Chapter 17
KADE
I enjoyed watching Soren lose herself with me more than I ever thought I could enjoy something.
The way her lips parted. The way my name sounded on her tongue. The way her body fit and moved so perfectly with mine.
I was no stranger to being with women, but Soren was different and that’s what scared me. As much as I wanted her, I couldn’t have her. When I was inside of her, buried so deep within her that I forgot my own name it was easy to forget.
I was the son of a Mafia boss, and no matter how badly I wanted out of it, I couldn’t be. I was married to this life, a prisoner to it, never able to escape. I was a criminal, always looking over my shoulder and knowing that karma was going to come back around and give me a swift kick in the ass.
It wasn’t the life she deserved.
She’d ridden the carousel of bad luck for a large part of her life, and now it was time to get off. I wouldn’t hold her on it against her will.
But no matter how hard I tried, I didn’t know if I had the strength to stay away from her while she was here, or to keep my distance and keep my hands to myself.
I killed men for a living, for fuck sakes.
I could keep my hands and my feelings to myself with this woman.
But I wouldn’t break my promise to her. I still intended to set her free from this life she was living with her husband, and from Lilah who controlled her every move before him.
She deserved to live a life that made her feel happy and safe.
She deserved to be free.
A scream filled the hallways of the silent house, and I bolted straight up in bed with my heart pounding heavily in my chest.
At first I thought I had been imagining things, or it had been part of a dream, but as the scream came again I knew it wasn’t just a trick of the mind.
I grabbed the glock from my nightstand and made my way towards the source of the sound, which happened to be Soren’s room on the other side of the house. I counted to three before turning the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked, and cautiously made my way inside the room.
My eyes flew around the room before landing on a thrashing Soren in bed and I made my way over and took in the state of her before my eyes.
She was dripping sweat, shaking back and forth, and whimpering in her sleep. It broke the heart I didn’t think I had, and I put my glock on her nightstand before kneeling gently on the bed next to her.
I gathered her in my arms, and began to stroke her damp hair, saying her name over and over gently and hoping she would snap out of whatever nightmare currently had its claws deep in her.
“Soren, baby, it’s okay,” I said softly, and I felt her body go limp and her breathing begin to even out.
“Kade?” She muttered sleepily, her eyes opening and meeting mine. My own body sagged in relief, hating to hear her go through something I had no control over, and couldn’t protect her from. I couldn’t save her from her own mind.
“Are you okay?” I asked, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear as she looked up at me.
I had laid her head in my lap, not wanting to restrain her limbs.
So now that she was peeking up at me, she was practically breaking her neck to do so.
I gently lifted her head and moved down so we were laying on our sides and facing one another.
“I will be,” she replied, and I could see tears brimming her eyes. “I’m just so tired of this man having control over every aspect of my life. Especially the ones I have no control over.”
I didn’t have to ask who, because I knew without her even having to say anything. The monster she had married had scared her so deeply and traumatized her so profusely that she had nightmares about it. I knew I was no saint, but fuck, what kind of man hurt a woman he was meant to love?
“What can I do to help?” I asked, knowing there was a chance that there was nothing to make her feel better.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” She asked hesitantly, and I didn’t even have to twice before pulling her into my chest, and rubbing her back until her light snores filled the space.
The steadiness of her breathing lulled me to sleep with her warm body pressed against mine, and I slept good for the first time in decades.
Matthias
My house. 7 pm.
It was the only information I’d received from my father about this last-minute meeting he’d pulled on me. But it wasn’t new. I was his to control. Soren was controlled by her husband, and I my father. We were both prisoners in a never-ending loop of forced dependence.
I made my way from my office to the library, where I knew Soren would be holed up, just as she always was. I’d begun to learn she was a creature of habit, always striving for stability and a routine.
I’d snuck out this morning before she woke, too much of a coward to face the intimate moment we had shared.
I pushed open the double doors, already knowing she’d be curled up on the couch, a book in one hand, coffee in another. She was a simple woman, not hard to please. Give her caffeine and a book and she’d be content.
Give me a book, and Soren’s pussy, and I’m content.
I shook off my dirty thoughts and fought against my dick hardening in my dress pants, putting my hands in my pockets, and waiting for her to acknowledge my presence.
“Soren,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm, my annoyance at her lack of attention begging to seep through. She finally looked up; eyes dazed as she was caught in a world that wasn’t her own.
“Sorry, I’ve been sucked into this book,” she said, marking her place but not moving it from her lap. If she was upset about my abrupt departure this morning, she didn't show it.
“I have to go to my father’s tonight,” I announced, cutting to the chase of what I came to say.
Since Soren had been here, I’d been working these last several weeks from home the best I could, pushing all my other responsibilities outside of the house to Finn.
But my father’s text today left no room for argument. I had to be there. I had yet to see what happened when I disobeyed him. And I wasn’t going to let today be the day I found out.
“Okay,” she replied, already tilting her head back down towards her book.
That’s it?
I expected more of a fight, or more emotion from her about it since she hadn’t really been alone in the house since I had brought her here.
“The cook will be here until seven, and I have a few men around the perimeter to keep an eye on the place until I get back. Shouldn’t be too late,” I rambled, not sure why she would give a damn about when I came back.
“Have fun,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee. She must have realized I was still standing here perplexed, because she looked up at me again and laughed.
“Kade, I’m married to a Mafia boss’s son.
I thrived and craved my time alone. He was always away doing business for his father, and I had no objections,” she explained, using air quotes over the word business.
