Chapter 33
Saying goodbye to Celine for two weeks fucking guts me.
My arms tighten around her as I stare at the car where her parents are waiting for her.
She places a tender kiss on my chest before I lift her from the ground.
“Go, before I glue you to me.”
“I wouldn’t even mind.”
With one final deep and passionate kiss, I place her down. When she reaches the car, she turns around, patting the necklace and mouthing, “I love you.”
I mimic her gesture and stay outside our house until they disappear from view. Sitting at the top of the stairs, I hold my head between my hands.
I have no clue how I ended up with this perfect woman who owns my every heartbeat.
If it were up to me, I would have put her in the car, driven straight to our house, and returned years later.
“Afraid she’s not coming back?” Hunter smirks.
“Fuck you, she will.”
“Yes, because she’s mad about you.”
Hunter offers me a bottle of beer. We clink them, and he says, “You could wallow in self-pity now or do something productive.”
“Like what?”
“Like finding your father. I will not look over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
“Man, I think you need to get a life. Period.”
He glares at me, but he has a point. My phone rings and I answer my mother. Her cries pierce my ears. “Mother, what happened?”
She’s crying too hard for me to make out her words. I hop on my bike and drive toward the city, parking in the underground garage of my parents’ downtown penthouse.
I rush toward the elevator and when the doors slide open on the top level, my mother’s on the floor, looking disheveled, an empty bottle next to her.
Bending down at my waist, I scoop her up and place her on the couch.
“Kaden? I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I have loved you since the first moment I knew I would have you, but he… I don’t want to go on another meaningless vacation or shopping spree, so I don’t have to face the fact that I can’t be the mother I want to be for you.”
Now, with Grandmother making changes in the Family, my mother could take the opportunity to leave. Start a new life away from all this, yet she remains. I set my hurt aside and make another vow: to try to have a relationship with my mother. That’s why it’s imperative for me to find Felix. I need to make sure he can never cast a shadow of fear over us.
“I need to find him.”
“I don’t know where he is. Felix never talked to me about anything.”
At least she stopped crying, but she has spent years with him. She must have heard something.
I take her hands and smile encouragingly at her. “Mother, none of us is truly safe until he is taken care of.”
Her face draws in concentration. “Wait… there is a lodge in the woods. I’ve never been there. It’s about an hour’s drive away. He always said he had to go there for peace and quiet.”
My mother gives me the address, and I put it in the GPS.
“I have to go.”
“Please, take care. Felix is… he’s a bad person.”
I kiss her cheek. “He didn’t break any of us, and when he’s taken care of, we’ll prove it to ourselves, okay?”
Her face lights up and she nods.
Back on my bike, a message pops up from my wife that instantly puts a smile on my face.
Missing you. What are you doing?
It’s as if she knows I’m about to do something she won’t like, but I have to do this. We didn’t come this far for him to escape.
Just left my mother’s place.
Good, try. It wasn’t her fault.
How are you?
They’re treating me like a five-year-old. Someone save me.
I chuckle and reply. Love you. Enjoy it because afterward I am going to treat you like the woman you are.
Sounds kinky.
You have a dirty mind, and I love it.
It’s not enough for me though without hearing her voice, so I call her and she answers right away.
“I might know where Felix is.”
“I can’t stop you, right?”
“I…”
“It’s okay. Do what you have to do, but be careful.”
“I love you like a madman.”
“Quite literally, and I am loving it.” She returns my words.
A pause follows, and I say, “I’m sorry I said that, you know…”
“Baby, it’s okay. I came back in love with the version of you that I knew too. But I like this version of us better.”
“Me too.”
“Our souls run deeper than our hearts, our minds, our blood. Our souls will always recognize one another.”
“I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you. Embarking now. Promise me.”
The ship’s horn blows in my ear, making me pause until the sound vanishes. “I’ll take care. I have a lifetime to spend with you, and only afterward will I consider dying.”
When we hang up, I speed toward the house.
Knocking, I walk inside Bailey’s room and give her the address. She opens a program, typing quickly. A camera shot of the highway appears. A tinted, black Mercedes SUV catches our attention, and when Bailey confirms it’s Felix, I go find Hunter.
“I know where he is.”
“Good.”
“Hurry, asshole. We don’t have all the time in the world.”
“Fucker. What about Blake?”
I remain silent, so fucking torn.
“Even best friends make mistakes,” Hunter says.
I pass by Blake’s room and halt. A part of me wants to talk to him, to my best friend, but the other wants to push him out of the window.
