47. Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Six
Dominic
Picking up my phone for the hundredth time today, I dial Brody Garcia's number, fed up with hitting roadblocks with everyone else, hoping I'll manage to get somewhere with him.
He picks up almost immediately, tone worried as he speaks.
"Is Alicia okay?"
"She's fine," I tell him, rubbing my hand along my slightly overgrown beard. "I'm not ringing you to talk about her. I want to discuss Lenny."
He sighs, a beat of silence following.
"I've tried to find him, but he's not here. I'm convinced he's still in London, but I have no pull over there. I've tried to contact people but—"
"I don't need excuses, Brody!" I shout, slamming my fist down on my desk. "I need to know where the fuck he is."
"Look, I understand this is frustrating, but I can't do much more than I'm already doing."
"You understand?" I scoff, shaking my head as I push away from my desk and start pacing the room.
"He's your son, Brody! He tried to kill my wife!
Your daughter! Then he almost killed my best friend.
All of this after previously trying to kill my sister, as well.
You can't possibly understand how I'm feeling right now! "
Silence greets me through the phone, and I'm glad he doesn't try to find any other excuses to throw at me because I'm not in the right headspace to deal with him.
"We need to find him, and I'm telling you now, if you don't kill him, I will," I snap, hanging up the phone. I hurl it towards the large bookcase along my wall as I release an animalistic growl.
A whistle from the doorway has me whipping around, and Kaleb walks into my office, closing the door behind him before leaning against it.
"That was quite a powerful threat, Little King."
Glaring at him, my jaw clenched and nostrils flaring, I scoff.
"Little, really? I'm older than you, and also certain I'm taller, as well."
Cocking a brow, he shoots me his signature maniac smirk.
"Real mature response that was."
"What the fuck do you want, Kaleb?" I ask, moving back behind my desk and taking a seat in my chair, huffing. "If you're here to piss me off, many other people have beaten you to it already."
Kissing his teeth, he pushes off the door and moves to sit opposite me, crossing his arms over his chest once he's seated.
"Are you going to follow through with it?"
I frown at him.
"The threat," he states. "Are you going to kill Lenny if you end up finding him?"
Watching him for a moment, I sigh and shrug, pinching my nose between my forefinger and thumb as I shake my head.
"I don't know," I admit, scrubbing my hands over my face and then leaning back in my chair, eyes scanning the bookshelves that surround my desk. "I'd get pleasure out of doing it. We all know he fucking deserves it for the shit he's caused, but he's Alicia's brother."
"Doesn't she hate him?" he asks.
I nod. "Yeah, she does."
"So then she won't care."
"I can't be sure of that, though."
"Well, my brother killed my dad, and I didn't care at all. If anything, I was relieved afterwards."
Grimacing at him, I shake my head.
"Alicia isn't like you," I tell him, and he rolls his eyes. "She may hate her brother, but I'm worried if I were to kill him, it would affect her. I don't want her to look at me and see the man who murdered her brother, and I fear that's all I'll ever be if I go through with it."
Silence spreads through the room, and a few minutes later, he sighs and stands from the chair.
"Well, I guess I'll do it then."
My head rears back, and my brows furrow.
"What?"
He shrugs, moving over to the bookcase, swiping his finger along the spine of the folders I keep there.
"I've come out of retirement for one King already, so it only makes sense if I also do you a favour, too. Although, this will now be two favours you owe me."
"Firstly, I don't need you to kill someone for me," I tell him. "Secondly, why the fuck would this make it two favours?"
Glancing at me over his shoulder, his calculated gaze meets mine.
"Well, you still owe me one for when I saved your life, sacrificing my tattoo in the process." He rubs at his arm, and I roll my eyes at his dramatics. "And, although this is a win-win situation for me, I still think killing your wife's brother would warrant me another favour."
"Why is this a win-win situation for you?"
"If I kill him, I'll feel more at peace.
He came after Sophia before. He then came after the business.
When that didn't go to plan, he tried to hurt Alicia and then almost killed Percy.
Everything he has done is making Sophia panic.
She's constantly worried—about you, your wife, everyone in this god damned family. "
He grinds his jaw, flexing his fingers at his sides.
"She's pregnant. She doesn't need the stress. I don't want her worrying anymore. Her worrying puts her and my baby at risk, and I'm sick and tired of it. I think it's poetic in a way if I'm the one to kill him."
Leaning on my desk, I frown.
"So, are you suggesting you should be the one to kill him because you want to help me out, or simply just because you want to do it?"
"Does it really matter?" he retorts.
Glancing down at my desk, I think over his offer, debating what the right decision is.
"I know where he is already," he adds.
My eyes lift to meet his.
"How?" I ask.
"Miles."
I wait for him to continue, but he doesn't give me an explanation.
Huffing, I thread my fingers through my hair as I think over my options.
"You realise I don't actually need your permission, right? I'm just here to find out if there's a chance of us causing trouble in each other's plans, or if I can do things my way and get it over and done with easily."
Gulping, I nod.
"Do it." Wiping my palms along my legs, I force myself to breathe deep. "Go ahead. Do what you need to do. I'll talk to Alicia, and I'll also talk to Brody, make sure there's no repercussions."
He shoots me a toothy smile.
"There wouldn't be any repercussions, Dom." He moves towards my office door, pulling it open slightly, but pausing before he leaves. "Just to be clear, this is the last time I'm coming out of retirement to help clean up one of your problems, so try to keep out of trouble from now on, yeah?"
"Easier said than done," I mutter, watching as he leaves.