Present
“Kai!” Rika growled into her phone. “Pick up!” And then she ended the call, sounding exasperated. “Dammit.”
That was the third time she’d called him since we left Thunder Bay. Will drove, and Rika sat in the passenger seat next to him, while I gripped the blades hidden in my pockets as I sat in the backseat.
Leverage. He’d said I was leverage. Was she really dead? He couldn’t know for sure, but I guess that’s what he was trying to figure out. Nothing like having a potential murder hanging over your head.
Would Damon really throw him to the wolves?
“We need to talk to him,” Rika told Will as he lit a cigarette.
But I watched him shake his head. “We need to leave him alone. Kai knows what he’s doing.”
“He didn’t plan that turn of events, asshole! It’s all about her.” She jerked her head toward me. “And he’s in it now. I need to get a hold of Michael.”
She checked her phone again, and I turned my eyes out the window, seeing the city lights shine on the black water of the river as we crossed the bridge.
I wasn’t bound to that contract. Indentured servitude wasn’t a thing anymore. I could run, and I would. I’d been useful, my father got what he wanted. I’d be welcomed back now.
And my brother certainly wouldn’t expect me to honor the agreement.
“You need to talk to him.”
I heard Rika’s words, but it wasn’t until I caught her watching me out of the corner of my eye that I realized she was speaking to me.
“Excuse me?”
“You need to talk to him,” she told me. “You backed him into this corner. Take some responsibility.”
I laughed under my breath, looking away again. Jesus. None of this was my fault, and I wasn’t taking the blame. Men and their idiocy, and I was sick of being collateral damage.
“You heard what he said,” I shot back. “I’m leverage. That’s all he wants with me.”
“Do you really believe that?” She eyed me. “He could’ve just taken you if that’s what he wanted. He signed that contract, because he was angry. With you,” she pointed out. “He’ll listen to you. I’ve known him a long time, and once he calms down—”
“I knew him long before you came along,” I snarled. “I don’t need you to educate me on who he is.”
She pressed her lips together, shutting up.
“And I’ve known him a hell of a lot longer than both of you,” Will shot off. “Kai’s acting out of character, but he works shit out better when he’s left quiet, okay? If he talks to anyone, it’ll be Michael.” And then he nodded to Rika. “Try him again.”
She sighed and picked up her phone, dialing her fiancé once more.
“And you,” Will called out.
I looked up, seeing him eye me in the rearview mirror.
“Shit’s gonna hit the fan regardless of that contract. You know that, right?”
Yes. Yes, I knew that. Even if Kai put away his anger and Natalya was alive and well, Damon was still coming.
And there was a very good chance he wouldn’t win.
Will blew out a stream of smoke, flicking the ash out the window as we turned onto Darcy Street. “If you ask Kai not to hurt Damon,” he told me, “then he won’t. All you have to do is ask.”
I clutched the door handle, ready to bolt as soon as the doors unlocked.
But I slowly relaxed my fingers, thinking about his words.
Maybe Will had a point. Kai could be intimidating and scary and just as mean as I could be at times, but he wasn’t cruel. He could be reasonable.
I dropped my hand from the door as the car slowed at the top of the incline.
“Here we are,” Will said, putting the car in Park.
I looked out the window again, seeing Kai’s black brick house with ripped shades hanging over the windows and the flickering porch light, looking like something out of one those movies “You go in but you don’t come out” types. What did he use this place for? He didn’t live here.
Where did he sleep? Where did he cook his meals and shower and screw women other than me?
“He’s waiting inside.”
I met Will’s eyes in the mirror again. “How do you know?”
“He just texted,” he informed me, holding up his phone. “Here’s your chance.”
We’d left him less than an hour ago. He wasn’t going to be calm yet.
“Just talk to him,” Rika said, turning to me. “Please.”
The last thing I wanted to do was anything for her. Tension crawled my skin, and I pushed open the door, suddenly wanting to be out of there more than away from here.
