Chapter 35
35
I sat on the ground in a catatonic state as Vino stood by keeping watch of me.
There had only been one gunshot, but it was probably enough to do the trick. My eyes watered and I made no move to wipe them.
All I could do was breathe and that was hard enough.
Behind me, I heard the garage door lift back up. I kept my vision out at the woods before me. I wasn’t strong enough to see him like that, knowing that I had ruined his life.
“Time to go, princess,” Vino said as he came closer.
Go? Where was there to go? I would rather Cain shoot me too than go back there.
“Don’t touch her.”
That voice. That timbre.
I whirled around and stumbled back.
Keith was still alive.
He was coming to me and before I knew it, he’d taken me into his arms and pulled me to my feet.
He wasn’t bleeding and there didn’t seem to be a wound. I didn’t understand. “I heard a gunshot!”
Cain came past us. “Target practice.”
Keith held me close and tight, ushering me behind his back.
Cain wasn’t impressed. “I guess this is breaking up?”
What a sick little joke. A look closer and I could spot blood on his mouth. I hoped Keith got him good.
“Don’t talk to her,” Keith warned.
Cain rolled his eyes and peered straight at me. “This isn’t over. Tomorrow morning at nine, no sooner, no later, we’re going to have a chat with your father. Bring Keith.”
“O-Okay,” I stammered.
Keith stepped in front of me more, as if to keep Cain from seeing me for a second.
Impassive, Cain turned his attention to Beans and Vino. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Together, the three of them got into the Phantom. It was idle for a second before it pulled away and rode off.
I only got to look at it for so long before everything got shaky.
Keith had a hold of me and was shaking me.
Roughly, he grabbed my face, hard and determined. “Don’t you ever do some stupid shit like that again!”
Anger and delirium poured from him as he shook me once more for good measure.
“Was I supposed to let you die?” I cried.
“I’d rather you than me!” he snapped at me. He held me to his chest, nearly crushing me. “I can’t lose you, Kenny. Fuck.”
He reeled back to get a good look at me. There were unshed tears in his eyes, and it broke my heart. I’d never seen a man cry. Not even my father when he’d gotten his diagnosis. “Why would you ever try to die for me?”
“Because I’m falling in love with you.” A world without me felt irrelevant, but a world without Keith? I couldn’t fathom the thought. I saw the good in him, and I couldn’t let Cain take that away. “I broke the rules when I decided to care about you. And I’m not sorry.”
“I love you too much to ever let you do that for me.” Some tears fell as Keith brought me back into his chest and squeezed. “Don’t ever do that again. You hear me?”
I nodded into the solid flesh of his chest and breathed in his scent, feeling safe, feeling at peace, feeling like I was home.
All I could do was shake and sob, unable to believe we made it. Keith was alive and I was finally free.
* * *
Bright and early Sunday morning Keith and I went to my parents’ estate after leaving my penthouse. That morning when I woke up next to Keith I’d never been more thankful in my life.
After the night from hell, we’d gone to his house where he grabbed a change of clothes and I’d left most of my belongings. We only stayed at the penthouse because it beat time in the morning.
We arrived at my parents’ house at the same time Cain was pulling up.
“Stick close to me,” Keith instructed as he glanced at Vino and Beans making their way out of Cain’s Phantom.
I thought Cain had too much respect for my father to do anything lethal.
Keith and I got out of the Tahoe and held hands as I led us to the front door. We didn’t speak to Cain or his men outside of a nod of acknowledgment.
Instead of using my key, I rang the doorbell and waited beside Keith.
Priscilla came to the door and let us in.
My mother came down the hall and immediately paused at the sight of our large gathering. “What’s going on?”
Cain stepped up and approached my mother. He went and kissed her cheek in greeting. “I’ve scheduled a meeting with Damon.”
That got my mother’s full attention as she scowled at Cain. “You’ve created a monster. He’s actually in his office.”
Cain grinned and I hated to see him so normal and humane. “Trust me, it’s good for him, Angela.”
Her gaze floated over to me, lingering where I was holding hands with Keith. “Who is this?”
Cain turned and gestured toward Keith. “Oh, that’s Keith. He’s a topic of our meeting. You’re welcome to sit in. It’s family friendly.”
My mother blanched, running her hand to the column of her throat. “Oh.”
“Which way to the office?” Cain probed, moving things along.
My mother came to and led us down the hall where we cut a corner and traveled to my father’s home office. She knocked briefly before opening the door and leading us in.
Behind his desk, my father looked whole as he wore a dress shirt and was freshly shaven and groomed. He was on his desktop computer, but paused at the arrival of our group.
His eyes went to my mother, and then to Keith and me. “What’s all this?”
Cain helped himself to a chair in front of my father’s desk.
Keith took the one next to him, leaving him in between us as I sat next to him. My mother took the chesterfield along the back wall while Beans and Vinos stood at the door.
My father liked to start all of his meetings with a firm handshake. Cain was quick to lean over his massive executive desk and shake his hand. When my father looked at Keith, he merely remained seated and stared straight back at my father.
