Page 23 of The Kingpin’s Omega Lover (River City Omegas #2)

TEN

After the firing range, Malori had taken a long nap, and then gone up to the rooftop terrace to read.

He loved the solitude there, high in the sky, surrounded by carefully tended plants and flowers.

Kensley had texted him about an hour ago, saying that dinner was a fridge cleanout of leftovers, because he was expecting a grocery delivery tomorrow.

Malori replied he wasn’t hungry yet, but he’d be down later.

He stayed on the roof to watch the sunset, which was his favorite part of the day.

It rained often here, but on these rare clear nights, the lowering sun painted the sky in gorgeous streaks of blues and purples, shaded with fuchsia.

He said goodnight to another day and hoped in his soul that he was one day closer to reuniting with his children.

His daughter was three; his son was a year.

Would they know him when they saw him again?

When. Not if. More than ever before, Malori believed in the when.

Melancholy followed him downstairs to the first-level kitchen.

No one was around, so Malori rummaged in the fridge and came up with what amounted to a charcuterie board of miscellaneous tidbits.

His took his plate into the living room and settled in front of the TV.

There were so many movies to catch up on, after having his viewing limited to programs that were either over-the-top reality crap, or films at least thirty years old. He could always find something.

And lately, he’d been seeking out a genre that Kensley told him was colloquially referred to as “horror revenge porn.” Films about someone, usually a woman, being attacked and degraded, and then her mission to make her attacker (or attackers) pay in horrible, painful ways.

He’d found one movie that was an omega male’s revenge, and it was his favorite so far, because omega male characters were rarely leads in any media.

Malori appreciated the revenge porn stories.

They gave him so many unique ideas for how to make Aleks Yovenko suffer when they met again.

Aleks had a lot of suffering to answer for.

Halfway through the film, Malori paused it to put his plate in the dishwasher and refill his drink. When he returned to the living room, Kensley was sprawled on the love seat, wearing a pensive expression. Malori froze so fast the ice in his cup nearly sloshed over the side. “What?”

“What do you mean, what?” Kensley replied. “There have been a lot of truth bombs lobbed around today, and we haven’t had a chance to talk about any of them.”

As much as Malori wanted to deflect, he knew Kensley too well. He wasn’t letting this go, so Malori sat on the far end of the couch. “Then let’s talk. Which truth bomb is most urgently on your mind?”

“I mean…” Kensley flapped both hands in the air. “You and King?”

“What about us?”

“Well, I guess it’s both a complete surprise and not at all? Does that make sense?”

Malori chuckled. “It makes perfect sense. King and I make sense. I think we make sense.”

“Because he’s determined to find your kids?”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t initially attracted to his drive to find my children and to give me a chance at justice. But there is so much more that’s…physical. Emotional. King sees me. He sees past the damage, and the trauma, and the pain, and he sees me.. .”

Kensley’s eyes glistened. “I think I understand that. Not on the level that you’ve suffered, but how your partner sees you better than anyone ever has.”

“I’ve never had this before. I’ve imagined it, but I don’t have to look for it in King. It’s just there. Offered freely.”

“And you have the choice to accept or reject it.”

Malori nodded, grateful that Kensley understood so much without Malori having to explain. “Exactly. King gives me choices. He tells me to take what I want, encourages me to not be afraid. It’s empowering.”

“Good. You deserve the future you want.”

“I’m genuinely starting to believe that.

After the Farm…” He swallowed hard against the acid rising from his stomach.

“After everything that was done to me there, I never thought I could let another person touch me. Intimately. I told myself I’d never be vulnerable, never want to have sex again. But I was wrong.”

It seemed odd to be talking to Kensley about the sex he was having with Kensley’s older brother, but Kensley’s smile never wavered. “So, you guys have…?”

“Yes.” Malori was not going into the details of who fucked who, and thankfully, Kensley was in Discreet Mode and didn’t pester. “I don’t know if he’s my forever person, but I do have intense feelings for him.”

“It’s something to build on. And hopefully, when we’re finally untangled from King’s life here, and we’re all free to rebuild someplace new, you guys will work out. I’d love you to officially be my brother-in-law one day.”

Malori smiled. “Same.”

“I guess you don’t know any more about last night’s car wreck than I do, huh?”

