Chapter 60
Chapter Sixty
Killian
“Where is he?!” Alessio’s voice booms from the depths of the house, reverberating like a storm on the horizon.
“Sir Killian,” the housekeeper stammers, her face pale with panic. “These men… they won’t leave.”
I pull my gun from its holster, resting it deliberately on the end table, my gaze fixed on the entryway. “Let them in.”
Lily and I are in the study, a room lined with the collected books from Irish authors.
Lily lies draped across the chaise, her silk white slip dress clinging to her like a whisper of danger.
I’ve outfitted her with a wardrobe designed for beauty and elegance, yet she remains a captive in this house, despite the fact that I don’t let her set foot outside.
Too risky. Nico is in town, and I know this when Donal informs me that the Russians and the Costellos are entangled in a bloody war after Alessio discovered one of his men floating lifelessly in his pool, marked with Russian insignia.
Until I uncover how Nico infiltrated this city undetected, the promise of handing him Lily is the only way I can lure him in.
The collar of diamonds rests beautifully around her neck, and her red bottom heels showcase her ankles, somehow making them look erotic.
She’s draped on the chaise like a model posing for a boudoir shoot with a book in hand.
The metal chain leash is tied to the foot of the chaise.
I can tell her she no longer needs it, but something in her eyes suggests she enjoys it.
If I could freeze time, this moment would be it—her beauty igniting a fire within me. Then reality snaps back in.
Alessio strides in, followed by Darius, Cameron, and Tito. Naturally, Alessio would bring his right-hand man, Tito, while Darius and Cameron are here likely because their wives forced them to be.
Alessio is holding onto a suitcase. He stops a moment to take in the room and Lily. His eyes rest on the collar around her neck and the chain leash linked to it. I hold back a smirk. I have something that is his—was his.
“Lily, are you okay?” Alessio’s voice is laced with confusion, as if he’s trying to make sense of the image before him.
Sitting up, Lily closes her book, her eyes sparkling with defiance. “Never been better.”
The meds have helped ease the cramping, and with a proper diet, her pain has subsided significantly, although there are some days that are still a battle.
Alessio’s expression darkens as he turns to me, his tone accusatory. “You keep her chained up like some pet?”
“Is that how you enter my home, speaking to me like that?” I remain seated, calm and collected, the top buttons of my shirt undone, sleeves casually rolled up my forearm. “You should consider yourself lucky I don’t blow your brains out right here.”
Darius and Cameron stiffen but don’t draw any weapons. Alessio drops a suitcase onto the coffee table with a thud.
“Five hundred thousand. I want you out of this city before the sun sets.” His ultimatum hangs in the air, a challenge wrapped in a threat.
“Now you threaten me in my own home?” I ask, irritation bubbling beneath my calm exterior. “That’s strike two, little boy.”
Alessio despises it when people refer to him as a child, and although he’s proven himself fit to be head of the family, there are still a few who are skeptical.
“Lily, let’s go,” he demands, his voice low and dangerous.
“No.” Her response is stubborn.
“What do you mean, no?” He drops to one knee, reaching for her face, desperation lacing his words. “You’re coming home where you’ll be safe and taken care of. I promise you that.”
Every fiber of my being ignites at the sight of him near her, touching her, sending a boiling rage down my body. I need to hold myself back from ripping his spine out. I force myself to remain still.
“I don’t want to leave,” she states with a steady voice.
“Lily, get up,” Darius commands, his tone not looking for further argument.
“I’ll drag you out myself,” Cameron threatens, intensifying the tension in the room.
“No,” she repeats. Her gaze shifts to me in complete vulnerability. “Please don’t let them take me.”
Her plea tugs at my heart, but I can’t deny the gravity of the situation. I’ve finally secured my payment, and the stakes are higher than ever.
“This transaction is complete.” I rise to my full height, towering over Alessio, my resolve hardening. “I’m taking the money. Interest was collected each time she moaned my name. But as for leaving? I’m not going anywhere.” I place my cup back onto the end table. “Now get the fuck out of my house.”
“I’m not leaving without Lily.” Alessio stands his ground, determination flickering in his eyes.
“Take her then,” I challenge, a cold smile curling my lips. “I refuse to fight over a woman. Whether she stays or goes means nothing to me.”
Ignoring the flash of hurt in Lily’s eyes, she stands firm and declares, “I’m staying.”
