Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
I kicked it back to him and waited, the pressure building in me as he stared at me. Long and hard. When he stepped back, I almost sagged with how that pressure lifted off me.
“Kai Bennett is not known to be a liar. If he came to you, I’d believe what he said. Were his brothers there?”
“Just him and guards.”
“That’s good. Tanner’s a whole different trip. And the other…” He trailed off, staring into the distance.
I frowned. “The other one?”
“Nothing.” He pulled out a piece of paper. “Here. He’s the one who notified us about what was happening here tonight. We run the fighting rings in the area. Moreaux thought he could open his own ring based on the fact that we already have a relationship with him. He thought wrong. Any operation in this area goes through us. We either have a hand in it or we okay it. We didn’t okay this.”
“What business are you in with him?” Could I ask that? But he was giving me the information…
He gave me another long scrutiny. “We use some of his businesses to wash money for us. And you might be wondering why I told you that just now. All casual and easygoing like.” His eyes had fallen to the piece of paper in my hand. “That’s a message from Kai Bennett. He told me to write it down for you, word for word. For whatever fucking reason, Kai Bennett’s taken an interest in you. He’s got eyes here. We knew about this place, but we hadn’t made a move. Timing wasn’t right. He told us if we wanted to deal with our local problem, tonight was the right time. We didn’t know what we were going to come up on when we rolled in, except that you’d have a hand in it and Moreaux would be here. At the end of our conversation, he said to give you that message. I don’t have any idea what it means, and unless it has something to do with me and mine, I don’t want to know.” He lowered his head, eyes still pinned on mine. “With Bennett’s interest in you, you’re being read into this world. You need to have a better comprehension how me and mine operate. There’s an agreement in place with some of your friends—Monroe, his people. We steer clear of Roussou and they do the same with Frisco. I’m thinking you’re a new authority in your town so I’ll offer you the same. You steer clear of our business, and we’ll do the same for yours. No more fight nights at our place. We’re not going to be friends.”
“I’ll tell Logan to stop making friendship bracelets.”
“I’ll be heartbroken.”
I jerked my chin in the direction of Moreaux. “And him? He was beating the shit out of his son and his friends tonight. I have a feeling my wife is going to want to take his kid under her wing—”
“Done,” he said.
I stopped, surprised.
“As long as you care for the kid, we’ll keep Moreaux Senior away from you and your kind—all the way away. Consider his shares sold. If he lives in your neighborhood, he’ll be moving. If he’s on a board where you go to church, have kids in the school, whatever it is, he’s gone. As long as you care for the kid.”
Some more pressure eased in my chest. I wasn’t about to be a witness to Moreaux’s murder.
“Is the kid… Do you know his kid? I need to know if you do. I gotta know of any potential minefields in the future.”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing personal with the kid. I don’t have a connection with him. I just really hate dads who think they can beat on their kids. The only minefield ahead is that kid’s trauma.” He clipped his head toward the road. “Get gone, Kade. It’s time us bad guys be bad guys.”
I hadn’t read the paper until I was at a stoplight in town.
As soon as I did, I wished I hadn’t. Now parked outside of my own house, I didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t want to do what I was about to do.
I was about to shatter Sam’s world.
45
SAMANTHA
Mason came in and time stopped.
I didn’t know what was wrong, but I knew something was wrong. I never questioned it. Every fiber in my body began panicking and I took one stuttering step toward him before I stopped just as abruptly. I was in the hallway, my arms full of bedding. I was taking it to some of the other rooms to get the beds changed for the guys.
Mason held my gaze just inside the door, and I… Pain sliced through me. I didn’t know where it came from. I didn’t know why it was there, but it was there. One look from the boy I’d fallen in love with, the man I married, had children with, and was my other half. He was devastated.