Page 53 of Trial of Deceit (The Family’s Oath #1)

He was only twelve at the time, but it didn’t feel that long ago.

His mother was freshly buried, and Kayon was making use of his limited muscle ability to ensure leadership smoothly transferred to Jediah.

It was four years too early for Jediah to swear an oath and begin training, but Cedella had given Kayon three months tops before his body gave up completely.

Kayon was determined to make use of the time.

While Reine slept in Bryony’s wing, still battling the confusion of her mother’s death, Kayon gathered Jediah, Elias, and three of his most trusted guards.

They drove to Kingston to pay Navene Thorne a surprise visit.

Jediah stood quietly at the door to the bedroom, watching as one guard bound Navene’s flailing body to the bed while she hurled curses at Kayon, who watched her with a bored expression.

The other men tore the house apart, searching for Treasure, but she was nowhere to be found.

Two of them left the house and went outside.

“This is the fun part, Jediah,” Kayon said finally.

“How?” Jediah asked.

“You get to become a man.”

The young boy’s brows furrowed. “That happened already.” It was a strange experience at the club with Essence, but she’d assured him that it just wasn’t as fun because it was his first time.

Hunching over a bit, Kayon’s grip tightened around his cane. “Yes, but a time fi yu become a man in other ways.”

Jediah looked at Kayon. He never could quite get used to hearing Kayon speak Patois. Kayon only ever did it when Malia wasn’t around and assured Jediah that he could freely speak it when around him, but Jediah wasn’t willing to risk it. His mother’s death made his father become unpredictable.

“What ways?” Jediah asked.

“Watch carefully,” Kayon stated.

Nodding, Jediah’s eyes drifted from his father, who staggered while approaching Navene.

“Kayon, please—” Navene pleaded.

Jediah’s brows furrowed as Errol and the other guard hauled a large brown bag into the room. A grating sound came from where the lumpy bag dragged across the wooden floors.

A loud scream made Jediah focus on Navene. His eyes widened at the scene before him.

Kayon’s cane was abandoned on the floor. He was above Navene, her legs on either side of his body, as he thrusted into her over and over again.

The hard, unsteady pounds made Navene cry and beg for him to stop. All her efforts to escape were futile.

Elias and the other guard had their hands pressed against Navene’s shoulders, trapping her onto the bed.

The headboard slammed against the wall. Its sound reverberated around the room.

“Mi won’ go b-back to her,” Navene cried, her voice raspy.

“Too late. Mi tell yu already: stay weh from mi wife; stay far from Malia, but yu don’ listen,” Kayon hissed. He stopped his strokes, panting at Navene’s flushed face.

Kayon’s body weight atop Navene must’ve been crushing. Despite his father’s weakening state, Jediah knew Kayon didn’t lay atop Navene because of his condition. He did it just because he wanted to.

“If a neva fi you, she wouldn’ come confront mi a the club. She woulda alive,” Kayon continued, his voice breaking on his last few words. The tremor refueled his rage. He managed to prop his body up a bit, angling himself to pommel into Navene with more ferocity.

Jediah couldn’t look away.

It wasn’t because of Navene’s screams.

Her cries.

The blood gathering on the sheet below her.

How his skin crawled when Kayon spat on the woman.

Or how empty her eyes were when Kayon pulled away from her with Elias’ help.

It was because Jediah knew his father. Kayon was never afraid to punish anyone. Their agreement was simple: obey the family’s oath, and Reine would never have to experience the ugly side of the Richardson family, or any other family.

Kayon straightened himself as much as he could. Elias handed Kayon the cane, and Kayon accepted it without a thanks. He made himself modest before facing his young son. Jediah did his best, but he couldn’t resist gulping. Kayon’s eyes narrowed on him.

“Where’s my fun?” Jediah asked, surprised he managed to keep the tremor out of his voice.

Kayon smirked. “That’s my boy,” he praised, moving away from the bed. He walked over and laid a hand on Jediah’s shoulders. “Go kill her.”

Watching the guards move Navene onto the floor, Jediah’s brow raised. “She isn’t dead?”

“No.”

Avoiding Navene’s open legs, Jediah watched her closely. Navene’s head lolled to the side. Dried tears stained the sides of her face. As her vacant eyes continued to stare into nothingness, Jediah noticed a fresh tear roll down her cheek. He followed the woman’s line of sight.

Jediah’s lips parted. His eyes widened slightly.

There — right in a large suitcase tucked into the back of the trashed closet — an eye peeked at him through the smallest opening of an undone zipper. Widened with fright. Shining with tears.

Mouth closing, Jediah returned his gaze to Navene. “After I kill her, we’ll leave?” he asked. “It’s getting late. Reine will be up soon, and I promised her that I’d have breakfast with her at the gazebo.”

“Yes. After this, we’ll leave. Go on.” He nudged Jediah forward.

Jediah’s heart slowed in his chest as he took the first step forward. Conversations carried on around him.

“Tell yu seh mi boy mek fi dis,” Kayon boasted.

Errol chuckled. “None a dem don’ mek fi dis. But we a go train dem well. Dimitri have one more year before him start train fi tek over from me.”

Jediah stopped by the pile of rocks that were so large, they could’ve passed for boulders. Keeping his focus on Navene, he stooped. His hands felt around the pile until he grabbed the largest rock he could find. It was too heavy for one hand to carry, so he gathered it into both hands.

He continued to Navene.

She must’ve felt him hovering above her, because her breath hitched momentarily, before she continued breathing slowly.

Up. Down.

Up. Down.

Her chest moved at a sluggish pace.

Navene wasn’t dead yet. But she’d either accepted her fate, or would die soon.

Jediah hoped it would be before he straddled her.

Before he raised the rock high into the air.

And brought it down over and over, again and again. Navene’s skull cracked beneath the blunt force, a sickening sound that made Jediah gag. Bile raised in his throat.

He swallowed it.

Raised the rock high again.

Smashed it into Navene’s crushed skull again.

Her face was mangled.

Unrecognizable.

Her blood speckled his face. Some got into his mouth.

He couldn’t force it down like he had done his own vomit.

Jediah tried turning his head to the side, but he wasn’t fast enough.

He spat on Navene’s body.

Just like his father had done earlier.