing I inherited from Clara Roth were her eyes.”
“They’re certainly pretty,” she said, offering a faint smile.
“So I’ve been told.”
She rolled her eyes with a bigger smile, though her happy expression was short-lived. “What happened to her?”
“Clara was murdered.”
I waited a few beats, wondering if she’d give her condolences, but Amalia watched me with intrigue. And I was grateful, because though I may have loved my mother at some point, she hadn’t been anywhere near fit to be responsible for herself, let alone a child. I’d woken up alone in a cold train station bathroom more times than I’d like to remember. So, in some ways, her death relieved me of the guilt I felt as my resentment toward her grew.
“And with no other known family, I was tossed in the system when I was eight. And the rest is history, as they say.”
“And then Ares found you.”
I nodded. “That’s where Gloria comes in.”
“Did she train you?”
“She was my first mark—the wife of a wealthy real estate mogul. A mistress was involved, and there was an inheritance, insurance money, and the works. That day, my rifle jammed, and she was on me before I could use my secondary, so I had to drown her in her fountain.”
Amalia listened with rapt attention, brokering no emotion. “Then her kid came around the corner. And that’s when I understood why she’d fought so hard. For her child.” I looked away from her as I thought of Maksim. “I’m kind of two for two on that front.”
“So you named your bike after her out of guilt?”
“Not just that. I became consumed with every aspect of her life and discovered that she was an outstanding mother. And that I’d stripped that little girl of happiness, only to leave her in the custody of her bastard father and his revolving door of whores.”
“Kai,” she murmured, reaching up to touch my cheek. “You couldn’t have known. Most of those who die at our hands have families. It comes with the job.”
“I know. I’ve worked through my guilt over the years. Besides, I pulled some strings, used some connections, and ensured her daughter would inherit everything and leave the father penniless.”
Amalia swatted my chest. “If you could do that, then why are we here? Where were you six months ago?” she joked.
My hands slid down her waist and over her hips as I pulled her closer. “Waiting for you.”