Page 4

Kael

“Y ou know this is a token bad guy car, don’t you?” I taunt, trying to work him into the same level of rage that’s simmering under my skin.

He remains disappointingly neutral. “Everyone from the government to the average citizen uses these.”

“I still stand by what I said.” He slams the door in my face. “Rude,” I mutter as I slide the seatbelt over my chest and lap.

He climbs into the driver’s seat like a chauffeur. An incredibly fit, burly, menacing, hulking bag of muscles driver whose side hustle is probably also underground fights.

Hypocritical.

Or hunting down people for a living.

Still hypocritical.

“You let me use all my money to place that bet. You could have stopped me,” I growl as he pulls out into traffic. I won’t ask him to tell me where we’re going for a second time. He won’t answer and I’d like to mitigate the humiliation and scrape together whatever dignity I might have left.

“I could have.”

“You let me blow everything I’ve worked just about my whole life for!” It’s a good thing he put me on the opposite side of the SUV. The urge to boot his chair is overwhelming.

“Money is just money.”

“Says only the rich who have more than enough to burn. You owe me forty grand, asshole,” I mutter.

“I owe you nothing other than to keep you alive, which I’ve successfully done tonight and for the past thirteen months, four days, and seven hours.” He speeds up subtly, but I definitely pick up on it. He has his little angry tells, that’s for sure.

“What? You didn’t bother counting the minutes and seconds too? You’re slipping Dray.”

“I have a new ID for you and a new job that I’m taking.

You’ll accompany me. I’ve already gathered your things from your apartment.

All your other possessions will remain where they are, in secure storage.

You’re leaving your life here behind, but I suppose, since that was the plan for you tonight, it won’t hurt much to move on again. ”

“That’s right.” I bite down hard on my lower lip, but only to keep myself from screaming.

“I can take care of myself. I don’t need you controlling my life.

This past year? That wasn’t living. That was…

nothing. You dumped me into this and made certain that I’d be miserable, checking in when your guilt forced you to. ”

Do I believe that? Somewhat, I guess.

I truly did think that after a few months Dravin had forgotten me.

He plucked me from my life, calling abandonment safety, and moved onto better shit.

I was stuck. Paralyzed. I was desperate enough to do anything to move forward.

I couldn’t trust that some guy I didn’t even know who claimed to be my savior because he’d known my brother, was going to do the right thing for me.

Even I didn’t know what that was.

As the months passed, my speculation solidified into something that became fact to me.

I’d been dumped into a new city with a new ID, a fake life with a job and an apartment to go along with it, and that was the end of Dravin’s duty.

I still wasn’t safe and if I ever wanted to stop looking over my shoulder and be able to move on, I needed to disappear.

I had no one to dig myself out of that hole but me.

“You did realize that piece of shit has killed twelve people, did you not?” Dravin’s dry, raspy tone cuts into my churning thoughts.

“Of course you did, because you did your research first. Studied your opponent. You would have known all his weaknesses before you signed your life away on a bet and stepped into a crazy underground fighting ring where people get carried out in body bags on the reg.”

My hand itches to undo my seatbelt and launch my foot in a hard kick straight to his jaw. If that wouldn’t kill us, I might just give in to the intrusive thoughts. “You’re such a donkey ass.”

“That’s redundant. Ass would suffice.”

“I was ready. I would have won.”

“How? By gouging out his one good eye?”

“I’m not some na?ve, spoiled little princess. I would have done what I needed to do.”

“I believe you.” That has about as much conviction behind it as if he’d just stated that he has a secret fairy godmother whom he puts all his faith in.

“I think you could have knocked him out. Sure, he might have beaten you near senseless first, but I believe in underdog come from behind victories. That’s how all great fights go, right? ”

I take it back. Donkey ass is far too good a curse for him.

