Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
KAI
C arter needing to make a phone call right after we fucked rubbed me the wrong way, but I didn’t ask him about it. If we’re going to make this relationship work, I need to learn to trust him. But trust doesn’t come easily. The Whitlock family has done nothing to earn my trust. Not yet anyway.
Over the next few days, I catch Carter grinning softly at me when he doesn’t think I notice. It makes my chest feel tight for reasons I can’t name. Something about him and the way he looks at me fills me to the brim with an indescribable emotion, one I can’t pinpoint because I’ve never felt it before.
We’ve gotten closer, talking and cooking together. He even joins me in the gym sometimes. A little while ago, he told me his dad taught him and Declan some hand-to-hand stuff. Charlie always had me scrapping but never provided any formal fighting training. As Carter knows, I can hold my own in a fight, but I want more training. He agreed to help me out and we decide to hit the gym a few times a week.
Today is not one of those days, though I wish it was. Pop and Dominic want to have lunch with us to talk about how we’re going to proceed, even though we don’t know which family is threatening us.
We all know it’s a risk to be out so publicly when we don’t know where an attack will come from, but Pop and Dominic took precautions. Men from both the Whitlock and St. Clair family are dotted at tables all around the restaurant we’re meeting at, as well as parked outside in the parking lot and one across the street. There are a few guards driving around, doing patrol in case someone wants to pull a drive by. We’re as covered as we can be.
After we peruse the menu and place our orders, Dominic clasps his hands on the table and looks at me and Carter in turn. “How’s everything going? Business going good?” That last question is aimed at me.
A smile twitches at my lip, but I don’t dare let it bloom with Pop at the table. He’ll have something to say about me liking someone asking me questions about my first business that I built from the ground up.
Most people think Pop financed St. Clair Construction, since it has his name on it, but I worked for it. I took jobs doing hits so I could get the capital for a loan and started it up. I was able to pay off my business loan in the first year from both the contracts I received as well as more hits I did. No one knew it was me that carried them out but Nico.
Knowing he had nothing to do with the success or failure of my company boggles my mind on why he’s so adamant about bad mouthing it. But at this point, I no longer care. It’s just making me miserable trying to figure out the whys of Charles St. Clair.
Pop raises his eyebrow at me, waiting for me to answer. It’s hard to forget how much I want to impress him, but I push it down to answer my father-in-law. “Good. Got something new coming down the pipeline that Carter is helping me with.” I glance over at my husband and wink at him. Carter rolls his eyes, but a smile spreads across his face.
Pop scoffs, shaking his head. “Can’t believe you’re not bothered by this queer shit. It turns my stomach.”
Dominic’s face turns thunderous. I see what others saw right before he put a bullet in their brains. I’m almost afraid for Pop’s life. “For as long as you’re in my fucking presence, you won’t talk shit about my son. I’ve about had it with your bullshit. We’re trying to save both our families, but that don’t come with a lifetime warranty in disrespect. Got it?”
After that first dinner we had at Dominic’s place, Carter told me he stayed behind to tell his father he was bi. He said Dominic just shrugged and said that’s okay and that he loved him no matter what. What I would have given for that to be Pop’s response when I told him I was gay.
I raise my hand for Pop to stop whatever retort he’s ready to throw at Dominic. “That’s enough. Pop, you’re the one that fucking agreed to this marriage. Don’t give us shit because we’re trying to get along, so we won’t be fucking miserable.”
He curls his lip but doesn’t say anything.
It dawns on me then that that’s exactly what he was banking on. He thought if I was to marry a man, it should be one that I fucking loathed, so I wouldn’t know happiness. If there’s one thing Pop hates, it’s for me to show any happiness or joy about anything. Any time I’ve had a hobby or expressed interest in anything, no matter how small, he’d talk down about it until I didn’t show interest anymore. Pop thought being with Carter would guarantee me a lifetime of misery. I inwardly gloat that his plan went awry.
