37
WhenKai cut the bike’s engine, I didn’t let go. Now that the world was quiet and it was just me and him, he let me hold him and listen to the sound of his heart. Guilt ate away at me as I thought of how rash and reckless I’d been, putting not only my life in danger but his as well.
“I’m sorry.”
His hand came up over mine. “Yeah, well, I told you that if I caught up to you, that ass would be mine. And it’s time to pay up, Mrs. Cain.”
My laughter shook us both. “I guess it’s only fair. Do I get a say?”
Kai climbed off the bike, and with one quick tug, I was over his shoulder again. “Nah, tonight you’re going to be my little cum bucket. All holes are game,” he said, slapping my ass as my core clenched. “Tomorrow, we’ll talk and call in a tow truck—that is, if your car survives the night.”
“It has a tracker, and house calls are my favorite.”
Kai’s grip on my legs suddenly tightened, and I waited for him to say something, but he just stood there. “Kai?” His hold slackened, and he set me down and quickly pulled his gun, racking it back. Without question, I did the same and aimed down his line of fire. But when my eyes caught up with my actions, I felt my soul leave my body.
“Holly?” Lowering my weapon, I stepped forward, but Kai’s arm shot out and held me back.
“Hold on,” he gritted out, eyes scanning down the drive.
Holly walked toward us, a slight limp in her step, face and arms bloodied. My breaths suddenly felt labored, my stomach hollowing out when I realized it was just Holly—injured, beaten, and covered in blood…and alone without my baby brother.
“Gio,” I whispered. I took off down the driveway, Kai on my heels. Holly was hyperventilating, speaking too fast for me to understand what the fuck she was saying. “Where is he?” I asked, shaking her violently.
“I—I don’t know. We stopped for ice cream, and a group of men rolled up on us, Amalia. There were too many. I tried…but they took him. They knew who he was.”
She was speaking, and I understood every word that came out of her mouth, but it felt like an out-of-body experience because it couldn’t be true—not my brother.
“Holly, who took him?” My voice was strained as hot, wild rage burned through me.
“I didn’t recognize them. I’m sorry.”
“Fuck!” I paced back and forth, cursing and trying to devise a plan of action.
“I’ll make some calls.” Kai touched my arm, momentarily anchoring my sanity. He pulled out his cell and started to dial when his phone chimed, indicating a text message. No name was attached to the bright text box, just a number. His brow furrowed, and just as he intended to open the message, my phone vibrated in my pocket, quickly followed by Holly’s musical ringtone. All three of us had been contacted by the same number. My throat felt constricted as I tried to breathe and compose myself.
5436 W. Campbell Dr
$5 mil
Midnight
Ransom. Someone had taken my brother for ransom. Kidnappings were common in this business, but somehow, it was hard to believe that this was my reality. After everything…something wasn’t right.
“I don’t believe this.”
“We’re on the same page,” Kai said, staring at his phone as if trying to piece it together. The timing and everything leading up to this were all too much of a coincidence.
“We have three hours. Someone dies in three hours, and it won’t be Gio. Holly, get the team together. You stay here with Milly—”
“No fucking way. I’m going. They fucked me up, took Gio. Fuck that. I need my pound of flesh.”
“You’re hurt, which means you’re also a liability.”
Kai and I moved like a synchronized team toward the armory below the garage.
“That’s bullshit, Amalia. I’m not sitting this out like some scared little bitch. Gio is like my brother, too.”
I stopped abruptly, and Holly would have plowed into me if Kai hadn’t steadied her.
“Holly, look at you.”
“They’re just flesh wounds. Nothing I haven’t experienced before.” She was stone-faced, determined. “I’m not letting you do this alone. I’ll phone the team, you get the goods. They’ll be expecting us. But hopefully, they’re truly just after the money.” Holly was punching messages into her phone. “Can you move $5 mil in the next hour?”
“I can have it in the next fifteen fucking minutes, but they don’t want money. We both know that.”
I slung a black duffel bag over my shoulder. Two hours and twenty-five minutes. Every second that ticked by was like another closer to my brother’s possible death. I exhaled shakily, feeling as though I was coming undone at the seams. Steadying myself, I gripped the table’s edge and hung my head as I attempted not to break down. Gio needed me more than ever. If someone were dying today, it would be me, not him.
“Till death, mi reina.” Kai’s arms wound around me, and he kissed the back of my head and whispered, “I love you.”
My breath hitched, and I whirled around to face him. “Kai, I—” He put a finger to my lips. “Whatever happens tonight, I want you to know that meeting you, being with you, wasn’t just by chance, Amalia. The road that led me here, every broken piece of my life, brought me to you, and I wouldn’t change a damn thing. You’re mine. You were always meant to be mine. I love you, and no matter how this night ends, somewhere, somehow, you and I will find each other again. I promise.”
“Kai,” I murmured, my voice breaking along with my heart. “Why does it feel like you’re saying goodbye?”
He tilted my chin and kissed the tear sliding down my cheek.
“I need you to promise me something,” he said, hoisting me up so that we were at eye level.
“No, absolutely not. I can already sense what you’ll say, and my answer is no. I’m not leaving you behind.”
“If you can make it out with Gio, you need to do it.”
“Kai, stop it. That’s not how this goes down.”
He gritted his teeth. “We have to be prepared for every scenario. You know that better than anyone. And you’re the only person who matters to me. You and Gio…” Squeezing me tighter, he kissed me hard. “I need you to be okay.”
His voice shook. I’d never seen him cry, and it tore me open. This beautiful man was everything I never knew I needed in life. Holding the sides of his face, I gazed into his gorgeous eyes and offered him a watery smile. “We’re going to be okay. We’re going to wake up tomorrow, and you’re going to put that big, beautiful cock inside your wife until I can’t walk straight.”
Kai laughed as I wiped his tears. “Are you ready?”
“Always.”