Chapter 30
Leilani
Revenge is a peculiar thing. Since leaving Anton’s cage, I haven’t considered it. I’ve been happy to be free of him and his influence, quietly dreaming of the day when the world will finally be rid of him and I can breathe with ease.
Carter promised Anton would die with his brother. Koby promised I’d never be dragged back into that manufactured nightmare. Never again spend my days in frilly little monstrosities, treated like a child frozen in time.
I believe them. I’ve clung to those promises, content with letting them do the dirty work. It didn’t even cross my mind that I could bring about Anton’s downfall myself.
Until this very moment.
I’m sitting in Dante’s dimly lit office, five men watching my every move as the boss of Illinois and the boss of Ohio walk me through their idea.
“Provoking Anton against Octavius gives us a clean execution,” Carter says. “If we attack unprovoked, we risk a war breaking out not just between Octavius’s allies and me, but across the entire country.”
“I’ll have no choice but to step in and support Carter,” Dante adds, “alongside my allies. And that will be the trigger for our enemies to step in.”
My conversation with Violet, Hailey, and Bianca while the men were with Blaze Noretto comes back to me.
“The problem is, everyone wants to see Dante Carrow fall, so if a war starts between Octavius and Carter, most will side with Octavius. Not out of loyalty, but for a chance to take down the king. Everyone knows Dante won’t stay neutral if Carter’s life’s threatened. He owes him for saving Layla.”
“And if Dante joins in... Everyone else will.”
“A war always means casualties...”
My imagination spirals out of control, painting the future. So many dead. So much blood. Broadway gone, leaving his pregnant girlfriend to mourn him.
What if Dante falls?
What if... what if Koby dies?
I see him lying in a pool of his blood on a dark, dirty street, far away from me... all because I did nothing.
I shudder, bringing the wine glass to my lips, and gulp down half just to steady the tremble in my fingers.
Koby promised he’d always keep me safe... but who keeps him safe? Who makes sure he doesn’t risk his life unnecessarily?
My heart shrinks, aching. The idea of a world without him is unbearable.
Carter leans forward, bracing both elbows on his knees. He’s intimidating on a good day, but right now, with his narrowed eyes and the muscles in his forearms straining, veins popping... he looks lethal.
“What do you think?” he asks. “Could Anton kill his own brother?”
I ponder the idea, recalling every time I witnessed his rage.
Anton went off the rails the night we met, slicing up two men beyond recognition. He inflicted so much pain, almost bathing in their blood, after one of them aimed his gun at me.
He didn’t even know me, but a threat against my life triggered his darkest side. He was a vicious animal, stabbing over and over again even though he had a gun... he could’ve ended their lives immediately with a bullet.
When he brought Octavius home, Anton snapped as soon as he saw my eyes well up. I could see murder flashing behind his gaze.
He held it back that night, but I doubt he would’ve managed had Octavius stepped any closer. If he’d touched me, hurt me in any way, Anton’s logic would’ve evaporated. He’d be driven by a primal urge.
The night he tortured my father... he beat him bloody, tore his fingernails off, broke his bones. Back then, I thought it was all about punishing me, but now, remembering his quiet, trembling, regretful voice while he cleaned my wounds, I realize I misunderstood.
The mindless animal inside him took the reins because he couldn’t stand seeing me hurt.
And the only one to blame was me. It was me inflicting pain on myself.
Anton needed an outlet for the emotions my behavior and suffering triggered. He needed an outlet for the chaos, and my father was the only person he could hurt without consequences.
“He’s capable of killing anyone,” I say. “But discovering Octavius passed me to someone else won’t be enough. He needs a more powerful trigger.”
Koby shifts beside me, his hand twitching toward mine before he digs his fingers into his thigh so hard his knuckles whiten.
“What kind of trigger?”
“Me. Crying, preferably hurt, begging. He’ll kill Octavius if he thinks he or his actions led to me getting hurt. He’ll kill Octavius for failing to keep me safe, and then he’ll kill anyone he thinks actually did the hurting.”
The room goes so silent you’d hear a pin drop. Every man is lost in thought, plans materializing, I’m sure. Only Dante is still watching me, his expression puzzled.
Ryder taps his fingers against his leg like he’s trying to give his thoughts a rhythm and Koby goes deathly still.
“No,” he snarls at no one in particular. “Don’t even think about putting her near him. Don’t fucking suggest using her as bait. She stays with me.”
My pulse spikes, ringing in my ears at the thought of seeing Anton again. That voice every Saturday morning flips me right back into his obedient little sweetheart.
It’s been getting easier to stay here, to live in the now for longer, but I still slip through the cracks.
If he holds this much power over me from thousands of miles away, what would happen if he stood right in front of me?
I swallow hard, frustration bubbling inside my chest. That feral thing Koby loves starts clawing my ribs, my lungs, then tries climbing out through my throat.
Anton holds my strings, pulls them like a master puppeteer. I hate it. I hate him, and the possibility of becoming his nemesis sends a sick thrill through my system. Just knowing I could help put him six feet under injects a sense of clarity.
I never considered the possibility of breaking his hold. I always knew that even if Carter killed him, the memories wouldn’t magically disappear. They’d still overwhelm me from time to time. I’d always feel weak.
Now, I’m wondering if such blatant defiance could help sever that toxic connection.
If I become the cause of his death, will that override the helplessness? Will tipping the power imbalance heal me?
My heart’s racing, my emotions firing all over the place. Maybe it won’t help at all... but I won’t know unless I try.
“I know how to make him snap,” I say.
