Chapter 17 - Jade #3
I let out a huff. “Spencer hates me, but he isn’t an issue. I can see that he takes his mission seriously, and that’s all that matters. Mostly, he avoids me.” Kratos’s brow pinches, and I know he has something to say to that, so I cut him off before he can.
“I’m free.”
He relaxes as he searches my face for something. Whatever it is, he must find it because, after a moment, he nods.
“My question is, do you intend to stay that way?” he asks, and my whole body goes stiff—my breathing hitches.
“What?” I ask, playing dumb, unsure what else to say. There's no way he could know my plan.
Yet, as I look into his eyes, I know he does.
With a sigh and a shake of his head, he pushes off the floor, stalking back toward the desk. He stands in front of it for a moment, looking down, unmoving, as if he’s frozen in place. He stands there so long that I’m about to get up and go to him. Just before I can move, he does.
Kratos lets out a roar of anger before reaching out and swiping everything off the desk.
Some of it falls to the ground, while others fly across the room and into the wall.
I watch as his shoulders rise and fall quickly as he heaves in a raging breath.
Then, he spins back to face me, and if I thought he was predatory before, it was nothing compared to now.
“Tell me you aren’t planning to go back to that? Tell me you’ll let us handle the last ring, Jade,” he yells, and I’m thankful the room is most likely soundproof, because I don’t need anyone else assuming what he is.
I open my mouth to feed him some bullshit answer, but the question burning a hole in my brain comes out instead.
“How?”
I don’t need to elaborate. As soon as I ask, I see the understanding shine in his eyes, even through the anger.
Raking his fingers through his hair, he pulls some strands free from his low, messy bun, but he ignores them.
“Do I look stupid to you?” he asks me, but instead of answering, I continue to watch him, waiting for him to answer me.
Finally getting himself under control, he drops his ass on the now-empty desk and looks at me.
Staring at me so intensely that I have to fight the urge to look away.
“You are my responsibility. Do you think I gave those boys your files and a bunch of unknowns, and I wasn’t going to dig into them?
It doesn’t take a genius to see that each ring went down not long after you left, to connect each death to the fall of a ring,” he says confidently, and I can’t bring myself to tell him he's wrong even if I know I should.
“Tell me you haven’t been making sure to be sold off before or purposely staying behind?
Why would you want to stay? You could have been free.
Working with us to take them down instead of in that hell for all these years.
” The emotion on his face reflects in his eyes, and this time, I look away, unable to handle them.
“It's the only way,” I tell him, even though I know it’s not what he wants to hear.
“I had to make sure they went down so completely that they would never be brought back, and I had to make sure the girls weren’t put in danger in the process.
It was an inside job, and if you let yourself put that big brain to use, you’ll see that I’m right, and you know it. ”
He might not like it, but I can hear the wheels turning in his head as he puts it all together. I’m right, and he knows it. I can see it on his face.
He shakes his head. “All of that is irrelevant now. We can’t change it, but you don’t need to go back for us to bring the last one down. Tell me you won’t go back,” he all but pleads with me, and I don’t understand what the big deal is.
What’s one more ring to ensure no girl in this city has to go through what I did?
“I can’t tell you that, and you know it.
I have to finish this. I've put too much time and energy into this not to see it through. Those girls deserve better than what I had.” I don’t know why I’m even arguing.
I should just walk out the door and go to the guys to go home.
I look toward the door, but I can’t make myself leave.
I want him to understand. “Nobody deserves that kind of life.” My voice is quiet, but I know he hears me.
He paces in front of the desk a few times, and I watch him, waiting to see what he has to say. He paces for so long that I wonder if he’s even going to respond before he finally stops and faces me, where I still sit in the chair.
“Let us try first. Stay away from them, give us time, and work with us on the outside to see if we can do it this way. If we can’t take them down like that, we’ll figure out something else together, but I swear we will take them down one way or another,” he finally says, sounding almost as if he’s pleading with me.
I search his face and see the truth in his words.
No matter what, he’ll help me. The thought both frightens me and brings me comfort at the same time.
I don’t want to put anyone else in danger with this, but this could make everything easier. We might be able to bring them down faster with more resources, and I’m sure they have much more than I could ever dream of.
It's worth a shot, at the very least.
Reluctantly, I nod, and some of the tension seems to leave his body. His shoulder slumps as he releases a relieved breath.
“You better get your boys on it then, because you have three months. Not a day over. If we don’t have a plan in place by then, I’ll do whatever I feel is necessary to take them down.
” Standing, I hold his gaze as I walk to him.
