Page 73 of Darkness

“Go about your day, like nothing has happened, tell your friend everything, and don’t worry about a thing.” Cain walks over to me, gives me a small kiss, and tells me he will come pick me up once the shop is closed.

“I’ll see you later.” I tiptoe and give him a kiss. “I love you.” I whisper against his lips.

I’m still waiting for the day he says the three words to me, they will come. I know they will. He shows it to me every day, the words will slip out and I’ll be the happiest woman on the planet. My Prince Charming is really the devil in a sexy suit.

Twenty-Six

Cain

“You know son,when you get out of here promise when you need help go to the family.” Grandad sits on the bed with me, and wipes the blood from the cut below my eye. It was a nasty fight, it took everything in me not to cry out in pain. One thing I’ve learned down here, never show them how much it hurts, because they will prey on that.

“When we get out, I leave with you,” I tell him and flinch when he presses the towel on my cheek. “Can I ask a question?” A question I’ve wanted to ask for a while now, but always too scared of what the answer would be.

“I was waiting for you to ask me.” Grandad rinses the towel in the dirty water. I will probably get more of an infection from the water, then not treating the cuts.

“Is this place really safer than what would happen on the outside?” There is no way this could have been any better than fighting as a family out there.

Grandad looks around the cage, then outside when we hear a loud roar. “There are two families after us in the outside world. One will be your mom’s new husband. If he can kill your dad the way he did, he wouldn’t be scared to kill you, andthe other well they have been trying to kill us for a long time, and they would have got you to take revenge on me.” He stops talking, and bows his head, shaking it a little. “I got a lot of enemies, but one family tried to kill your dad when he was a baby, then as he got older they didn’t go after just him but your uncle as well.”

“Why? What did you do?” I ask.

“I had a hit, it was a clean-up job, another person messed it up, so I had to finish it.” He stops and I can see the pain frown on his forehead. “I got to the house, he was meant to be alone, this is the reason we now do our own research and not ask others.” Grandad wipes the blood on my face again, and I’ve never seen this painful look in his eyes before. I stop him from wiping the blood, and the look of pain stares back at me. “I shot, and killed his wife who was pregnant. I couldn’t finish the job, and left. Two weeks later he found me and said for the rest of my life, I would look over my shoulder, because he will kill someone who means the most to me.” There is nothing I can say, because grandad killed a woman and her baby.

“Cain, our job can be anyone. Politician, rapists, mafia, anyone, and I killed the head of the Chicago mafia’s wife. It was going to be a bloodbath, everyone knows you’re my weakness, and they would have made it hell until you died. This place is hell, but you’re alive.”

“For how long?” I ask, the family got me, the pain would end, but here I have no idea how long I’m living this hell. If my family were powerful why couldn’t they protect me?

“Cain, promise me you will let the family help when you need it.” Grandad asks again, not answering my question, because he doesn't have the answer.

“Promise.”

Walking into uncle David’s I see everyone is here. I got Lincoln to go back to the club, but to watch the flower shop on my laptop to make sure no one comes to the shop.

“Cain,” Uncle David pats my shoulder, and I follow him to the kitchen where I hear everyone talking. “What’s happening?” He asks as he fills a glass of whiskey for me.

“I told you all about Autumn and her stalker.” They all stop what they are doing and focus on me. “Yang sent her a gift from her stalker.”

“What?”

“Do they even know each other?”

“Where is she?”

Questions are coming from them all, I don’t even know who’s asking which question.

Uncle David tells everyone to stop talking, and then turns to me, waiting for me to answer some questions thrown at me.

“As far as I know they don’t know each other, I have no idea how Yang found him, she’s at the shop, Lincoln is watching the live feed, and I need everyone's help.” They all agree, without even knowing what I need from them. “I’m not showing Yang he’s got to me, and I fear what he will do. I’m not scared of him, but worried about what he will do to Autumn to get what he wants from me.”

“Cain, you can’t leave her alone.” Uncle David is the first one to speak.

“I know, but I can’t be with her all the time, Yang will know he’s found my weak spot. How do you all fancy popping into the shop for a few hours until it closes? I will be there now and again, but when I’m not, I’m hoping anyone will pop in throughout the day.” I’m not used to asking for help, normally Lincoln and I can do whatever needs doing, so being here is new to me.

“Done, between the six of us she will never be alone.” Uncle David is the one to answer, but I look at everyone to see if any ofthem are not on board. But they all give me a nod, even Mason who I know likes to spend his days sleeping or doing nothing.

“You think he’s going to make a move?” Declan asks.

“Yes, I just don’t know when. He’s going to do something until I break, all I need is something on him, so I can have the upper hand on him.” A part of me knows I’m being stupid, risking my family, risking Autumn, all because I refuse to bow down to him, but I remember what he did. I still close my eyes and see the look on his face when he killed grandad. No matter what, I have to live with letting grandad down so I can't let Yang win.

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