I have to calm down first, and then we can talk.
I continue on to my room and stuff a change of clothes, my gun, and some knives into a duffel bag.
Mia steps inside the room. “Please talk to Blake.”
“Mia, stay out of this.”
“He needs you.”
“Why do you care?”
Her cheekbones redden and she sighs. “Put yourself in his place.”
“I can’t,” I admit.
She closes the door behind her, and I let out a stream of curses. How long can I avoid him? Maybe when I come back, I will be ready to talk. But I am still running on anger. I could have lost Celine, and I am well aware of how traumatic that experience was for her. The repercussions will follow us all our lives.
I run downstairs but don’t see Hunter, so I walk out.
I told him to hurry. What is keeping him? Is he having a bad hair day?
Hunter can catch up to me, I think when, from the corner of my eye, I see Blake leaning against the front wall of the house.
He eyes me then the duffel. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him he should come with me, but this fucking hurt keeps my mouth shut.
Hunter bolts through the front door.
“What the fuck took you so long?” I ask.
“Not in the fucking mood.”
Great. We both have bottled up emotions.
Blake pushes off the wall, and his eyes focus on me.
My entire life passes in front of my eyes, and this guy has been a huge part of it.
“Ready, princess?”
I snap my head at Hunter. The nerve of this guy. When I turn back, Blake is heading inside.
“Sorry to interrupt your bromance moment, but time is ticking,” Hunter says.
I hop in the car and put in my earpiece.
“By the time you reach the cabin, I will have mapped it out for potential escape routes,” Bailey says.
“Good.”
Hunter cocks his head. “Who is it? We need to vet him.”
“No need.”
“There are still members who need more protection than others, like Bailey.”
“Bailey can take care of herself.”
I should tell him to stop talking because she’s on the other line. But I don’t.
“That girl would probably scream at the first sign of danger. She’s doing nothing but being a little studious mouse.”
“Why do you care?”
“You’re right. I don’t fucking care.” She gasps and he adds, “But you all should stop treating her like she’s a damn child.”
“You’re the problem, not her. So shut the fuck up.”
He balls his hands at his side. “She reminds me of Celine. The only difference is Celine got her shit together.”
“Not everyone has to fight the obvious battles.”
“Kaden.” She threatens in my ear, and I jerk my chin to him. “You’re going to fucking eat your words someday.”
We spend the rest of the drive in tense silence. When we stop for a gas, I pull my phone out and scroll through the pictures of Celine.
Bailey sends me the map on my phone, and when we park in the forest, she says, “I have saved your coordinates.”
I point at the center of the map.
“It’s a two-mile hike,” I tell Hunter.
He nods. “We can’t afford for him to hear us.”
After eating up half of the distance on foot, he says, “I want to make one thing clear.”
Asshole.
“You love Celine, and I have no problem with you. I understand now why she never got over you and I am happy if she is.”
As if I need his approval, but as the obviously more mature person between us, I stretch my hand out and we shake. “Thank you for being there for her.”
“Thermal imaging has found one person pacing around,” Bailey says.
“Good. Felix is alone,” I tell him.
“In the name of team spirit, I need to know who your tech guy is.”
“Again, that’s not up to me.”
“Be careful. I can’t see if he’s armed or not,” Bailey says.
He’s not. Even if he’s paranoid, Felix is too cocky to think anyone would find him.
When we reach the cabin, I point to the back. Hunter and I split up. I pat my necklace, feeling Celine.
Unlocking the door, I tiptoe inside. Felix is yelling into a phone at whoever is on the other line.
“I’ll get you your money.”
He hangs up and throws the burner phone into the fireplace, only to dig around for another one.
“Hello, Felix.”
He spins to me, color draining from his face.
I cock my head. “Admit it. I practically exceeded all your expectations.”
“Kaden, I’m not in the mood.”
“You’re coming with me.”
“I would rather die. I was born to be a king, not a pawn. You can’t hold me back.”
I lift my gun and point straight at his cold-blooded heart.
“You wouldn’t.” He taunts me.
Even after everything, he still believes there are lines I won’t cross to know Celine’s safe. I point the gun at his arm and pull the trigger. He stumbles back, a mortified sound coming out of him.
“Don’t test me. I would kill you in a heartbeat, but I want you to suffer. Death would be a mercy that I don’t intend to grant you, Father.” I spit the last word. He cups his wound, wincing.
Hunter approaches and slams the gun into his temple.
“Pretty prosaic.”
