CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
KAGE
Happy Raina is like a goddamn drug, and I’m addicted to it.
She has spent most of her life separated from society. Her only friend was Casey, and while I don’t totally regret it, I took him from her. I am never going to accept her being in another man’s arms the way she was that day, but I do want her to be happy. I’m glad that she has developed a friendship with my brothers’ girls. Not only is it good for her, but I like that she’s slowly becoming part of my family. Psycho makes the odd comment about his feelings. He thinks I should’ve killed her, and I understand why. My oldest brother has never had warm feelings for a woman. I think you have to experience it to understand it. It wasn’t long ago that I thought both Bones and Reaper had gone insane. Now I get it. Unfortunately for Psycho, I’m not sure he’ll ever have that in his life. Hell, what kind of woman could keep up with him? Anybody that signs up to be sliced, diced, and stitched up on a regular basis, is probably scarier than Bella.
I pull up to Bones’ house and she gawks at me.
“Is Athena here? Please tell me Athena is here?”
“Yeah, baby. Athena is here,” I say with a grin.
She taps her feet with happiness, and I can see how much she wants to jump out, but she stays put. I get out, walk around to her side, and open the door for her.
“Good girl,” I say, as I kiss her just below her earlobe, and she moans. Every fucking time I kiss her there, she moans deliciously.
As we are walking up the steps, she stops, and I can see the panic dancing in her eyes.
“Is Psycho here?”
Placing my finger and thumb on her chin, I lift her gaze to mine.
“Listen to me, Firecracker. I swear to you, my brother will not touch you. I won’t allow it. Bones won’t allow it, and Reaper won’t allow it. Also, if I had to put money on it, I bet Bella could kick his ass, and we both know she wouldn’t allow it.”
She giggles as she visibly relaxes.
“That’s a fight I’d pay money to see.”
I don’t want her to kill him, but if he keeps talking shit about my girl like he has been, I’m down to see him get his ass handed to him.
Athena opens the door, with a scream that pierces my eardrums.
“What are you doing here?” She asks, and then takes Raina’s hand and yanks her from me, while my brother stands beside her, shaking his head.
Bones speaks low, as we follow our women into the living room.
“Psycho is wound up, so maybe keep an eye on things.”
“About what?” I ask.
He stops walking, so I do the same, while keeping my eyes on Raina the entire time.
“The ADA was here about an hour ago. Psycho wasn’t here yet, but I told him about it, and he’s been going on about it ever since.”
“Something to worry about?”
Bones looks over at Athena, before turning back to me.
“I don’t think so. I really don’t think they have any actual evidence. She’s young, and trying to make a name for herself. And taking down the Bonettis would accomplish that. I’m suggesting for now we concentrate on legitimate businesses, and have our guys handling the other shit. Ones we can fucking trust.”
By trust, he means ones that would gladly take a lifetime prison sentence, rather than piss off the Bonetti Brothers.
He glances at Raina before asking, “Does she know about Kages ?”
I shake my head no, and he chuckles.
“That’s probably a conversation you want to have, before she finds out by other means.”
Bones is not wrong. If she finds out I own a club, with women dancing half naked in cages, she may not be pleased.
“Let’s grab a drink.”
As we walk toward the kitchen, he yells, “Psycho, get in here.”
Neither of us think he would do anything to Raina, but we aren’t taking chances.
“Where are my bitches?” Bella yells, as her and Reaper walk through the door, causing Bones to shake his head.
We can hear the women carrying on in the living room, as Bones pours us all a drink.
“When are we going to meet your woman?” I ask Psycho, and am instantly rewarded with a glare.
“Fuck you. I’m not doing this pussy whipped shit you all are.”
Reaper walks in just then.
“That’s a disappointment, man. I was thinking, we all nickname our girls; Bones has Butterfly. I have Living Dead Girl. Kage, Firecracker. Yours could be Stitch.”
Bones laughs first, and Psycho looks at him and says, “Asshole.”
Both Reaper and I wait for it.
“How many times have I told you not to call me that?”
“Too fucking many,” I say under my breath.
As they stare each other down, and I wonder if they’re actually going to fight, Bella walks in.
“Alright, boys, cut it out.”
She kisses Reaper and beams at him, before turning and leaving the kitchen.
I turn to my brother and ask, “How is she?”
The pain in his eyes is raw, and right there on display for all of us.
“I don’t know. She seems fine most of the time, but sometimes I hear her crying in the bathroom.”
“She has been through a lot,” Bones says, and we all nod in agreement, but it’s Psycho that surprises me.
“I don’t think you ever get over losing a child, regardless of how it happens. For it to happen so violently, brutally, fuck, I wish we could kill those fuckers all over again.”
He raises an eyebrow at Bones.
“You should’ve let me do it my way.”
Bones smirks at Psycho. “They’d still be alive.”
Pressing the end of his blade into the tip of his finger, Psycho says, “Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”
We all look at him like we don’t know what he’s talking about, which earns us a glare.
“Your girl, Kage. She’s the fucking elephant.”
Slamming my fist down on the island, I roar, “We have talked about this.”
Psycho shakes his head, narrowing his gaze at me, as he says, “Make me understand. Never before have we let someone live that betrayed us. Fucking never.”
He stares at Bones with something that almost looks like hatred, even though I know better.
“Dad wouldn’t have allowed this. Kage finds a pussy he wants to fuck, and we all turn a blind eye? I don’t fucking understand.”
Bones speaks calmly, but in a tone that leaves no room for misinterpretation.
“Maybe not, but there are things he allowed that are revolting. I gave Kage the choice in dealing with her, because she did not cause harm. She did not give more than they already knew. My decision is final, Psycho. I do not want to hear another word about this. Raina is pregnant with Kage’s child, and that means she’s one of us. It’s time to let it go.”