Chapter 9
Nine
KAELEN
Fuck, I needed a smoke. I tried to cut back, replacing cigarettes with whisky. Right now however, I craved to have the smoke fill my lungs.
The nightlights of the Boston skyline blurred outside the window of the SUV as Aidan drove us past Quincy. Things with the Bratva had been tenuous ever since my Da passed. Never trust the Russians or the Italians. It had been drilled into my head since I was old enough to sit in on meetings.
I loved my parents, and my Da was a good man—a good leader.
But after I took over, it was clear that warring with the Cosa Nostra and the Bratva only led to our men being killed for no reason.
Dealing with Vittorio Rossi was impossible.
But in the last year, a new head of the Brotherhood took over, Dimitri Romanov, who was more amiable to negotiations with me.
I agreed to a meeting with him tonight at one of his clubs. A possible alliance that would give him access to our shipping ports, and in exchange, we’d get access to the underground utility tunnels the Bratva controlled.
Patting my suit jacket, I fished out a lighter, slipping a cigarette between my teeth. Liam rolled down the window, but said nothing, and Pat eyed me from the front seat.
We agreed to a small meeting. I would bring only three men, and he promised the same. Aidan parked the car outside of Scent Allure, one of the Bratva’s above-board establishments, even if I didn’t like it.
A scantily-clad omega who smelled like peaches escorted us into a roped off VIP section in the back of the club. My nose twitched, put off by her intensely sweet scent. All I wanted was the subtle, honeyed floral notes of my omega.
Every night, Torin updated me on her daily activities.
She had yet to leave the house, but that changed today.
I chanced a quick peek at my cell, seeing that after lunch, Torin had taken her to a farm on the outskirts of the city.
He included a picture of her wearing a fitted dress that hugged her curves.
My cock twitched, and I adjusted my trousers.
I imagined nuzzling her hair, playing with one of those blue highlights.
Music thumped in the background, and all I thought about was drowning in her scent.
Would she perfume for me again? I hated how busy I’d been.
I hope she liked the clothes I’d gotten her.
Soon, she would let me spoil her, court her properly.
“Kaelen,” a heavy, accented voice boomed.
Dimitri stood, his dark hair framing his even darker eyes.
The dim lights of the club cast his olive skin in shadow as a waitress deposited a bottle of scotch on the table.
A bright pink collar glistened around her slender neck.
Tension tightened at the base of my spine as I realized every woman in the club was a collared omega.
The Bratva and I had very different views on how to handle business.
My skin itched, hoping these women were willing and not forced.
I shared a look with Aidan, who nodded. Before I agreed to anything with these men, I wanted to understand every part of their business.
Both the legal and the more illicit activities.
“Dimitri,” I said, meeting his hand in a firm grip before sitting.
“On the house,” he said, clapping his hands.
Two omegas appeared almost out of thin air. One with long, fiery hair and another with pale blonde curls and alabaster skin.
“Yours for the night. Which one would you like?”
Neither omega smelled appealing, and their fake, breathy sighs made me stiffen. It was a delicate situation. I couldn’t afford to offend Dimitri before we talked logistics. I scrubbed a hand over my beard, and Liam winked.
“If I may,” Liam cut in. “My brother prefers to keep a clear head when working. I, on the other hand, have no such morals.”
A haunting laugh echoed off the walls as Dimitri nodded, gesturing toward the girls. Liam smirked, guiding the tiny redhead into his lap as he sat. I searched the girl’s face for any sign of unease, but the lines around her mouth were relaxed as Liam whispered something that made her giggle.
Liam was a charmer, having the ability to make women, especially omegas, swoon. He splayed a hand over her stomach, holding her close as he took the offered glass of scotch from another server. He nibbled at a spot above her ivory collar, his thumb drawing circles around her navel.
“Now that we are settled. Let us discuss,” Dimitri said.
The plush seating cradled me as I leaned into it, listening to Dimitri’s proposal.
It was simple enough. But I needed Aidan to dig more into what he was hiding before I agreed to work with him.
Those utility tunnels would be key for our underground casinos.
Right now, we used our pubs to front the casinos.
It was a dangerous dance that would eventually bite us in the arse if we weren’t careful.
A grating voice cut through the din of music and conversations. I recognized it without looking. Sensing the shift in my demeanor, Dimitri raised a bushy eyebrow at me. I flicked my gaze to the bar, my teeth digging into my lip.
Senator William Sterling sat on a stool with a blonde omega, younger than his daughter, nestled between his legs. Someone with a sick wife and omega at home shouldn’t be sloppily pawing at a woman who was neither of those things.
Glass shattered in my hand as I clutched my drink too hard.
Waving off my mumbled apology, Dimitri summoned someone to clean up the mess. I flicked the remnants of liquor off my hand, surprised to see I hadn’t cut myself. Aidan followed my movements, sharing a knowing look with Liam and Pat.
“Did he disrespect you?” Dimitri asked.
“Yes,” I said, my skin prickling with barely constrained anger.
“Then, as a show of friendship, do what you will, Kaelen Finnegan. I ask that you don’t kill him. William Sterling owes me $30,000, and I’d like him to live long enough to repay me. He has exquisite taste in escorts and doesn’t always come prepared.”
Shocker.
