Chapter 37

Daelyn

We pull into the Monarch’s back parking lot, there’s a man standing at the backdoor, holding it open with a scowl on his face. It makes me feel like a child about to get yelled at for staying out past curfew.

Dmitri doesn’t look fazed at all. With his arm on my lower back, he escorts me through the club and up to a large office. A guy decked out in a three-piece suit sits at a large desk with monitors spread across the length of it. I guess this is Ryker, the owner of the Monarch Club, and Dmitri’s best friend. Suddenly, another guy appears behind us, who I assume is Vault. Dmitri had said they wanted to talk with us when we got back, and I’m now trapped and surrounded without even realizing it’s happened.

“What did you find out?” Dmitri asks, pulling me onto his lap.

Ryker glances at Vault, then at me. “How much does he mean to you?”

The question confuses me. “Who?”

“You know who.”

No, I don’t. He could be referring to Kaleb or Dmitri, but my answer is the truth for both. “He means more than he probably should.”

Ryker’s brow creases. “Hungry dogs are never loyal, Daelyn.”

My heart skips as he gets up and makes his way around the desk again. Ryker stops in front of me. Terror spikes in my veins because I don’t know what’s about to happen. So, I stare directly at Ryker and hold my ground. “I don’t bark. I bite.”

He crouches down in front of me, and I think he looks impressed with my response. “Tell us your side of things, honey.”

Dmitri wraps his arms around me, but they feel like armor instead of a cage and I use that strength to speak up. “First, I want to make it clear that I had no clue Kaleb’s plan went this deep.”

Dmitri runs his thumb lightly along my ribs. Ryker watches me like a predator about to pounce. Vault, however, doesn’t move. He’s still as a statue, leaning against the closed door with his arms crossed.

I can’t get out.

No one says a word as I stare into Ryker’s unforgiving, stormy grey eyes and wonder how I keep jumping from one fire into another. These men could kill me, and no one would know. I recognize a cutthroat crew when I see one, and I’m grateful Dmitri has his. He’s not alone like he thinks.

Not like me.

“I don’t even know where to begin.” I get off of Dmitri’s lap and start pacing. “I don’t know how much to say.”

“Our boy’s life could be on the line,” Vault growls. “Say everything . It doesn’t matter if you think it’s important or not, just tell us what you know.”

Nodding, I mentally scramble to figure out where to start. “Kaleb’s crew was recruited through the foster care system.” I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s only forgivable because this isn’t about me and my safety. It’s about Addie’s and Dmitri’s.

I’d die for them . The thought strikes me like lightning, making goosebumps spread down my limbs. And I will die for them once Kaleb finds out I’ve snitched. At least I’ll go to my grave knowing I did the right thing for once.

“His mom was our case worker.”

“For all of you?” Ryker asks.

“Yes. There used to be more of us, but they’ve either died or gone to prison.”

Dmitri swipes a hand over his mouth and leans back in his chair.

“When he was seventeen, Kaleb took over for his father, running product up here from Miami.” My mouth dries up. “A few years later, he started sending me out to deal with mutuals who dealt in cartel stuff because I’d earned my position with them.”

“What’s that mean?” Ryker asks cautiously.

“It means Kaleb brought me in as his second-in-command and I had to get initiated.” My heart jackhammers. “By letting them take turns on me.”

Dmitri’s chair creaks as he stands, but Ryker shoves him back down and holds him there. “Let her speak.”

“It’s okay,” I say, numbly. “It was just one time.” That single night of pain and humiliation, the terror beyond belief, is fuzzy in my mind now. I remember staring at Kaleb while it happened, clinging to him mentally until I somehow tricked my mind into imaging it was him touching me, taking me, and not the others. It made going back again and again, with a smile on my face and a gun in my hand, worth it. I could look them in the eyes with no fear. And within a couple years, it was no longer an act. They didn’t intimidate me anymore. In some fucked up way, I’d earned their respect and they started to only deal with me.

See, babygirl? I told you to trust me. Do exactly what I say, and you’ll climb to the top with me. Ride or die, right? It might hurt, but I won’t let anything really bad happen to you. Shutting my eyes, I force Kaleb’s voice out of my head.

“They didn’t like working with Kaleb because he wasn’t predictable enough and insisted I was the only one they met with because I could be trusted.”

I once overheard Emmanuel say Kaleb was a necessary evil or he would have blown his brains out years ago. At the time, I would have done anything to save Kaleb from eating a bullet. Now, I’d love to feed him one myself. I suspect Kaleb’s got something on them big enough to keep their relationship going, which is odd considering Kaleb’s on the lower tier of the food chain in the cartel world. After a couple years of being the liaison, I stopped meeting with Emmanuel’s men, on Kaleb’s orders, and Corey took over the meetups. I also heard rumors that Emmanuel’s crew got popped by the DEA and are either in prison, hiding, or dead. I keep all of this to myself though.

Ryker arches his brow. “Which cartel was this?”

I shake my head, unwilling to give them up. “They’re not relevant to this. And it’s safer if you don’t know.”

That takes Ryker aback. “Safer for who?”