Fine. I’ll ask him. Not because they want me to, but because it might work. Damon could come home, I could keep him away from them, and they could all go on with their lives here in the city, while my brother and I continued with ours.
I slammed the door and immediately began walking up the steps to the house.
But my gaze flickered farther up the hill to the house perched on top, seeing a single light on the second floor. And I slowed.
It looked like a lightning bug hovering over a black lake at night. There was nothing up here. No other houses, businesses, and the light from the city couldn’t even pierce the thin forest surrounding the area. We were high and isolated, just that house and Kai’s. Did he know who lived there?
Chills spread down my arms. It was beautiful, kind of turn-of-the-century gothic with pointed gables and a black gate.
“Are you okay?” Will called, and I looked to see him leaning out the window.
I turned back around, shooting him a middle finger over my shoulder as I headed for the house again.
Once I was on the porch, I twisted the door knob, finding it unlocked.
There were no lights on inside, except for the moonlight streaming through unshaded windows. I entered the foyer and heard Will pull away right before I closed the door.
A loud click sounded, and every hair on my body stood on end as I shot my gaze left and right. Where the hell was he?
The house looked the same as it had last time. Still barely any furniture and anything that was here was covered in sheets. No lamps, and when I reached out and flipped the switch on the wall, the old light fixture hanging above did nothing.
Dust clotted the floors, but when I stepped farther in, I noticed some particles floating in the air. Like someone had been here and disturbed it.
I looked around, hyperaware. “Kai?”
The wind outside kicked up, and I heard screeching from above. Like a branch scraping against a window pane.
“Kai!” I called again, louder this time. “Where are you?”
My hip vibrated, and I realized it was my phone. Digging it out, I swiped the screen and looked at the message.
Close.
I whipped around, back and forth, shooting my eyes everywhere, trying to see where he was. I walked into the living room and then the dining room, scanning corners and behind doors.
“What the hell?” I growled.
I couldn’t see anything. No shadow, no form, and I couldn’t hear anything, either. The house was completely silent.
“I’m not playing your games!” I yelled up the stairs.
My phone buzzed again.
You already are.
I shook my head. What did he think he was doing? A little sick fun?
Of course, I remember Kai’s version of fun. Devil’s Night six years ago. The hotel, the chase, the ballroom, the drapes…the fear.
I didn’t mind how it excited me that night, but I wasn’t in the mood now.
“I’m leaving,” I shouted to the empty air.
And turning around, I twisted the door knob again.
But it wouldn’t turn. What? I jiggled the handle, pulling at it, the door pounding against the frame as I yanked.
A green light blinked to my left, and I looked at the wall, spotting a keypad. My stomach sank. He had an alarm system and automated locks.
I yanked on the door again, it still not opening.
I spun around. “I want out!” I told him. “Or I’m kicking out a window!”
Another text popped up.
You said I wasn’t scary. Are you scared yet?
I looked up to the second floor. “I’m annoyed.”
Liar.
Asshole.
I heard a creak from above me, and I shot my eyes up again. The wind was howling through the trees outside, and I was very alone right now.
With him somewhere in this house.
If you ask him not to hurt Damon, he won’t.
I wet my dry lips and forced out my words. “I need to talk to you.”
Find me.
“Where are you?” I called, staying rooted right where I was.
I waited several seconds, but no response came. No voice. No text. Was Kai even here? I mean, I didn’t know for sure that it was him texting, right? Someone could have stuffed his body in a furnace, taken his phone, and was now doing the creepy Saw thing where they ask you if you want to play a game, but really, you have no choice, so you play before you’re chopped up by a meat slicer in a slaughterhouse.
And there goes my imagination.
I squeezed my phone in my hand. “Where are you?” I yelled again.
Upstairs, came the text finally.
Jerk.
Fine. Fuck you, then. I stepped up the stairs. “If I have to find you, you’re going to bleed,” I said.
But then a text rolled in.
Getting warmer now.
