Page 3 of KAI Tortured

It looks like I’ve managed to reach Logan’s humanity, if only for a moment. “Yeah.” I pick up the bottle of whiskey and refill our glasses. In silence, we drink all of it.

“I’m gonna head home,” Logan says.

“Sure.”

“The sooner I get rid of her scent, the better,” he mutters. “She’s in my head constantly. Thinking about killing her causes me real pain.”

“Then don’t think. I can deal with it,” I offer, although it’ll be the hardest thing I will ever have to do. If it means he doesn’t have to suffer, I will gladly take that on. As the oldest of the three of us, I should take responsibility for having trusted Maisy in the first place and allowing her to move into my house. And into our lives.

“No.” His voice hardens again. “I’ll do it.”

He stands up and, without delay, leaves the kitchen. I hear the front door slamming as he exits.

I don’t waste any more time down there. I head upstairs, straight to my bedroom, avoiding Maisy’s room. Kai’s there anyway, and he’ll kill me if I approach. I’ll let him have his hero moment. He always does this, then realizes he’s being a hothead and succumbs to whatever we agree. Although tonight, he’s extremely agitated, and it may take him longer.

As I approach my bedroom, and I’m finally alone with my thoughts, the gnawing in my chest intensifies. Maisy is a Slav. She’s just like us. Head of a mafia clan. Considering they’ve wanted to take over New York for years, this is the perfect opportunity for the Slavs. If they’re using Rosey for breeding, they’d use Maisy for that, too. My blood boils when I think of that, and all my instincts are telling me is Protect her, but then, they’ll never give up. They’ll never stop. They’ll find her eventually, and she’ll bear God knows how many of Goran Slavinovich’s heirs. The life she’d be living would be one of torment. If she dies, she’ll be better off. But we’d also figuratively die with her. Either way, we lose. A life not worth fucking living. And here I am, talking to everyone about a better future.

Our families will definitely have a better future, with Maisy gone. But not us.

LOGAN

“It’s Logan Vitali,” I answer upon hearing a cold “Yes” in reply to my call.

Lukash Bussetta, a recluse belonging to the Vitali cartel, is famous for his success. Why? Because he never misses. I know he’ll do the job when I tell him to.

A voice devoid of feeling comes through on the speaker. “You got a job for me?”

“Maisy Roy. Or Maisy Slavinovich.”

“Maisy Slavinovich?” That’s got his attention. “Interesting.”

“Is that a problem?” Goddamn. I knew her name would raise suspicion, although I’m sure word about Maisy being a Slavinovich has spread by now.

“Not at all. Maisy Slavinovich it is. What’s her whereabouts?”

“I don’t know.” I’ll give her this chance, perhaps a moment with Kai. Though the reasons why I’m doing this elude me. Her death is inevitable.

“Consider it done.”

The line goes dead and I look at my cell to confirm he’s gone. Suddenly, I become aware of a feeling I’ve never experienced in my life – a weight. A huge weight on my shoulders. I can’t shake it off; it just sits there, pushing me into the ground.

It’s either us or her.

And I’ll be damned if it’s us. My father worked too hard to leave me his legacy for a girl to take it away. Not on my life. Fucking Maisy. Fucking Slav. And yet, I can’t move from where I’m standing.

What have I done?

CHAPTER 2

KAI

Fucking assholes. Maisy is our whole world, and they want to kill her? Not on my watch. She’s hurting so much right now, and she needs us, that’s for sure.

I enter her room quietly and see her lying on the bed, facing the window. She hasn’t even bothered to take off her boots. The black dress she wears is crumpled up underneath her, and she looks so small and beautiful and helpless in the large bed.

She’s… art. That much I know. If I could freeze-frame this image in front of me, I would. Because no matter what I do, or how heroic I act, I know soon it’ll be over.

My baby girl is the ugly hell of the Slavs, incarnate.

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