Chapter Seventeen

I swear, I am on fire.

Watching Kado work should not have affected me the way it did. Maybe there is something broken inside of me. That's the only explanation I have for the way my body is yearning for him right now.

If he wasn't driving, I would already be in his lap.

He was so serious as we left the warehouse. He kept looking over at me as if to check if I was okay.

Cleaning up was nothing. He has an efficient system in place already. I jumped and helped where I could. It was like my old habits kicked in. Before I knew it, we were done, and Kado was leading me to the car.

Now he is driving all silent and stoic as usual, but for once, I want to know what he is thinking. I refuse to ask him, though. I don't want him to hurt himself by speaking to me. He could text it, but texting and driving is dangerous.

So instead, I sit here, letting my mind replay the scene of him torturing that man over and over. It's not the torturing that turned me on. It's how manly he looked while doing it. The way his muscles contracted. How he effortlessly moved from task to task as if it was second nature to him. Yes, it makes him dangerous, and I am nuts for staying, but at the same time, it made me feel safe and cared for. This is a man who could have slit my throat without a thought the night we met, but he kept me.

He chose me.

How can one not let that get to them? To know that someone as deadly as Kado went through the effort to save my life when he is so accustomed to taking them.

I can feel my heartbeat pounding against my chest as I grow wetter with need for him. I promised him we could take it slow, but right now all I want to do is tear his clothes off and have my way with him. Show him how much I want him.

Those thoughts are dashed as he pulls into a familiar garage. I try not to frown when he gets out, moving around the car to help me out. I must do a bad job, though. He pulls my chin up, looking me in the eye.

I know what he wants. He wants me to tell him why I look this way. He looks worried. As if it might be him.

I can't let him think that, though. Moving closer, I nip his lip with my teeth before kissing him softly. I let my hand trail down his front until I squeeze his cock. He lets out a small puff of air at the contact as he slowly grows in my hand.

"I'm fine. I'm only disappointed that you brought me here instead of home. Watching you work did things to me." I take his hand and place it at the edge of the waistband of my leggings and push his wrist down. His hand moves until his fingers are where I want them most. "I'm hot for you."

His eyes turn fierce as his fingers move against my clit. I gasp at the contact, my head wanting to fall back, but then we hear a throat clearing. Kado shoots a glare over his shoulder but pulls his hand away, licking them before sliding his fingers between my own.

I almost glare at the man standing by the elevator too, but I manage to keep myself in check. I have a feeling if he hadn't been there, Kado would have taken care of this ache for me.

Instead, I have to wait for him to get done with whatever it is that he has to do here.

"Make it quick," I whisper to him, looking up at him from underneath my eyelashes.

He smiles and nods.

Good. We are on the same page.

This time, when he knocks on the door, I'm not even a little nervous. It opens, revealing Cleo.

"Hey girl. I didn't know you were coming. Come in." She reaches out, pulling me inside the door.

Kado follows, not letting go of my other hand.

"Kai is in his office. We will be in the kitchen." Cleo shoos Kado away.

It makes me chuckle as he does as she says. Every time I learn something new about him, it only makes me more interested. It's like a never-ending puzzle. Each piece that falls into place shows me a bigger picture of the man. Problem is, I think I'm falling so hard and fast for him that I will never be motivated to finish the puzzle. I want to know everything about him at the same time that I want to spend a lifetime learning it.

It's a strong feeling. One that scares me a little bit.

"So what were you two up to?" Cleo asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

She goes to make some tea as I think about what to say to her.

"He had a job. I asked to go," I finally admit.

She looks over at me with wide eyes. "Really? I wouldn't have expected that from him. Or you, if I'm honest."

"Why not?" I ask.

"Well, you seem very innocent. Maybe innocent isn't the right word. You don't seem like a Virgin Mary type, but you also don't seem to know much about the criminal underworld. I wouldn't think you would want to see the dark side of reality. As for Kado, well, he is as alpha as the rest of them. I wouldn't have thought he would want to risk you that way."

"Oh, I'm learning self-defense and how to shoot. I think that helped, but I also think he likes it when I'm with him. Besides, don't you ever worry about Haruaki when he is out in the world doing his thing?" I tell her as she pushes a cup of hot tea across the counter.

She takes a seat on the stool next to me, pondering my words.

"Not really. He always has someone else with him. Kenji or Kado, mostly."

"Kado works by himself most of the time. He is out there doing dangerous things, and while I know he can do them and has for a long time, he's not alone anymore. I don't want him out there without someone watching his back." I look down at my tea.

Cleo reaches out, squeezing my arm. "That's amazing. Kado has had Kai and Kenji to look out for him. He also had Akito for a while too until he passed. The guys aren't good at the emotions stuff, though. They probably saw Kado struggling and didn't know how to help him. Actually, there is no probably. He told me as much. Kado has had a hard life. He deserves some happiness. I'm really glad he has that in you. That you want to keep him safe because he will do the same for you."

The mention of his past has me realizing that I haven't been asking the right questions. I should be trying to get to know who he is, and I am, but I haven't even thought to ask about his past. Maybe I should do that.

"I can see that. I'll admit I wasn't on board at first, but now that I know him? I can't imagine being anywhere else."

"I'm glad to hear that. You two deserve all the happiness in the world," Cleo tells me.

As I take a sip of my tea, I think about it, and she's right. Kado and I deserve to be happy, and I'll do anything to protect our peace. Now if only he would just realize I want to be with him as much as he wants me to be.

Walking into Kai's office, I find him sitting behind his computer, typing away. I take a seat as he continues to work without looking up.

