Chapter 27 Kaylor
KAYLOR
So now I was planning a fucking dinner I didn’t have time for. What crap had I gotten myself into?
I knew next to nothing about cooking a meal for four men who could eat a cow and still have room for seconds.
At best, I could make boxed mac ’n’ cheese without burning it.
Sometimes. It was clear I needed help. I went to the kitchen in search of the only person who would be able to save me from this catastrophe I’d created in a spur-of-the-moment decision. I was basically self-sabotaging myself.
I followed the clatter of pans to the kitchen, the smell of rosemary and roasted garlic wafting through the air.
Amelia stood at the island, sleeves rolled up, apron tied neatly at her waist, and wielding a slightly unnerving chef’s knife.
Something told me, despite her grandmotherly looks, Amelia knew how to use that knife for more than slicing a roast.
Clearing my throat, I plopped onto one of the counter stools where I usually ate. “Hi. Any chance that’s dinner?”
Amelia smiled. “It might be.”
She always cooked for us, well, for the Corvos, and therefore, as an extension for me. But we never ate together. We all just showed up in the kitchen when we were hungry, and Amelia would hand us a plate. “Would it be too much work to have dinner in the dining room today?”
“Not at all, dear. I think that is a lovely idea. That big room sits empty most of the time, especially after the Mrs. passed. It’s a shame. I’ll get out the fancy plates too.” She winked. “Is there a special occasion we’re celebrating? It wouldn’t be your birthday, would it?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. I just thought it would be nice for us to have at least one meal together. My mom used to always do mandatory Sunday dinners.”
“That’s a fabulous idea.”
God bless this woman.
Kreed didn’t seem all too thrilled about having to sit down as a family and have a meal.
Mason was enjoying every second of my stress.
Maddox looked uncomfortable, ready to escape.
And Raine, to my surprise, showed up. I didn’t even know how he heard, but if I had to guess, Mason and his big mouth.
He’d been way too excited about the idea of us sharing a Sunday dinner, and now Amelia planned to make it a weekly occurrence.
Just what had I started?
The scrape of a chair sliding across the floor pulled my attention back to the table.
“What are you doing here?” Kreed asked flatly as Raine strolled into the dining room, taking his seat at the head of the table. The chair at the other end, across from him, was empty. No one extended an invitation to their father, thank God. I hoped Donovan was a no-show.
“The food smells good,” Raine replied, then jerked his chin toward Mason. “He told me to come for dinner.”
I glared at the youngest Corvo. He only grinned at me, flipping a card between his fingers.
“What happened to you?” Raine’s eyes went to Kreed’s chest, his head nodding in the direction of where Kreed was pressing a hand above his ribs, favoring his left side.
Kreed frowned harder. “A few of Rusty’s guys got a little too close.”
The flecks of green in Raine’s eyes changed, crystallizing. “How bad?”
“Nothing Mason couldn’t stitch up,” Kreed grumbled from where he reclined.
Raine glanced at the empty chair across the long table where their father usually sat. “It’s a good thing I came.”
I pointed a fork at him. “So you’re saying my dinner was a good idea?”
Raine shrugged his broad shoulders, his expression giving me nothing. “I’m hungry, we have a takedown to plan, and honestly? This is better than most of our scheming sessions. A little sophisticated for this group, but maybe it’s time the Corvos had a touch of class.”
I shook my head. “You guys are so stupid.”
Maddox ran his finger through the tapered candle flame. “Come on, you love us. Why else would you go to such trouble to plan a fancy meal?”
Actually, it was all Amelia. Hell, I didn’t even pick out the wine.
“The only one of us she loves is me,” Kreed corrected, looking damn smug about it too.
I elbowed him under the table, but he didn’t budge. “Can we just eat before the food gets cold?” I muttered, shoveling mashed potatoes onto my plate. “You can discuss your criminal activity as you stuff your faces.”
“Is there dessert?” Mason asked, already eyeing the kitchen like he might go straight for the cake and skip the roast.
“What kind of hostess do you take me for? Tuxedo cake,” I informed.