William Sterling was in debt to the Bratva and paid for his pussy. Creases dented my trousers as I leaned my elbows into my thighs. I shared a sidelong glance with Dimitri before cracking my knuckles.
“Thank you. I’ll be in touch about how we can work together in the future.”
Nodding, Dimitri rose, straightening his suit jacket. He murmured something in Russian to his men, making them scatter.
A tall, slender omega with a periwinkle collar stood beside him as he tossed a thick forearm around her. He nuzzled her curls, murmuring something in Russian that made the girl blush.
“Take the trash outside, friend. Blood stains are impossible to get out. Please be discreet. At the end of the night, I’ll wipe any security footage.”
I dipped my chin, and Romanov disappeared into the throng of people, his arm slung around the waist of the girl on his arm.
With Dimitri gone, I glared at Liam, who was still cozy with the omega escort in his lap. Aidan coughed, and Liam smirked, whispering something to his companion before sending her away with a tap on the arse.
“Wait for me outside,” I said, and Aidan nodded.
“Do you need cleanup?”
“No,” I grumbled.
In the last hour, Sterling hadn’t moved from the bar, with the omega sitting in his lap, feeding him. A glassy sheen slid over his dull eyes, the liquor clouding the muddy brown irises. If it weren’t for my promise to my sweet Willow, I’d rip out his heart.
I imagined it still beating in my hand as blood coated my fingers.
Fuck whatever deal I made with Dimitri Romanov.
With Senator Sterling gone, I’d ensure her mother got the best care. Far better than he obviously was. Aidan was still working on getting me her medical records. Once I had those, my personal physician would review them.
I stalked across the floor, looming over a drunk William Sterling, who only noticed my presence after it sent his paid for omega scurrying away. He sobered up when he took me in, stumbling to his feet.
“Senator,” I said, the title sliding off my tongue like a threat.
“Mr. Finnegan. How lovely to see you.”
His hands trembled at his side, and I tasted his fear scenting the air. What a pathetic excuse for an alpha. A nickel bounced on the counter under his fingers, his eyes looking everywhere but at me.
Acid corroded the lining of my esophagus. How was I supposed to restrain myself enough to keep from killing him?
“How is my daughter?” he asked, struggling to form the words.
The lighthearted atmosphere around me shifted, a chilly breeze settling over the suffocating heat of the club. My knuckles whitened. The smooth leather of my dagger’s hilt pressed into my palm.
“I should gut you,” I hissed, pressing the blade into his abdomen. “How dare you ask about her. After everything you did. Follow me outside or I’ll sink this into your belly.”
Sweat beaded off his brow, and a strangled sound fell from Sterling’s cracked lips. A primal feeling surged in my veins, my alpha spurring me on, demanding that I avenge our omega. His lower lip trembled as he spoke, and I thought he might piss himself.
“I think I’ll stay here.”
The man was many things, but not entirely stupid. He called my bluff, knowing I wouldn’t risk killing him at a crowded bar.
Venom chilled the air as I glared at him. The last bits of color in his cheeks drained away as he gripped the bar top for stability. I leaned in close, pressing my tongue into the points of my teeth. The sweet stench of liquor-tinged sweat hit me, and it only fueled my bloodlust.
“You owe Dimitri Romanov thousands of dollars. He gave me free rein to do with you as I please and agreed to help me clean up the mess.” His body stiffened at the threat, not knowing it was a lie.
I dug my knife in, tearing at the cheap threads of his shirt.
“Now, come with me, or I’ll bury this knife so far into your gut that you will taste it. ”
Teeth chattered as he gave me a weak nod. My nails dug into his forearm, maneuvering us through the devolving crowd in the club. I shoved him through the metal door in the kitchens out into a back alley, snickering as he stumbled.
I moved forward, stalking Sterling through the shadows until his back was pressed against a stone wall. The senator wasn’t small, but I was taller. I caged him in, pinning him in place. I plucked the buttons off his shirt with the tip of my knife, smirking when a trail of piss stained his pants.
“Please,” he muttered.
“Please,” I mocked. “How many times did your daughter beg you to stop? Did you ever listen?” My lip curled, and I continued. “Actually, she is stronger than you. I bet she never begged. She probably stood there and took it. Don’t ever speak her name again. Don’t ever think about her again.”
“I won’t, I—”
Bone crunched beneath my knuckles as I drove my fist into his face. I didn’t care about half-arsed apologies from a weak alpha who wasn’t fit to lick my boots. Pain pricked along my fingertips, and it took every ounce of self-control to stop myself from beating him until he stopped breathing.
Blood splattered across the bricks as his teeth cut into my knuckles, opening gashes on the thin skin. I reveled in the pain, a feral sneer lighting up my eyes. Heavy breaths strained my chest as I wiped the mixture of his blood and mine from my hand.
Both his eyes were swollen shut, and shallow breaths fell from his cracked lips.
“Go home to your wife,” I said, shoving his limp and bloody body onto the stone. “And I’ll go home to mine.”
Except she wasn’t my wife.
Not yet.
I wasn’t a monster.
A demon, sure.
But I wouldn’t force her.
Someday, she would see that I was hers as much as she was mine. I wasn’t known for my patience, but for Willow, I’d wait a lifetime.