Page 38 of Redeemed (Redeemed #1)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Alexander

“ L et’s get you out of this room.”

I wipe Kennedy’s tearstained face before climbing to my feet and taking her with me.

It’s a fight to keep every emotion I’m feeling off my face because I don’t want to do anything that could cause her more distress.

There’s always been rumors about the man Ashton Rose is, but to see it up close is another story.

I want to take my time murdering that man for what he’s done to the amazing woman in my arms.

And I won’t get started on the message that just popped up on Kennedy’s phone from Nathan. It can’t be a coincidence that the message came through right after her father dropped that bomb on her.

My arms are around Kennedy as I gently guide her through the wreckage that is my office. Something broke within her and she took it out on the environment around her, but there was nothing that would have made me stop the path of destruction she went down. She needed to get that out.

The exhaustion is so clear on her face and yet, the universe continues to throw punches at her.

I know how she feels about her relationship with Nathan and him reaching out is just one more thing on her shoulders.

She looks down at her phone and I have no idea what’s going through her mind, or how she wants to handle this.

If I had it my way, she would take a breather, regroup, and leave his ass hanging.

But if I’ve learned anything about Kennedy since she’s been here, it’s that she’s going to push through this, keeping herself busy with the next task.

Cary and Patrick are at the kitchen table, talking quietly, when we walk through the room. Neither of them inquires about anything they witnessed or heard in the office moments ago. Eventually we will have to bring them up to speed, but I will let Kennedy decide when that time will be.

I move deeper into the kitchen, intending to make Kennedy a cup of tea.

“Are you going to give me your opinion on the message I just received?” Kennedy’s voice is soft, and her eyes are watery. I hate how that man’s selfishness has stripped the confidence away from her.

I look past her to Patrick and Cary who are both watching us with wary expressions.

“Are you asking me for an opinion as your partner or head of security?”

When we finally got out of bed today, I asked her if I could take over her security. It is one way to attempt to keep her safe and also manage my worry over her.

“Both.”

I tuck a long strand of hair behind her ear, examining her face, taking in how much this situation has affected her already. I don’t want her anywhere near Nathan, and while it may not help to tell her so, I will always be truthful.

“Good. I think you absolutely should not meet with Nathan and if you do, you definitely shouldn’t go alone.”

She bristles at my answer. “Thank you for your honesty. Do you have a reason why I shouldn’t?”

“Other than the fact he chooses to continue to work with the one person who now wants you dead? Or the fact that this request comes in right after Ashton Rose calls and drops a bomb on you? This is a set up, and you know it.”

This truth may sting, but she needs to hear it out loud. We need to think through every aspect of this situation.

She nods a bit as she goes silent. Then she says, “If Nathan is meeting with me, this could be the perfect time to run an ambush.” She’s already onto the next thing, refusing to let herself process.

“We could infiltrate with mics and cameras, or burn the place down for all I care. We just need to go on the offensive. With Ashton Rose upset with me, you know there’s already a hit on me. ”

“And use you as a decoy to draw their leader out? Absolutely not.”

“It’s actually not a bad idea,” Patrick chimes in from the sidelines. “Cary and I could get a team together today.”

“No one asked your opinion.” I point at Patrick in frustration. He doesn’t know the full story and how dangerous things have become.

Kennedy takes a deep breath, seeming to gather her thoughts. She moves in closer, wrapping her arms around my waist. I sigh and allow myself to relax as my arms go around her, returning the hug.

“Alex, I understand your concern, but this meeting could be important for our end goal.”

I press my forehead to hers. “You’re always going to run headfirst toward danger, aren’t you, Kitten?

“These claws have to stay sharp somehow.”

It’s later in the evening, after we have a makeshift office set up in the dining area, when we return to our planning, at Kennedy’s request. Patrick and Cary have been brought up to speed with the information that Ashton shared about her parentage, and I’m moving forward with setting up the meeting at Emerald Nights with Michael Ellis.