We eye each other and then tie him up.
I call Grandmother next, informing her we found Felix.
“A team is on its way. I’m proud of you, Kaden. You did the right thing. I’d like a word with you later.”
We deliver Felix to the guards, and Hunter accompanies them. This guy is even more paranoid than I am.
When I park in front of Grandmother’s house, the number of guards has been drastically cut. You can say what you want about the old hag, but she’s cutthroat when she wants to be.
Thomas opens the door, welcoming me in.
He shows me the way. I walk down a flight of stairs and I find Grandmother in the vault room. She’s leaning against her cane but appearing immaculate as always.
I halt, my eyes taking in all the paintings, the priceless art, and bars of gold stacked behind glass.
“I don’t have much time left. I won’t even attempt to repair my relationship with either of you. You see me as cold, but I was raised in a different time. Love was perceived as a weakness. And you found what I couldn’t give you among yourselves.”
She opens another door, and I step inside what looks like a jewelry museum.
“I want you to choose a piece. You all will get something, but you will be the first to pick.”
I look around, but none of the pieces interest me until I stop. My eyes land on a solitary ring. The craftsmanship is astounding. It’s made of three gold colors, topped by a diamond heart, sparkling like a rainbow. I have never seen something so precious like this before.
“I knew you’d choose this one. It’s a fantastic choice for an engagement ring.”
“Does it have a story?”
“A boy fell in love with a girl. The ring was a gift from a prince for his chosen one. The parents and the court didn’t want her for him. He said he would renounce his legacy to be with the woman he loved.”
I smile at the words that ring true and pocket it.
“I’m sorry for what happened to you under my rule, but I’m not sorry for the man you have become despite everything.”
“Thank you.”
“Enjoy college because leading this family into the future is up to you. Not only is it your responsibility as firstborn, but the others have also chosen you for the position. That has never happened so smoothly in the history of the Family.”
There’s no point denying my legacy or renouncing my duty. But I will make sure the corruption is in the past.
When I get back to the house, I go to my bedroom and pull out the ring. I roll it on all sides, contemplating it. It’s unique and perfect, like my wife.
Now, I wait for the perfect moment to give it to her.
Mia storms inside without knocking. “I hope you’re happy.”
What the fuck happened now?
“Blake’s gone.”
“He’ll come back,” I say through a gulp, placing the ring on my desk, and go to his room.
It’s empty of some of his clothes, and even the picture of us from our childhood is on the table, faced down.
I call him, but the phone rings from under his bed.
Fuck.
Needing to hear my wife’s voice, I call her, and she picks up immediately.
“Blake is gone,” I tell her, dropping on the edge of the bed. “I should have talked to him. But I’m still furious with him. I’m supposed to hold the group together. Fuck, I failed.”
“No, Kaden, you didn’t. What we went through hasn’t been easy for any of us. Your feelings are valid, but so are his.”
“It’s my fault. I basically pushed him to leave…”
“Baby, he has lived a lie for a long time. It’s his right to come to terms with that and be on his own for a while.”
Everything my wife says sounds logical, but I have to find the asshole and bring him back where he belongs.
I thought nothing could break the two of us apart. I have been aware of something plaguing him. Maybe I shouldn’t have given him space and time, but I thought he would confide in me when he was ready. I should have fucking confronted him. If I did everything else would have been avoided and he wouldn’t have crossed the only hard limit I have, Celine. He fucking knew that.
“Baby. I can hear you thinking. We can’t go back in time and change things. We can only learn from our experiences and try to do things differently in the future.”
She calms the storm whirling in my head.
“Tell me you love me. Tell me you’d never leave me.”
“Kaden. I. Love. You. I. Will. Never. Leave. You. You’re stuck with me, baby.”
“You better because I don’t know what I’d fucking do if you stopped. But it might include chasing, kidnapping, making you come so hard and often, and becoming a man you couldn’t say no to. What I know for sure though is I wouldn’t rest and shy away from anything to make you fall back in love with me,” I say, my voice teeming with seriousness.
My wife giggles, “I believe you, but baby, I’ve been yours since before I could speak. You really don’t need to worry. My atoms would disintegrate long before I’d stop loving you. But that chasing, kidnapping, and plenty of coming part sounds like something I wouldn’t mind at all.”
“Fuck, you’re perfect.”
The moment she returns, I am kidnapping her to our vacation home, where I’ll do just that.
I’m hers.
She’s mine.
It’s been like that since the beginning of us and will continue to be like that for the entirety of our lives.