Page 65 of Darkness

“I thought we could all go out for dinner, we haven't spent any time together, and I would like it if you two could spend time together.” She looks at Logan who still hasn’t even glanced my way and I shake my head.

“I tried, he wants nothing to do with me. Now it’s up to him.” I could have lied and said I’ve been busy, or some crap like that,but no. She can blame him, and he can listen to it. “Did Autumn-Rose come talk to you today?” I ask.

Autumn has been scared to talk to my mom, for two reasons. One she thinks because I don’t have the best relationship with her and was worried it would be weird for us, and two she thought mom would say no.

“She did and I love the idea. At the weekend we’re getting together to get things started, as she wants the window display done quickly.” Mom smiles, and looks over at Logan sitting on the couch, but I ignore him and look out the window at the cage coming up. “She’s a lovely girl, I’m happy you’ve found a girl who is so nice, and sweet.” I don’t say anything and listen to the bouncers in my ear as they moan about some guy wanting to get into the club but he is already wasted. “Both my boys are in a relationship, now it’s time to see who makes me a grandma first.”

Now that makes me laugh, something I’ve never thought about, but then again I never thought I would have a woman live with me. Things can change, Autumn-Rose would be a great mom, and I would make sure my kids never had the fucked up life I did.

“Cain, he’s here. And pushing his way to your office.” I hear Lincoln panic in my ear.

“Fuck.” I quickly move around the desk, put on my jacket, and turn to Logan and my mom. “You work for me, you’re here looking for your daughter. Do not call me by my name, do not say a word. You stay there and stay quiet.” Logan goes to say something to me, and I stop him. “You think I’m fucking about? I’m not. Shut up, say nothing," I snap at him. “A man is coming, and he doesn’t need to know who you are.”

He needs to know I’m not fucking around right now, though.

The door opens and I look over at the man I would love to kill, but I took him out of The Pit with a fucked up truce. Fucking truce, but now he’s trying to work around it.

“Mr. Cain, you’re a hard man to get a meeting with,”he talks in Chinese so Logan and mom don’t understand him. I lean on the edge of my desk, looking at the four other men who have walked into my office, and Lincoln stands by the door.

“And you're a man whose head I’d happily rip off.”My tone is the same as it is always, I don't need him knowing how much rage runs through me when I look at him.

“And who do we have here?” He looks over at my mom.

“She’s looking for her drug addict daughter, thought she works here. She doesn’t.” I look over at his men walking around the office, Lincoln watching two of them, while I watch the others.“What do you want?”I ask. Being in The pit with him, and other men who spoke Chinese I picked it up quickly, I can have a full conversation with someone, and they wouldn’t even be able to tell it’s not my first language.

“My son.”I have to laugh at his request, because we both know that will not happen.“Now is the time to give him back,”he shouts and I fold my arms over my chest. I watch him as he stands in front of me. “We wouldn’t want you to get hurt now would we?” His question makes me smile.

Now I’ve watched this man fight in The Pit, I watched him kill grandad; I know what he can do, and it’s nothing good.

“I want my son out. Now.” Mr. Yang demands, and I stay where I am, just watching him move around my office.

Never show weakness. Never show them they have scared you. Never show them they’ve affected you. Never show them anything.

“Mr. Cain, I know you’ve been looking into my family from the moment you got out, so I have no doubt you know what we are capable of.” Mr. Yang walks closer to me, and I take themoment to peek over at mom who has been fidgeting with her bracelet, and Logan is keeping a very good poker face.

I know what his family is capable of, the Chinese mafia, who have killed more than enough families to take over New York. Some things that I’ve heard them do are scary. The only reason I’m not scared is because I know they would never kill me, because the day they do, The Pit has orders to kill his son.

“I’m sure even a ghost has a weakness.”

Now I laugh which annoys him because I see his right eye starting to twitch. “When you find it, please do let me know. Now whatever it is you want the answer is no.”

I study Huang, Mr. Yang's grandson as he stands in front of me. He looks just like his dad, but more built. I can see Mr. Chan Yang is making his grandson the next in line, knowing very well his son will never walk free. He needs someone to take over. I turn to the man standing next to him, his bodyguard, who I don’t recognize from any pictures. He continues to walk around the office, behind me and out of sight. I don’t like it. I fight every muscle so that I don’t turn around and stare at him and whatever he is doing in my office.

“Let my father go, or-”

“Oh little boy, if I wanted to I could kill you without even breaking a sweat.” I say, making Lincoln laugh, and the corner of my lips curl into a smile. Oh, so easy to get under his skin, this should be fun.

I focus on the man walking behind me. He walks with a heavy foot, but then he walks softly. He’s up to something, and I take a quick look at Lincoln to watch him, and he gives me a nod.

“You want to try-” He stops when Mr. Yang places his hand on his grandson's chest.

“Back away, you haven’t seen what he can do, I have. The man is a monster.” Now I do smile, a monster. They call me a monster, but it’s them who made me who I am.

“You give me my son, then you can live your life without worrying when I will attack you.” Mr. Yang tells me, as I continue listening to the sounds behind me.

“I don’t look over my shoulder now and don’t plan to. Someone taught me how to listen to the things around me, listen to how people move, they also taught me to never let the enemy stand behind you, because they will attack you, no matter how smart they are.” I quickly move out of the way, when the stupid bodyguard pulls a knife on me.

I grab his hand quickly, slam his head on the desk a few times, and bring the knife and stab it through his hand. He screams and Huang moves to step closer to me, but stops when Mr. Yang shouts at him to stop.

---