"That woman is going to be the death of me. Next time I'm just going to call Ana. It was painful. I just had to stand there and watch a beautiful woman shower. She walked out completely naked and then just walked away. It didn't even bother her that she was exposed to me!" Max rants loudly in the kitchen.
"You know, It's obvious she is getting back at you for all the teasing." Max whips his head around and glares at me.
"Shut up Alek. You weren't there." Max is obviously worked up.
"I bet it feels exactly like watching that same woman come right in front of you without it being you who did it. Torture." I snap back at him and he closes his mouth.
"She's so beautiful... I just can't seem to control myself around her. Rik can't either. He kissed her earlier and then ran out. When he sent me in there he was so flustered. I was with her twice as long as I should've been torture is the right word for that. Though, I don't think I've ever seen him like that."
"Rurik kissed her?" I could hardly believe it. He is such a stone wall.
"Oh, and she beat Lev's ass in boxing." I choked on my glass of water.
"She what? Lev's one of our best fighters. How did she do that?" Max starts laughing at the memory.
"She's fast. She kept up on boxing because her dad told her to. She completely analyzed him. She knew his left leg had been injured years ago because he hides it behind him. She critiqued his stance. When he started getting tired from missing her repeatedly. She knocked him out and then panicked and made sure he was okay. It was so funny to watch because Lev was so overly confident and she just curb stomped him."
"How did Lev take it?" My second is quite short tempered.
"He laughed with us. He could hardly believe it happened. He's watching her now isn't he?" I nod. How odd. Lev would be furious if anyone of my men beat him like that. Max cleared his throat and got my attention. "I know we've talked about why she is here but I think circumstances are changing. Well... they are for me and Rurik at least. I like her and I think we could convince her to stay without forcing her. I don't mean to speak out of turn though."
"She's certainly changing things." I stand and walk out. I know I shouldn't feel angry at Max. He was speaking true. I'm just not happy about it. I start up the stairs to her room. It's my turn to watch her I guess.
"Hey Boss. Your turn?" I nod and Lev immediately leaves the room like he was running from the plague. I scan the room for her. She sits on the window seat wrapped in a blanket with a book in hand.
"Come to check on your prisoner." I can hear the bitterness in her voice.
"It's my turn to watch you but I think you are treated much better than any prison we have ever had. Max would know best he does torture them for information." I notice her pale. Max must not have told her that. "Did he not tell you?"
"No. You guys are each monsters so it isn't surprising." She spits fire back.
"Careful, love. You'll break our hearts." I see her eyes flicker. She must think so highly of my friends. Contemplating if it's worth breaking their hearts. I take a couple steps closer to her. I can see her flinch.
"Why can't you just leave me alone. I didn't betray your father and it's not my fault you wanted to hunt him down." God! She makes me so angry. Maybe I should tell her why she is really here. I mean I do have all the information on her old boyfriend.
"The reason why you're here is because of your father. The reason why you are staying is another reason entirely." I think I will tell her. It make her more useful to us. She could be a tool in my mafia rather than some bastard's.
"What are you talking about? All you've ever asked me about is my father." I laugh. She still hasn't put the pieces together.
"What about what Max asked you before you came on his hand?" She froze. Eyes trained on a spot on the floor. "I did tell you Max is the one who usually tortures for information right?" She turned bright red. She knew exactly what I was talking about.
"Why did you make him do that?" I couldn't help but laugh.
"I didn't make him do anything. I told him to get information on your career choices and he did by whatever means. However, The rest of us were watching and I can tell you we weren't expecting quite the show." The red in her face deepens. She angry and embarrassed.
"Why did you need to know that stuff?" Her voice was shaking.
"Can I sit down?" She looked at me like I was crazy. "If you want to know more information, you are going to let me sit down with you." I see her slowly scoot to the side.
"Thank you, love. You told Max that your boyfriend pushed you towards this job. Well I did some digging on him and it seems his intentions were anything but pure." Her eyes are glue on me and quite watery. "Weston Hanson is actually Weston Kelly. He is a bastard son to the Irish Mafia leader. He intended on marrying you, am I correct in thinking this?"
"Yes..." Her voice is barely a whisper.
"From what I understand he was going to trap you by marriage to work for the Irish Mafia in their pursuit to forge counterfeit pieces of artwork to sell for millions. The reason why you have to stay with us is because the Irish Mafia has already shown that they will do anything to get you in their grasp. They have already given us many presents for taking you." The bitterness shown through in my voice. I couldn't help it. Receiving one of my men's hands in a box is something I don't get the pleasure of experiencing often enough.
Suddenly she places her hand on mine. I turn my head abruptly to look at her. Her eyes are watery but she doesn't look sad.
"I'm sorry you have to deal with all of these issues especially because they're my fault. I do want to thank you for protecting me. I never knew that stuff about Weston and... I guess I'm glad I didn't marry him." She turns away and looks at her hands. I can't help but stare at her. What the fuck is wrong with her? Apologizing? She seems so strong but also so fragile. I start to analyze her. Her hands are shaking and her breaths are really shallow. The realization hit me. She starting to have a panic attack because she is internalizing everything I just said.
"Kenna." She doesn't look at me. I grab her face in my hands and turn her head towards me. She is stiff. "Kenna, you need to breathe." She closes her eyes. "No! Look at me and breathe." I can't hold my anger from her. She opens her eyes and slows her breaths. After several minutes her breathing is back to normal. "Kenna, what the hell? I thought you would have worked through this shit by now. Panic attacks really? Just work through your damn emotions. You aren't a child anymore."
She blinked up at me in astonishment. "I haven't had a panic attack in years probably because I was away from all of the shit you just dragged me back into!" I couldn't help but smile. She came back swinging. "You kidnap me, treat me like a criminal, tell me my fiancé is in the Mafia and then expect me to just deal with it? What the hell is your problem, Alek?"
"He wasn't your fiancé. He was only your boyfriend." I couldn't help but pick out the inaccuracies in her statement.
"Fuck You!" Her anger was apparent, and it sparked mine.
"Oh? You want me to fuck you? Is that why you have been seducing my friends, my brothers? That's why you came on Max's hand and made him watch you shower? That's why you kissed Rurik? You want to be fu-" Just then her hand came down on my face. I paused for a moment and then met her eyes. Fear and Anger burned in them with the gravity of what she just did. Stepping forward I backed her into the wall and I gripped her throat hard enough to get my point across. "You. Will not. Raise a hand against me again. You are here as a courtesy. If you would prefer, I would have no problem sending the Irish Mafia your severed head." I glance at my watch. "Rurik will be here in 3 minutes. He will be given direct order not to talk to you or take you out of this room." I let go of her neck and take a step back. "Enjoy your prison, Elbows."
As I put my handle on the door I hear her mumble. "I thought you were a dick when we were kids but now it seems you're a hardass too." I couldn't help but grimace as I left her for her 3 minutes.
