“What’s going on? Where is she?”
I chuckle humorlessly. “One of the nurses said I look like I need a drink.” I hold up the cup. “I’m not sure whether to be impressed that she carries whiskey in her purse, or concerned that she’s drinking on the job.”
He takes a few steps toward me, cautiously. As if I’m a rabid animal. “Kage. Where is Saxon?”
I stare back at him, feeling the lump in my throat that prevents me from answering the question. I stand up and start to head out of the room, but stop when I’m right beside him.
“You were right, you know,” I confess. “Doc said that my vasectomy reversed itself. The baby she was pregnant with? It was mine.”
Neither of us say anything else as I walk by him and out into the hall.
I lost my baby.
A baby I didn’t even know existed.
And chances are, I’m going to lose her, too.
Pain is a dangerous thing. It can make people crazy. Turn them into something they swore they would never become. And once you give into the pain, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever come back from it.
I stand in front of my mirror, fixing my suit and adjusting my tie. A welcome numbness settles over me. I’ve spent enough time feeling an overwhelming load of emotions.
Anger.
Sadness.
Fear.
Devastation.
But today, there will be no emotion from me, because my enemies—the men who want nothing more than to see me fall—they feed off of weakness, and I refuse to show them any. They won’t get that power from me.
There’s a light knock on my door before it opens and Raff appears. He’s dressed to the nines, with his Rolex shining against his wrist. His gray facial hair is properly groomed, and his hair is professionally styled.
“Son,” he greets me.
“Raff.”
I haven’t seen or spoken to him recently, except for telling him what time to be here. Other than that, all communication has gone through Beni. It’s not that I hold anything directly against Raff. It’s not entirely his fault that his children put themselves at the top spot of my hit list. Honestly, I haven’t spoken to anyone.
There hasn’t been anything to say.
But being as he’s here, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t try to take advantage of the situation.
“Had any interesting encounters lately?” I ask. “Maybe had a visit from two spoiled brats desperate for Daddy’s help?”
He exhales. “I don’t know where they are, Kage, but even if I did, you can’t honestly expect me to tell you. They’re my kids.”
“And according to you, so am I.”
“You are,” he argues back. “But I wouldn’t just stand by as Nico kills you. We’re family.”
I scoff. “Exactly. Family. La Familia. And for someone who preaches about having loyalty to it, you seem to have none. Don’t try to play like you don’t know what she did.”
“I know nothing because I haven’t spoken to her. But if she did in fact do this, it was on someone else’s orders, I can promise you that. Viola wouldn’t do this on her own.”
“You’re partially right,” I tell him. “It wasn’t entirely her doing. We believe others, like Saxon’s father, played a part, but trust me—she was a very willing participant.”
He stays firm. “I have a hard time believing that.”
Having heard enough, I pull my phone from my pocket and swipe to the video Beni sent me a week ago. It’s from the night Saxon barged into my office and shocked the hell out of me by taking charge of a meeting with four made men.
After Raff had spoken to her outside, she came back inside and kissed me before excusing herself for a moment. At the time, I thought she just needed to get her emotions under control. Finding out yet another person you trusted all but turned their back on you isn’t easy. However, while searching through everything like I told Beni to do, he came across footage from one of the bathrooms that night.
“Saxon was pregnant with my child,” I tell Raff as he watches the video. “Your prized moron found out and told his homicidal counterpart. My guess is she couldn’t handle someone else bearing my child, since she’s been obsessed with me since we were sixteen.”
His eyes widen as he brings his attention back to me. “She’s your sister.”
I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “Yeah, it seems you’re the only one who looks at it that way.”
Taking my phone back, I slip it into my pocket. Raff goes silent and crosses his arms over his chest, clearly trying to work it all out in his head. I may not have convinced him of her guilt, but I at least poked holes into whatever excuse he’s cooked up in his head to justify her actions.
“Now let’s go,” I tell him. “We have a funeral to attend, and we need to show a united front.”
GRAY CLOUDS FILL THE sky. The dreary weather matches my mood, along with everyone else’s. A large display of flowers sit on an easel, wrapping around an enlarged picture of the beauty that was Saxon Forbes. In it, she’s wearing a sparkling gold dress. Her hair hangs off one shoulder, and she’s sporting a wide grin, the infectious kind that could put anyone in a good mood just by being around her.
Her younger sister, Kylie, stands with her family, crying quietly as she stares at the casket. The heartbreak she’s feeling is written all over her face. Dalton stands behind her, with his hands resting gently on her shoulders. Not exactly comforting her, but letting her know he’s there.
I can’t help but wonder what he has in the plans for her, because Dalton is a planner to a fault. He probably already has her fate written in a sealed envelope and waiting until she’s eighteen to be opened. After all, I saw firsthand what he did to Saxon when she failed to follow his master plan.
Scarlett and Nessa are standing beside him, finding comfort in each other. Unrelenting tears flow down each of their faces as they grip each other tightly. The pain radiating off of them shows how loved Saxon truly was.
Well, at least by everyone but her father. He looks upset, but I know it’s only for appearance’s sake. After all, he knows exactly who is responsible for this and the part he played in it.
As I enter the conference room, Forbes is already there. He stands up, sporting a cocky little grin that makes it clear he thinks he’s winning here, and takes a step toward me.
“Mr. Malvagio,” he greets me, putting his hand out for me to shake.
I stare down at it and then look back at him. This is the man who wanted to give Saxon away to one of the men who killed my father, for nothing more than personal gain. That alone makes it so he doesn’t deserve a single ounce of my respect. And everything else he’s done just seals his fate.
“I have to say, I’m glad we’re coming to an agreement,” he says as he pulls his hand back and we sit down across from each other. “As you can imagine, I’m desperate to get my daughter back, and I’m sure you need to regain control of the city.”
It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes, but it’s important not to show any emotions. My face stays firm, not giving anything away. Mauricio takes the seat beside me and pulls the paperwork out of his briefcase. When he’s done, all attention turns back to me.