A few beats of silence pass before Dominic starts talking again. “Charlie and I have been talking.” He sounds like he wanted to do anything but talk to Pop. “You’ve been married a few months and shit is quiet. But it ain’t gonna stay that way for long. Now is the time for us to step aside and let you two step into our roles. This war that’s going to go down—and trust me, it will go down—it’s for the young. For those that have fresh minds that can outthink the opposition.”
Pop picks up the thread of conversation. “Back in our day, none of this sneaky shit happened. If you wanted war, you shot first and made your demands later. Whoever is behind this is playing a different game than what we’re used to.”
Carter leans forward, his face expressing shock, much like how I feel. “You both are done?” He snaps his fingers. “Just like that?”
Shaking his head, Dominic looks at his son, suddenly looking older and more exhausted than I’ve ever seen him. “It’s time, son. I was around your age when I took over for your grandpa. It’s time to hand the reins over to you and Kaison. This war will have many casualties. It’s best if the old guys don’t get in the way and become collateral damage.”
If anyone else had proposed leaving as head of their families in the middle of a war, I’d think they were afraid of dying or of being killed because of it. But I can see the indecision in Dominic’s eyes, even though he says it’s what he wants.
Pop looks positively livid about it, so they must have had this conversation for months before they agreed. It’s apparent he wanted to continue running this family for as long as he had breath in his lungs. But it wouldn’t make sense if Carter was heading the Whitlock family and someone that’s not his husband was in charge of the St. Clair family. It would make both families look weak. Pop must have come to that conclusion too, which is why he’s not too happy.
Carter and I exchange looks. I’ve been ready to step into Pop’s shoes since I was eighteen. That’s one thing he excelled at when I was a child—grooming me to take over the family business and continue the St. Clair legacy. I’ve been learning on my own since I came of age. I’m more than ready to keep the St. Clair family going.
“You’ll make your first appearance as a couple and the heirs of the Whitlock and St. Clair families at the annual Salsey Charity Ball Charlie and I usually go to,” Dominic says.
“We’ll allow you two to make your own connections and donate in our names. In the family names,” Pop amends.
Blowing out a pent-up breath, I look at Pop and say, “I won’t disappoint you.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it, Kaison.” His voice lacks conviction. I try not to let it sting, but it’s hard not to. Carter’s face takes on a dark quality as he stares Pop down, but I place my hand on his thigh and squeeze, silently telling him to leave it alone.
He glances at me and that stormy expression leaves his face as he smiles at me. Slowly, I return it, delighting in how he completely ignores Pop’s string of curses from his expression. “You ready for this, baby?” he asks, voice pitched low.
“With you, yeah.” And to further prove to myself that I don’t give a shit what Pop thinks of me and my sexuality, I lean over and plant a quick kiss on Carter’s lips. Surprise flicks across his face, but he covers it quickly with a soft grin.
Dominic chortles, slapping Pop on the back obnoxiously. “Guess you were right about this working out, huh, St. Clair?” I know that shit burns Pop up, but what can he do? We’re already married, and our families will prosper because of it. Just like he wanted.
We keep up appearances, eating and chatting about nothing. Between the three of us, conversation is easy. Pop tries to keep up, but his smiles are forced, and his laughs are too loud to be real. No one who knows him would buy that shit. I know I don’t.
As soon as he can, he says he has a meeting and stands up to leave. He shakes our hands and exits as quickly as possible. Several men get up and leave after him.
Since I know we’re still covered by Whitlock men and the few St. Clair guys I have with me all the time, Nico included, I stand and follow Pop out. I feel rather than see Nico following behind me. I can register his presence anywhere.
“Pop. Hold up,” I shout, jogging to catch him before he slides in the back seat of his car. The men that are with him spread out around the car, facing the street and alleyways so they can keep an eye out for danger.
He stops with one foot in the car, looking at me impatiently. “What?”
I stop in front of him and stuff my shaky hands in my pocket. I’m not sure what will come of this conversation or if he’ll even answer my questions, but I have to try.
“Why did you put Indigo Arc in my name?”
I’m rewarded with Charlie’s flash of surprise before he wipes his face of any expression. “How the fuck did you find that out?”