“How did you plan on collecting on a bet that size? Did you think that the bookies would just let you walk away with that sum? Surely, someone would have recognized you, and even if not, they would have followed you and killed you to take back their money. Were you going to hire a bodyguard and send him to your place? Split it with the thug you knocked out if he did you a solid? Or did your master plan not extend that far?”

Fuck .

I was so focused on the leadup that I didn’t have a plan for the back half.

“Get a real life and leave me alone,” I sulk petulantly.

“Does this new ID include a better name for yourself? Your real one sucks.” What really sucks is how he goads me into proving that I’m no more mature than a surly teenager.

“At least I wasn’t named after a vegetable.”

Do not remove your boot and throw it at him. Don’t fucking lean forward and break his jaw. Don’t strangle him with his own seatbelt. “It’s Irish,” I snap. “It means mighty warrior, which I can be, even if I’m a woman.”

“Yes, well, potato potat—”

“Stop it. I’m not going anywhere with you.” I know how stupid that sounds given that I’m sitting in the backseat and he’s the one driving.

I have a momentary flash of panic, thinking about the things that I left behind in that small apartment, but like the first time I had to leave in a hurry, I know he’s already taken care of it.

He said as much. It’s galling that there’s something about this man that inspires such complete and utter trust from me and has from the first minute I met him.

Then again, when someone storms into your life and tells you that your brother is going to be assassinated and you’re next unless you go with them, what choice do you have?

“If you’re so big and scary, you can go get my money back. Give me that fake ID and we’ll call it a day. You can go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

“Tempting, but not going to happen.”

“I release you from your promise.”

“I didn’t make it to you.”

I work the tape off my hands and bend over, unlacing my boot.

There hasn’t been so much as a minute this past year that I haven’t been aware that my brother is gone . After our mom passed, he was the only family I had left in the world. I didn’t just adore him. I loved him like he was the sun.

I was the one that put conditions on that love.

When he came back, he wasn’t the brother I remembered. He tried to protect me from that, but in the end, it was me who cut off contact. I was the one who carved him out of my life like a tattoo I couldn’t stand to look at anymore, grafting out skin and bone and blood.

I ignore the burning at the backs of my eyes and the throbbing knot in my throat. “Do me a favor and make me a promise so you can unmake it.”

“It doesn’t work that way. A life for a life. You’d have to kill me.”

I snort as I finish unlacing my boot. “Don’t make it sound so tempting.”

“You are coming with me. Immediately . You’re going to assume this new identity and play a part. With any luck, it won’t be forever. Those Russian pricks have got themselves involved in a turf war with another gang. They might all wind up dead.”

“Memories are long.” And family always has family who have family. Blood feuds are just as strong as blood debt.

“Not so long when you have other things to occupy you, but until every last one of them who knew your brother’s name is dead, I won’t rest.”

“You could keep yourself busy avenging him.”

Dravin pretends that it doesn’t bother him, but he’s too rigid. When I lean forward, I can see just how tight his hands are on the wheel. “You brother died like he lived. With dignity. He didn’t ask me to avenge him. He asked me to protect you , and that’s what I’ll do.”

“By ruining my life?”

“If I have to, yes.” He lets that percolate for a few minutes, before adding in a chipper tone that makes me want to punch him right in the throat, “I found us a lovely little city to call home.”

“If you think for a second that I’ll play the part of your sweet, dutiful wife, you can get f—”

“Sister. You’ll be my sister. They’ve already agreed that we’re a package deal. You come with me, or I don’t work for them.”

If he’d palmed a knife and thrown it directly into my chest, this couldn’t hurt any more. Whatever pride I have left is too strong to let my hurt show, so I focus on something else instead. “Who the fuck is they ?”

The worst part of this is that I’d planned on making my way out of this after only having myself to rely on and now I’m just as helpless as I was from the very first minute I met Dravin.

“ They are a group of people who need help in their IT department.”

“You’re going to be working some white-collar job? You ?” It’s not kind to laugh, but I’m not in a very kind mood. Besides, the image of this beast fixing computers for stodgy suits in some stuffy office building all day is hilarious.