“Kennedy, is there a possibility that we could get confirmation of Ashton Rose’s location?” Patrick is working through her security plan for her meeting with Nathan. It doesn’t matter how airtight the plan is, I will be as close as possible in case she needs me.

“Unfortunately, no. Cary’s contact may be able to give us some insight, though.”

“I’m working on it.” Cary grabs his phone before walking to the glass wall to start making calls.

“If Ashton isn’t here, do you think he knows that Nathan reached out to you?” Patrick asks.

“I want to say no, but I can’t trust my instincts about the people I thought I knew. Let’s see what we can find out.”

She pulls out her phone and dials Nathan’s contact before activating the speaker feature and sliding it to the center of the table. I narrow my eyes at the phone, and Kennedy rubs her hand over my thigh.

“Hello, Kennedy.” There’s amusement to his voice. “And whoever else is listening. Are you calling to accept my invitation?”

“Are you going to accept mine?” The sassy vixen that was subdued earlier is back in full force. I know it’s an act by the weariness of her eyes, but I’m proud of the show of confidence.

He scoffs. “You mean the invitation to a life where you want me to give up everything over a piece of ass?”

She looks over at me, flashing a smile, and I return it with a smirk.

“Well, it is a fine piece of ass,” she says. Patrick snorts and I give him a deadpan look. “Listen, Nate, I’ll meet with you under one condition.”

“State your demands.”

“I need you to tell me if your boss knows about this meeting and if he plans to attend.”

“No, Kennedy, this is between you and me.”

Kennedy’s eyebrows shoot up as her eyes widen. I grab her hand, rubbing my thumb along the inside of her palm.

“But he knows that you reached out to me.”

A deep sigh filters through the speaker. “He is aware, but he isn’t in the state.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you. Text me the location and time.” Then she disconnects the call, not waiting for a response.

Patrick is the first one to speak. “Do you think it’s a setup?”

“No, I don’t. I think we need to plan this attack on the Rose Estate. We need as much information as we can get to win this fight.”

“The process of packing up the estate has started today. If we are going to move, now is the time,” Cary says as he types out a message on his phone. He moves back to the table, joining us.

“We have a team on standby, but I don’t know how much damage we can do without more men,” Patrick adds.

“Any damage that can be caused is worth it. I want to cut into the empire’s profit as soon as possible.” There’s a look of vengeance in her eyes. I would hate to be on the receiving end of the rage building within.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” I ask her one last time, ensuring that she’s confident in this decision. If she wanted, I would take her away in a heartbeat and hide out until she’s ready to face this. But if she wants to fight, I will go to war with her.

“Want and need are two totally different things. This is a step in the direction of my freedom.” Her phone dings with a new text from Nathan. “Well, boys, we have a week to plan an ambush.”

Kennedy

A few days have passed since finding out that Ashton Rose isn’t my father and I’ve neglected to fully process that information.

How do I recover from that? He infected my brain as a child, knowing that I was nothing to him but a pawn in a much larger game.

Until recently, there has always been a partnership between us.

There were moments when he was proud of the weapon he formed me into, and I reveled in those times.

My past needs to be examined through the lens of this new information, but that level of processing will need to wait—Ashton Rose needs to die.

So, I stuff those emotions deep down and keep pushing forward.

I need a win, and hopefully, tonight, I’ll get it.

I knew things would intensify once Ashton Rose found out I was separating myself from the empire, and we’ve been working nonstop to put a plan together to keep me alive. Walking away is killing a major deal for him, and I know he will want to make me pay.

That’s how I find myself in Alex’s office at Emerald Nights, with Tori liberally applying makeup to my face. Today is the scheduled meeting with Michael Ellis. This meeting will help determine if I have back-up to take on Ashton Rose, or if I need to go into hiding.

I need this deal to work. I need to watch Ashton’s world crumble at my feet before I end him myself.

The office is silent, aside from Alex’s keyboard clicking away across the room and Tori’s soft humming.

I didn’t doubt Alex’s capabilities, but when he told me that Michael agreed to a meeting so soon, I was shocked.