I looked left to right, keeping alert as I slowly climbed the stairs. “Why are you doing this?”
But only a one word response came as I took another step. Warmer.
A cool sweat broke out across my forehead. The floorboards under my shoes creaked, as I reached the top of the stairs, looking right and seeing the bedroom door wide open. I could see the bottom of the bed and sheer white curtains blowing in the wind coming through the open window. I don’t think that was open the last time I was here. I couldn’t remember.
Instead, I turned right, heading for the other bedroom.
Cold.
I stopped, breathing hard. So, he was in the master bedroom. I couldn’t swallow.
Get a grip. He’s fucking with you.
Turning around, I headed back for the master.
My phone vibrated, and I looked down.
Can I tell you something else?
“What?” I growled low.
And the next text rolled in.
You’ll never leave this house.
My mouth fell open, I stopped breathing, and I couldn’t piece together one fucking coherent thought. Kai…
I spun around to bolt, but there he was. He stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in jeans, a black hoodie, and his silver skull mask.
I halted, rearing back as I gasped. “Wha…”
Everything was black. He was merely a shape. The dark clothes, the shroud of night, the black of his eyes…only the whites were visible, letting me know there was a man in there.
“Kai…” I held out my hands. Fuck, why couldn’t I think?!
A silvery tingle hit me low, and I clenched my thighs, suddenly feeling like I had to go to the bathroom.
He slowly stalked toward me, putting one foot in front of another, and I scrambled with shaking hands, snatching my blade out of my pocket.
“Back the fuck off!” I choked out, holding the blade in front of me.
But he just kept walking, each stop in perfect time, until I was against the wall, right outside the master bedroom.
He didn’t stop, and I darted out, growling. “I’m not scared of you.”
He cocked his head, his mask seeming to say “Oh, yes, you are.”
The space between us got smaller and smaller, and I lashed, trying to scare him. He grabbed my hand, though, and I cried out as he tore the blade from my fingers, flinging it off over the railing. I heard it clatter to the ground, somewhere downstairs.
Pinning my wrists to the wall at my sides, he pressed his body into mine and held me to the wall.
I sucked in air, short and fast, because my chest couldn’t expand with him on me like that.
And he just stayed there.
His head tilted down at me.
Watching me.
I couldn’t even hear him breathe. The only sound he was alive was the rise and fall of his chest against mine.
“What do you want with me?” I breathed out, sobs lodged in my throat.
What wasn’t he saying anything?
The house moaned around us as the wind kicked up again and whirred through the little cracks in the walls.
And I was just there. Alone, no one for miles, and a mask hovering over me and feeling like a knife at my throat.
Fuck, I was scared. Oh, God, oh, God…
Sweat broke out over my back, and heat spread down my legs where his body touched mine. Our thighs layered, one of his between both of mine, my chest becoming sensitive and aware of the heat of his body. His groin was pressed against mine and the pressure increased between us, even though we weren’t moving.
Fuck…
And I still couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe, because I was throbbing everywhere. My body was pulsing and heating, and I wanted to scream, bite, and…
Give in.
Why didn’t I want to run?
I let my head fall forward, into his chest, exhausted and hungry and wanting to dig my claws into something.
“I’m scared,” I whispered. “I’m scared of you even with your mask off.”
Because of everything you make me feel.
He didn’t move. Just held me there, his grip on my wrists loosening a little.
I looked up, speaking low as my lips brushed his mask. “I…” I didn’t know what to say.
Am I really just leverage in this cat and mouse game between you and Damon? Just a tool?
I mean, Rika was right, wasn’t she? He could’ve just taken me if that’s all it was about. He wanted me to choose him in that guest house.
He wanted me.
And I wanted him to know I had to make an impossible choice. But in my head, tucked away where I kept my secrets, it would always be him. Ten years…twenty years down the road I would watch him from a distance and see him build his life and be happy if he was happy.
I wanted him to know I loved our foreplay.
