Page 45 of KAI Tortured

“Right,” Kai agrees.

“How we gonna go about it?” I ask.

“This is your contact. I think you should meet him,” Orion suggests. “Before we pay him a visit.”

“Are you crazy?” Logan snaps at him.

Orion’s on my side. For once. “Logan, Maisy can stand her ground. Give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Kai voices his concern too. “Yeah, I’m not sure about it.”

“It’s not like we’re gonna let her go by herself. We’ll be there, too,” Orion argues.

“Yeah, we sure as hell will be,” Logan says through gritted teeth.

“I haven’t seen him in years,” I remind them. “What if he doesn’t remember me?”

“I’ll email him, in your name. If he remembers you, we’ll set up a meeting,” Orion decides. “If he doesn’t, we’ll pay him a visit.”

~

The four of us have been staying at Logan’s for the last two weeks. From the moment I got here, Kai didn’t want to go back home. And Orion, of course, was recuperating, although I know all of us wanted to be together. Uncle Jon is not exactly the happiest he’s ever been, Logan says. But I love it. I feel like a princess in the high tower, protected by my knights. Well, they’re more like angry, sexy men, but I’ll take what I can.

And the plan has been going ahead. In the last week, Orion has managed to set up a meeting with Christopher Miller. Considering how many years have passed, I was surprised that he remembered me.

And I actually met him two days ago. I won’t forget the tension crackling in the air like static as Logan and Kai watched from afar, concealed in the shadows outside the restaurant I was in, their gaze never wavering. I felt it. Orion had to keep a closer eye on me, and so he was inside the restaurant, two tables on my left.

As for the meeting, I wasn’t sure I’d remember Christopher. I was a bit apprehensive but the moment I saw him, I recognized his smile – totally disarming. He’s in his forties, and still striking with his impressive height and build. His salt-and-pepper hair only adds to his appeal. But he seemed okay; I saw him as nothing but someone who could be quite helpful to our plan. Although, there was a moment when his eyes lingered a tad too long on my chest, but maybe I was mistaken.

The more I talked to Christopher, the more I realized he knew quite a lot. He knew things about me that I had only recently discovered. More specifically, he knew I was a Slav. Apparently, he knew all this time. Hence the reason why he wanted to help me back then. In fact, he was glad I’d made contact with him.

That was when I realized I had to improvise. I got him to believe that now, as one of the Slavs, I’m taking charge, and I want the Slavs disbanded. Would he help me do this? Because I, as a Slav myself, did not want to be part of the mafia and I wanted to try to relocate everyone in the Slav family, if that was possible. To allow Rosey and myself to have a good life. Like my mother wanted for us.

He couldn’t give me an answer immediately. He for sure knew something else was at play, but why would he care if this would give him the access he needed to meet, record, and relocate all the Slav members in New York? This was his moment to shine in front of his bosses. He was working under the Department of Justice at the end of the day.

As soon as he said he couldn’t give me an answer, Kai was outside the restaurant within a minute. Wearing his helmet, biking leathers, boots, and gloves, he revved his bike and motioned with his head for me to come out. I had to excuse myself, and I left in a hurry. Although, Christopher had enough time to tell me that he’d come back to me soon.

CHAPTER 12

KAI

Out of the three of us, Orion’s the one who would hold his horses down until a deal was done. He can control his emotions when needed. As for me, I’m a lost cause. I didn’t think I was a jealous person at all until I saw Maisy talking to Christopher Miller. She had a hidden mike on her, and Logan and I used binoculars to watch her closely, and, everything was fine until he looked at her tits. Our tits. I saw through his façade and recognized him for who he truly was, a man with lecherous intentions. And that wasn’t my emotions ruling my brain. Every gesture he made dripped with deviousness, a concoction most likely designed to ensnare Maisy. Or fuck her. One of the two.

And for someone so smart, I hate that she was unaware of the danger that lurked beneath Christopher’s charismatic veneer. At one point she leaned in close to him, her laughter so pure I bet he thought he stood a chance. All the while, my heart twisted with anguish, and my knuckles were white with suppressed rage. And when he told her he couldn’t give her an answer today, it was clear any more time spent with him was of no use to us.

“I’m getting her,” I grumbled to Logan. I revved up my bike and rode over to the restaurant. No one stopped me. Orion must’ve heard me via his earpiece but said nothing, and Logan probably agreed with me.

It wasn’t rehearsed, but once Maisy heard me, she stood up. She said her goodbyes and hurried out to meet me. There weren’t any words exchanged between us; I just handed her the helmet and she climbed on the bike.

Orion and Logan met us at the penthouse. Sitting on the couch, back in their three-piece-suit attire after months of wearing sweatpants, they looked like the menacing mafia heads they are. But no matter what we wore, whether leather biker gear or an impeccable suit, our thoughts were the same.

Maisy’s naïve voice filled the room, breaking the silence. “That went well, don’t you think?”

Orion’s eyes narrowed. “It did? How so?”

“Um, well, he couldn’t give me an answer immediately, but I knew that would happen. He’ll have to go and talk to his boss.”

Orion and Logan looked at each other. Maisy held her ground, but I thought we’d all go crazy if she had to talk to him again.

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