Most of that shock came from the fact that Michael Ellis agreed to meet in the first place.

He knows who I am and the torment I’ve caused on Ashton Rose’s behalf, but he still agreed to a meeting.

“Okay, my work here is done!” Tori walks behind me and we both look into the travel makeup mirror. A smile brightens her face. “Not like I had much work today since the canvas is already stunning.”

Tori and Alex have been working overtime to keep me in good spirits, smothering me with good vibes so I don’t completely spiral, especially since I won’t open up to anyone.

I keep telling them I’ve hit expert levels of surpassing my emotions because the truth is, if I break the seal on the feelings I’m holding inside, nothing good will come of that.

I roll my eyes as a slight smile tilts my lips. “Go ahead, what does my aura say?”

She lets out a giggle before wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “You seem calmer than I’ve seen you the past few days. Like you’re in your element.”

“Unfortunately, I am in my element.” The business meeting and deal making is something I can handle. “Does Patrick have your car here to take you off-site?”

“Yep. Patrick is driving me back to the property since Cary is staying here with you. Don’t worry, I’ll be safe and out of harm’s way.”

“Hmm, you and Patrick alone tonight.”

I keep my voice low so that Alexander doesn’t overhear our conversation. Tori’s cheeks flush with color as she begins packing up her items.

“Nothing has happened since Cary has been staying with us in the guest house. I think I’m going to give him a chance to talk tonight. I’ve thought a lot about what you said during our girl’s night.”

“You’ll have to let me know how that conversation goes. I can speak with Alex about Cary staying in the main house until we are through these issues.”

“No, it’s totally fine that Cary is there,” she says in a rush. “And of course I will give you all the details of the conversation.” She laughs as she heads towards the door to leave.

I slip on my heels before walking over to Alex’s desk.

His eyes drift away from the computer screen, and he scans my body from my head to as far as he can see before his position behind the desk hinders his view.

There’s a fire in his eyes that I haven’t seen in a while, and I bask in that lust-filled attention.

My fingers trail over the surface of his desk as I move around to his chair.

Alex pushes away from the desk when my full outfit comes into view as he admires the fit of my little black dress.

My hair is curled and pinned to one side.

I already felt pretty in my choice of outfit, but his gaze makes me feel beautiful.

“Was it necessary for Tori to put you in that little scrap of a dress? How am I supposed to let you walk out of here without me?”

Alex grabs the back of my legs and runs his hands up my thighs, stopping when he reaches the hem of my dress.

“If you’re a good boy, I’ll let you peel it off of me when business is done.” I lean forward, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Then you can do all the dirty things you wish you could do right now.”

Alex’s hands continue up the back of my thighs. The intake of breath when he realizes I’m wearing a little scrap of underwear brings a smile to my face.

“You’re making it so damn hard to be good.”

He grabs a handful of my ass and I lean back, looking down at the adoration in his eyes for me.

“Mr. Carter, I have work to do.”

“I have some work to do too.”

His hands move from my ass to my waist, before picking me up, and depositing me on his desk.

I don’t control the giggle that falls from my lips. “What are you doing, Alex?”

“You just relax, Kitten.”

He sits back down, before picking up each of my feet and settling them on the armrest of his chair. The foolish man slides closer to the desk, causing my legs to open further and my dress to bunch up towards my hips. Alex licks his lips, and my stomach flutters with anticipation.

The shrill of Alex’s desk phone causes both of us to jump, reminding us of exactly what our minds should be on tonight.

“Fuck!” Alex answers the phone on speaker. “Yes?”

“Mr. Ellis has just checked in downstairs.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” Alex ends the call before looking up at me. “This man is already making a bad impression.”

I laugh at his sad face and drop my feet from his chair. Alex slides back, giving me room to stand up. He gets to his feet and pulls my dress back down over my legs.

“Babe, I don’t need you to like him in order for him to help me.”

“I understand that. I just needed you on top of my desk a little longer.” He gives me one of his smiles before leaning forward to kiss me, ruining the lipstick Tori just applied.