Kyson throws it over his shoulder, and my eyes go wide. He just threw away perfectly good alcohol. Asshole.
“Why are we even here?” I mumble. “You kill people. Why do you need to socialize?” I grumble.
He gets right in my face. “Learn to keep your mouth shut. Or I’ll shut it for you,” he replies through gritted teeth before he storms off.
I turn back to the bar and order more shots.
Nine
Kyson
That woman will be the death of me.
Why haven’t I killed her yet? That’s a good question. She should be six feet underground, yet she still breathes, drinking way too much at the bar.
She knows better than to run, at least, I think she does. So I walk away, not wanting to be around her intoxicating scent.
“Why are you with her?” Lilly asks.
I refrain from rolling my eyes, having excused myself from Lilly to go check on Kalilah when she came up to me earlier. And now she’s back.
“Where is your husband, Lilly?”
She waves a hand around. “Who knows? So why are you with her? We both know it will never last. I’m the only one who’s come close to lasting with you.”
She isn’t wrong. I contemplated a lot of things with Lilly. But in the end, I didn’t love her the way she wanted to be loved.
And she knew who I was. And didn’t have an issue with it.
“Is she even old enough?” Lilly scoffs, drinking the last of her champagne.
“She is.” I look past her in the hope she will shut up.
I hate these events, but out of the three of us brothers, I’m the sociable one. The brother our clients feel more comfortable approaching. And that’s saying a lot.
Zuko hates people, and Kenzo hardly talks to anyone but Zuko and me.
I’ve contemplated just sticking to this part of the job. I technically don’t need to do this. Our name is enough of a draw for those who want someone to disappear. But it’s nice to find the rich ones who are willing to pay incredible amounts of money, and I’m not even sure my brothers know I do this; as in drum up business in this crazy, messed-up affluent world.
“Well, you could do better. That’s all I’m saying,” she says.
My eyes find Lilly again, and I lean in real close. “Do you want to go to the back room, Lilly?” Her cheeks flush at my words. Getting close to her ear, I touch it softly with my lips. “Do you want me eating you out while you silently scream my name into a pillow knowing your husband is on the other side of the door, not having any idea what you are up to? Is that something you want?”
“Aren’t you married?” I pull back at the sound of Kalilah’s voice. She is now standing next to me, her eyes glassy from obviously having too many shots. She waves a finger at both of us. “If I were married, I wouldn’t let a man I’ve fucked before and still have eyes for come that close to me. Does your husband know you want to fuck him?”
“How dare you?” Lilly says as her husband steps over.
“How dare she what?” he asks, sliding his arm around Lilly’s waist in a protective movement only a newlywed husband can pull off.
I turn to Lilly to see her eyes wide and on me.
“Your wife still wants to fuck Kyson. Did you know?” Kalilah blurts out.
At first, we all stay silent. Then Lilly’s husband’s eyes find mine, anger evident in them before he turns to look at Kalilah.
“You have some nerve, coming in here making accusations,” he seethes.
“But…are they accusations?” Kalilah argues with him.
Lilly huffs like she can’t believe the nerve of her. Neither can I. But really, I should have known. She has been sassy since the day I met her. Why would she change now?
“Why don’t you ask your wife what she thinks?” Kalilah lifts a clear glass of liquid—my guess is more tequila—to her lips and smiles.
He shoots me a look before he turns to his wife and studies her for a moment. Then he addresses Kalilah. “You need to leave,” he tells her.
“Oh, do you own this place?” Kalilah fires back but in a mocking tone.
He turns back to me and asks, “This the kind of company you keep?”
I want to laugh because, really, it is funny. And Kalilah can be many things as I am soon coming to realize, but taking orders from men is not in her vocabulary. And when she is a smart ass, when it’s not directed at me, it’s quite amusing.
“She’s right, just so you’re aware,” I say to him.
“Boom, bitch!” Kalilah yells, dropping her fist as if she dropped a bomb. “Now, put a leash on your wife.”
People’s attention starts to drift our way with Kalilah’s loud mouth. I place my hand on her lower back and direct her to the bar. I reach for the water and pour her a glass and swap the shot glass she has for the fresh water.
“That’s my drink,” she complains.
“You’ve had enough.”
“Uh-oh.” As she says that, I feel Lilly’s husband come up behind me. I step to the side just as he swings, and he hits nothing but air. The idiot goes to swing at me again but trips, and as he falls, he pushes Kalilah hard, her back hitting the bar, and I hear a loud crack.
“You whore!” he yells.
“Kyson, please don’t. He didn’t mean it.” Lilly is now beside me, her hand on my arm in an attempt to placate me.
“Don’t you dare beg him. It’s him who should be worried,” her husband snaps.
I step away from Lilly and catch his hand mid-throw. With a quick movement, I turn him around, moving him like a ragdoll until his arm is behind his back, and so am I, then apply pressure, wanting to break his arm. “You…ever…lay a hand on Kalilah again… I. Will. End. You. I promise you that. Let your wife fill you in on my promises. Now, control your wife, and leave Kalilah out of it.”
Before I let him go, I glance up at Kalilah, who’s bent over in pain. “Fuck it.” I reach for his pinkie finger and snap it. He screams loud. The music in the place seems to die at that moment, and I let him fall so he can cradle his now broken pinkie.
“Kyson, I don’t want to cause a scene, but…” the owner of the event says. “I saw what happened. And I apologize for letting him in.”
Lilly’s husband screams at her words. She was one of our first clients and is extremely wealthy. She wanted us to kill her cheating husband, who was blowing all her money on drugs and women. It was easily done. So she lets us—me—come to these events to mingle, and I’ve never caused a scene. People here have more money than sense, and I guess Lilly is now in that category since she married that tool. I don’t even remember his fucking name, that’s how much I don’t care about him.
“He should be out, not me,” he yells as people escort the idiot out.
The music starts again and people turn away. Lady McBeth, who runs this place, steps over and helps Kalilah stand. She gets up with a wince.
“I’m so sorry, dear. Please let me make it up to you. What can I do?” Kalilah looks at me, unsure of what to say. “Anything. You name what you need, and I am here to help.” She stands there with her manicured hands clasped in front of her. Not a single hair is out of place, even though I know she must be slightly rattled by what just went down while she waits patiently for Kalilah to answer her.