Mason put his hand over his heart. “Marry me?”
A loud thump sounded under the table seconds before Mason jerked, his hand going to his shin. “What the hell, man? That fucking hurt,” he hissed, scowling at Kreed.
Raine chuckled. “What did you think would happen?”
“You should propose to Amelia. She did all the work,” I said, forking up a pile of mashed potatoes dripping in a pool of butter.
Mason picked up a platter from the center of the table. “I have. Trust me. Turns out she’s already happily married. Lucky bastard.”
“We should make these dinners a weekly thing,” Raine said, picking up the bottle of wine and opening it. “We don’t get to hang out like this, all together, enough.”
Maddox held out his crystal flute. “See what you’ve done, menace? Bringing us together.”
Raine grinned, pouring red wine into Maddox’s glass. “Who thought all it would take was a girl?”
“My girl,” Kreed corrected.
Maddox groaned. “How can we forget when you’re so quick to remind us?”
Kreed stabbed his roast with his fork. “I wouldn’t have to if you stopped crossing lines.”
Would I ever get used to them bickering about me? I didn’t know if I wanted to because a part of me liked it. I liked being important to them, which made everything so much harder. Having to worry about Kreed occupied so much of my brain. Worry about four of them?
God help me.
My phone buzzed against my palm, the screen glowing with a text message in the dark room.
Carson: I’m here.
A shiver rolled through me, raising goose bumps along my arms. This was it. My fingers trembled as I grabbed my hoodie, yanking it over my head. The fabric caught on my hair, and I tugged it free with jerky movements as I made a mental list.
Phone. Check.
Gun. Check.
Courage. Still working on it.
I stuffed everything into my bag and slipped the strap over my shoulder before sucking in a breath and letting it free with the last bit of my sanity.
Moving through the house felt like walking a tightrope strung over broken glass.
The soles of my boots whispered against the floor, and each creak of the boards made me wince.
Last I checked, Evan was watching the security footage, but he wasn’t the only guard on the grounds tonight.
I pressed myself against the wall at each corner, listening before I turned, but I couldn’t shake this horrible feeling that I would run into Kreed, and the whole night would be ruined.
If that happened, who knew when I would get another chance like this?
I had to believe everything was aligning for a reason.
It was as if the universe was carving out a path for me.
My breath came shallow and quick as I crept down the west wing. There would be a time and a place for Kreed to find me. I wanted him to follow, just not too soon. Not before I’d gotten far enough that he couldn’t simply drag me back inside and lock me in my room.
As I hooked a right, the west side of the estate stretched dark before me. This part of the house was mostly unused, which was why I chose it for my escape. I opened the back door, headed out into the nippy night, and deliberately stepped into the motion sensor’s range.
Harsh light flooded the space, and I squinted against it, making sure to pause long enough in full view of the camera mounted in the corner. The red light blinked as the recording device kicked on. Good.
Then I ran.
My feet hit the grass, dew covering my boots and making the yard slippery, but I kept going, kept my focus on the wall looming ahead.
It wasn’t an easy task to scale the stone surrounding the property, but with a muffled curse and muscles burning as I hauled myself up and over.
I dropped onto the other side, knees buckling slightly on impact, the dark and empty road spanning before me, empty except for a single car idling a few feet away.
A shiny BMW waited for me, its midnight paint catching the moonlight. The headlights were off, and if it weren’t for the low purr of the engine, I would have thought it was parked for the night. But I knew differently.
The driver’s door groaned open, and Carson stepped out. My chest twisted. He had his hood up, obscuring half his face. His shoulders were hunched and tense, those dark-blue eyes darting left and right behind me as if expecting someone to jump the fence after me.
It was a valid concern.
He looked guilty.
Perfect.
“I swear that took forever,” he whispered, shifting his feet as he blew warm breath into his hands.
I shrugged. “Less than a minute, but we shouldn’t linger.” I stepped closer, gravel crunching under my shoes. “Evan will be on our ass in no time.”
The frown lines around his mouth deepened. “I was hoping you’d changed your mind.”
