Chapter 32 Kane
KANE
Iwas taken out of the creepy cabin with a hood over my head.
It’s only removed once I’m on the jet, the hum of the engine vibrating through the seats. Dread sinks its claws into me as I blink into the light.
Rowan isn’t sitting opposite me.
It’s Lennox, tilting his head so I can see his neck.
“Turn the fuck around.” I stand, ready to take my chances with the drop.
He wraps his gloved hand around my wrist, tugging me into the seat. “An adjustment has been made.”
Kid is going to be alone. I left him a video on my phone, promising I’d be back, because he was still asleep. Lennox promised me he’d be there, that he’d make sure he wasn’t scared when he wakes up alone.
“You lied to me,” I seethe.
“That wasn’t my intention. Like I said, an adjustment was made.
” He places his phone on the table between us, sliding it across so I can see Kid happily playing with my phone.
I don’t even need sound to know he’s whispering, “Butterflies,” to himself as he gently moves his finger around the screen while he lays on his side.
The next breath becomes easier when he flicks to another screen, showing all the locks are engaged and the system is locked from anyone else accessing it.
Easier again when he allows me to watch my kid climb off the bed to curiously look into my bag on the chair. He takes out a sandwich, smiling at it before he takes a bite and goes back to watching his face in the middle of the butterflies.
I spend the entire flight watching over him.
Lennox doesn’t say anything until we land in a small, private airstrip.
He pockets his phone as he stands, beckoning for me to follow him.
It’s all too normal without the masked guards lining the steps.
Even the driver opening our doors is dressed in a suit, like we haven’t left a building full of torture.
It's discombobulating to witness true evil while the world continues turning. On the island, it felt like the world had stopped in outrage of all Helene had done. Now, it’s all…normal.
The privacy glass between the front cab and the back stops me seeing the time as people run through a park we pass.
People going about their lives, laughing with their friends, walking to work, couples holding hands.
Normal. Painfully fucking normal while the buttery leather seats accept me as if I’m one of them, who’s profited off evil.
We slow down due to the traffic building ahead. If this is how I’m reacting when I grew up in normalcy, how will it be for Kid to adjust? He’ll be terrified of everything around him. How will Delilah cope after everything?
We’ll need to find somewhere secluded enough we’ll all feel comfortable while slowly building connections with the world.
The driver pulls through a cordoned-off area to an underground garage entrance.
Two guards are at each side of the gates, doing a visual inspection of the car before they raise the gate, allowing us through.
Lennox doesn’t react to any of it as he stares at the privacy screen like he can see through it.
We stop in front of a waiting elevator, and the privacy glass lowers an inch as Lennox says, “Enjoy your afternoon, James. We’ll be staying in the suite for the remainder of our trip. ”
“Thank you, sir. I’ll have my phone on hand if you need anything. Have a good stay.”
“It’s not necessary, spend the time with your children.” He gets out as the security guard steps away from holding the elevator.
I catch sight of my reflection in the tinted windows—eyes bloodshot, my hoodie creased while Lennox wears a three-figure suit and an equally expensive overcoat.
There’s not even a small pill on the back of it as we step into the elevator.
The security guard doesn’t follow us when Lennox nods his head, and they press the button for the penthouse while outside the metal box.
“A barber will meet you in our suite,” he says, adjusting his gloves.
My mind is in a daze, moving from space to space without really absorbing the information as we exit the elevator.
The glare from the sparkling marble sideboards makes me squint, so I stare at the parquet floor.
It doesn’t get any better when we walk through the suite to a large bathroom, every inch covered in white marble.
The gold inlays are even brighter as a barber pauses setting up his station at the vanity. “Is it the usual today?” he asks, holding his clippers like a weapon.
“Not today,” Lennox says, lightly pushing me forward. “It’s for my nephew.”
They shoot the shit—still normal. I’m like an alien who doesn’t understand the world as I sit on the adjustable tub chair.
The murmurs of their conversation can’t translate to words while I watch them interact as the barber cuts my hair.
When he’s done, he places a hot towel over the lower portion of my face and neck.
Delilah, Kid, our baby.
Those three are why I don’t fucking scream. I need to make sure they all have a life.
Delilah, Kid, our baby.
We’ll be together. This is temporary. I’m not fucked up for experiencing this normalcy while they’re locked away. No, it’s for them.
When I blink and look at my hair, I smile. It’s the same length as Kid’s. We’ll match now.
I must have zoned out because the barber removes the towel to shape up my stubble, so there’s no evidence of being trapped away from civilization for months. When he’s done, he quietly packs his things away, accepting the tip Lennox gives him with feigned shock.
“We have a meeting soon,” Lennox says. “Shower. Get dressed.”
I do as I’m told with the same reminder of Delilah, Kid, and our baby repeating in my mind.
