Chapter 30
Chapter
Thirty
GORAN
Istood at the rail and watched Kaylani walk Atlas around as she chatted with the other riders. A smile as bright as the sun was on her face.
A few minutes later, tires crunched on gravel. I turned to see two SUVs pulling in. My hand instinctively went to the weight at my hip before my brain caught up.
Ivan was behind the wheel, and Guy was in the passenger seat. Familiar faces, unfamiliar vehicles. That told me enough.
“Kaylani.”
She looked over at me.
“Your brother is here.”
With a nod, she trotted away from the other riders toward the exit.
I approached Nathaniel as he stepped out wearing a black suit that wasn’t worn for style. It was his identity. Even in daylight, standing in a barn full of civilians, he still looked like a man people paid to make problems disappear.
His eyes swept the property before settling on me.
“Well, this is quite the place.”
I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jeans.
“You could say that. How was the flight?”
Nathaniel knew what I was really asking.
“Uneventful. How are things here?”
“So far uneventful.”
“Perfect. I brought what you asked, it’s in the trunk.”
I nodded. “Thanks, I really didn’t want to wash one set of clothes for however many days we are on the run.”
“I think it’s adorable. You two are like Bonnie and Clyde.”
“Uh huh…you do know how their story ended, right?”
Lifting a shoulder casually he let it drop. “I have faith you’ll have a better ending.” Nathaniel smirked.
“Ass.” I pointed a the barn. “Kaylani is putting Atlas away.”
“Lead the way.”
We walked in perfect rhythm, Ivan and Guy a few strides behind as we entered the stables. Those who were still here stared, curiosity written all over their faces.
Kaylani was closing Atlas’s stall door when we rounded the corner. The moment she looked up, Nathaniel’s expression shifted. The cool, reserved mafia son and powerful billionaire disappeared, replaced by someone softer.
He looked at her like she was still his baby sister, even though she was all grown up and committing crimes.
Kaylani walked toward Nathaniel, and I moved back to give them space. Nathaniel opened his arms, and she went into them hard, like she had been holding herself together with tape and had finally found a hand that wouldn’t let go.
He kissed the top of her head.
“Look at me. Are you okay?” Nathaniel’s voice was low enough that only the three of us could hear.
Kaylani let out a laugh that sounded like it hurt.
“No,” she breathed, and the word carried the weight of every mile she had driven on fury and fumes. “But I had to. I couldn’t let him think he owned me. I’m sorry if I’ve caused more drama in the family. I feel bad for Mom. I know she takes the brunt of his tantrums.”
Nathaniel held her tighter.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ve got a plan.”
Her fingers clenched in the back of his suit jacket.
“It’s just…I can’t believe he took him in the first place. You should have heard him on the phone. He made sure to take Atlas when it would terrify me the most, when I couldn’t stop him, when it would hit the hardest. He planned it that way. What kind of father does that?”
Nathaniel pulled back and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Don’t get me started. Father has no line or boundary he won’t cross to get what he wants.”
He touched her under her chin like he had when they were kids, and Kaylani looked up, her eyes full of unshed tears.
“Listen to me, sis. I have it all set up. If Dimitri puts Atlas on the market, I’ll buy him before the listing finishes loading.
I have shell companies he doesn’t know exist, and eyes watching for any sign of Atlas.
I’ll pay whatever it takes for you to keep him.
I swear to you, he is not going anywhere. ”
She tried to blink the tears back but failed. They fell in quiet streams, as she sucked in a sharp breath.
“You’d do that?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Nathaniel’s expression went hard.
“You’re my sister. I will destroy anyone who ever tries to hurt you, and that includes our father. You know that.”
“I don’t know if I can ever repay you for this.” Kaylani covered her mouth. “I’ll make sure you get the money back even if I have to work twice as much.”
“Stop it. I’m not asking you to pay me back. I’m telling you, we will make sure you don’t have to do anything you don’t want. I’m tired of the way Father treats the members of this family.”
For the first time since the trailer doors latched behind Atlas, I felt something that almost resembled relief.
Kaylani swallowed and nodded as she wiped tears from her cheeks with the palms of her hands.
“Thank you.”
She gave Nathaniel one more quick hug, then stepped back.
“I need a minute.”
She turned on her heel and rushed out of the barn. I didn’t follow her outside. She needed a moment alone to break, and I knew she didn’t want anyone, including her brother or me, to see it happen.
“Thanks for doing this.”
Nathaniel’s gaze met mine.
