BLOODHOUNDS #2: THE TAKER

Chapter 40 - ONE LAST TIME

Kayden Grant

Ever since I told her that I was willing to give her a divorce, she turned silent. She didn't say a word when we ate or in the car on the way to the hotel.

Something within me believed that she would change her mind, and I don't blame her for wanting it because I did hurt her in a lot of ways.

When we entered our hotel room, she walked in immediately, and I let her have her alone time. I stayed in the living room, taking care of my email, when suddenly I heard sobbing from the bedroom.

I got up and walked towards the bedroom, opening the door slowly. She was sitting on the bed, crying like a baby, and when she saw me, she wiped her tears right away.

I sat on the chair before the bed, giving her space and letting her figure out what she wanted to say to me. I let her cool down first.

"Why are you crying, Mon Avenir?"

"I don't know." That came out as a whisper from her.

"I'll make sure you get the abdication this week, and then we can go back to Seattle. You still have both apartments in New York and Seattle. You can choose to go to New York if you want." She avoided my eyes.

"Why do you suddenly give me a choice?"

"You've always wanted a choice because if you ask me, I don't want a divorce, but if you insist and if it makes you happy, then I'll just watch you from afar," I said, and she let a sigh.

"Everything happened so fast. You tricked me into marrying you when I don't know how you feel towards me. I don't know if you only want me for the shares or me for me." I got up and walked towards her. I sat in front of her and grabbed both of her hands.

"What do you want me to do to prove it?"

"Everything that you did for me was enough, but I still can't believe that you love me. It doesn't feel real. Because..." She suddenly hugged me.

"Because what?" I caressed her back.

"Because I feel the same way." I hugged her tighter.

Did I hear her right?

"I felt it right away when you sent me to New York." She pulled away and unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a scar on her chest.

"My chest was hurting, and I can't believe I told you I wanted to be in New York. You scared me a little, but then I realized I was so new to your world, but I wanted to be a part of it." I put my hand on her scar, tracing it, and she gulped nervously.

"When you tricked me into signing the marriage certificate, I had mixed feelings about it. It felt like a dream to me." I pulled her into a hug again.

"Now that you told me about your feelings, you have no choice but to stay with me." I kissed the top of her head, "I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry too, and I was a wreck." She started to cry.

"Hey... stop crying. It's not something you should be sorry for, but I don't want to apologize for tricking you into marriage because that was one of my best decisions." She pulled away and nodded. She wiped all her tears, and my eyes landed on the scars on her chest.

It was apparent she clawed her chest with her nails.

"The thought of me not seeing you again hurt me. I really can't imagine my life without you. It was weird to feel this way when we just met in a very short period." I kissed her on the cheek.

"I can't believe you saw me earlier this year." I smiled, and she chuckled as she wiped her tears again.

"I know. Something about your blue eyes..." She stared at me and slowly leaned to kiss me. She cupped my face and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she pushed me so I lay on the bed.

"Mr.Grant!" We both turned to the door, and I got up first. Hugo entered the room, and his face was as pale as a ghost.

"What is it?"

"The King revealed your past to all the news stations, and your family confirmed the facts." I turned to Tatiana, who looked shocked.

"Take her back to Seattle and have her stay with Clyde and Luna," I said, and Tatiana ran to me.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, and I put my hands on her shoulders, looking at her thoughtfully.

"I'm going to fix everything, but I don't want you to be in the picture," I said, and she nodded. "Can I stay with you instead?"

"I don't want you to get involved with the bloodbath that I have with my family. I need to fix it on my own, and I promise I'll come back to you as soon as I can." I kissed her and planned to go with Hugo, but she held me back.

"What are you going to do with my family? Will you kill them?" I know exactly why she asked those questions.

"Do you want me to spare them?" I asked, and she let go of my hand. "I trust you, and I think you know exactly what I want."

"When I return, we'll have a grand wedding, Mon Avenir. I swear after that wedding, no one will bother us anymore." I kissed her cheek, and she nodded.

"Please be safe... and I love you." I pulled her into a hug and kissed her. "I love you more, Mon Avenir. I promise this will be the last issue that we have."

"I believe you." I pulled away and turned to Hugo, who was busy with his phone.

"Take her back to Seattle, go to the headquarters first, and ensure she stays with The Nielsens for a few days." Hugo turned to me and nodded. He gave me my phone, and we left the hotel room.

"Rodi, Sage, and Jamal will be here in 2 minutes. They're on their way here with the team." He left me after I got into the elevator down to the lobby. He immediately went back to take care of Tatiana.

I walked out, and Rodi greeted me. Jamal opened the car window and waved at me. Sage came in his motorcycle, and he threw me a pocket knife and a gun.

"Are we killing the King today?" Sage asked as he opened the cover to his helmet.

"We're going to torture some people, boys. Let's go to the office."