Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection

by Ember Michaels

  “You were right,” I repeated a little louder. “Now can we get on with the fucking conversation now?”

  “Fine, fine, Mr. Grumpy. So, I told you my suspicions about your father’s role in my father’s death.”

  “Right.”

  “I figured the only way to prove his involvement was to find a contract of some kind. Your father may be a murderous asshole, but he has a paper trail for everything.”

  She held a paper out to me. I took it and looked over it. A murder-for-hire contract. Her father’s name was on it, killed for being disloyal to the organization. I rubbed five o’ clock shadow along my face and shook my head.

  “Being disloyal. I wonder if this had to do with the pictures of him and my mother,” I said as I handed the paper back to her.

  “I’m sure it was, especially since…your baby sister was also my baby sister,” she murmured.

  She passed me a birth certificate. I met her eyes, but she only nodded toward the paper I held. Tightening my jaw, I read the birth certificate. My mother’s name along with Carrie’s father was on the birth certificate.

  It made me wonder why my mother didn’t just lie about it unless they knew the baby wasn’t my father’s before she was born. There was so much shit that didn’t make sense, and the more information Carrie presented, the more tangled the web of lies became.

  “How’d you’d get that contract?” I asked.

  If there was a contract for her father, there had to be one for my mother and Stephanie if my father was responsible. Carrie was right about my father keeping a paper trail of all his business dealings.

  While I wanted to know the truth, a part of me didn’t know if I was ready for that kind of truth. Once the truth was out, there would be no going back to how things used to be. I wanted to give my father the benefit of the doubt, but he proved time and time again that he wasn’t meant to be trusted.

  “Just like you have your people to get you the information you need, I have mine,” she said with a sneaky grin.

  I rolled my eyes. “You asked KC, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” she mused. “Either way, I met up with the man that actually executed with my father. He’s no longer in the mafia because Wilson betrayed him, too, and left him for dead. He went off the grid for a while, so it took a while to find him.”

  “You met up with the man who actually killed your father,” I said, my voice flat.

  “I know it sounds crazy but listen. I had to convince him that I wasn’t there to retaliate, and I just told him I was there to get answers so that I could take Wilson down. He was completely on board after that. Said something about Wilson setting him up a few months after my father’s death when the police were looking too far into Wilson’s business dealings.”

  “What did my father supposedly do then?”

  Carrie flipped through a few pieces of loose-leaf notebook papers and finally plucked one out. Her eyes scanned the sheet for a few seconds before meeting my gaze again.

  “He said that he and his wife had bought matching cars for their anniversary. Her car was having issues, so it was back in the shop. He believes Wilson ordered a hit on him and had someone plant a car bomb on his car, but it killed his wife and son instead. Ever since then, he fell off the face of the Earth, only agreeing to meet with me since I said I wanted to take Wilson down.” She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. “Let me be the first to tell you that it’s fucking terrifying having a gun pointed at you during the whole meeting.”

  I stroked my chin. I vaguely remembered that situation. My father had been angry that whole day, yelling at his men for “killing the wrong people,” but at that young age, I didn't understand the magnitude of what it meant.

  Any time my father noticed my presence, he would order his men into his soundproofed office so Carrie and I couldn’t eavesdrop or lurk around. I sighed deeply. The further down the rabbit hole we went into my father’s past, the more fucked up shit came to light.

  Aurora groaned in bed. I watched her for a few moments to see if she was going to wake up, but she drifted back to sleep.

  “How did anyone even get on the property? You had that place locked down,” Carrie said. A fresh wave of anger crashed into me at the thought of Kyler.

  “Yeah, about that,” I ground out. Carrie cocked an eyebrow as she waited for me to speak. “I think my father planted Kyler in my security to keep tabs on me. When shit hit the fan at the meeting, it’s like someone flipped a switch in him, and he just…changed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Questioning me, agreeing with Wilson, being a fucking smartass,” I mumbled. “I’d sent him to meet Vinnie to pick up supplies, and it’s convenient that we were attacked while he was gone, and he came back when everything was over.”

  “If you think Wilson planted him, why the hell is he still in the house?” Carrie nearly shrieked. I put my finger on my lips and gestured toward Aurora, who stirred slightly. “Sorry. But seriously, what the fuck, Bennett?”

  “What else am I supposed to do right now? Keeping him here allows me to keep tabs on him. He knows too much about my security. If he has been planted by Wilson, letting him go would only give Wilson the information he needs to destroy me.” I exhaled deeply. “I just need to figure out what he’s been planted here to do.”

  “Considering this is your cunt father we’re talking about, I’d say he’s here to kill you,” Carrie said, folding her arms across her chest.

  I shook my head. “If he was here to kill me, there were plenty of opportunities to do that at the safehouse.”

  “Even with your men around and guarding you? That would’ve been suicide had he done it then,” she said with a scoff.

  “I guess so. Either way, I plan to get some information on him before I make any sudden moves.”

  “Probably for the best. I may need to lay low myself. Things have been…weird since I’ve started my own digging.

  I paused and narrowed my eyes at her. “Weird how?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” she said waving me off.

