Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
A wry smile twisted Dev’s lips as he caught sight of the bottle in Kai’s other hand, but he said nothing as he led Kai back up the stairs to the master bedroom. Dev placed his glass on the nightstand and climbed onto the bed, while Kai placed the bottle on the opposite nightstand. After getting the pillows piled up against the headboard, he stretched out his arms toward Kai.
He didn’t hesitate to slide into bed and pull Dev into his arms. A small sigh of relief left his lips when Dev rested his head on his chest.
“Why don’t you start with why you’re so worried about talking to me? I don’t have any illusions about what you’ve been doing with your life. You’re an assassin, Kai. You’ve never hidden that from me,” Dev said in a very practical tone of voice.
“No, but you’re a nice, good man, who has a very nice life and a wonderful son to protect. I’m waiting for you to realize that I am not worth the trouble I have brought into your life.”
Dev tipped his head up, a frown drawing lines across his forehead. “I’ve never dated a man who didn’t bring trouble into my life. Even Adam came with baggage.”
“Did Adam’s baggage come with guns, poison, and a body count?”
“No, just an alcoholic, abusive ex, and a crapload of debt.” Dev sighed. Kai could only blink at him. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting to hear. Dev’s expression softened. “Everyone has problems and a past. I just expect yours to be a little more interesting than most.”
There was no doubt that his life had been interesting.
Kai settled Dev’s head back on his chest and he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to sort through a lifetime of messiness and bad decisions to find a starting place.
“My father was the patriarch of a Japanese crime syndicate based in San Francisco,” he announced, but he stopped when he heard a choking noise from Dev. He opened his eyes and looked down to see Dev kind of staring at him in shock.
“Seriously?”
“Unfortunately.”
Dev blinked and shook his head once before laying it on Kai’s chest again. “Gotcha. Daddy’s a Japanese crime boss. Continue.”
“But I was given up for adoption when I was eight. I had been a small, sickly child when I was very young. My father didn’t want that kind of weakness in the family, so I was given up. I was placed with a very normal, white, middle-class American family in Chicago.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a catch?” Dev murmured against his chest and Kai grinned. Of course he’d fall for a brilliant man.
“My adopted father was a former Navy SEAL and a highly-skilled assassin. He worked for my father at times. He and his wife couldn’t have children, so they were happy to take me in as their own.”
“Holy shit. Was that all arranged…”
“So my new father would one day train me in the craft of killing, allowing me to one day be of use to my birth family? Yes, it was. My birth father was a smart man. He knew if he gave me up, any weakness and lack of skill wouldn’t reflect on my family or the empire he was building. But if my adopted father could train me to be an efficient and lethal weapon, I could be brought back in.”
“Bastard,” Dev snarled, and Kai could only smile, something in his heart warming at Dev’s anger over his past. “Was your adopted family at least good to you?”
“Oh, yes. Living with them in Chicago was immensely better than if I’d remained in California. Scott and Pam were amazing, loving parents. They always made me feel as if I were their son. I had a wonderful life.”
“But you were forced to be an assassin.”
The warm feeling that had been building cooled and Kai’s stomach knotted tightly. “No, I wasn’t.” His arms tightened around Dev’s shoulders and he closed his eyes again. “Scott believed that if I was to be good at this line of work, I needed to want to be an assassin. I couldn’t do it because I was forced. I’d get killed on my first contract. I chose to do this. If you believe nothing else about me, you must believe that. This life is what I wanted.”
“How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
Dev’s head popped up, a look of horror on his face. Jake wasn’t that far off from twelve. There was no way in hell that little boy would ever enter this line of work. Kai touched Dev’s cheek, lightly caressing it. “You have to remember that I didn’t leave my home in San Francisco until I was eight. By that time, I’d seen plenty of blood, death, and violence. My father trafficked in prostitutes, drugs, and extortion. Violence was more normal to me than Saturday morning cartoons.”