I wanted him to know I loved him.
“I wish I could keep you,” I said. “People like me don’t get what they want, though. They earn what they need to survive, and even if there weren’t so many secrets between us, I don’t fit in your world, Kai.”
“My world?” he said, looking down at me. “Wanna see my world?”
And he stepped away from me, walking into the master bedroom.
Huh? What did that mean?
I took a deep breath, feeling like I was going to fall without him there to hold me up, but I forced myself to straighten and follow him.
I suddenly heard a scraping sound matched with a dull thunder, and I snapped my head up, walking into the bedroom and seeing Kai pull out an entire panel of the wall.
What the hell?
The fireplace—or fake fireplace, I guessed—was attached to a section of flooring that swerved outward, opening the wall from floor to ceiling.
There was a secret passageway.
Without looking back at me, he disappeared through the hole and left the entrance open.
Where was he going?
This house was starting to make a little more sense. I knew there had to be a reason he bought it.
Carefully stepping up to the opening, I peeked in, my eyes falling on the only thing in there. A staircase. It led down, with lighting strung along the wall, and I tuned my ear, listening for noises. But I heard nothing. Not even the sound of his steps.
“Kai?” I called. “Where are you?”
But my words just fell into the void. How deep did this go?
I tucked my hair behind my ear and tightened my jacket against the chilly draft as I walked in. And descended. I left the door open, though, just in case.
The steps were sandstone, and the walls were lined with wiring connecting the lighting installed in small intervals. I continued down the spiral staircase, hugging the wall for support and feeling the air getting crisper the farther I went. Circle after circle after circle, I had to blink several times to keep from getting dizzy.
What was all this for?
After what seemed like forever, I finally reached the bottom, and I looked ahead, seeing a tunnel. Moonlight streamed in from above, and I knew I shouldn’t be scared, but I was a little. If Kai was hiding this, what else was he hiding? Just go, Banks. The less you know, the more you fear, so go learn more.
I walked along, keeping my eyes and ears alert as I stepped over the steel grate flooring and looked down to see a stream of water. Looking up, I saw another grate and the black sky with stars above. It was a sewer for rain run-off. The rock walls and tunnel had been constructed several decades ago, most likely. There were arches to my right, and I could tell the tunnel used to veer off to provide access to other areas of the city, but the passageways had been bricked off. There was only one way to go. Straight.
“Kai?” I called again, looking ahead. “Kai, are you down there?”
Of course, he didn’t answer. Maybe he couldn’t hear me anymore.
I sped up my steps and headed down the tunnel, coming to another stairwell. I looked up, unable to see the top. It just kept going.
I swallowed, my throat so dry. I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for hours.
Well, up was good, at least. The top must come out on ground level.
I jogged up, repeatedly glancing behind me to make sure no creepy things were on my tail. My muscles began to burn, and I slowed a little, not used to such a steep incline. Where did this go?
Reaching the top, I spotted a door opening into a room, just like the one I came through.
I reached out and pushed the wall open a little more to get a better look, the partition easily sliding away. What the hell was this?
I stepped into a massive room with vaulted ceilings and furnishings. Hardwood floors gleamed in the light coming from the burning fireplace, and a long, Persian rug laid under the black leather couches and fancy wooden tables. Art adorned the walls, a silver lamp sat on a desk strewn with papers, and I heard music coming from somewhere outside the study.
My pulse raced.
I followed the sound through the room and stepped into a large foyer, my head falling back and my eyes taking in the empty space above me as I turned in a circle.
“Oh, my God.” I trembled.
Another room, a living room, I think, sat across the hall, a wide staircase rose behind me, and two other hallways stretched on either side of the stairs, leading to the back of the…
House.
This was a house.
His house.
Everything I expected Kai’s house to be and more.
I could smell the fresh paint as I took in the ornate frames that adorned the pictures on the walls, and the beautiful tables, chairs, and sofas spread out throughout the study and living room. A crystal chandelier hung above me, tinkling with the slight breeze coming in from the tunnel.