“Doesn’t matter how. Tell me. Why did you do it?”
“That’s none of your fucking business,” he seethes.
I step closer to him, pulling my hands from my pockets and fisting them at my sides. “It is my fucking business since you put it in my name without my fucking knowledge. Why?”
“None of your concern.” He tries to get in the car, but I stop him with a hand on his shoulder. “What now?”
I square my shoulders and look him in the eyes. “Since it’s my casino, in my name , I’ll be taking over the construction. I’ll be rebuilding in the image I set forth. You’ll have no say in anything I do from here on out.”
“You ungrateful son of a bitch. I wish your mother never dropped you off at my fucking doorstep. You’ve been an embarrassment to this family for years. I should have given the fucking family over to Henry’s son. He’s a real man.” Henry is dad’s right-hand man.
I swallow down the disrespect, my throat tight with hurt. But I don’t let it show. I keep my face blank as he goes off on a tirade about me not being able to do anything right, how I’m a disappointment, that a dog could have done a better job than me. I take it all, watching as his face gets more and more red as he really builds himself up.
When he stops to take a breath, I hold my hand up, stopping him from another burst of insults. “Don’t give a fuck what you have to say, Pop. You’ve said enough over the years to last me a lifetime. But hear me and hear me well. The St. Clair’s belong to me now. You can keep going with your bullshit, but that doesn’t matter to me.” A vein throbs in his forehead, but he doesn’t speak. So, I keep going. “I will be rebuilding Indigo Arc. Every other casino or business in your name is none of my concern. But anything that belongs to me will be mine in more than name.”
My heart thumps hard against my rib cage. I’ve never stood up to Pop like that. Most of the time, he shoots me down before it can get this far. But I’m tired. I’m tired of trying to make him happy. Tired of trying to prove to him that I’m worthy. Tired of him talking down to me when he should love me. I’m his son . It shouldn’t be this hard to show him that I know what the fuck I’m doing.
He slams the door shut and steps into my space. “You threatening me, boy? I’ll take this fucking family back and continue to run it. This war?—”
“This war will be lost because I’ll divorce Carter and split this fucking alliance apart.” He tries to hide it, but Pop’s eyes widen a fraction. “I will tank this fucking family and all you worked for will go down the fucking drain.” When he just stares at me, I allow a satisfied smile to spread across my face. “I’m more your son than you want to give me credit for. If you fuck with me, Pop, I will let all this shit disappear. The war will be lost because of you.”
I step back, keeping my eyes on him, then turn around and walk away. His angry voice reaches my ears, and I tune most of it out, though some of his words find their target, the insults hitting me like barbs.
It’s been a long time coming, me standing up to Pop, but I feel a weight lifted from my shoulder. I’ll probably still be a little fucked up from his constant abuse, but I don’t have to take it anymore. The St. Clair family is mine. Nothing he says or does can make me change the course of anything I want to do.
Pop no longer has any power over me.
My heart still pounds when I step back into the restaurant, Nico on my heels. “You good?” he asks.
“Where’s my husband?” I reply, voice tight. “Where’s Carter? Where?—”
“I’m right here, baby,” I hear from behind me.
I walk straight into his arms, wrapping my arms around his waist for everyone to see. I’m not weak for being with him. I’m not weak or soft for being gay. I’m not weak for falling for my husband.
With his arms around me, he makes me feel strong. He makes me feel like I’m worth something. He makes me feel whole.
I can’t tell him that right now, but I will. When the time is right, I’ll tell him how I feel and everything he’s done for me. But right now, I want to breathe in his scent, trap it in my lungs and use it as fuel to go forward.
The shackles Pop had on me to make me hate myself are off. They’re gone. It’s up to me to make sure they stay gone. With Carter by my side, I can do anything.
He pulls me away, framing my face. “You okay?”
“Better now.”
