King of Depravity: Chapter 29

Kissing Chloe goodbye is the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever done. She doesn’t cry, but her eyes show all her worry. Her fear. I give her a long, slow kiss as the cab driver checks his watch.

“I’ll see you in a day or two.”

“Promise?” she squeezes my biceps. I’ve never made her a promise I didn’t intend to keep. And I’ll do everything in my power to keep this one, but I can’t say the word. I won’t mislead.

“I’ll do my best, sweetheart.”

“I love you,” she whispers, knowing what I mean.

“I love you too,” I squeeze her waist. I love her more than anything or anyone. Even myself. “It’s time to go.”

She gives a tentative nod. I hand her into the car, closing the door. Watching her drive away wrecks me and I stay out on the street until the cab has disappeared.

Then I head back into the apartment. We’ll all be patted down, weapons not allowed in the meeting, but I arm myself anyway. Two knives, three guns strapped to my body, one small pistol tucked by my junk so it will be difficult to find.

The entire time, I just picture Chloe and what she looked like driving away. The sight of her tears, of her face in the window of the cab.

Those fuckers are going to pay. Slipping out into the setting sun, I stay in the dark shadows. I don’t go straight to Smith Real Estate Development.

Instead, I go to Dimitri’s home. I’ve watched him before. From the shadows, I see him in the window as he swings a small girl into his arms.

“Alina,” I whisper to myself. His daughter. Four years old. I don’t know what happened to Alina’s mother. It doesn’t matter.

What’s important is understanding a man’s weak points. A car pulls up, and the nanny climbs out. She’s the prettiest nanny I’ve ever seen, and I wonder what the story is there, but it’s not a lever I’ll pull tonight, since I’m not certain.

I wait to watch the nanny arrive upstairs, Alina leans out from her father’s embrace, the nanny catches the girl and pulls her into her arms.

It’s the way Dimitri hovers over them both that I know…if he’s not fucking the caretaker of his little girl, he wants to.

I tuck that one away as I start for my family’s offices. I know all I need to for tonight.

I arrive early but wait in the shadows, watching all the players assemble. My brothers first, looking resigned. Mason, Jake, and Leo next, moving with the confidence of men who believe themselves in charge.

And finally, Dimitri along with two of his foremen. I enter last.

The guard at the elevator has been tasked with patting everyone down. “Ken,” I say with a nod, pulling three of my four pistols from their holsters and one of the two knives.

“That’s quite the spread,” he looks down at the tray where I’ve placed my weapons.

I shrug. “Big day.”

He runs his wand over my back and down the outside of my legs, but I know his drill. The gun I’ve tucked next to my dick doesn’t set off his detector.

Clearing me, I enter the elevator with my knife and my gun still tucked away. I reach into my pants and pull it out, placing it in my waistband under my jacket.

The elevator opens on the top floor where all the men are assembled, waiting for my arrival.

“The man of the hour,” Dimitri calls, his Russian accent thicker than usual.

I stop, cocking my head, my feet spread wide. I am never the man of the hour. I don’t stand in the spotlight. “I think that honor belongs to Preston Wingate.” And then I look at Mason. “Preston spilled every secret he knew about you and your family to Dimitri in the back alley behind the piano bar. I heard them too, of course.”

Both Dimitri and Mason go a few shades paler. I’ve caught them both off guard. Good.

I’m not trying to put a target on my own back. But if they think they’re backing me into a corner, they’re wrong.

Reaching into my pocket, I toss a little drive at my brother Triston. He catches it easily. “Just so we’re all on the same page, that is everything I overheard Preston say.”

No one is aware of how deep my intel goes. But I’m going to make it clear. “Upon my death,” I start, looking at Triston, Mason, and Dimitri…

But just then, one of the Russians lunges at me, a knife in hand. Shit.

Ken was lax with everyone…

I grab his hand as he makes his lunge, twisting it behind his back and pulling him tight to my chest as my other hand wraps around his throat. “Too bad, motherfucker.” And then I squeeze.

He tries to escape but my grip is too tight. “Killian.” Triston holds up his hands.

But I don’t attend my brother. I look at Dimitri. I know that attempt was done at his order. “You have something you want to say?”

“You killed my cousin.”

“Yeah. So?”

“So? That will not stand⁠—”

“Shut up.” And then I squeeze tighter, the guy in my arms blacking out. I loosen my grip.

“I have it on surveillance.”

“Then you also have Antonelli Vendetti’s death on video, and you know that Alexander brutally attacked my girl.”

“Your girl…” Dimitri whispers, looking at Triston.

The guy in my arms is coming to, so I put a little more pressure on his throat. “That’s right. We both know he was going to kill her. Now tell me, Dimitri, what would you do if some sadistic fuck showed up at Southridge Elementary and attacked little Alina as she came out of her preschool class?”

He snarls as he bares his teeth, taking a step toward me. But I pull his foreman up, squeezing his throat again. “And what about that pretty nanny of yours… What would you do to protect her?”

Dimitri stares at me like his gaze alone could make me drop dead. Too bad I’m immune to that shit.

“Think of the things I know about you, Dimitri…” I show my teeth right back. “Think of what my brother, or Mason, or Luc Andriani might be able to do with all that knowledge as he takes over the Italian Mafia here in Vegas.” And then I throw his man on the floor.

“What do you want?” Dimitri snarls.

Triston is stone-faced, but Mason, I catch his half smile out of the corner of my eye. This is exactly what he hoped would happen.

“I want you to honor the deal you made. Don’t think I don’t know how you’ve been meeting with the Vendettis.” I wag my finger like a scolding school mum.

I see his fist clenching and unclenching.

“And…” I give him a cold smile. “I want assurances that Chloe is to remain untouched. Free to move about the city as safe as a girl can be. And I will give you the same in kind.”

“You’re an animal,” Dimitri snarls.

“A monster, actually. But I’m Chloe’s monster, so I’m going to need your word.”

“You have my word,” Dimitri spits. “Alexander acted out of turn where Chloe was concerned. But killing the Vendetti was a favor to you.” He looks at Mason. “Antonelli was making plans that would have been to your detriment.”

Mason’s face remains completely neutral as he asks, “Are we ready to begin?”

Several men nod. My part is done but I’ll attend the meeting. The more I know, the better off I’ll be. But as I move toward the conference room, Jake stops me, handing me a stack of papers.

“What is this?” I look down at them.

“A job offer,” he winks at me. “I want you by my side, Killian.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have installed a camera at my front door.”

“I left the back one alone. I had no intention of disrupting a shadow.” And then he enters the conference room.

I look down at the papers. I can’t be just a shadow anymore. Chloe needs to live in the light. Which means, I’m going to have to play nice with the Kincaids.

That’s all right. It’s what men do.

And as for the Russians…they will feel my wrath. No one threatens my girl.