  “Weird how, Carrie?” I repeated, my voice tight.

  She rolled her eyes and put her papers back in her folder. “You’re so dramatic,” she huffed. “There’s just been some guys hanging around my place, but they aren’t doing anything.”

  “Men? What do they look like?”

  “Like a dick in a suit, obviously,” she said with a shrug and stood up. “Look, I need to meet with someone else I have a hunch about, so keep me updated about what’s going on?”

  “Maybe you should stay here at the house for a bit,” I said, suddenly feeling on edge.

  She gave me a playful push. “I’m not staying on your whore compound, Bennett. This place gives me the creeps.”

  “I don’t think it’s safe out there for you, especially with you snooping around in Wilson’s past,” I said firmly.

  She frowned at me. “I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. I know you want to protect me from the evil you think is out there, but I’m not a little girl anymore. I’ll be fine. Besides, I know how to call the police also.”

  I frowned. “You and I both know the police can’t save you from the mafia,” I stated.

  Aurora screamed and kicked in bed, becoming tangled in the bed linen on top of her. Carrie and I rushed over to her. I pinned her arms next to her.

  “Aurora, wake up!” I called out, lightly tapping her cheek. She jerked against me, her eyes wide and frantic as she looked between me and Carrie, her gaze settling on Carrie.

  “You!” she shrieked.

  Carrie looked at me, confused. “Me?”

  “You…you were there when she…” Aurora’s sentence trailed, and she went silent and limp in my arms.

  “Aurora?” I asked. What the hell is happening with her?

  “Is she going to be okay?” Carrie asked.

  “I’m going to have a talk with the doctor about switching her medicine or something. She’s
been having nightmares every time she goes to sleep,” I said with a sigh. Aurora only stared ahead, her gaze blank. Carrie sat on the side of the bed and took Aurora’s hand into hers.

  “Aurora? How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Starving,” Aurora mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

  Carrie looked back at me with a frown. “Well, you heard the woman. Go find her some food,” she said, waving a hand to shoo me.

  I sighed. “Fine. I’ll be right back. I’m going to lock you two in here. I don’t want anyone else getting in here while I’m gone,” I said.

  Carrie completely ignored me, engrossed in comforting Aurora.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket as I stepped out into the hall and locked the door. Fishing it out of my pocket, I looked at the screen to see a text from Josh.

  Josh: We have a problem. Vinnie never returned after dropping off your supplies with Kyler.

  I ground my teeth, my breath quickening as I became angry all over again. My world had quickly spiraled out of control. There was a snake in my ranks, my father’s backstabbing past was coming to light, and I was feuding with an international mafia family who’d stop at nothing to kill all those responsible for the death of their leaders.

  I made my way downstairs, my eyes scanning for Josh. When I found him, he was pacing back and forth in front of my office door, concern in his eyes when he looked to me.

  “What do you mean he didn’t return?” I said, my voice low as I unlocked my office door and stepped in.

  He followed in behind me and closed the door. “Exactly what I said. It’s been nearly a whole day. We were on the phone with him the whole time, but the call cut out when he got out of the car so we don’t know what happened after that.”

  I walked over to my desk and sat at my computer. “Which car did he take? Was it one with a tracker?” I asked, typing my credentials into the computer.

  “Of course.”

  I opened the program to track my vehicles. All of them were parked where they were supposed to be except one. I tightened my jaw, the coordinates reading that the missing car was still parked at the coordinates I’d sent as the halfway spot for Vinnie and Kyler.

  Josh shook his head. “I don’t want to make any accusations I can’t back up—”

  “I already had my own thoughts,” I mumbled as I logged out of my computer and stood back up.

  “So, what do we do?” he asked.

  “I’m going to drive to the location to see what happened.”

  I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. With what happened at the safehouse, I wasn’t comfortable leaving Aurora at the house, but she was in no position for such a trip. I didn’t want to put her in more danger by having her with me in case we were ambushed again, so I had to put what little trust I had at the moment in my men to protect her.

  “Find Bruce, and you two meet me in the garage in ten. I’ll be back.”

  He nodded, and we exited my office to work on our expected tasks. I looked all over the ground floor for Nyxin and Saint, unable to find them. My annoyance rose the longer it took me to find them, but I finally ran into them when I opened the door to the bunker.

  “Where the fuck were you two?” I snapped.

  “Damn, what’s up with you? Is it a crime to get my dick sucked now?” Saint asked as he walked past me. “We were downstairs with the girls you agreed we could have a session with when we returned home.”

  I let out a slow breath, trying to calm myself. They were right. My mind was all over the place, unable to focus on any one thing. I’d forgotten I’d told them that before we left the safehouse, but that didn’t matter anymore. There were other pressing matters at hand.

  “Look, I need you two upstairs to guard Aurora’s door. It’s locked, and Carrie is in there with her. I don’t want anyone getting near that room while I’m gone,” I ordered.

  Nxyin narrowed his eyes at me. “Where are you going? Did something else happened?”

  “Vinnie never made it back after passing off supplies to Kyler. The car he drove is still at the location,” I said with a sigh.