“You.” I’m not on Emmanuel’s side, but I know limits, and that’s definitely a hard line. “I’m not risking any of you unnecessarily.”

Dmitri glances over at Ryker and they share a look I don’t understand.

“So, like I was saying, Kaleb’s mom is the one who put us all in Kaleb’s reach, which I’ve only just recently put together how calculated it truly was once Dmitri told me Addie is his half-sister.”

Now that my eyes are wide open, it’s easier to put all the pieces together. Nothing was a coincidence in my life.

A harsh laugh bubbles out of me thinking about how foolish I’ve been. “I remember feeling so special when me and Kaleb spent time together. He’s a charmer. Elusive. Cruel and sweet. To a kid like me, he was a god.”

I bet Ace and a few others would agree with me. No one likes Kaleb now, but it didn’t start that way. He was a savior for us to latch onto. Now he’s got so much dirt on all of us, we’re stuck with him forever. And he’s too unhinged for anyone to challenge and survive.

“In the beginning, he would have us do small jobs for him. If we failed or refused too many times, his mother would eventually show up at our houses and threaten to relocate us.” A shiver runs through me. “The very real threat of being placed in a home that’s worse than the one I was already in made me compliant fast. No sooner would she threaten me, Kaleb would sneak into my room that night or the next day, taking my side. He’d trash talk his mom and say how unfair and horrible she was. But then he’d somehow talk me into doing whatever it was I didn’t want to do. He’d spin it as doing him this big favor and say he needed me and would promise that he’d never ask me to do something if it wasn’t really important to him. He’d say he was scared his mom would take me away from him if I didn’t do it and that he couldn’t protect me if he couldn’t reach me.”

“How old were you when that started?” Vault asks.

“Almost thirteen.”

“Christ,” Ryker scrubs his face and starts pacing.

“They were small jobs at first. Scary and thrilling. And every time I finished one, Kaleb would come to me soon after praising me and saying that he’s so proud of me.”

“Positive reinforcement,” Vault mutters.

“A couple years of getting attention like that and I would volunteer to do bigger, more dangerous things for him.” They don’t ask what those are, and I don’t offer examples. “I moved out of my foster parent’s house when I turned eighteen. There were nine of us in Kaleb’s crew by then, and I was his favorite. I was his girl.” Saying that makes my chest hurt. God, I’ve been so fucking stupid. “I caught him cheating on me and our relationship died a dozen more deaths before I was able to successfully put a wall up between him and me.”

They don’t ask for details and again, I don’t offer any.

“I was in the process of moving across state and starting over by myself when he set fire to my former foster parent’s house.” I look at Dmitri. “Addie was still living with them at the time.”

Ryker’s brow furrows. “She lived with you in the foster house?”

“Yes. It’s how we got so close. She truly is like a sister to me. And yes, Kaleb’s mother placed her there.”

Vault rubs the back of his neck and grunts.

I clear my throat, unsure if I’ve confused them or not. Fuck it, I’ll keep talking. “Addie wasn’t home the night of the fire, so she wasn’t in danger. The Brenner’s barely got out alive and lost everything. Kaleb came to me asking if I wanted to take care of Addie.” I lean against the desk and hug myself. “I didn’t hesitate to say yes. The fear of her going to someone else… anyone else… terrified me. I couldn’t risk losing her. But I didn’t realize that taking her would tie me so tight to Kaleb until it was too late.”

“How so?” Ryker asks.

“I needed a house, a good job, and a solid foundation for me to be approved as her guardian. Kaleb bought the house I currently live in, and charges me minimal rent so I can afford it. He funded my college degree so I could get a job working as a medical coder at home. That way I’m with her more. It took time to get all the paperwork in place, which was miraculously rushed and pushed through. Until recently, I thought that part was a miracle, but now I see his mother must have still had pull in the system to make that happen. And all those things came at a cost.”

I look down at the scar on my wrist.

“He brands us. Once he does, you’re in for life. That’s the price I paid to keep Addie. And God, how I wish I hadn’t done it. Letting Addie go, and keeping contact with her, would have been the better option. But I know Kaleb and I knew his mother. I couldn’t risk Addie going into a worser Hell just because I wanted to run from Kaleb. His mother threatened me enough times over the years with my placement, and that bitch would have absolutely put Addie in an extremely abusive home just to punish me.”

I can’t even look at Dmitri now. I’m scared of what I’ll see if I do. Does he hate me yet?

“If you’re branded,” Ryker says, “why did you think doing this one last job for Kaleb would get you out?”

“Because he’s never lied to me.” I say it automatically, so easily. So stupidly. “I now realize how foolish I am to have believed it.” My throat tightens and I want to cry. “But it’s too late to run now. I’d rather face him head on, with no fucks left, than live one more day regretting not having done things differently all those years ago.”

“How did he know about the Scrapyard and Dmitri fighting that night?” Ryker asks.

“No clue. But if there’s a shady person in this city, I guarantee you Kaleb knows them. And that old man who runs the cage fights is shady as hell. When I stalked the building looking for Dmitri, he denied ever having seen me, or about there ever being a fight, and acted like he had no clue who Dmitri was. He had me feeling delusional, even when he was the one who brought me up to the room that night as D’s prize.”