Carter searches my eyes, trying to read me. I’m not sure what he sees, but his lips tip up into that crooked smile that I love so much. “Dad said our guys are assembled at that abandoned casino by the pier that he bought ages ago. He wants us to make an announcement that we’re the new heads of the family. We have to make some changes, baby. Our men, together, intermingled. That’s the only way this will work.”
“Okay. Let’s talk about it on the ride over.” Carter nods and motions for Gavin. Nico is already beside me, awaiting my orders. “Both of you will ride with us. We’ll need your ideas too.” Our right hands look at each other with skepticism, but they nod.
We all pile into our cars, the men that came with us following close behind. All of our eyes are peeled, making sure we’re not attacked like Carter was when he went to do his deal with the Dominicans. Since we’re within city limits, I figure we’re safe, but I make sure no one around him tries anything.
Thirty minutes later, we’re all pulling up to the warehouse, but from different directions. It was Carter’s idea not to drive in the same direction together, for fear that one of our cars would be intercepted.
We quickly make our way inside where most of our families are assembled. Neither Pop nor Dominic are there, leaving us to run the show and make the rules. Going forward, there will be some changes made, but they’ll only strengthen both families. Anyone that doesn’t like them can walk.
We both stand in front of our men, looking at them. Some of my guys look openly hostile towards Carter’s and vice versa. We need to be integrated to be as strong as we should be.
Stepping forward, I raise my voice so all can hear me. “Starting today, Carter and I are heads of the St. Clair-Whitlock families. Pop and Dominic have stepped down.” There’s some stirring in the crowd, but no one speaks out of turn. “There will be some changes. For starters, guard duties for our homes will be a combination of Whitlocks and St. Clair’s. You have to learn to work together so none of us end up with a bullet in our heads.” That gets some shouting from those in the crowd, but Declan steps forward and whistles, silencing everyone.
Carter stands beside me, his shoulder brushing against mine. “This isn’t up for fucking debate. If you don’t like it, there’s the fucking door.” His voice drops to a menacing tone. A shiver that I fight to suppress washes over me. “But if you leave, whether you’re a Whitlock or a St. Clair, you’ll be our enemy and we’ll fucking hunt you down like the disloyal dogs you are.”
Everyone keeps their positions. They don’t look happy about the turn of events, but they know better than to cross either of us. Both our reputations proceed us, as well as Declan’s, who is a fucking menace. If anyone messes with his brother or anything he has going on, Declan will fucking cap them.
Silence stretches as we wait for anyone to break ranks. When they don’t, I continue. “This war isn’t proceeding with any speed, so we need to be fucking vigilant. Carter and I will be working on figuring out who the bastards after us are. In the meantime, don’t do anything stupid. It’ll only fuck us up. Hear this and hear it well. Disobeying anything we say will have you signing your own death warrant. My men know me, but everyone else, don’t think I’m bluffing. I’ve killed men for less.” I pause for effect. “Do not fucking move until we say move. We give the orders. No one will be a fucking cowboy, got it?”
“Any questions?” Carter asks. No one speaks. “Declan will be in charge of security. He?—”
One of Carter’s men, an older guy that probably worked under Dominic for ages, steps forward, looking like an angry bull, his face a puce shade. “I ain’t gonna listen to the younger Whitlock when the older one ain’t proved to be an effective leader. Now, I say?—”
Whatever he wants to say is cut off by Declan’s gun discharging, hitting the man in the center of his forehead. He crumples to the floor, blood pooling around his head. Declan looks calm, as if he just came from a relaxing walk.
“If anyone else has something to say, speak now or forever hold your peace,” Declan says, holding his still smoking gun at his side. Some of the Whitlock men look unhappy, but the display of not showing favoritism seems to have endeared Declan to my guys, at least for right now.
Carter rolls his eyes. “You and you,” he says, pointing to some lower-level men of his, “clean this up. And send his wife a dozen roses.”
When the body is moved away, I look around at everyone assembled. “Anymore questions?” No one speaks so I say, “For now, your directions are to keep your eyes open, but don’t get in our fucking way. This is your only warning.”
With that, we break down the new rules for the new regime of the St. Clair-Whitlock family.