by Bea Paige
The second their footsteps fade away and doors close upstairs, Malakai rounds on me. “What the fuck are you doing here, Connie?!” he growls, barely able to control his temper.
“I told you. Grandma needed me.” I daren’t meet his gaze. Instead, I begin taking out plates from the cupboard and start setting the table for breakfast.
“You’re a fucking liability!” he whisper-shouts, grabbing my wrist the moment I’ve placed the last of the plates on the table and yanking me from the kitchen. I allow him to pull me down the corridor and into the front room where a fire is burning in the hearth. He shuts the door with controlled rage and turns on me. My skin prickles at his anger. “You think this is a game, Connie? You think I need you here whilst I do this? I told you to go!”
“And I did!” I retort, my own anger building now.
“You promised me, Connie. You fucking promised me!” He’s so angry that I think he’s about to hurl something.
“I did and I’m sorry you’re so upset, but I couldn’t stay away knowing what you were about to do, what Grandma was about to do. I know the risks, Malakai. I get it. I really do. But I can’t let you do this on your own. I can’t. I love you, goddamn it! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” My chest constricts, tears pricking at my eyes, but I force them away. I need to show him I’m strong, that I’m not this fragile girl he believes me to be.
“That’s the problem, Connie!” He’s shouting now, and I’m grateful for the thick stone walls that will act as a soundproof barrier to our argument. He stalks towards me, backing me up against the wall, his hands slamming into the brick either side of my head. I’m not sure whether he wants to hit me or kiss me. I don’t think he knows either.
“Does my love scare you, Malakai?” I whisper, because it scares me. I will do anything for him, even if that’s walking into the lion’s den so that he doesn’t have to face the King on his own. When Grandma told me she’d arranged to meet the King tonight for dinner, so that Malakai and the kids from Oceanside could rescue their friend Pink, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I had to be there too. There’s a high risk that we will all die tonight, but that would be sweet mercy if the alternative is living a life without Malakai in it.
“Of course it scares me. Every time you look at me the way you are now I want to drag you into my arms and fucking love you back, but I CAN’T! I fucking can’t!”
My heart tumbles and my gut roils at the agony he feels, at his heartbreaking admission. “Why? Don’t tell me it’s because of the King. I couldn’t give a shit about him or his threats. You’re a force of nature, Malakai. You’re the whole goddamn ocean and you should never, ever, have to feel afraid to love because of one insignificant man who lives off the fear of others to feel powerful!” I counter, my nostrils flaring as my hands grip hold of his wet jumper. “Allowing yourself to buy into that fear gives him exactly what he wants. Don’t you see that he’s winning?”
He pounds his fist against the wall beside my head so hard I feel my teeth rattle from the vibrations. “You don’t know him like I do. The King isn’t some made up story, this is real fucking life, Connie! He is exactly like his father was, like my father was.” He rears back yanking off his wet jumper and shirt, pointing at his scars, the muscles in arms bunching with tension as the firelight behind him douses him in righteous flames. “These scars were caused by my own father. He murdered my mum in front of me and as she lay dying he gave me these scars, Connie. He tore up my skin with a knife, he lit cigarette after cigarette and put them out on my skin whilst she lay bleeding out on the floor all because I had the audacity to try and save her.”
The tears I was holding back spring unbidden from my eyes now. “Malakai, I’m so sorry…” I choke out, reaching for him, wanting to hold him, comfort him. He stumbles backwards, his eyes darkening as he swipes at his face.
“No! No, Connie! Don’t touch me! I’m tarnished just like all the Bennett men. I’ve killed and maimed for them. I don’t deserve your empathy, your pity, your help or your damn love. I don’t fucking deserve it.”
“Malakai, please. I can’t let you do this alone. I won’t!” I counter, breaking inside for him, but refusing to back down.