  “Shit,” Saint said, shaking his head. “We’ll keep an eye on baby girl then. Keep us posted.”

  I nodded. “Get to your posts. Having her protected will be one less thing to worry about. When I get back, we’ll have a meeting on what needs to be done. And depending on the scene I discover, we may have to get rid of the snake in here,” I murmured.

  “Got it,” they both said in unison.

  I dismissed them and closed the bunker door before heading out to the garage to meet Bruce and Josh. The strained look on Bruce’s face made me reconsider whether or not he was the right man to take on the job.

  “Are you okay to come on this trip?” I asked with a raised brow.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, his voice tight with discomfort.

  I gestured to his arm that he cradled close to his chest. “With the look on your face and the way you’re holding your arm, it seems like you might need to sit this one out. You might need the doctor as well.”

  “It was just a graze. I’m good,” he said.

  I shook my head. I didn’t have time for mistakes, and I wasn’t going to put any of my men in danger if I could help it. “No, I think you need to stay back. I’ll call the doctor to get you some meds.”

  “Bennett—”

  “Switch places with Saint and guard Aurora for me then. You haven’t been able to rest your arm with everything that happened yesterday, so sit this one out.”

  “I said I was fine.”

  “And I gave a fucking order,” I said, my voice firm.

  His dark eyes stared at me for a long moment, the muscles in his jaw tensing before he sighed heavily. “Yes, sir,” he ground out before stalking back into the house.

  I could only imagine how hard it was for him to have to sit out. He was my right-hand man; he was always the first pick when it was time to handle business or whenever I needed backup. I couldn’t afford for him to sustain anymore injuries when the worst of this war hadn’t happened yet.

  A few minutes later, Saint came into the garage. “Bruce said I was switching places with him?” he questioned.

  “Yeah. Let’s go,” I said and got in the driver’s seat. After putting the coordinates in the car’s GPS system, we made our way to the location.

  Different scenarios flooded my mind as I drove, none of them good. As bad as my father was, he was also a prideful man. If he’d done something to Vinnie himself or ordered someone else to, he would’ve made a mockery of me by sending me the evidence.

  Same with the Russians. If they were responsible for whatever happened, they wouldn’t have kept it a secret. It was how the mafia worked, a way to wield their power and authority around to show they meant business.

  The closer we got to the location, the more my suspicions of Kyler grew. When he’d come back to the safehouse, aside from him acting surprised about the chaotic state of the house, he claimed he got the stuff from Vinnie, and they both left. He’d even claimed he saw Vinnie turn around and drive in the opposite direction. Unless the tracker fell off the car—which wasn’t possible—the car never moved from the location.

  “If you grip that steering wheel any harder, you’ll probably break it,” Saint joked.

  I released breath, as well as my grip. I just wanted this shit over with. Everything was so much simpler when the only thing I had to worry about was getting more girls and keeping my clients happy. Between Carrie digging around for information, my father provoking me to start two different wars, and now having to keep Aurora safe as well as out of trouble, my structured life had fallen apart right in front of me.

  Saint sat up in his seat and squinted. “That looks like the car,” he said, pointing ahead.

  A black SUV sat on the side of the road, the driver’s door and tailgate still open. I pulled off the road and parked behind the car, already on edge as I got out of the car. We looked around the truck, but there wa
s no sign of Vinnie. The keys were still in the ignition along with his phone. It looked as if he’d just got out and left.

  “Wait, look at this,” Josh said at the back of the truck. We walked over to him and followed his gaze. Dried blood covered the green grass.

  “This blood spot is too big and too much for him to still be alive,” Saint said.

  “But if he’s dead, where the fuck is he?” I asked, looking around. There was nothing but acres and acres of open field. You couldn’t hide a body out here without someone being able to see it from the road. I looked at Josh. “Did Vinnie say anything about someone being with Kyler?”

  He shook his head. “No. All he said was that he thought the SUV he saw waiting was probably Kyler and told me to hold on, but the call went dead soon after that.”

  “You think someone could've gotten to him before Kyler?” Saint added.

  “No,” I quickly said. “Kyler said he got the supplies from Vinnie. Even said that he saw with his own eyes that Vinnie turned back around to head back to the house.”

  “Well, something isn’t fucking adding up,” Saint said.

  “Yeah, because Kyler is a fucking liar, and he has some explaining to do,” I growled. “Let’s go.”

  “What about the truck?” Josh asked.

  I looked back at it and shook my head. Something in the pit of my gut didn’t feel right about the situation as a whole. The scene itself looked too staged, as if to lure someone into something that would result in their death.

  I thought back to my conversation with Carrie, my mind immediately going back to my father planting bombs. If anything, they’d probably expected me to send some of my men here to retrieve the car instead of coming myself. Either way, I had no way to be sure if the car had been tampered with, and it wasn’t something I was willing to risk right now.

  “We’ll have to leave it for now. Something doesn’t feel right here,” I said and headed back to our truck.

  They all hopped back in, and we left. The ride back was silent for the most part.

  “So, what the hell are we going to do now? We still don’t know where Vinnie is,” Josh asked from the backseat.