Koby bolts upright, red-faced. “If that plan includes you actually facing that fucker, then no way in hell.”
“It’s not your decision, Koby.”
“The fuck it isn’t,” he growls, the veins in his neck standing out as he puts his body between me and the others. “You think I’ll sit back and let you walk straight into his hands? You think I’ll stand by while you dangle yourself in front of him like a fucking carrot? Over my dead body.”
“Koby,” Carter summons his attention. “Octavius is coming over next Saturday morning. If Leilani’s not with Blaze when—”
“Stop,” Koby clips, staring his boss down. He takes a step his way, his whole frame stiffening. “Would you entertain this idea if it was Hailey?” He turns to Broadway. “If it was Violet?”
“Don’t guilt-trip them,” I say. “This is different.”
Koby’s jaw locks, his fists flex, and his chest heaves like he’s seconds from swinging for someone. When his gaze comes back to me, it’s not just anger burning there.
It’s fear.
Raw, unshakable terror.
Terror of losing me.
That softens my cold little heart because.
.. he obviously cares about me. I open my mouth, ready to calm him down, try another, more reasonable approach.
We can make arrangements, decide on as many precautions as he wants.
We can play ten different angles to keep me safe, but Koby doesn’t let me speak.
“I don’t fucking care about your arguments,” he spits out, hands fisting at his sides. “You’re not getting involved.” He doesn’t wait for anything else, storming out of Dante’s office and slamming the door shut so hard the frame shakes.
My temper spikes too, heat flaring in my chest, pulse kicking into a dangerous rhythm. Forcing a tight smile, I follow the category five tornado Mr. Maddox has become.
“Excuse us for a moment,” I say, my voice tight.
Broadway’s smirk and cocked eyebrow flash by me as I exit the office. I don’t stop to wonder which way to turn, certain the only thing that can calm Koby is fresh air.
I head toward the back garden, the evening chill seeping into my skin. Koby’s right by the door, leaning against the wall, eyes closed, jaw set like he’s doing his utmost to keep his shit together.
“Let’s get a few things straight.” I stop two feet away from him. “You don’t—”
He pushes off the wall, getting in my face. “I said no fucking way, Leilani. Your safety is the one thing I refuse to argue about. You don’t get to push. You’re staying the fuck out of it!”
“Don’t yell at me!” I shove at him. “I’m not your fucking prisoner. This is my choice!”
“Your choice?” He laughs bitterly, dragging his hand through his hair. “If you choose to put yourself in danger then you don’t fucking get a choice.”
“I didn’t ask for permission. Don’t for a second think you can order me around. I know you’re worried, but you can’t chain me up and call it protection!”
“You think I give a shit?” He takes a step into me, towering above me, his chest brushing mine, hot breath fanning my face. “I’m not watching you flip into his porcelain doll again.”
All his attitude does is fuel the fire. It pushes me into a corner, and what do cornered animals do?
“You’re not going anywhere near Anton, Leilani. That’s final. You either do as you’re told or—”
My vision tunnels, the familiar crack in my chest splitting wider. The world tilts and my fist flies. I clock Koby’s jaw, pain exploding in my knuckles, screaming up my arm, but I don’t stop.
I can’t stop.
“Don’t you dare!” I yell, pounding his chest, arms, anywhere I can reach. “Don’t you fucking dare manipulate me like he did!”
“Leilani—”
“I’m not your property! You don’t get to boss me around!”
He catches my wrists, but I thrash, twisting, kicking, screaming until it echoes back. My nails rake his cheek. My knee rams between his thighs.
“Fuck, hellcat...” He grits his teeth, spins us around and drags my wrists above my head, his other arm on my throat, his body pinning me to the wall. “Baby, stop fighting me. I’m not him. I’m nothing like him.”
“Get off me!” I buck against him, wild, dazed.
His mouth crashes down on mine.
It’s violent, bruising, all teeth and fury.
He forces his tongue past my lips, grinding his hard cock against my thigh.
I jerk against him, torn between shoving him off and yanking him closer.
My eyes close. The fight bleeds into something raw and hot.
His fingers tighten around my neck, squeezing harder.
“Enough,” he grunts, biting my lip before pulling back. “I’m harder than steel and this close to pulling your skirt up and fucking you right here, against the wall.”
My body thrums with adrenaline, the image he paints a tempting idea, but he doesn’t move.
“You want to help?” His thumb grazes the line of my jaw. “Fine, but only if you promise me a few things. Whatever plan we settle on, you stick to it. You don’t play the hero. You don’t improvise. If anything goes south, you get the fuck out and you prioritize your safety. Understood?”
My pulse hammers so loud I can barely hear myself answer, “Yes, understood.”
He studies me for a long moment as if making sure I’m not lying. Satisfied with whatever he found in my eyes, he presses a tender kiss to my forehead, releasing my wrists.
“I hate when you lose your shit like that... but I love it, too.”
I rise on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I only love it when it ends with you wringing orgasm after orgasm out of me.” Patting his cheek, I move away, opening the back door.
We return to Dante’s office, finding the room much brighter.
“We decided Leilani can play her part,” Koby says.
Carter shakes his head. “Unbelievable.”
“What do you mean we?” Broadway glances over his shoulder at a wall of screens, each showing a live feed from outside. They were switched off when we left. “From what we saw, she beat you up until you conceded.”
Dante bites back a smile, saluting Koby with his glass. “Gotta admit... it was the best show this house has seen in a while.”
Koby drops into the couch, pulling me with him. “She’s in. Now quit grinning and let’s get back to business.”