I look him in the eyes so that I know he understands.
“And you will not stand in my way.” It’s not a question, and he knows it.
“Do we have a deal?” I hold out my hand, and he doesn’t even hesitate before he reaches out to grip it with a nod.
“Deal, Killer.”
I can’t help but smile at his use of that name again, and he gives a small smile in return.
It changes his whole face, making him seem less intense and younger.
Of course, he’s beautiful either way, but I can tell his smile is a rare gift, so I take a moment to enjoy it before we both pull our hands back.
He sweeps his hand out toward the door.
“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you,” he says with just a hint of humor in his voice. I shake my head at him as I turn and head toward the door, hearing his steady steps behind me as he follows after me. I may never admit it out loud, but something about him being at my back comforts me.
These men will be the death of me. I just know it, but even with that idea in my head, I can’t seem to regret the course I’m on with them.
We walk through the house and back down to the kitchen.
I can feel Kratos just a step behind me the whole way.
Once we get downstairs, I feel his hand fall to the small of my back as he guides me through the swarm of bodies.
We make it about halfway through the crowd before the song changes, and it’s the first song of the night that I actually know and like, one that Zander just showed me.
Shivers by Ed Sheeran blasts through the speakers, and I have to fight the urge to dance.
I glance over my shoulder at Kratos. He’s taking me back to the guys, and I know once we reach them, we’ll be leaving.
I wasn’t super excited to come tonight, but now the idea of leaving without getting to dance one more time makes disappointment curl in my stomach.
Before I can second guess myself or overthink it, I turn my body around so swiftly that Kratos's hand ends up on my stomach. He looks down at me with a question in his eyes before I beckon him to me with my finger. Leaning down, I shout in his ear, hoping I’ll be loud enough to be heard over the pounding bass and people all around us.
“Dance with me before I go, Daddy?” I ask, leaning into him and placing both of my hands on his chest to keep me close to him in the small space we’ve carved for ourselves. I feel his chest rumble even though the sound is lost to the noise around us.
He leans over me, his mouth in line with my ear. “One dance, Killer. Then you go home and be a good girl.” His breath rolls over my ear, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. I nod, even though I know he is telling me more than asking.
His hand snakes around my body from my stomach to my lower back, but instead of resting where it was earlier as he led me through the crowd, this time it sits lower, just over the swell of my ass.
That’s all the invitation I need. I melt into him as I sway to the music.
Not surprisingly, Kratos doesn’t really dance.
Instead, he watches me as I move. I can’t pull my eyes away from him, and he stares down at me just as intensely.
His fingers on my back curl into the fabric of my sweater, still tied around my waist, holding me as he pulls me further into him.
I’m all but plastered to the front of him. I can feel his chest rise as mine falls, our breathing in sync in a way that keeps us in constant contact.
His lip lifts in a smirk, the mirth shining in his eyes, making his whole expression feel dirty in the best possible way. His thigh pushes between my legs, the simple pressure sending delicious shivers through me. Judging by the look in his eyes, he knows exactly what he’s doing.
In an effort to retake control of this situation, I turn around in his arms, successfully removing his leg from my aching core, and instead press back up against him.
I expect him to put an end to my fun, but again, he surprises me as his hand falls to my stomach…
my bare stomach. The shirt I wear has ridden up more now that my hands are above my head as I move to the beat.
What once was a sliver of my stomach on display is now enough for his hand to easily slip under until it rests flat against my bare skin.
My breath hitches at the contact.
His skin is so warm, and his hand is so fucking big that I can’t even pretend not to react. The music is loud enough that I can’t even hear the change, but I have no doubt he felt it.
The rumble of his chest lets me know I’m right as I feel it against my back.
Two can play that game.
I press myself further into him, shamelessly grinding my ass against him as I continue moving to the beat. The moment I do, his other hand grips my hip as if to hold me to him. It’s unnecessary. I have no intention of moving, even as I feel the evidence of my teasing rubbing against me.
Especially because of that.
A smile splits my face at the knowledge that I’m able to affect someone like him. The guys told me Kratos doesn’t entertain women, and while that may be true, that doesn’t mean he isn’t still a man, and every man has a weakness.
“I love the new look, Killer. The green suits you.” His husky voice rumbles in my ear, and I close my eyes as the deep, delicious sound washes over me. His scent and warmth cocoon me, even in a room full of other people.
Leaning my head back against his shoulder, I continue to move to the beat against him.
I may have found a weakness in him, but I’ll be damned if that deep, gravel voice isn’t mine.