“Always. For both of you. I have your back, too. I’m pulling rank. I already told Dimitri you’re off his leash. I put it in writing so he can’t pretend he misheard me.”
I cringed.
“Shit. I wish you hadn’t done that.”
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
“He will ban me from the property, and that is where Kaylani lives. Pretending to be her guard is the only way I can stay close enough to protect her.”
“Just protect her?” He smirked.
“No, of course not. But right now, protecting her is my number one priority. It has to be.”
Nathaniel snorted.
“No. Not anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that we are going to take care of that problem too,” he said, then stopped himself as Dylan started down the aisle toward us. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”
A glimmer of hope glowed inside of me, but it felt more like a new kind of threat. Hope didn’t make Dimitri less dangerous. It only gave him a better target to destroy.
“You must be Nathaniel Mikhailov.” Dylan held out his hand. “My father speaks highly of you. I’m Dylan Winterton.”
Nathaniel gripped Dylan’s hand and gave him the business smile he used for all associates. It was a perfect mask.
“Good to meet you. Thank you for making room at your stable for my sister.”
Dylan crossed his arms.
“It’s a little strange.” His voice stayed light, but his eyes carried dangerous curiosity. “Kaylani didn’t tell me why she needed to come here so suddenly.”
Nathaniel smiled like he had been trained, the warmth never reaching his eyes.
“You don’t need the details.” Nathaniel’s tone remained polite, but a hard edge ran underneath it. “You’re being paid for space, not inquisitiveness. Is that a problem?”
Dylan’s jaw flexed. The air between them shifted. Nathaniel hadn’t said the words, but a threat hung there, clear enough for Dylan to understand.
“Understood. No issue at all.” Dylan didn’t look like he believed Nathaniel, but didn’t press for more. “I actually came down to extend the dinner invitation. My father insisted.”
“How could I say no when you’ve been so generous.”
“Very good.” Dylan looked around. “Where’s Kaylani?”
“Bathroom. Is there anything else? If not, I need to finish having a word with my head of security.”
The title pressed down on me. It felt important and like a punch to the face at the same time. It reminded me of what I was.
What I am.
What I had hoped to become. I was a soldier. Like a cord being yanked, I snapped back to reality, and the label burned like a brand on my skin for the world to see.
“Sorry.” Dylan began to back away.
I stared after him.
“I envy that.”
Nathaniel screwed up his face. “What? Being a sniveling coward?”
I glared at him.
“No. I mean the power you hold. He was fucking terrified of you, and you didn’t have to lift a finger.”
His eyes met mine.
“And here I thought you were just jealous of my superior sense of style.”
“Jerk,” I grumbled, teasingly. I loved that despite everything, we still defaulted to friendship.
When Kaylani returned, the three of us chatted about the plan for dinner tonight and what came next.
An hour later, I stood outside the trailer waiting for Kaylani to finish getting ready for dinner. I was once more wearing my suit loaded with hidden weapons. It felt familiar now, like a second skin.
The door opened, and one word settled into my bones.
Mine.
Mine wasn’t ownership. It was a promise written in blood and consequence.
I would bleed for her. Kill for her. Destroy for her. And anyone who tried to step between us would learn the difference.
The world didn’t know who she was to me. But anyone who tried to take her from me would know exactly how far I was willing to go to keep her by my side.
“You look stunning,” I said, as she stepped out in a red cocktail dress. My gaze moved up and down her body. “Do you have a whole wardrobe hiding in there?”
She smiled as I helped her down the steps.
“No. I packed two suitcases before I left. Mom was my accomplice and snuck them out for me. Mind you, she thought I was going to Nathaniel’s house. I feel bad for deceiving her like that, but the less she knows, the better.”
“You’re a devious woman, Kaylani Mikhailov.”
“Apparently, it’s one of my best traits.”
“I beg to differ.”
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, but stopped myself before I kissed her. Her smile faded as I stepped back, and my mask slipped into place.
“Nathaniel is waiting for us.”
She gave me a single nod, and we walked toward the mansion, her heels clicking on the path.
Nathaniel was waiting for us outside, speaking on his phone, when we reached him.
“Goodnight, Cutter. Can I speak to your mother again?” There was a pause. “Yes, we are about to go in for dinner. I’ll call you before I board the plane. Love you.”
He ended the call and stuffed the phone into his pocket.
Kaylani grabbed his arm with a massive smile on her face.
“Look at you. All married and domestic. It’s cute and deeply unsettling.”
“I’m not domestic,” Nathaniel deadpanned.