It’s fucking Lorcan.
I suck in a breath. Seeing him after all this time twists a dagger into my chest, which is ridiculous. It’s been months since he left the estate with Dino. I didn’t even miss them when they were gone. Well, maybe there was a small part of me that felt empty not having them around. But being a hostage of my father. I haven’t given any of the boys much thought. And now he’s here, letting some bitch drape herself all over him.
All I see is red.
The guy in the booth with me puts his hand up my skirt and that red turns to flame. I seize his drink, spilling alcohol over us both.
“Hey, watch it, kitten, this is an expensive suit!” he exclaims.
I smash the glass at the stem and press the pointy end against his throat. Crimson blooms where I poke it into the softest, fleshiest part.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I say in a low, empty voice.
He doesn’t move, whites showing in his eyes as he focuses on me. I’m lucky that the bar is empty, and no one can see me threatening to kill the bastard. Sloppy though. I should not be acting this way. I’ve blown my cover and now I need to extract myself before I shove the glass in deeper.
I leave the booth without killing my actual mark—ironic, I know—and make a beeline for Lorcan’s table, dropping the shard of glass into a plant pot on the way there. The blonde is practically riding Lorcan at this point. Without thinking, I reach for my dagger.
“Miss Harper-Black, will you please come with me?” says a voice behind me, making me halt halfway across the bar floor.
I shift my attention to my right. My hand still rests on my dagger through the thin material of the dress but getting it won't be easy.
This has better be important.
It is.
It’s one of Kato’s men who works at the casino. I recognize him as the maître d of sorts. He looks down his nose at me as he waits for my answer to his question. “Kato wants to speak to you,” he elaborates.
I look at him blankly and then give him a curt nod. As I follow him into one of the private corridors behind a security door, I shoot a glance at Lorcan who still has his hands full.
I’ll deal with him later.
Right now, I need to know what Kato wants. He knows I’m here, but he doesn’t know the real reason why. I’ve no idea how he’ll react when he does.
“Why does my father want Kato dead?”
Dante looks at me. “That’s classified.”
“Bullshit. I need to know.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Tell me,” I say.
“Rebecca was having an affair with Kato.”
“Since when?” My mother has been in a sanitarium for years. A place so expensive I can hardly keep up with the payments some months. If she was having an affair, I would know about it.
“It was long before you were born,” Dante says.
I narrow my eyes. “So why kill Kato now? That was over twenty years ago.”
“Think about it. Who would your mother try to contact if she couldn’t send word to you?”
My mother is a fighter despite her condition. If she couldn’t get through to me…
I let out a breath. “She would contact her family.”
I still haven’t decided if Kato can be trusted. There’s a certain obligation he has to Rebecca since her family are associated with the Triads. But there’s a chance he may not believe that my father wants him gone.
He and my father have been in business together for a long time. Kato sends illegal weapons to countries at war, and Adrien’s influence with government officials and private ports makes sure they don’t run into any trouble with transport. My father needs Kato’s money. And Kato’s reliance on Harper-Black Industries puts him firmly in my father’s pocket like the rest of us, even more so now if what Dante is telling me is true about him and my mother.
My only hope is that he helps me find Rebecca. Then I can finally kill my bastard father without a second thought. But hope is fragile, and this game of cat and mouse is extreme. Why can’t I just kill the bad guys and bathe in their blood? That’s all I want to do. Why is that so fucking hard?
Kato’s private quarters are as you’d expect—opulent, overbearing, and full of black and gold. Kato himself is lazing on a love seat in the middle of the room when I enter, dressed in a silver shirt that burns my retinas just to look at it.
Tall, with black hair styled to a side parting, almond shaped eyes—the man is a mix of Asian and English heritage like me. He looks younger than he is. He’s my mother’s age. They grew up together. But he doesn’t have any wrinkles. The only mar on his smooth Asian skin is the scar that runs over one eye and down to his chin. I haven’t seen Kato since I was a kid, but I know it’s him. Just like he knows who I am now that I’m back in my father’s world.
I’ve heard the stories. I know how he got his scars.
They’re the horror stories your parents tell you, so you don’t fall out of line.
The maître d takes his leave. Kato smirks and gestures to a matching sofa opposite. I take a seat and stare at him in a way that would unnerve most men.
His grin doesn’t falter. “Miss Harper-Black. I heard you were back. I also heard a lot of bad things about you. Tell me…” He takes a swig of his drink, a dark amber-colored liquid. “Are they true?”
I tilt my head. “What do you think?”
He sneers. “I think that you’re a spoiled, stuck-up princess like you’ve always been, and the rumors are just lies spread by your daddy to keep his enemies away from you.”
“If you think that then you don’t know my father at all,” I say, a smile curling onto my glossy lips. “Or me, for that matter.”
“Oh, but I do,” he says cryptically, a cruel smile on his lips. “Only too well.” He leans forward and pours himself another drink. As he shifts, I notice he has a gun under his shirt. One within easy reach. He offers me a glass of the same amber liquid, but I don’t take it.
“Did you and my mother fuck?” I ask bluntly.
He chuckles and takes a long swig. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
I shake my head. “Life’s too short.”
“Life’s too short, indeed.” He nods. “Your mother is an exceptional woman.”
I note his use of the present tense in that sentence. Adrien told everyone my mother died when we escaped. There was even a funeral.
Fuck. He knows. Dante was right.
Someone steps from the shadows. It’s the maître d. I don’t fail to notice his hands covered in blood as he wipes them clean with a cloth.
“What are you…” I start.
“We had a little problem. You were being tailed.”
Lorcan. Or Dante?
“Whose blood is that?” I ask, getting to my feet, a spike in adrenaline flooding my veins.
“Some low-down fucker working for your father,” says Kato. “Don’t worry. He won’t be running back to Daddy to tell tales.” He indicates for me to sit. “Now, where were we? You were about to offer me a deal in return for not killing me? Have I got that right?”
CHAPTER 5