“Connie, this isn’t a fucking game. The King is just as evil as his father, as my dad was. He’s kidnapped a kid to keep his own daughter in line, to make a fucking point, to suit his own twisted, fucked-up needs. He manipulates kids to do unspeakable things, no doubt feeding them dreams about riches and promises of a family that they’ve never had. He uses people’s weaknesses to coerce and control. He killed Camden’s mum because he could, so that he could make another damn point. So don’t you accuse me of having unwarranted fear. Of course I’m afraid. I’m afraid for you, goddamn it!”
“I believe you, Malakai, but I’m here because I care, because I cannot bear to be away from you, because I want to help!”
My feet remain glued to the floor as his head drops between his shoulders and his hands move to cover the agony on his face. I take a few shaky steps forward, but when my hand touches his arm, he flinches. Then slowly, he lifts his head and meets my gaze, the mask fully back in place as his eyes lose all emotion. In front of me, Malakai transforms from a restless, beautiful ocean, tempting in its mysteriousness and depth, to a calm but violent sea with the power to destroy anything and everything in its path. The man before me now isn’t the man I love but a violent assassin. Someone who can switch off all emotion and get the job done. My skin tingles as goosebumps scatter over every inch.
“I’m here to do a job and you’re just a distraction. Tonight, either the King dies or I will. Do what you must, but don’t get in my way,” he says, walking stiffly past me and back out into the hall.
I nod tightly, watching his retreating back. “That’s exactly the point,” I whisper, because tonight, I’ll be attending the Palace with Grandma Silva as a dinner guest and a distraction… for the King.
Thirty-Four
Malakai
I’m on the edge.
Edge of my sanity, edge of my patience, edge of my fucking control.
I can’t believe Connie came back. I can’t fucking believe it.
If anyone needs to be put over my knee and spanked until her arse is red and sore, it’s Connie. Goddamn her, I let my guard down. I fucking lost myself in her, both figuratively and literally. If I’d have known what she was up to, I would have refrained. I would have had the fucking willpower to refuse. If I didn’t have a debt to repay, if I didn’t have six kids looking to me to help rescue their friend, if there wasn’t a little girl who would only grow up to be another casualty of the Bennett family if I don’t save her, and if there wasn’t a fucking storm wrecking the island, I would’ve dragged Connie back to the mainland and made sure she stayed put. As it is, I now have another person to watch over because she couldn’t do as she was damn well told.
Right now as I stand in the kitchen, checking my equipment over and over, I’m trying my hardest not to suffocate with fear, but it’s like a poisonous snake that has wrapped around my heart and punctured it with pointed teeth, killing me slowly with every damn heartbeat.
I’m afraid. So fucking scared I’m going to lose her.
Ever since our blow up this morning, Connie and I have barely said a word to each other. At one point, I’d almost given in and thrown myself at her feet. When we’d all gathered in the kitchen for the breakfasts she’d made us, I’d stood next to her, both of us resting against the sink as Ma Silva introduced herself to the gang. Connie’s indignation and her anger was still very potent. She truly believes she loves me, and even though I want to believe it, I can’t even entertain the idea because I can’t be free to live, let alone love, until the King’s dead. Even then, I’m not sure I’m capable of giving Connie what she needs.
Yet, despite my anger and my fear, I’d slid my hand closer to hers, as always drawn to her inexplicably. My pinkie finger had barely grazed her skin, but she’d snatched her hand away as thou
gh I’d burnt her. That only made me feel a thousand times worse because in my view her anger wasn’t justified, mine was.
I still feel justified in my anger as I stalk into the living room all geared up. Ma Silva is sitting in her armchair, dressed and ready to go, the rest of the group are scattered about the room perched on the sofas and the coffee table. Fuck knows what Grim was thinking when she suggested I use these kids to help me rescue their friend Pink. Glancing about the room at the waiting group, I scowl.
“You ready?”
“Look at all that gear,” Camden remarks, eying me warily. Of the six, he’s the most clued up. I don’t know much about the kid other than the fact that until recently he’s been gang leader to the Hackney’s Hackers crew. Their name most definitely proceeds them. A savage gang who deal drugs for the King and do his bidding in their hometown of Hackney. Now Camden has thrown away his title as gang leader and has decided to fight back against the man who murdered his mum. That takes balls. Begrudgingly I give him a nod, acknowledging that, like me, he’s had to fight to survive more than most.