“I already did a job for them as a test run.”

What the fuck? What kind of people are these? Definitely not white collar. Dravin explained a few things to me when we met. I have no idea if it was because he intended for me to trust him or if it was to scare me into submission.

“So you hitmanned some poor unfortunate person.”

“There’s no such term and I did not. They’re decent men and you’re just going to have to trust me on that. You can get your shit together and play a part and we can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way.”

“Outline the latter, please. You’re going to what? Tie me up? Force me? Beat me? Drug me? Torture me? How would that be looking after me?”

As soon as we reach a red light, he whips around and shoots me a look that nearly stops my heart from beating.

And also simultaneously ratchets my pulse straight through the roof of this SUV in sweaty, sticky, uncomfortable ways that I can’t even deal with right now. My hormones are apparently going for an uncontrolled walk. I need to reign it back in. Immediately.

“God, you’re creepy,” I mutter, hating that he made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end because I’m fucked up and find the weirdest things attractive.

It’s not my fault that my dark little heart is pleased by what it’s pleased by.

My brain also spirals back to our first meeting.

Not only do I remember every word he delivered, one blow after another until I blacked out to escape, but I remember exactly what it felt like when I came to.

His arms were wrapped around me. He held me so carefully.

I stared into his soft brown eyes and saw his own pain.

“You’re not just creepy. You’re a real predator,” I press maliciously.

“Stop talking,” he barks. “I’m fixing this mess you’ve made. End of story.”

“Don’t pass yourself off as a nice guy.” I know that Dravin would die first before he harmed me in any way.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he mutters.

“Dream of me smothering you with a pillow one night, brother dearest .”

“Go right ahead and try, sister mine . It will be rather hard given that we won’t be living together. I’ve taken the liberty of getting you your own house, but if you’d rather share accommodation, I could have it arranged.”

My body is immediately bathed in a wave of heat and immediately after, a scalding wash of self-loathing. “No thanks. I don’t like the smell of old socks and sweaty boxers.”

“Believe it or not, that’s one of the kindest things anyone has ever said to me.”

I leave it alone for a few minutes, but then I just can’t help myself. “So these people you’re going to be working for? What kind are they exactly?” If he won’t tell me where we’re going, I need something .

“They approved of the way I handled their job and would like me to prospect. I agreed.”

That wipes the smirk off my face faster than if he’d slammed on the brakes and I shot face first into the seat in front of me. Without thinking, I launch my boot straight into the windshield. It’s soft and bounces off fairly harmlessly.

Dravin doesn’t even react.

“Prospect? You are not joining some motorcycle club!” I scream.

“My brother died because he got involved in that shit. One day, he was prospecting, the next he was leading the whole sordid operation. He took responsibility for what happened because that’s the kind of man he was, but that club was the reason he died. ”

I did what I couldn’t do for Marcus when he was alive.

I forgave him. I found the good in him. I claimed my brother back.

I’ll never grant myself any kind of reprieve for being so closed-minded and shallow.

For being the worst kind of human being, for judging, for closing my heart off to him until it was too late.

His dying wish was for me .

I was the only family he had left. The one who should have loved him above all else, but rejected him.

“There’s no way in fuck I’m going with you.”

He turns around, mouth set in a grim line, face just as stony as his will. “I’m afraid you are. Don’t test me on this. If you try and bail out of this car or try to assault me in any way, I will pull over and tie you up. If that’s insufficient, I’m not above sedating you.”

Powerlessness cloaks me, helplessness weighing me down into the leather seat.

He’s right.

I can do nothing. Not one fucking thing.

But the longer the silence stretches and the more miles we cover, the harder my own resolve grows. I might be powerless at this moment, he might take me to whatever stupid place he’s arranged, and he can join some godforsaken club, but I don’t have to stay.

I won’t stay.

As soon as I figure out a way to disappear without a trace that even he can track, I’m going to do exactly that.