It was a house designed by a man who cared about detail, reflecting both his Japanese and Italian heritages. Sleek, balanced, and uncluttered, but also ornate, rich in detail, and lush like a European manor.
I walked up the black staircase, following the music as my body flooded with adrenaline. Did his friends know about this place?
It was large and spacious, but also dark and cozy. Like a hidden chamber shrouded from the outside world.
Like he’d created his own personal confessional right here.
Or…his own Bell Tower, grave, The Pope…
Upstairs, I trailed down hallways, following the soft voice singing a song I finally recognized to be some version of Paint It, Black, and I passed a bedroom with the door open and stopped.
The black, four-poster bed was perfectly made, white sheets, comforter, and pillows, and I stepped in, seeing a framed picture on the wall. A black night with a red sun, rain, cranes flying…
And there was that Japanese symbol in the center again. The same one from Sensou’s sign.
War. That’s what it meant. Just like the name of the place.
I heard the shower shut off, and I walked toward the doorway, turning a corner toward the en suite.
Kai stood at the large, round mirror with a towel wrapped around his waist, combing his hands through his hair. Droplets of water glistened on his back, and steam filled the room.
“Kai.”
He paused, fixing his eyes on me through the mirror.
“What is this?” I asked, slowly entering.
“The house on the hill.”
“And this is your house?” I clarified. “Your real house?”
I knew it was—his scent was everywhere—but I wasn’t sure what I knew and didn’t know anymore, and I needed to hear him say it.
He nodded, smirking. “You didn’t actually think I lived in that dump, did you?”
I snorted, but I was so damn ready to cry, too. I was so exhausted. “Kai, Jesus—”
I started to protest, wanting to question him about what the hell was going on and why he hid this place, but he turned, shaking his head.
“Just give me ten minutes, okay?” he said, looking just as weary as I was. “Just give me ten minutes with you, and then we can get serious.”
Walking over to me, he peeled off my jacket and set it down on a bench near the tub.
Which was running with water. Bubbles rose higher as the fountain faucet poured water into the deep, white basin, and it was my instinct to fight him, but he spoke up, cutting me off.
“I’ll explain everything in ten minutes.”
My eyelids drooped, and I didn’t know what time it was, but it had to be late. I let him undress me.
Everything came off, and he didn’t try to grope or kiss me, although I wouldn’t have really minded if I weren’t so tired.
“Get in the tub,” he told me.
I stepped in, immediately feeling delicious chills spread up my legs as the heat of the water soaked my skin.
Slowly, I sat down, submerging myself up to my chest and brought my knees up, hugging them. Kai pulled off his towel, and I thought he was getting in, but he grabbed some lounge pants and slipped them on.
Something under my skin jolted at the sight of his nakedness, and I bit my lip. He looked up, and I looked away, but I could feel his stupid smile at catching me stare.
Moving my clothes to the counter, he sat down on the bench and grabbed a bath sponge, dipping it into the water.
Then he pushed all of my hair over my shoulder, and began soaping my back.
I twisted my head, reaching for the sponge. “I can do it.”
But he pulled it away, saying gently, “I know you can.”
I didn’t like people doing things for me. It was uncomfortable being taken care of. I wasn’t used to it.
Dipping the sponge in again, he squeezed the water over my back, letting it cascade down my skin, and I closed my eyes, surrendering.
“Oh,” I breathed out.
My head fell to the side as he rubbed the hot sponge over my shoulder and up neck, and it felt like a blanket I never wanted to leave. We didn’t speak, and he didn’t order me about, simply tipping my head back and pouring water over my hair before he washed it, and I kept my eyes closed the entire time. His fingers on my scalp, the hot water over my head, and the smell of him and his body wash made me dizzy and high, and I never felt so good.
I almost felt happy.
After he rinsed my hair, he washed my body, slipping the sponge between my legs, and I grew more alert, opening my eyes.
