Page 37 of Trident: Mayhem Makers

“You are adorably naive, Grace. Kenjiro will enjoy breaking you of that trait.”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to take the bait as I looked out at the green island we were closing in on.

“Silent treatment? Really? I wouldn’t have thought you’d be so childish, but at least you’re not swearing so I’ll not force you to answer me.”

Bastard liked the sound of his own voice way too much. The stewardess returned from the rear area now fully dressed and moved to the front where she strapped herself into a seat near the cockpit. I mentally shook my head at how put together she appeared. No one would ever guess she’d basically been the star of an orgy for the past several hours.

Blowing out a breath I turned back to the window, watching the little airport get bigger and bigger. I’d always wanted to visit Hawai’i, but not like this. And certainly not to live here forever. Tears stung my eyes at the thought of never seeing Taz, Flick or Lolly again. Of never meeting the new baby. Blinking faster, my heart nearly cracked open when Trident’s face filled my thoughts. He was so bloody perfect for me. Strong enough to stand up to me, his sense of humor was twisted enough he enjoyed bantering with me. He could command my body like no man ever had before. All he’d wanted was to show the world I was his and instead of accepting it with some grace, I went crazy bitch on him.

Thankfully, before I could go too far down that rabbit hole, the plane landed with a small bump, then slowed before taxiing toward an open hanger. Naturally, we weren’t going to the public airport where I may have been able to catch the attention of security. Not that I’d actually expected to be able to do that. Not with how this whole thing was playing out.

Once the plane had stopped and all the checks and shit had been done, a pair of armed men of Asian appearance came to stand near the door, on full alert. Uncle Terrence unclipped his seatbelt and stood, holding a hand to me.

“Come, Grace, it’s time to meet your new master.”

Fuck me, and I’d complained about Trident wanting to make me his property. At least he hadn’t wanted the title of being my master. No one would ever be my fucking owner. I wasn’t a fucking pet.

Knowing I needed to bide my time, I needed to play passive until Kenjiro underestimated me. Then I’d strike and break free. It was still hard to not lash out, verbally or physically to my uncle. Grinding my teeth, I undid my seat belt and put my hand in his, hating that I was being forced to touch him. Especially when I knew what he’d been doing with his hands recently.

He pulled me up with a tug that sent me slamming against his body.

“Did you not enjoy the in-flight entertainment, my dear?”

Glaring, I spoke quietly, so only he’d hear. “You will pay with your fucking life for what you’ve done. Mark my words.”

With a broad grin, teeth flashing, he laughed before moving my hand to the crook of his arm and leading me toward the exit. He stopped near the goons and dropping my hand, moved to open a cupboard. Frowning, I wondered what the hell he was doing. When he turned around to face me, the last thing I expected to see him holding was my handbag. Thanks to Animal lying about my phone, it was still in there. Refusing to give away how excited I was to have it back, I waited until he held it out to me before I lifted my hand to take it.

“In case we get stopped by airport security, you’ll need your ID. It will also help to keep our driver oblivious to the situation.” He frowned. “He is from a local service and not in the employ of Kenjiro. If you try to get him to aid you in any way, it’ll mean his death, and harsh punishment for you that’ll take considerable time for you to recover from. Do I make myself clear?”

Once more, I clenched my teeth so I didn’t verbally lash out in front of the armed guards and show them how much of a fighter I really was. I merely nodded as I slung my handbag over my shoulder. At the bottom of the stairs, I opened my bag and pulled out a lip balm, applying it to my dry lips before tossing it back in and making sure it was firmly closed. Uncle Terrance scowled my way.

“What? I didn’t drink enough water on the flight, my lips are chapped.”

He shook his head before marching over to the large black SUV. It took effort to not roll my eyes at the luxury Cadillac Escalade that was about the furthest thing anyone would thinkwhen they thought of Hawai’i. Guess all mobsters were alike in some ways.

Keeping silent as I watched the absolute gorgeous scenery pass by, I mentally took note of every turn and town name. If I could get free, I’d need to be able to return to the airport to get back to the mainland. When I’d told my uncle earlier that I’d been raised by an AFP agent to be everything he wouldn’t want me to have become, he seemed to think I was just throwing out bullshit, but I wasn’t. My adoptive father had taught me a lot, on top of what I learned in my training with the Australian Federal Police. I’d also taken martial arts my entire life, and had discovered early I had a natural talent with languages and could speak five fluently. I had a feeling the fact Japanese was one of them was going to come in rather handy.

When we finally pulled into a long drive, my jaw dropped at how pretty it was. Sure, it was big and fancy, but with the cream walls, brown timber accents and roof tiles, it was absolutely stunning. The lush green, perfectly manicured gardens, added to the opulent feel of the place. I cursed under my breath when we pulled up under a drive-through-carport area, like one you’d see at a boutique hotel. Not waiting for one of the goons to open my door, I let myself out and didn’t have to fake my awe as I took in everything. Uncle Terrence chuckled, clearly amused at my wonder, which I was only hamming up slightly so I could take a few extra moments to catalog what was around the house. Lots of the plants were big and bushy, good for hiding behind. But the two roaming guards were an issue. There was no way to know if they did their patrols twenty-four/seven. Hopefully they only walked the yard during the day, and just guarded the doors at night. I could work with that.

“Come on, Grace, let’s get you settled inside. Kenjiro will be here shortly, and he wants you showered and dressed appropriately for what he has planned.”

I could just imagine what “appropriate” meant in Kenjiro’s mind. Since he couldn’t see me, I rolled my eyes at my uncle, before I turned toward him.

“Yeah, whatever.”

As I slowly made my way toward the front door, I let my gaze track the leaving SUV, using it as an excuse to take in more of the grounds; noting the distance to the road, how far away the neighboring houses were. I was confident if I could find a way to sneak out of the house undetected during the night, I would be able to escape.

Stepping through the door when one of the guards held it open for us, I paused in shock.

“Whoa.”

“Shoes off, pet.”

Without taking my gaze off the view, I slipped my sandals off. While my adoptive parents had been well off, and I’d never wanted for anything I truly needed, I’d never been in such an opulent house before. Without thought, my feet carried me around the two plush white couches and fancy solid looking coffee table, stopping before I went out through the open bi-fold patio doors. The sight that greeted me was like a postcard come to life. A crystal clear pool, surrounded with comfortable looking loungers and large umbrella shades, beyond that was a vista of paradise. Mountains rose up on the other side of the small bay that was near the house, the water was blue, the sand white. Under any other circumstances, I’d have loved the chance to stay here.

Uncle Terrence wrapped his hand around my elbow and pulled me toward the northern wing of the house. “You’ve got the rest of your life to stand there staring at the view, right now you need to go freshen up and change before the others arrive.”

Easily keeping pace with him, I frowned. “Others?”

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