The lack of a greeting caused my father to truly study Keith. Him in his T-shirt and jeans, versus Cain in his suit and tie, and me in my blouse and trousers.
“Who is this?” my father asked impatiently. Time was money, and he didn’t like to waste either.
Cain gestured to Keith with a tilt of his head. “That’s Keith, the man your daughter was seeing behind my back.”
My mother sucked in a sharp breath and my father amazingly held it together. He examined Keith again, squinting. “Did you beat him up?”
A squeeze came to my hand, evidence of Keith’s attempt to rein it in.
Cain turned and looked at Keith, acting surprised at the state of Keith’s patched brow. “What happened to you?”
Flaring his nostrils, Keith kept his gaze forward. “Either get to the point, or we’re leaving, Cain .”
Cain almost smiled and my father clasped his hands together. He glanced at the Rolex on his wrist and got back to us. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Mind telling me what is going on?”
Cain took the lead, going and beginning this meeting he’d called. “As I said, Kennedy has been seeing another man.”
My father shrugged, showing he couldn’t care less. He wasn’t sympathetic or scornful. “Okay? She never wanted you, something we all knew. You just couldn’t take no for an answer and forced this whole charade. Next time dial that ego down, son, there are plenty of fish in the sea.”
“Be that as it may, as far as I’m concerned, I kept my end of our bargain. I’ve been very forthcoming with my team and the Cartier brand. She was your end, and that means you fell through on the deal.”
My father breathed through his nose and I could see that angry scowl of his manifesting as his patience was being tested.
“Cain, if you try to fuck me with this deal?—”
“Nah, that’s not what this is about,” Cain said coolly as he sat back comfortably in his chair. “We both know that I never cared for this partnership, but somewhere along the line, The Residence at Cartier became of interest to me. Kennedy was your bottom line, and I got cheated. So, consider this meeting a renegotiation of sorts.”
“Stop talking about her like she’s a piece of property and get to the fuckin’ point,” Keith snapped as he swung his gaze from Cain to my father.
My father eyed Keith, curious, but annoyed. “Son, if you want the right to speak in my business meetings, you at least owe me the respect of shaking my hand and introducing yourself.”
Keith shook his head. “I don’t respect men who treat their daughters like cattle.”
My mouth fell agape as one of my father’s brows rose. “I’m her father?—”
“Then act like it,” my mother’s stern voice broke in. We all turned to catch her standing there with her arms folded, anger teeming loudly from her body as she glared at my father. “Keith is right, she’s not a piece of property, she’s your daughter. Act like it.”
I’d never felt more vindicated than this moment.
Cain looked bored as he sat awaiting what would happen next.
My father peeled his gaze from my mother and focused back on Cain. “If you think you’re getting a dime more out of me after you dragged my daughter into this and paraded around with her, you’re mistaken.”
Cain wrinkled his nose. “I’m not a greedy man, Damon. I’ll take an even fifty/fifty split.”
My father closed his eyes, composing himself as best as he could. All this stress couldn’t be good for his heart. “Fine.”
A corner of Cain’s mouth curled up. “Pleasure doing business with you. I’ll have my people redraw up the contract and I’ll get with you and Phil on it, and then we can get back to work.”
Cain stood from the chair and shook hands with my father for a final time, cementing their agreement.
He was about to leave, and something knotted in my gut didn’t sit right with me.
“Cain? Wait.” I stood to follow him out of the room, but Keith’s hold kept me in place. I looked down at him, seeing unease in his eyes. “I’ll be okay.”
Cain held the door and I stepped out into the hall where he shut it behind us for privacy. His men took off down the hall, headed outside to wait.
One minute he was standing there in front of me, and the next, my hand was flying across his face.
For so long I’d wanted to smack the shit out of him and nothing felt better than accomplishing that goal.
Cain took my slap and remained standing, staring at me blankly.
“I won’t apologize for that, or for Keith,” I said as I squared my shoulders and stood my ground. “You…you have done a lot of horrible things in your life, I’m sure, but…I don’t think you’re a completely awful person.” I couldn’t. It wasn’t in me, not even after last night. There was just something about Cain that didn’t feel beyond redemption. I took his ring off my left hand and looked at it. “You may need a really good therapist, but you deserve to have someone love you for you, too.”
Cain thumbed at his jaw. “?’Fraid that’s not in the cards for me.”
“Everyone deserves love, Cain, even you,” I said as I took his hand and put his engagement ring in it.
“Touched, Wife.” He took a looming step closer, going and tugging on my cheek. “Don’t ever try to sacrifice yourself for a man again. If Keith ever hurts you, he’s a dead man. Understood?”
I snorted. “Go fuck yourself.”
Cain briefly smiled before circling me to leave.
“Kennedy?” I turned, catching him watching me soberly. “I’m sorry.”
Firmly, I nodded.
Cain turned and disappeared around the corner. In the background I heard the front door open and shut. Just like that, he was gone out of my life.