Köhler (Book 9 of the Köhler Series)

𝐋𝐗𝐈𝐕

"Why would you do something so fucking dumb, Adriel?"

"Dumb would have been no stepping forward and allowing him to stab me beside my brother. He was aiming his blade at Elijah's heart. A little cut on my side wasn't nothing compared to what he would have done to him." He explained that although he didn't know the man had the knife, he wasn't going to tell his wife that while she was upset.

"You are so fucking stupid! Look at you. You allowed this man to beat you like this. Did you even think about me and what I would feel if you died? Or was it just your spoiled ass children and siblings? I have never seen you this bruised before after a fight, and you acting like everything is A-okay because Elijah wasn't fucking."

Xerxes thought Riley was getting help. Before he left, he sensed something had changed in her, but now he wasn't seeing it. Maybe it was because she was upset with him, but he did think about her. He thought about them all. Xerxes sighed as his wife took his face between her hands and rubbed her tub across the cut below his eye before kissing his face to her lips. "Don't do that again. And I didn't mean what I just said. I'm glad you saved Eli's crazy ass, and you at least let Barkley in on your plan, and he wasn't dumb enough not to tell our son the truth. Thank you, Bark." She smiled as the man's head tilted to the side.

"Don't yuh ever call me that name again. Ark should do just fine, yeah. And yuh welcome." He nodded, making Riley laugh. Xerxes found out some months ago that he hated the name but would let everyone find out on their own. Still, Ri did something that surprised Xerxes as she hugged the man standing behind him and left the room. Moments later, Xylia ran in smiling.

"Daddy, you're back! Oh, hey, Barkley." Xylia said, hugging X as she waved at the man now on the side of him. Again, Barkley gave a small nod with a smile.

"Yuh, getting big. Last Mi saw yuh, wasn't even showing."

"I wasn't, was I? That was two months ago. The baby is growing fast. You want to feel it move?" She asked as Barkley looked over at Xerxes, but Xylia quickly pulled his hand to her belly.

"It feels funny, doesn't it?" She laughed as Ark smiled and placed both hands on her belly.

"Naw, Mi like it. Active little one."

"Well, I hate it when it starts in the middle of the night. Tomorrow I get to see what I'm having. Are you going to stay for the baby reveal?"

Something about that question caused the man's eyes to light up while Xerxes looked between him and his daughter. He swiftly cleared his throat with a raised eyebrow, making Xylia look at him. On the other hand, Barkley stared at him like he was crazy.

"Where's Henry?"

"Home, I suppose. He told me that we were better off as friends and co-parents. Why did you want to speak with him?"

"No, Barkley, shouldn't you call your wife to let her know you are back here safe and sound," Xerxes asked. Xylia quickly got the picture as she left the room, leaving the two men alone again.

"My daughter is off limits. Especially since you are married. I don't know if it's the fact you know she can give you what wife cannot, but she will not be a tool in somebody's sick plot. And I thought you loved your wife so damn much. Why the fuck are you looking at my daughter. I can't kill you, Ark, but I can fuck your ass up."

"Xerxes, it was called being nice and.... And Trinika left me. Unlike yuh and your mafia, we have a thing called divorce. When your parents force marriage upon yuh at fourteen, and by the age of twenty, no children, the wife, and husband have the right to divorce. She couldn't give me an heir, so she left." He said, making Xerxes turn to the man confused.