“Got any more of those?” Eastern asks me. He’s the dark-haired best friend of Asia. Grew up together, thick as thieves, and given by the way she’s looking at him, lovers too. I’m pretty sure she’s sleeping with all four of them: Camden, Eastern, Ford and Sonny. Not that it’s any of my damn business. Besides, I like that about Asia. She knows what she wants, and she’ll fight tooth and nail for it. She also doesn’t give a flying fuck what people think, and that takes gumption and a sense of self that not many kids her age have. Eastern raises his eyebrows at me, waiting for a response.
“No. I don’t give weapons to kids,” I snap, pulling out my mobile phone and checking for messages. They may think they know how to handle a gun, a knife even, but not on my fucking watch. If any of the King’s guards get close enough then they can use their fists. I’ll take out any fuckers with weapons.
“Now I really do feel like we’re on the set of Mission Impossible… who the fuck is this guy?” Sonny, the dimpled arsehole, smirks.
Shoving my mobile away, I glare at him. “Your worst fucking nightmare, or your best friend, depending on how you choose to conduct yourself. Don’t piss me off and you’ll do fine,” I add with a growl, laughing internally at the comparison. Mission Impossible? I’m no fucking Tom Cruise and I’m certainly not a hero.
“Well, that shut me up,” Sonny mutters, shooting Asia a wide-eyed look. Better they fear me than like me. They’ll be a lot safer that way. Casting my gaze about the room, I realise we’re missing one very important person.
“Has Connie seen sense and is staying behind?” I ask the group. “Because I really don’t need another obnoxious kid to look after. She’s a liability.”
Ma Silva raises her eyebrows, glaring at me. “Connie is quite a resilient young woman as you well know, so I suggest you start treating her with a little more respect or face my wrath,” she warns. “Now, you apologise for calling my granddaughter an obnoxious kid.”
Glaring at Ma Silva, I open my mouth to respond but am interrupted by Little Siren herself as she sashays into the room.
Holy fucking Christ, this girl.
My gut twists, my cock twitches, my soul fucking roars, and my heart nearly explodes out of my chest. She’s a goddess. She’s a torment. She’s mine.
Connie stares at me, and for a beat we only have eyes for one another. Sometimes I wonder if the world actually stops spinning when we’re together, because it certainly feels that way.
She’s wearing an emerald velvet dress that hugs her body in all the wrong fucking places, given who she’s about to have fucking dinner with. The dress is classy, hitting just above the knee and with a neckline that traces the curve of her breasts, dipping at the middle to show just a hint of cleavage. She’s wearing knee high boots that are way more provocative than I believe she intended. Overall, the effect is stunning. She’s stunning.
Fuck this. I do not want the King drooling all over her.
“Thanks Grandma, but I wouldn’t bother. Like you said, Malakai is a fortress, there’s no point in trying to make a rude, pig-headed arse with zero manners apologise to anyone.” She smiles sweetly at me, her cherry lips glossy and plump.
Pushing me, always pushing me to act. Any other day I’d take her up on the challenge, but not today. I narrow my eyes at her. I’m fucking livid, but if I lose my shit now I won’t be able to stay focused enough to do what must be done.
“Connie, child, you look absolutely stunning,” Ma Silva says gently, her gaze flicking to mine. There’s so much love in them, and fear, but she hides it well.
“You think?” she responds, swiping her hands over the velvety material as though this is just a pleasant outing that might not end in a bloody, painful death for us all. We’re about to go to war and they’re talking about how good she looks in a dress. This only proves to me Connie has absolutely no fucking clue about what she’s walking into.
“That’s completely inappropriate. Get changed,” I snap, shaking my head and dragging my eyes off of Connie. “You are not going in there to impress those two arseholes.” You shouldn’t be fucking going in there at all, I seethe, internally.
