Page 1 of KAI Tortured

CHAPTER 1

ORION

“What the fuck are we gonna do with her now?” I slam my fist on the wooden table. “Fucking Maisy, she knew this. She must have. She can’t tell us she has a photographic memory and knows nothing about this. We know she knew. Do we agree?”

I stare at Logan and Kai, who are sitting in front of me in my kitchen. The bottle of whiskey and three empty glasses are on the table. I’m asking, no, begging them to agree with me. For once, I’m right. In fact, all this time I was right. Fucking Maisy.

The revelation that Maisy is Goran Slavinovich’s daughter tears me apart. All of this is a meticulously planned betrayal. It must be!

But they just look at me. They’re hurt, I feel it, and no words they say would make them feel better. She hurt them. Hurt us.

It would have been easy if it was anyone else – I’d just slice their throat open and cut their limbs off – but Maisy?

Kai shakes his head. Logan’s eye twitches sporadically. It’s involuntary, he is dealing with either hate or anger, but when he remembers who he is thinking about, it stops. He’s fighting monsters inside him.

Kai’s totally and utterly defeated. I doubt he’s thinking of the Slavs. Maisy’s on his mind, and the fact that she’s off limits now.

Dirty. Fucking. Slav.

There it is. Off limits. An enemy.

Cleverly inserted between our lines to divide us and annihilate us. And she’s been doing a pretty good job so far.

“To think we went to Riyadh to save her,” Logan mutters.

“We’re not doing this. You hear me? We’re not gonna wallow in the fucking Slavs’ lies. She lied to us. We were gullible, and that’s that. End of. We move on. Usually we kill them, but her… Fuck, I don’t even know what we should do with her.”

Kai speaks up. “We don’t kill her. She had so many chances to kill us, but she didn’t. We’ll give her that much.”

“She must’ve known she’s a Slav, Kai,” Logan reminds him. We can’t plead ignorance anymore. Or even hope that she hasn’t lied to us, about everything.

“What evidence do you have? Her sister’s word?” Kai’s actually defending her?! “We don’t know Rosey, and on top of that, she’s spent the last ten years with Milan. Come on!”

I’m so furious I can’t think straight. “Evidence? I’m sure we have evidence. She’s been lying to us every time she opens her mouth!”

“A fucking Slav,” Kai mutters despite himself, rubbing his hands over his face.

The curveball she threw caught us off-guard. None of us know how to deal with it.

“A fucking Slav,” Logan echoes sadly.

“Why do I still want to fuck her?” I ask, standing up. “Shall we?”

I don’t know what made me say that. I’m mad enough to want to hurt her, but this? Raping her? That would be a step too far. Although not unheard of. Goddamn. The world I’m hoping to build is not made for people like me right now. People who want to harm out of vengeance and spite.

Kai and Logan raise their eyes to me at the same time. Their brows furrow. I know what they’re thinking. But I’m angry. I need this anger dealt with.

Kai stands and squares up to me. “You touch one hair on her head, and you’ll have me to deal with.”

“Since when have you become such an asshole?” Logan snaps.

His disgust tells me I went too far. Their reaction only riles me more.

“What, now you’re taking the side of a Slav? A Slav, Kai?” I yell in his face. “A Slav ordered your father’s death, remember? She should be shot. That’s the only way our problems will disappear. The only way!”

“I swear to God, Orion. You touch her, you die.”

Kai’s threat lingers in the air.

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