Because we all knew the Mafia had nothing to do with any paperwork or normal business tactics.
“Right, well, I’ll see you later,” I said awkwardly, not sure what else I could or should say at this moment.
“Be careful Ace, your attachment is showing,” Soren laughed and I threw a scowl back at her because damn her for being right.
I turned on my heel, my dress shoes clacking against the marble floor, and made my way out to my car to head to my father’s.
Once I made my way out the front door, Isaac was already waiting patiently, ready to follow me there.
“Isaac, stay here tonight and keep an eye on Soren. I’ll be fine on my own,” I ordered.
If she was going to be here on her own, the least I could do was make sure she was surrounded by the best protection I had to offer. Let someone fuck with me all they wanted, but I’ll be damned if someone tried to mess with her while I wasn’t around.
“Kade,” Finn said, nodding to me as I made my way into the meeting room where everyone was already seated at the table and waiting for me. I wasn’t late by any means, but here they all were acting as if I still was.
I guess I technically was if I was always the last one to show up to places, and to meetings. Sometimes I questioned if my brother texted me last and forced me to be late on purpose. Sounds like something he would do just to torment me in his typical, older brother fashion.
Maybe I wouldn’t be so concerned about being late if it didn’t feel like part of my job, and not a family duty.
It wasn’t like we went out to do anything as a family. It was just focused on the business. We could never be a normal family. We couldn’t go out and play mini golf or go bowling. We had money to bring in and an empire to keep.
I walked over to the table that held the bottles of liquor, pouring myself a bourbon before making my way to a chair. I didn’t know what this meeting was about, but I knew a stiff drink never hurt.
I took a sip, letting it burn as it went down my throat, numbing my frayed nerves thinking about Soren being in my big, empty house by herself. I’d crush a man’s windpipe with my bare hands if anything happened to her.
She made me want to burn down the world just so she could be safe.
I’d never felt like this before for any woman, only my family.
So this buzzing under my skin felt foreign. Something I couldn’t name.
“Kade,” my father said, irritation attached to his words, and I knew I had spaced out before the meeting had even begun, and that wasn’t something you wanted to do in my father’s presence.
He didn’t have to say anything else. Just one look from him and I snapped my attention to him, not letting it waver again.
“As I was saying, Lilah will be here shortly, and hopefully we can finish this measly battle once and for all,” Matthias went on, his own glass of liquor in his hand, a cigar in the other.
My gut twisted at hearing Lilah’s name, out of both anger and fear. The woman herself didn’t scare me. Her ability to take Soren back home to her piece of shit husband did.
And it also meant I was running out of time.
Before he could continue on, the double doors to the meeting room opened, and the Wicked Witch of Boston herself walked in. As if she knew we were discussing her, and wouldn’t have anyone speaking about her without her present.
“Good evening gentlemen,” she greeted, unfazed by the kidnapping of her stepdaughter. But we all knew that she was aware who had taken her. It wasn’t a surprise.
“Lilah,” my father greeted nonchalantly, waiting for Lilah to be seated before he began speaking again.
“I was just telling my boys that you were coming by so we could put an end to this useless turf war,” my father said, using his hands to speak and gesturing to where we sat at the table.
“I had hoped you’d say that, Matthias, and I’d love nothing more than to squash this misunderstanding, and bring my Soren back home,” Lilah replied.
I could have thrown up from the fake niceness she had in her voice, the way she pretended to care about Soren and her well-being.
I chuckled under my breath, and quickly realized my fuck up when Matthias glared at me.
“Yes? Did you have something to say?” Lilah asked sweetly, giving me her full attention. From the look in her eyes, it was like she knew I was the one who currently had Soren in my care.
“Not at all. We just all know how much she means to you,” I replied sarcastically, hoping she could read the ‘fuck you’ between the lines.
“What did you have in mind?” My father asked, ignoring my smart remark and turning his attention back to Lilah.
“I thought we could meet at a warehouse I have near the dock in three days. I present you with a contract stating the land is yours, and you give me back my daughter,” Lilah said simply, as if it was that easy.
“I don’t understand why we couldn’t do that in the first place,” Maverick grumbled, proving I clearly wasn’t the only one annoyed with the entire situation.
“Mind your tongue boy,” my father snapped, shutting Maverick up instantly.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
“Name the time and place Lilah, and we’ll be there to collect the contract and return your daughter.”
“The old shoe factory down on Seventh, at 8 o’clock,” Lilah declared, before standing from her chair.
She had decided herself that the discussion was over, and there was no room for compromise.
I knew Matthias wasn’t one to be told what to do, but for this turf, I knew he was willing to do anything.
This turf was a gold mine for whoever it belonged to, and both of them were walking on thin ice to get their hands on it.
I waited for the doors to close before I opened my mouth.
“Well, that went quicker than expected,” I chuckled, sipping my drink.
“You boys need to watch your fucking mouths,” Matthias hissed, slamming his tumbler down on the table. “You are embarrassing me, and I won’t stand for that.”
“Yes sir,” Maverick and I grumbled practically in unison. I downed the rest of my drink, placing my empty tumbler on the table before standing up, adjusting my suit, and heading towards the door.
“Be ready in three days, Kade,” my father warned, and I knew what his tone was implying. It was as if he knew how attached I’d become, like it permeated in the air and he could smell it.
“I’ll be there,” I replied as calmly and coldly as I could, knowing in the deepest part of my soul that I wasn’t prepared for the goodbye that was inevitable.