33. Kade

33

Kade

T he house is lit up like a Christmas tree when I pull up outside and switch the engine off. The warm light spilling out from the windows is welcoming, making the place feel a lot like home.

More homely than my condo, which could pass for an Airbnb given the lack of personalized decor.

There's no logical reason for coming here. I could have stuck Tessa's stuff in a room at Alberto's mansion. I'm sure she doesn't need any of it. It's not like she'll need her passport, and she has clothes here, courtesy of Serena and the kids.

But something compelled me to drive out here. Part of it is I needed to make sure she's safe and well, but it's more than that. Ever since I left a week ago, I've done nothing but think about her.

She's on my mind constantly. I worry about her. What if Mashkov's goons track her down? If Mashkov gets a hold of her, it will trigger a war, which would lead to carnage on both sides.

Not that I have any great issue with going to war with the Russians. Mashkov is dangerous and I don't agree with his expansion into human trafficking. That shit is immoral in the worst possible way.

I'm grateful Alberto is more enlightened than Mashkov and his ilk. While I have no issue with the drugs trade - if people want to pump shit into their bodies, it's their prerogative - trafficking women and children for the sick desires of rich men is abhorrent.

Mashkov isn't the only player in the skin trade, but he's by far the biggest. We've been watching his activities, and he's now working with the Albanians: shipping women from the Baltic states and bringing them to the US as sex workers and toys for sadistic rich men.

If I had my way, I'd shut the whole operation down, but Alberto is more pragmatic. He says it keeps Mashkov busy and stops him from meddling too much in the drugs trade. While he's busy trafficking women, he's less inclined to cause problems with the Vargas Cartel.

At least, that was Alberto's viewpoint before Mashkov went after Tessa. With the attempted kidnapping, Alberto has been forced to admit that maybe Mashkov has plans to expand his operations.

The door swings open, and my brother appears, shirtless as per usual. I swear he walks around half-naked to piss us all off. I wouldn't care if Tessa wasn't here, but knowing he does it deliberately irritates the hell out of me.

He's always been a vain fucker. From the moment girls started paying attention to his pretty-boy looks and muscles, he lapped up the attention. A psychologist would probably say he's seeking validation with his looks to fill the hole in his psyche from a mother who gave no shits.

"What's in the boxes?"

"Tessa's stuff from her rental. The landlord's re-letting it and was going to toss it all on the street."

A frown wrinkles his brow. "What an asshole." He grabs a couple of boxes and hauls them inside. I follow him with the remaining box. It's kinda sad how little Tessa had. Most of the shit in their place appeared to belong to Enzo. I left all that.

"How's she doing? Are the kids OK?"

"Aww, you care!" Cin teases before dropping the boxes on the kitchen floor.

"She's Alberto's daughter. He asked for updates," I snap, knowing that's not it at all. But I refuse to admit I may have an interest in my boss's daughter. It would be inappropriate, not least because she's a lot younger than me.

He smirks at me. Then his phone buzzes and he looks at the screen. "Fucking women," he mutters to himself as he walks off, tapping away at the screen.

Tessa walks in and I notice the way her gaze lingers on my brother for a moment. And also how he returns the look with a smile. My forehead creases as I watch their small interaction. The way they are with each other has changed since I've been gone.

Tessa is no longer as guarded toward him. Are they friends now? I guess they are closer in age than she and I or her and Madden. And since Madden doesn't mix business with pleasure, I can safely assume he's barely said two words to her in the past week that don't involve her safety.

Cin, though, has no such boundaries.

A small niggle of discomfort ripples down my spine and I resolve to watch them closely while I'm here.

"Hey," Tessa says when she looks down at the three small boxes I brought with me, and frowns.

"It looked like someone had tossed the place when I went in," I tell her, "but this is everything that belonged to you and the kids."

"Yeah, I didn't have much." She shrugs and pushes some hair back behind her ear, trying to pretend like it doesn't matter, but I can tell she's embarrassed about her lack of material stuff. "Thanks for making the effort, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I even packed your vibrator."

I try not to laugh as she flushes a becoming shade of pink.

"Thanks," she grits out. "You're too kind."

"Alberto asked me to give you this, in case you need anything for, um, you or the kids." I pull a black credit card from my pocket and hand it to her.

She stares at it like it's a venomous snake. "I can't take that."

"Why? You already said you have hardly anything. The kids probably need shit, so take it, Tessa. Your father just wants to help."

"I don't want his money!" she hisses. "It's his fault I'm in fucking danger! If he was a fucking accountant or divorce lawyer, or even a mechanic, I'd be living a safe, boring life instead of hiding from the Russian mafia, or worse, dead like my mother."

Annoyance cuts through my sympathy. I'm tired and not inclined to mollycoddle her right now.

"Tessa, just take the fucking card, even if you never use it." I get why she's upset but refusing to take a goddamn credit card because of some misguided principle is literally cutting her nose off to spite her face.

"Are you even listening to me?" The way she bristles like an angry kitten has my dick perking up, but I ignore him and throw my hands in the air with frustration.

"You know what? Fine. Don't take the card. I don't care. It's your choice. You're a grown-ass woman. I'm just the errand boy, sent to check up on you and bring your shit. Now if you don't mind, I'd like a coffee. It's been a long day and I still have to drive back to the city."

As my words sink in, she deflates like a popped balloon. There's no apology, but she switches the coffee machine on for me and pulls a mug out of the cupboard.