He knows I'm here, and he is trying to make me sweat. He likely already knows I took Lucy with me. He won't be happy about it.

I don't care.

"How did it go?" he asks as he glances over at me.

I give him a double thumbs-up.

He takes his glasses off of his face and pulls a cleaning cloth from the drawer on his right.

"Did he tell you what we need to know?" he asks as he cleans his glasses.

I shoot him another thumbs-up.

He nods as he drops the cloth back into the drawer and places his glasses back on his face.

"Tell me."

I pull my phone out of my pocket and start typing.

He admitted to working for the Ukrainians, confirmed we are correct about what cities they hit and gave us several more locations to hit here in the city. He said there will be a skin sale in two months in California. He named names and admitted that they have some cops who look the other way on the payroll.

I hand Kai my phone and watch as his jaw tics as he reads.

He hands me back my phone. "I need to know who in this city has gone against us. They've declared an act of war against us and the Westies by doing this and must be stopped."

Nodding, I hand him the list of names, including our chief of police, along with the city the sale will take place in and the log-on information to keep track of when the details of the sale will happen.

When I hand him my phone back, he picks up a pen and writes it all down. Usually, I don't mind my debriefs with Kai after retrieving information, but tonight I would rather be at home with anata . Especially after what just happened.

The feel of her smooth skin under my fingertips…

"The police chief, as in Steven Johnson, the one we put into place, is dirty?" Kai asks coolly, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I tip my chin toward my chest.

Kai shakes his head slowly. "He really shouldn't have done that."

He isn't wrong. The chief was hand-selected by both Kai and Callum into office. His loyalty was supposed to be with both families, looking the other way when it came to our business dealings, as long as we didn't start an all-out war on his streets.

The man signed a blood contract, stating he would give up his life and the lives of his family if he crossed us. To be so arrogant to think we wouldn't find out…now he must pay with his life. As for his family, well, time will tell what Kai wants to do. Typically we don't hurt children and women, but the man's kids are adults, and depending on what they and his wife know, they might pay for his crimes.

I'll end up breaking into their homes and searching for any and all evidence I can find.

"So, I take it you went home to get Lucy before coming over here?" Kai says as he leans back in his chair after handing me my phone. "Are you that infatuated that you can't spend a couple of hours away from her?" he teases.

There's an edge to his tone. He's telling me what he wants to hear, but he's also daring me to lie to him. I won't ever lie to him, though. He's been one of the most important people in my life. I refuse to betray him like that. Even if he doesn't like the answer, he gets the truth.

She went with me.

His eyes narrow as he reads my message. "Did she now? Tell me, Kado, do you think it was a good idea taking someone with you without my permission to witness you performing business for me?"

I almost snort out loud as my eyes narrow. That would really shock him. I don't need his permission. My fists flex as I try to calm down. Who does he think he is questioning me? I have spent years doing his dirty work without complaint. He has always left the details to me. It happens that this time I brought Lucy. He can deal with it.

She won't tell anyone.

"Are you sure about that? Would you stake your life on it?"

Anger courses through me. How dare he question me after all I've done for him? He never thought twice about Cleo or Miya, so why is he when it comes to my anata ?

Yes .

He steeples his hands in front of his face and studies me. Neither of us looks away from each other.

"You can't blame me for being worried, Kado. You kidnapped her and are technically holding her against her will. She might be playing the long game. She could be trying to gain your trust so she can run away from you when you least expect it and take everything she knows to someone like the chief who very clearly isn't on our side."

I shake my head hard, making my hair whip across my face. She wouldn't.

"Don't you think she has taken all of this a bit too easy? She was given options, and she chose you because it was her best one. Then, all of a sudden, she is all over you? I worry about you, my friend. Women are fickle creatures, Kado, and can turn on you on a dime. This is your first time being with a woman, as far as I know, and I don't want her to break you. You are so smart and brave. You can kill without remorse and sneak around even better than I can. You have such valuable skills, but you didn't learn the ones that involve socialization. I'm worried she sees that and is taking advantage of your weakness. Who knows, I could be wrong and she could be completely loyal to you. Only time will tell, but you can't blame me for being leery."

I squeeze my hands into fists. I've never asked for anything from him until her, so why can't he just let me be? Even if she is playing me, let me have her for the time I do. I have never felt this way about anyone before. It's like she came into my life and filled a hole that has been rotting away since my mother died. I'm finally starting to feel whole again.

Then he comes in here, placing doubt in my head.

Fuck him.

His eyes drop to my hands and he sighs. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to. I'm just worried. If you trust her, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt until she proves me otherwise, okay?"

I nod, even though his answer grates on me. Everyone who comes into the family is watched and investigated until they are cleared. I don't know why I thought she would be any different, but I did.

Quickly, I type out a message.

She won't let you down.

"You're going to keep taking her on jobs with you from time to time, aren't you?"

I can't tell her no.

Kai shakes his head slowly. "You could, my friend, you just don't want to."

He's not wrong. I could say no, but why would I when I could be with her and doing my job at the same time?

Besides, she took it like a champ. She even helped me clean up, getting the job done twice as fast as when I do it myself. I have to admit, it helps having her ask the questions. It opens the door for new ways to torture someone. I usually leave their eyes alone. I need them. Now, I can play with them as long as I leave the ears alone.

"It's late, and my wife is waiting for me. Why don't you take your girl and head home?" he says as he stands.

Following his lead, I get up and head to the door.

"Kado," he says, making me look at him. "Just watch your back, okay? I'd hate for anything to happen to you."

I nod and leave the room. While his worry is nice, it's unwarranted. Lucy would never hurt me. He will see it soon enough.

He has to.