“Use your hands,” I told him. “They feel better.”
I saw his lips turn up in a smile, and he put the sponge down, soaping up his hands.
Slipping them between my legs, he hovered close as he washed me.
I was about to close my eyes again, but I heard a phone beep.
He turned his head, trying to see the screen where it lay on the counter. Then he let out a sigh and pulled his hands away, drying them off.
“What is it?” I sat up, hugging my knees again.
He stared at the phone, swiping the screen and reading. He frowned and tucked the cell into his pocket, standing up.
“Michael,” he told me, leaning down and kissing my forehead. “He’s at the gate. I need to go deal with him. I have clothes in the bedroom, so find whatever you want to sleep in, and I’ll grab some food on my way back up, okay?”
I nodded, reluctantly letting him go. He walked out, and I watched him until he disappeared down the hallway.
So, obviously his friends knew where he lived then.
Although, I wondered if they’d ever been up here. In my research there was never any indication Kai had this hideaway. I never saw him or his friends come to this house.
It was beautiful, though. And of course, I was right all along. There was no way he lived in that hovel.
I finished washing and pulled the plug on the water, rising to my feet. Picking up a towel off the nearby rack, I dried myself, wiping away all the suds and wrapped the soft, thick fabric around my body.
After I brushed out my hair—and got nosy, smelling his cologne—I went into the bedroom and pulled one of his T-shirts out of a drawer. I’d always worn my brother’s stuff, because that’s what he gave me to wear, but I smiled, putting on Kai’s shirt. I wanted to feel his clothes on me and his smell around me.
Glancing at the empty doorway, I quickly slipped it on and then took the towel back into the bathroom, tossed it in the hamper, and folded my clothes laying on the counter.
“No!” I heard a shout and stopped, turning my head.
“How could you take her anywhere near that piece of shit?” another voice bellowed.
Michael. I was surprised I could hear him all the way up here.
I dropped the clothes and crept lightly back through the bedroom and back down the hall, coming to the top of the stairs. Looking over, I saw that the foyer was empty, but I was just in a shirt. I wasn’t going down there if people were here. I walked to the top step and stopped, hearing shuffling coming from the study.
“I don’t need to clear anything through you. She makes her choices!” Kai growled back.
She? Meaning me?
“Rika is mine!” Michael’s voice lowered, but the fury was just as strong. “My partner, if you have any concept of what the hell that even means. We make decisions together!”
“You know, I’m right here!” I heard Rika yell. “Talk to me!”
Oh, they were talking about Rika.
And I guess Michael found out about the dinner tonight. Kai wasn’t supposed to let Rika go to Gabriel’s, I guess?
I spotted Will hanging back near the wall, his arms crossed as he just watched.
Kai continued, “You were the one who said she was one of us. She can carry her weight. She’s an equal, so—”
“She’s not equal!” Michael shouted.
And everyone fell silent.
Dammit, I wished I could see their faces.
“She will never be equal!” he went on. “She will always mean more than you.”
My heart pumped wildly, and I could only picture Kai’s face as those words hung in the air. Was he hurt Michael would say that?
But if it were me, wouldn’t I expect to mean more to the man I was going to marry than his friends?
Judging from the silence coming from the room, everyone was realizing the dynamics of their little crew were getting a very clear dose of reality.
“I love you guys,” Michael said, “but are you fucking dense? You’re my friends. She is everything. Maybe someday you’ll know what the fuck I’m talking about.”
And the next thing I knew, he stalked out into the foyer, toward the door, holding Rika’s hand as she cast a mournful look back at the guys. I reared back, out of sight.
I could tell she was sorry they got yelled at, but what do you do? Michael had been scared for her.
And he certainly wasn’t the only man who didn’t want his woman around my father.
They left, and Kai and Will filtered into the foyer, looking the worse for wear.
“What does this mean?” Will asked him, looking at his friend.
But Kai just stared at the door Michael had left through. “It means we need new horsemen.”