This time though, I avoid my reflection as he leads me to a room within the suite where a suit bag lays on the large bed.
There’s a white Steinway in the corner of the room with gold inlays, which I avoid too.
Every movement is mechanical with the same mental reminder of why I’m here.
I’ll need Niko’s help to give my family a life they deserve since he works with therapists at his club for people with sexual trauma.
Hopefully, he won’t ask me questions about it.
The therapists must follow some codes of discretion, considering his criminal affiliations.
Once I’m ready, I go back out to Lennox, who sits on the curved cream sofa, uncaring about all the luxury around him as he sips a coffee. The smell perfumes the air as he gestures to the sofa opposite him. “Sit down, little shadow. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
Am I scared of him?
I didn’t think I was, but seeing how easy it is for him to accept everything around him is disconcerting.
A monster’s actions can only be rationalized by someone who’s like them.
He shows he does have a streak of humanity as he offers, “Would you like to shop for the boy or have the items delivered before we leave?”
“I’ll do it myself.”
He’s my kid. No one’s going to get him shit other than me. He doesn’t have a favorite color, so I’ll be able to pick things for him to choose from. They wouldn’t know he likes butterflies or playing with hoodie strings. Only I know because he’s mine.
The elevator pings, raising my heartrate.
Lennox stares at me as he slips through a pocket door in the open kitchen while two sets of footsteps make their way through the extravagant suite.
The concierge leads a wide-eyed Niko through.
The tattoos crawling over his arms, the cocky grin, and his blue-steel eyes examining the space don’t belong in front of the new me.
“Mr. Kadare has arrived for your meeting, sir,” the concierge announces.
Niko raises a brow at the snobby English accent. I nod, standing because I don’t know how to react, then quickly emulate my dad. “Thank you. Please can you make sure we’re not disturbed?”
“Of course,” the concierge says then leaves.
“Fuck me, kid.” Niko whistles. “This place is $50k a night.”
“Which you can afford.” I slip back into myself. “How do you know the price?”
“Doesn’t mean I’d pay it. I’m rich, not stupid, and I called to check, obviously. What the fuck else was I supposed to do when you made me fly in to see you? I was curious.” He stops in front of me, grabbing the back of my head to check my eyes. “You good?”
“I’m good,” I lie, pulling away from him. “Why were you asking about my family?”
“Your last message said you were dealing with family shit but when I checked, they’re all dead, so I never knew where you were.”
“My dad had a distant cousin. We weren’t really close before,” I lie again, distracting myself by pouring a cup of coffee.
“Yeah, well, don’t pull shit like that again. You’ll make me insecure.”
“Insecure?”
“You know, make me question if I could have made you stay. If I did something wrong.” He bats his lashes as he pouts. “Or wonder why you ghosted me. Was I too clingy?”
“Yes,” I deadpan.
He stops acting like a jackass as he drops onto the sofa Lennox vacated. Stretching his arms across the back, he stares at me. “I know you weren’t on good terms with your parents, but you never mentioned they’d died.” He taps his temple. “How’s your mental?”
Fucked.
I lie to him like I always have when he’s tried to check in on me. “Yeah, I reunited with relatives at their funeral. It’s all very…” Sinister. Revolting. “It’s just taking a lot of my time.”
My lying paid off. Niko successfully bought my bullshit. Now I’m going to be forced to resurface from the darker parts of life every six months to stop him from acting like a worried mother or putting up missing posters. I wouldn’t put it past him to go on the news like he threatened to.
I carry the duffel bag with Kid’s new clothes, shoes, and toys onto the jet, then wait until Lennox is seated to ask, “Can we go to the island?”
My mind is clearer now. I’ll be able to calculate the distance, use reference points to determine exactly where it is.
Anything. If I’m forced to be around normal people, then Niko can get Delilah while I’m stuck there.
She’ll be safe while I befriend Rowan, convince him to allow Kid to leave with me, then we’ll join her.
I haven’t managed to work out how to get a message to him when Lennox will be watching, but I have six months to figure it out before I see him next.
I play my part as my uncle hesitates. “I can’t fulfill the agreement when we’re nowhere near each other.”
“Is that what you want?” he asks, disappointment briefly pulling his features down.
“Yes,” I say without missing a beat.
The chastity belt will be hurting her, so I need to take it off, allow her time to breathe. If I can’t be with her, she needs the key. I also really want to hold my wife more than anything.
He nods as he stands, then walks over to the cabin to switch places with the pilot.
All the secrecy around the island is making it harder to know where it is.
They don’t allow anyone other than a select few to know the location.
I’m clearly not in that category as Lennox locks the door.
The blinds automatically lower. I wait until we’re in the air to pull the tab up, but it doesn’t fucking move.
Fucking prick.
I set a timer instead. If I time it, I’ll know the radius to check for an island.