Page 37 of Twisted Obsession

Mika’s eyes bore into me, but he says nothing. An effective tactic to get someone to speak in order to fill the silence. “I found Vito already dead and Maricela unconscious beneath him…”

I pause and drag my fingers through my hair. “I moved him slightly, so he wasn’t completely crushing her, then I got out of there.”

I can feel Kaiden’s eyes on me. For whatever reason, he never did confront me about my actions that night, and as far as I know, he didn’t speak out about it to anyone else, either, so I owe it to him to have his back. Cutting a look his way, I tell Mika, “I bumped into Kaiden on the way back to my room and stopped him from going to report to Vito, so he didn’t get caught there himself. Then I asked him to send a text asking one of Vito’s goons todeliver the update, so neither of us were in the frame, but I didn’t actually tell him what was going on.”

I feel, rather than see, Kaiden’s jolt of surprise, but it draws Mika’s gaze to him.

“Is that accurate, Kaiden?”

“Pretty much,” Kaiden agrees, cutting his eyes towards me. “Dominic was covered in blood and told me I needed to trust him. When I asked him why he wouldn’t tell me what was going on, he told me I needed plausible deniability… I guess I understand why, now.”

“And yet you didn’t think to bring any of this to me.”

It’s a statement rather than a question and Kaiden narrows his eyes at Mika. “However I felt about Vito, his death was still a shock,” Kaiden says, his eyes never wavering from Mika’s face. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do a couple of mental fist pumps after the fact.”

The two of them engage in what is just short of a staring match for long seconds before Kaiden continues. “Then, in the aftermath, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, if I’m honest, and expecting to wake up dead.”

Mika cocks an eyebrow but says nothing. “In the end, Dominic did me a solid when he stopped me walking in on the scene. And since he had my back, I had his in return. No matter what you might think after our last little ‘chat,’ I’m not in the business of ratting out my… colleagues, unless there’s a fucking good reason.”

“And you didn’t think Vito’s death was a good enough reason?” Mika asks, his eyes narrowing to slits.

“Dominic said he didn’t do it. If I can’t trust the word of the people I work with, then there’s nothing for me in this place.” He says the words with a large dose of venom and hatred. We all know Kaiden never chose to be here.

Finally, Mika gives a slow nod. “Good.”

What?

A single word with no context.

What the fuck is good?

What Kaiden said?

What I said?

The outcome of this meeting?

But the one thing you don’t do is question the boss, so Kaiden and I sit and wait, our faces blank.

Both Mika and Ares stare back at us with inscrutable expressions, and I swear I can feel the tension ramping up in the room as I wonder if I’m going to be wearing a bullet through the forehead any moment now.

A bead of sweat trickles down my spine and I clench my jaw.

Then Mika throws his head back and laughs.

Fucking laughs!

Kaiden and I chance a look at each other.

“Okay guys, you’re clear,” he finally says, a shit-eating grin still on his face. Likely because the fucker knows exactly what he just put us through. “And for the record, from now on, the pair of you will be on my personal payroll. Understand?”

Kaiden blinks, looking kind of nonplussed.

“What?” Mika asks, catching the expression, but Kaiden shakes his head.

“Kaiden, we’ve just established that we have each other's back, so what is it?”

Vito’s pseudo-son looks almost embarrassed before he asks, "How much will I be paid?” with an odd inflection in his voice that has us all frowning.

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