Page 35 of Kaid's Empire

He nods. “Yes,” he answers before I can ask my next question. “Yes, I killed him. I did more than kill him, I tortured him, and I don’t feel bad for doing it.”

I nod, not saying anything because I'm sure that I would feel the same if it was my mother. I don’t think I'm capable of murder, but I know I would certainly want to hurt them.

“So, what was your plan? Trick me and hold me hostage forever until I would fall in love with you, and then share who you really are with me?”

His head snaps up. “You love me?” he growls.

My eyes go wide. “I didn’t say that, I meant it as a scenario, a what if,” I rush out.

“It wasn’t a trick, I wanted you to get to know me. I told you that me being a Pakhan is just a small part of who I am. It’s not exactly easy and I needed to know you would trust me––”

“How could I ever trust you when you have the police, the politicians, royalty and apparently the fucking world in your pocket? The kind of power where you can say and do whatever you want and I would never know,” I snap and jump to my feet. “No, you needed to know you could trust me! That I wouldn’t blab, that I wouldn’t run. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? Even if I wanted to run for the hills right now you wouldn’t let me. Bottom line, you’ve trapped me, you played me. Congratulations, you’ve won, and now we can get married and I will be a good little mafia wife and pretend like you haven’t just sold some drugs to a kid or killed someone for talking about you. Then we can go for a nice drive out and wait for our turn of you getting shot and me drowning in a trapped car in a frozen fucking lake,” I seethe.

I watch as he grits his jaw tight. His eyes have turned black with rage, but he doesn’t say anything, he just walks out, slamming the door behind him.

Twenty-Five

Theia

I don’t leave the room; I stay curled up in bed. It’s like I've gone full circle. Six weeks ago I was held up in this room, fighting him, and now here I am, right where I started.

There's a knock on my door. “Piss off,” I yell.

The door opens. “That’s no way to talk to your mother.” I jump up from the bed.

“Mum?!” I scream, hugging her tightly in my arms. “What are you doing here?” I sob.

“Well, Kaid rang me and said you two have had a falling out and that he thought you could do with me cheering you up, so here I am.” She smiles. “I must say, I knew he had money but not this kind of money.” She gasps.

“Yeah, well, it’s more than a falling out, Mum, he lied to me.” I sigh, taking a seat.

“Yeah, I know, love, he told me.” She sighs.

“I don’t think you get it, Mum. I can’t tell you everything but it’s bad. Like really bad.”

“I know he's a mobster,” Mum blurts out, surprising me.

“You know?” I ask in disbelief.

“Of course I know. Honestly, sweetheart, I've known ever since I first spoke with him. Do you not think I would have asked for a full background check? And if he had lied to me, I would have made his life a living hell. He knew this, so he knew the best way was to answer me honestly.” She shrugs. I stare at my mother, wondering who in the hell she is.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. Listen to me, it’s time for a few truths from me as well. Your father was a shit, he was a criminal. He was part of a gang. I was young and thought it was exciting. Now, believe me, his gang was nothing like Kaid’s, it was unorganised and chaotic. Dangerous. They thought they were big time, when in reality, they were little boys that were going around and pissing off the real gangsters. The problem was that your father chased the money, he chased the power, and that is what got him put in prison. Well, last I heard he was serving a life stretch. I left him when I found out I was pregnant with you. Best decision I ever made.” She smiles, squeezing my cheek.

“Mum, if you telling me this to try and convince me that I should stay with Kaid then you're doing a real shit job,” I point out.

“Listen to what I am saying. I didn’t love your father, not really. I was young and stupid. You're twenty-eight, you're smart and beautiful. Now, I'm not excusing what Kaid does or is, what I am saying is I trust him.” I look at Mum, surprised. “I know, I know, and believe me, I've already told him I don’t like what he does, nor do I never want to know. But what I do see in him is that he loves you, fiercely. He would lay down his life for you and kill anyone that would cause you harm. As a mother, that is all we ever want for our children. He would never put you at risk. He could have continued to lie to you and keep that part of his life secret from you, but he wanted to tell you, he wanted to be honest and show you all sides of him.” She smiles, tucking my hair behind my ear.

I stare at her. “Who are you and what have you done with my mum?” I laugh. “My own mother is telling me that I should brush aside the fact that the guy I have been dating is a murderer.”

“No, I didn’t say brush it aside, I said accept it. He is what he is, he was born and raised in that world. You were born and raised in a very different world; you just need to figure out if you can both bring those worlds together. Well, that’s even if you want to.” She nudges me. “Well, I know you do, because you both love each other.”

I huff. “I never said that I love him.”

“Don’t pretend with me, young lady, I raised you. You love him, and that’s why––since he's been honest with you––you’ve shut yourself away in here for the last three days, too scared to face up to it,” she chastises me.

“Mum, it’s like I don’t even know you. Where is the woman that is a free loving hippy? Where is the mum that wouldn’t stop panicking if I didn’t text her because she was scared a rich man would try and sell me?” I ask, raising my brow.

“I'm still here, and I know I can go a bit overboard. I know that. That stems from your father, and I shouldn't have put that on you. But I've known bad people in my life, and I've known good people and I believe he is a good man underneath it all,” Mum assures.

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