“Like hell you are.” Cameron lunges forward, managing to unhook the leash from her collar.
Lily fights against him, kicking and pushing, but Cameron’s strength overwhelms her. “No! You can’t take me! Killian, please don’t let them take me!”
“Look at what you’ve done to her?” Alessio’s voice drips with venom, accusing me of Lily’s reaction.
“I love him.” The words tumble from her lips unapologetically.
A stunned silence envelops the room.
Does her confession stun me? No. I saw it happening before my eyes. Her gaze softened each day when looking at me. Her body melted into mine whenever I held her. The lust in her eyes deepened after each orgasm. How desperately she wanted to kiss me to form that final seal of connection.
Darius breaks the stillness, his voice cutting through the tension. “You aren’t staying with this maniac killer.”
Lily scoffs. “Says a killer standing among killers.”
“He’s the only one here who killed his own wife.” Darius glares at me, pulling a piece of paper from his jacket. “I’ve got proof.”
My heart sinks as dread creeps in. Darius has always been meticulous, and I underestimated his resourcefulness in uncovering my buried secrets. Let’s just hope there isn’t anything else he knows.
“Impressive,” I reply, feigning calm as I pour another glass of whiskey, the amber liquid swirling into the cup. “No one’s ever been able to uncover that information. But let’s not pull skeletons from the closet unless you’re eager to expose your own.”
“This isn’t a confessional,” Alessio snaps. “I came to get Lily.”
“Is that all?” I challenge, taking a deliberate sip. “I hear the Russians have been particularly brutal.”
“Thanks to you,” Alessio retorts, anger flaring. “None of us would be here if you hadn’t forced my hand into interfering with the Russians because you couldn’t handle it yourself.”
“I would have had the muscle if you hadn’t decimated half my unit,” I fire back with a sharp tongue.
Darius steps into the charged atmosphere, his voice low and heavy. “We can go back and forth all day. What’s done is done. We need to move on.”
“You three stooges are the ones still standing here in my house. You know your way out,” I shoot back, my gaze sharp.
Suddenly, Lily breaks from Cameron's side, collapsing to her knees in front of me, desperation etched across her face. “Please. Let me stay,” she begs, her voice trembling.
“Up,” I command, my tone brooking no argument. As she rises to her feet, I reach around her neck and undo the collar that binds her to me, marking a solid end to this arrangement. “You’re free to do what you want.”
“She’s going home,” Cameron proclaims, his voice laced with authority.
Lily, defiant and undeterred, turns her gaze back to me, her eyes pleading. “Marry me.”
An eruption of harsh remarks and curses from the three of them is heard, but in this moment, it’s just Lily and me, locked in a silent battle. I can feel the weight of her gaze, a desperate hope shimmering in her eyes, and it makes my heart ache.
“I can’t do that,” I reply, watching as the light in her eyes begin to fade.
“Why not?” she presses, her voice cracking. “I do everything and anything you want. I promise I’ll be better.”
I shake my head slowly, the gravity of the moment bearing down on us. “This isn’t love, Lily. Keeping you trapped in this house isn’t love. You have demons you need to face. We both knew this would end at some point.”
Tears stream down her beautiful face, each drop a dagger to my heart. She looks almost lifeless as Cameron, brimming with irritation, drags her away.
Then Alessio steps forward, his presence a suffocating shadow. “I don’t want you on my side of town,” he snarls. “All my men know that if they spot you or any of your crew, it’s a straight hit on the spot.”
I remain unnervingly still, allowing him to believe he has the upper hand. He is blissfully unaware that I’m going to dismantle his reign without lifting a finger. Alessio walks out, leaving Darius still standing here.
“Whatever you have up your sleeve, don’t bother,” Darius warns, his voice low and menacing. “You’ll get yourself and everyone else under you killed. Alessio isn’t joking about killing any of you on the spot.”
“He can’t afford a war on both sides of his territory,” I counter. “I have no desire to see any more of my men killed, but I won’t stand for another threat from anyone serving the Costello Family at any rank they stand in.”
“Things shouldn’t have gotten this far, Killian.”
“Well, they have.”
“You’ll be missed, dear friend.”
I watch Darius leave before tossing the cup across the room. Darius has been an old associate turned friend, just as Cameron has become. Friendships don’t last when power is at play.