Page 99 of The Devil's Chaos

“Seems your brother wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on you. Comes with the job.”

“Your father is the fucking police commissioner, Kai. I can’t. If he’s been watching me, do you know how many charges he could bring against me?”

“He won’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because if he tries anything uncouth, I’ll kill him.”

I stared at him as I tried to process his casual threat against his father. “Kai, you can’t just kill your father,” I said softly, cupping his face. “He’s still your blood.”

His jaw clenched under my palm. “Blood means nothing if he tries to hurt you. You’re my family now, Haven. I won’t let anyone take you from me, not even him.”

“What about The Brotherhood? I’m sure there is some sort of retaliation for sons killing their fathers and leaders of the organization.”

A shadow passed over his face at the mention of The Brotherhood. “The Brotherhood has rules, yes. But if my father breaks those rules by threatening you when he knows you’re under my protection, then those rules no longer apply to me. If he moves against you, he’s moving against me. The others will understand that.”

Uncertainty churned in my gut. The politics of mafia-esque families were complex and often brutal. I knew Kai held a high rank, but would it be enough to shield him from the consequences of patricide? Even if it was justified in his eyes?

“I don’t want you to choose between me and your family, Kai. I know how these ‘families’ operate. I’m not worth tearing apart The Brotherhood, and what I know would result in your death.”

His eyes flashed with blue fire as he gripped my face in his hands. “You are worth everything to me. Don’t you get that by now? I would burn the whole fucking world down for you, Haven.”

Kai was lethal in his protectiveness of me. It was a heady feeling, knowing I had that kind of devotion from a man like him. A man who was all hard edges and ruthless power. Butwhen he looked at me, all I saw was tenderness and unwavering loyalty.

I stretched up to press a soft kiss to his lips, trying to calm the simmering violence I could feel coiled in his muscles. “Thank you. For putting me first. No one's ever done that before.”

Something painful flickered in Kai's eyes, there and gone in a flash. "Get used to it, little lamb. You'll always be my first priority. Now and forever."

Forever.

The word echoed in my mind as Kai pulled me back into his arms, tucking me against his heart. Could we really have forever in a world as treacherous as ours? Where death and betrayal lurked around every corner?

I wanted to believe in Kai's promise with every fiber of my being. I wanted our love to be the stuff of legends, unbreakable and eternal. But a small, bitter voice in the back of my head whispered that nothing lasted forever. Especially not in our world. A world where loyalty was bought and sold like a commodity, where bonds were forged and broken on the whims of power-hungry men. I had seen firsthand how quickly everything could change, how the ground could crumble beneath your feet without warning.

But for now, I let myself believe in the shelter of Kai's embrace. I let myself sink into the fantasy that our love could withstand any storm, that we could carve out a piece of happiness in the midst of all the chaos and violence.

We lay tangled together as the first light of dawn began to seep through the curtains, clinging to each other as if we could somehow merge into one being, inseparable and unbreakable.

But all too soon, the outside world intruded. A sharp knock at the door jolted us from our cocoon, and Kai let out a low growl of irritation. He pressed a hard kiss to my forehead beforeuntangling himself from me and stalking to the door, his posture tense and alert.

He cracked open the door, his body blocking my view of whoever was on the other side. I heard the low murmur of voices, too quiet for me to make out the words. But I could read the tension in the line of Kai's shoulders, the way his fists clenched at his sides.

After a moment, he shut the door and turned back to me, his expression grim. “Get dressed. We have to go.”

“Go where?” I asked, my stomach twisted with apprehension as I slid from the bed.

“To see my father.” Kai's jaw ticked as he strode to the closet, pulling out a neatly pressed suit. “He's summoned us for a meeting.”

Ice slithered down my spine at his words. A summons from the head of The Brotherhood was not something to be ignored, even by his own son. Especially not by his own son.

“Why?” I forced the question past my numb lips as I fumbled into my clothes, my fingers clumsy with fear.

“I don't know,” Kai admitted, his voice tight. “But whatever it is, we'll face it together. I won't let him hurt you, Haven. I swear on my life.”

I met his fierce gaze, drawing strength from the unwavering conviction I saw there. Kai would go to war for me, even against his own blood. The knowledge was both thrilling and terrifying. I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders as I finished dressing, suddenly self-conscious.

What exactly does the daughter of The Brotherhood’s enemy wear to meet one of the top leaders of the most powerful gang in New York?

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