I paused at the passenger door, one hand resting on the handle as I searched his face.
He wouldn’t meet my eyes. His fingers drummed an anxious rhythm against the roof of the car.
Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. He kept glancing down the road, head swiveling as if he expected lights to come screaming around the corner any second.
He was nervous, justifiably so, but I needed him to keep a cool head.
I pulled the door open and climbed into the passenger seat as Carson slid behind the wheel, his movements stiff. The car lurched into motion as we pulled onto the road, tires crunching over loose gravel before finding smooth asphalt.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” he said, fiddling with the heat vents though they were already blasting warm air. “I can turn the car around. I can help you sneak back inside.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You know I can’t do that, but you don’t have to be here.”
His eyes flicked to me before darting away again, focusing back on the dark ribbon of road unwinding before us. “I’m not leaving you. Not this time.”
As we drove, I traced aimless circles on my thigh, nervous energy sparking under my skin. The gun stashed in my bag on my lap taunted me. I shifted, and it shifted with me, a cold reminder of what I was walking into. “Where is he?” I asked.
“A cabin in the middle of nowhere,” Carson muttered, easing the wheel through a tight curve. “This couldn’t be any more like a horror film if a guy with a chainsaw sprinted out of the trees.”
I let out a disbelieving snort. “Of course, he would go there. Why hadn’t that been the first thing to come to me?”
“You’ve been to the cabin?” he asked, eyes widening briefly.
I nodded. “Yeah. He took me there after he told me about the Corvos’ deception. Did he give you directions?” My voice came out steadier than I felt.
Holy shit. This is happening.
Carson nodded.
“He trusts you. That’s good.” The path was semi-familiar and brought back unwanted memories of taking the same route with Rusty, back when I thought he was a friend, someone good.
How foolish I’d been. When Brock had come to get me, I’d been too relieved to pay attention to my whereabouts.
Once we turned off the main road, the only light visible was from the moon and the BMW’s headlights.
Carson’s nerves showed long before the cabin even appeared. Every fidget, every twitch, and every ragged inhale screamed one truth.
He was terrified.
For himself. For me.
I couldn’t blame him.
Dread pooled in my stomach. My hands were numb, my chest was tight, and despite the weight of Kreed’s gun on my lap, I didn’t feel nearly as brave as I’d hoped. It didn’t give me the courage I thought it would. It was an unforgiving reminder of how far I’d fallen. Of what I was about to do.
“Whatever happens tonight,” Carson said quietly, “I need you to know I love you. And be careful. I can’t lose you.”
Carson didn’t know about the gun, but he wasn’t stupid. He guessed why I was willing to put myself in danger again. My throat tightened, squeezing around air suddenly too thick to swallow. “I will.”
A tunnel of dense forest closed around us as we drove deeper and deeper into the woods, branches scraping the roof like skeletal fingers. I swore the winds whispered ominous warnings telling us to turn around, but I couldn’t. I had to see this through. I needed this to end at whatever cost.
Knowing Kreed would be right on my ass was the drive I needed to push forward.
The headlights carved through the darkness, illuminating gnarled trunks rising to the sky and undergrowth that made the path hard to see.
Finally, up ahead, the cabin appeared, crooked and sagging, its wooden frame leaning slightly to one side.
If it wasn’t for a single lantern flickering through the grimy windows, the place would look abandoned.
Carson cut the headlights around the last bend, steering the car slightly off the path. “How long do you think we have?” he asked, putting the BMW into park.
“A few minutes at most. Evan tailed us the entire way.”
“I’ve seen the way your boyfriend drives,” Carson muttered, unbuckling his seat belt and glancing over his shoulder. “I give him twenty more seconds.”
He was probably right.
I pulled my phone and the gun out of my bag.
Carson did a double take, his gaze fixing on the weapon. “What the hell is that?”
“Security. Motivation. Coercion. Take your pick.”
“Jesus, Kay,” he gasped, angling his body toward me. A slash of moonlight hit his cheekbone. “Do you even know how to use that?”
I reached for the door. “We’re about to find out.”