Ryker glances at Dmitri, but his expression doesn’t give away anything.

“Where’s Kaleb’s mother now?” Dmitri asks. His voice controlled. Scary.

“She died about three years ago.”

Ryker and Vault look at each other for a quick second.

“You’re sure?” Vault asks.

“Yeah.” I remember it was about the same time the DEA took down Emmanuel’s crew. I always suspected the cartel had her killed, but never dared to ask Kaleb about it. I look at Ryker and add, “Kaleb was devastated, which made his behavior worse for a while. He got more violent and obsessive.”

“With you.”

I nod. “After the drugs started running dry, Kaleb got involved with gun runs and he dragged me with him to the first meeting. They called me his lap dog and said they heard I was a bitch who liked getting fucked by animals, and for me to bend over. I refused. Kaleb lost his head. It got… really ugly.”

It’s hard to believe the guy who let Emmanuel’s guys take turns on me is the same one who, when another crew wanted the same thing, killed every single one of them and set their bodies on fire in a warehouse. I wasn’t there for any of it. Kaleb made me leave and told me what he did later on. “I’ll burn the whole world down for you, babygirl. That’s how much I love you.”

I made Kaleb my hero that day, too.

Then he beat the shit out of me a week later because I didn’t answer my phone when he called.

“I think everyone who works for Kaleb hates him. He’s too unpredictable. Too vindictive. Like I said, he’s earned respect through fear, not integrity. And I get there’s a fine line when you’re dealing with criminals, but he’s only become more and more unhinged, so we all walk on eggshells around him. He’s killed a few of us already and sent several to prison. I suspect he’s used the footage he has on them as evidence to get them locked them up, just like he threatened to do with me if I didn’t get him information about Dmitri.”

“Who was the last one to go to prison?” Vault asks.

“Corey.” Not like they know him. “He’s Casey’s brother.” Not like they know him, either.

“Do they go to the same facility each time?”

“Yes, and I have no clue how that works.”

Dmitri’s brow furrows. “Do you know why they’re sent in?”

“No clue. But several weeks ago, Kaleb was elated about a call he got from one of his connections in prison. I didn’t ask about it because I was too scared to find out. If Kaleb’s happy, it means something really sick and bad has happened.”

Ryker looks over at Dmitri and again, I can’t read the looks on their faces.

That’s when the truth suddenly hits me like an anvil to the head. “Your dad died in prison,” I say, turning to Dmitri. “Kaleb sent someone in there to do it.” My belly twists thinking it’s a good possibility that someone was Corey. I drop to my knees in front of him. “I’m so, so, so sorry.”

The weight of Kaleb’s actions crushes me.

Dmitri swallows hard and cups my cheek. “You have no reason to apologize, Daelyn.”

Oh, but I do. “I helped him get too much power. I should have run, taken Addie, and hidden far away from here.”

“Running wouldn’t have stopped Kaleb from killing my father,” he says quietly. “And it wouldn’t stop him from chasing after you. There was never a chance of escape for you, Firefly.”

He’s right.

Dmitri runs his thumb across my cheek. It’s so soft, so sweet. The opposite of what I’m used to. I pull away, undeserving of his tenderness.

D snatches my wrist and shakes his head. “Don’t do that.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t pull away from kindness, Daelyn.” He tugs my arm slightly, bringing me closer. “Don’t pull away from me .”

Shaking my head, I wish I could tell him how horrible I feel. How sorry I am that Kaleb’s twisted and has come after him like this. I wish I could say that these past few days with Dmitri have given me more joy than I’ve had in my entire life, because he kept me safe, he empowered me, he held and played with me. He cherished me.

Instead, I swallow all those useless confessions because they don’t matter. My feelings don’t matter. My life… doesn’t matter.

“I have an idea,” I say, going numb again. “It’ll make him absolutely lose his shit, but I think it’ll knock him down enough for you to take him.”

Dmitri arches his brow. “We’re all ears, baby.”

I turn to Vault. “Can you clip surveillance footage and make a copy of it?”

“Sweetheart, I can do anything you need me to.”

“Okay…” I straighten up. “I think I have a plan.” Stepping away from Dmitri, I hug myself again. “He wanted to fuck you, take everything from you… so, we’re going to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

D tips his head to the side. “You want me to take everything away from him instead?”

“You already have.” My smile feels cruel and cold. “You’ve taken me .”

“That’s not good enough,” Dmitri argues, crushing my heart. “This doesn’t end with you as a prize.”

“It certainly started that way,” I snap back. But he’s right, I just don’t want to see the truth about where this ending will lead us all. “I can’t lose you,” I whisper. “I refuse to lose you, Dmitri.”

“We both know Kaleb won’t stop until I’m dead.”

“Once he discovers I’ve switched sides, he’s going to kill me, too.” It’s amazing how calm I am saying that. I cup his face. The words I love you hang on the tip of my tongue, but I bite down on them and swallow. “I dug my grave a long time ago, D. If I can save you before I’m buried, I will.”

“I’m not going to let you do that.”

“You don’t have a choice.”