Page 142 of Knights Game

He says nothing. But his warmth and steadiness radiate into me, the soft caress of his fingertips run up and down my arm. He swirls a pattern on the top of my hand before running back up. Rinse and repeat.

The silence stretches.

“What’s going to happen?” I ask. I tip my head up to see the profile of his beautiful face.

Half his face is in the shadow, half in light.

He’s ruthless, cunning, dangerous, but he’s also caring, protective, honest, and kind. He just doesn’t show the light side of him to many other people.

He’s built an empire; he’s built a family. His own fucked up family, but it’s a family all the same.

Roman, Isla, Henry, and the rest of his inner circle, they would all die for him.

“I can plan all night, Layla, but I can’t sit here and tell you what’s going to happen next, because I don’t know. What I doknow is I will die before anything happens to you.” He leans down and places a kiss on my forehead. I close my eyes. “I’m sorry.”

I shift and the chair swings. “I don’t think you’re really to blame for this one.”

“Maybe not, but I could have stayed away.”

“No. No you couldn’t. Will you tell me about her? Your mum.”

A wistful smile spreads across his face, a longing expression fills his eyes. “She was bold and brave. That fire in you, she had it too.”

“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, grinning, and he pinches my side making me squirm against him.

“John and she were never close as kids. Back then, women were kept out of business. But as I got older and we were brought closer to the Covenant's operations, she started to naturally get closer too. John was never supposed to take the seat, it was supposed to be my father. But he was killed, so John inherited it and took over from my grandfather. When that happened, we were moved into John’s house for protection. Once you become a leader the target on your back gets bigger.”

“So, you grew up with Levi?”

“I did, we used to be close. Really close. Inseparable actually. But he started seeing me as a threat, I was next in line. Not him. When he was old enough to realise that, everything became a competition. And then when I was eight, Mum became pregnant.

“I think that’s why John brought us in closer. I had no father figure. We may not be the most traditional family, but we have values, and family is everything. Mum, unfortunately, fell in love with the wrong man and ended up carrying the baby of the leader of the biggest Russian arms dealer in London.”

“Oh, blimey.”

He lets out a laugh. “Such a way with words. And yes, oh, blimey. I always assumed her death was something to do with the Russians. I personally saw it as an opportunity, as did Mum, an opportunity to have allies outside the families. But the Covenant thought allies were not something you publicly had. We didn’t want a piece of the weapons trade.”

“And you said it was a girl?”

“She would have been 24 this year.”

“Why do you think your mum did it?”

“Fucked a Russian?”

“No, you idiot.” I whack his arm. “Worked with my parents.”

“I can only imagine it was something to do with protecting herself, me, the baby, and maybe the fucking Russian. Who knows.”

“What happened to the Russian?”

“Disappeared.”

“Which is code for killed.”

“See, sunshine, you do understand my world.”

“I’m sure you said something once about sarcasm and it being the lowest form of humour.”

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