THE TEMPTRESS

||Baggage||

•KADEN•

A knock jolted me from my thoughts, and I motioned for the person outside to come in. Swiftly, I spun my chair around to face the man entering, his face etched with a scowl.

"You know I'm retired, right?" I chuckled, extending my hand for a handshake.

"Thanks for coming," he nodded, taking the empty chair in front of my desk.

"Alright, what's this about? I usually do favors for your father, so color me surprised when my wife told me you called instead."

I clasped my hands together on the table, giving him a direct look.

"There's someone I want you to run a background check on. Her name is Stephanie Grey, a close acquaintance. She's helping me with something, and in return, she needs my assistance in finding someone. But before I dive in, I need to know everything about her. Where she's from, who her parents are, where she stays, and what she's been up to for the past ten years. Every detail counts."

Rick just stared after I finished explaining. He remained silent, and I frowned at him.

Had old age affected his hearing?

He reached for the blank paper on my desk and a pen, scribbling Stephanie's name down. He folded the paper neatly and tucked it inside his jacket's breast pocket.

"I assume this should be a private investigation?" he asked.

I nodded and leaned back in my chair.

"Exactly. Any updates or new developments, report directly to me. I want no one else to know about this, especially my father."

He gave me a tight-lipped smile before rising from his seat.

"I retired for a reason, son. If things go south, it's on you."

I smirked at his warning.

"Don't worry, I'll handle any consequences, but I doubt anything will go wrong. You're our best private investigator for a reason."

"I'm getting old," he said.

"But you're never sloppy. So I trust you to get me all the information I need."

He narrowed his gaze at me before leaving the room. He exchanged glances with AJ in the doorway, and I frowned at him.

"What's up?"

"Your father called. He wants to see you. ASAP."

I rolled my eyes and gripped the pen tightly. Another interruption from the old bastard.

Can't he just chill the fuck out and stop summoning me every time?

Jesus Christ.

I ditched my study and hopped on my bike, heading straight to my father's safehouse. The guy refused to act like a regular retiree, jet-setting across the globe and meeting new faces.

No, he preferred the sunny streets of Miami, keeping tabs on me as if I'm some clueless kid incapable of handling the gang. What a fucking moron.

I wished he'd just kick the bucket already, so the rest of us could finally enjoy the peace we've been craving.

Zooming down the highway, I paused at a red light. As soon as it turned green, I took a left turn, cruising into the posh neighborhood where my father's safehouse sat.

The gates creaked open as I rolled in, parking my bike in front of the house before going inside.

My father was obsessed with cleanliness. His place was always spotless, smelling like detergent, a scent that made my stomach churn for reasons I couldn't explain.

I halted beneath the spiraling staircase, my gaze falling on the pristine white marble floors. It felt like I was back in that awful night.

I remembered finding my mom lifeless on our home's floor, her blood staining the ground. And there was my uptight father, more concerned about the mess than saving her. He was yelling at me to stop crying and help him clean up. That day was etched into my memory, haunting me with his echoes, telling me to shut up.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the memories. When I finally calmed down, I climbed the staircase and headed to his study on the second floor.

A soft knock on the door, and he called for me to come in. I pushed it open, hit instantly by the smell of burnt cigar.

"Have a seat," he commanded from behind his desk. I settled into one of the armchairs in the middle of the room.

He abandoned his chair and sauntered over. His presence loomed behind me, setting my skin on edge.

"So, Kaden," he said, his question hanging heavily in the air. "What have you been up to these days?"

"Nothing."

"Oh," he drawls, "So I guess when you were just busy doing 'nothing', you didn't get a chance to look into the armory shipment we lost from Japan three days ago? That was your responsibility, you know."

I clenched my jaw and kept my gaze straight ahead. His calm tone sent a shiver down my spine.

I wasn't afraid of what he might do to me physically. What really got to me was the unpredictability, never knowing when he'd strike.

"Do you know how much money I lost on that shipment? So, if you've got any ideas on how to fix this mess, now's the time to share."

I straightened up in my seat and finally looked up to meet his eyes as he stood in front of me.

"Maybe if we could-" My words never made it out of my mouth before he slammed his fist into my face.

The force made me bite my tongue, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood.

I'd expected this but never knew when it would happen.

"Wrong answer. 'Maybe' is what pathetic losers say when they can't find a damn solution."

He gripped my shirt and pulled my face closer, his cold, empty eyes locking onto mine.

"You've always been a disappointment to me. No wonder your mother left early; she knew she couldn't change you into the man you've failed to become."

I clenched my fists and glared at him, sickened by the mention of my mother. He played innocent about taking her from me when I was just nine. If I had my gun, I'd blow his head off right now.

He released my shirt, and I slumped back in the chair.

"We both knew you'd screw up somehow. That's why I can never fully trust you with the empire I built with my blood and sweat. If you jeopardize it, we'll have a real problem."

He walked back to his desk, lit his cigar, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, squinting at me.

"Get that shipment back, replace it, or recover the lost money. You've got a week, and if I hear nothing, I'll fucking kill you. Now get out."

I wasted no time leaving the room. My face stung from the punch, and anger coursed through me.

I grabbed my helmet and examined my reflection in the visor. The red bruise where he hit me was already forming.

I tried to think of something else to take my mind off it, but it was tough. Normally, I'd take out my frustration with a girl.

Lucky for me, I had a hot distraction in mind.

I pulled out my phone and texted her to meet me at my place. I hopped on my bike and sped away from that nightmare, looking forward to seeing Stephanie waiting for me at home.