“I doubt it. Whatever happens next, I hope it happens soon. I’m tired of waiting.”

“I get that.” Kensley slid his hands over his belly. “Personally, I’d rather things stay uneventful until my little person arrives, but I do understand your point of view. Your kids are out there waiting for you, too, even if they don’t know it.”

“I hope so.” Malori shook his head and met Kensley’s eyes. “No. I know so.”

The next few days passed uneventfully, and Malori was both okay with that, and struggling to manage his growing agitation.

He practically moved into King’s quarters, and all the bodyguards were aware of the new arrangement.

Malori loved sharing King’s soft, spacious bed; he loved having sex with King whenever they were both in the mood.

They continued to spar in their spare time, and Malori also watched different self-defense courses on his tablet.

King was busy with work. He didn’t talk openly about anything, only that his current deal was related to Tuesday night’s meeting. The police had no new leads on the car accident, and even Ziggy wasn’t finding any useful traffic camera footage.

Malori spoke to his therapist on Monday morning via tele-call. He liked Dr. Welby, even though the doc didn’t seem to approve of Malori’s relationship with King. But that didn’t bother Malori. He knew what King’s lifestyle was, and he was not going into anything blindly.

That afternoon, while Bishop and King were busy working, he and Kensley were watching season two of a series they both loved.

Bishop had gifted them with the boxed DVD set, which had just released in stores.

As much as the pair wanted to savor all twenty-two episodes, there was also an over-arching mystery they couldn’t wait to see solved.

The elevator chimed, but neither of them paid much attention. Garvey was in the lobby, and no one ever came up without permission. The current scene faded into a black screen for what would have been the broadcast commercial break. Kensley paused it and said, “Sorry, bladder relief.”

“No problem.” Malori was used to the constant interruptions, and he couldn’t fault his friend for what had to be just as irritating to Kensley. He remembered how it felt to have a growing human pressing against his internal organs.

While Kensley was gone, Garvey entered the living room with a white delivery box in his hand. It was cut open, and Garvey didn’t appear alarmed, only curious. “Package came addressed to you, Mr. Cann.”

“Me?” Malori hadn’t received anything directly in the mail since a magazine subscription he’d had as a teen. “What is it?”

“Looks like a DVD, sir. I opened it, because that’s protocol, but that’s all that’s in the box.”

Malori stood and approached. Accepted the slender box.

His name and the building’s address was printed in careful black lettering, along with ATTN: Kingston Penthouse.

No return address, postmarked in the city yesterday.

Overnight Mail stamped on the other side of the box. “I didn’t order anything.”

“If you aren’t expecting mail, then I should alert Mr. Kingston.”

“Okay.” Malori didn’t know what package procedures were around here, and it made sense. Especially when only a handful of people knew Malori was alive and living here. He ran his fingernail over the rough cardboard where Garvey had slit the box open. “Um, is anything written on the DVD?”

“No, sir, it looks like the kind you burn yourself on the computer.”

His stomach rolled unhappily. “Then please, call King. I don’t think I want to look at it without him.”

“Yes, sir.” Garvey stepped into the lobby to make the call.

When Kensley waddled back into the living room, Malori was still staring at the box, unable to even look at the DVD, much less view it. “What’s that?” Kensley asked.

“I don’t know, but it came addressed to me.”

Kensley’s eyebrows furrowed. “From who?”

“Doesn’t say. I didn’t order anything.”

“We should call?—”

“Garvey is calling King.”

Kensley wrapped one arm around Malori’s waist. “Do you think Aleks sent it?”

“Who else would?” His lunch churned sharply and threatened to revisit him. “No one could film inside the Farm, as far as I know, but what if he did anyway?”

“I mean, if, um, customers couldn’t film, what if Decker and his crew did? Maybe Marta got hold of it and this is a threat from her organization?”

“But there’s no direct connection between me and Marta.

” Malori hadn’t been held prisoner and auctioned off by Marta like Kensley.

He’d fallen asleep at home and woken up at the Farm.

Malori shivered, and sharp spikes rippled across his neck and shoulders.

“I don’t know if I want to watch it. Whatever it is. ”

“You don’t have to. Come on, let’s sit. It could be a while before King gets here.”

“Yeah.”