Connie frowns, her cherry red lips pursing as she glares at me. “You need time, and if looking like this helps to keep the King and his son’s attention, then I don’t see what the problem is I’ve been told before that beauty has no value in the real world. Perhaps tonight my beauty will come in useful, that and my exceptional skills at making small talk interesting,” she adds with a raised eyebrow, reminding me of what I’d said to her once all those months ago.
I’m very aware that everyone’s eyes are on us both, but I don’t really give a shit. I’m seething. I don’t want her putting herself on a display like this to prove a point.
“Whoever told you that is a fool, beauty is as much a weapon as intelligence. You just have to know how to use it to your advantage,” Ma Silva announces. When her gaze meets Connie we all notice the pride in her eyes.
I know what’s happening here, I’m not a complete fucking moron. Connie is reclaiming her sexuality, her confidence, after Abel stole it from her that night. She’s already stepped towards that by sleeping with me, but this isn’t just about us. This is something altogether different, it’s a point she’s making to herself. She’s not hiding away under layers of baggy clothing. She’s facing our enemies in a sexy dress and bright cherry lips. It’s a “fuck you” to Abel, and a “fuck you” to the King if I ever I saw one. Still, now is not the fucking time.
“I think you look stunning,” Kate, Asia’s friend and the other female in their little crew, says.
“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Connie responds, her cheeks flushing with warmth.
“Well, if we’ve all finished fawning over Connie, I suggest we get going. It’s going to take a lot more than beauty to pull this off tonight. Try weeks of surveillance and planning,” I growl storming out of the room. Behind me the gang follows, muttering under their breaths.
Thirty-Five
Malakai
Covered in blood, bruised, battered and in fucking pain, I grip the sobbing child to my side and head towards the dining room, taking out two more guards with one fatal head shot each. I cover the little girl’s eyes as best I can when we pass them by, but her trembling body tells me she’s seen far more than a child of such a young age ever should.
“I’m so sorry, little one,” I murmur, gently cupping her head against my shoulder as tears cascade down her pretty heart-shaped face. “It’ll all be over soon.”
“Daddy,” she whimpers, her breath hitching and her heart breaking for a man who doesn’t deserve this child’s heart-wrenching sobs.
“I’m taking you to him now, sweetie,” I soothe, fucking hating myself for what I’m about to do. Grayson’s instructions were very clear when we spoke earlier today. Get the girl. Get out. So whilst he turned up in the nick of time, twenty minutes ago during an ambush
, I snuck off to find this little girl, having every intention of handing her over to Grant and heading back for Connie. But my plans were thwarted when a voice sounded on one of the dead guard’s radio. Asia and her crew had been captured and I knew, at that moment, if I didn’t go back for them, they’d be dead, and so would Connie and Ma Silva.
There was really no other choice but to act.
As much as I despise myself for doing it, I have to see if the King cares for this little girl as much as it appeared, because she’s my only hope of saving all of our arses.
“I want my daddy,” the little girl laments, and despite holding her close to comfort her, I allow my heart to harden just a little to do what I must. Gently placing the little girl onto her feet, I take her hand.
“Here we go, sweetie. Here’s your daddy,” I say, gently pushing open the door into the dining room.
“See, Asia, love makes you weak,” the King says, his eyes narrowing at Grayson as we step silently into the dining hall. The King is sitting at the head of the dining table with his back to me, Connie and Grayson sitting on one side, Ma Silva and Asia the other. Around the room are the guards, every one of them holding guns to Asia’s crew. Pink is with them, but barely conscious, and the King’s son, Monk, has Kate in his arms. He’s leering over her, just like Abel did to Connie when I found them both down that alleyway. The little bastard must have ambushed them in the car. Goddamn it.
Stepping out of the shadows, I make my move. “Is that the lie you tell yourself these days?” I ask, holding onto her hand tightly as she tries to break free and run to her father. My cousin stands, twisting on his feet. His mouth drops open in shock when he sees who’s by my side. She reaches for him with her free hand, tears flooding her cheeks.
