Exactly how we wanted it.
Cohen puts it back in his pocket, and we both stare at the man sitting in front of us, his face wild with anger.
“We have no intention of hurting her,” I say, my voice calm. “However, if you so much as attempt to go back on your word or try to do something to harm anyone in my family, we will harm her. I promise you that. You want your family safe? So do I. She will be released safely the moment the job is done. Do we have a deal?”
“If you so much as harm a hair on her head...” he growls, jerking in the cuffs.
“You do right by us; we’ll do right by you. She will be released safely. I give you my word. Now, do we have a deal?”
He glares at me but nods sharply. “We have a deal. I will eliminate the problem, return your girl safely to you, and then we’ll all go our separate ways never to fucking cross again.”
It’s rare to hear Benedict swear, which tells me we’ve done the right thing taking his daughter. He’s worried, he’s angry, and now I’m far more likely to believe he’s going to keep to his word, which is exactly what we need.
“If you wish me to finish this, you’ll need to release me,” he goes on, voice tight, “I’ll need to make calls, get this set up.”
I nod. “I’ll have some men come in to watch you.”
Cohen and I turn and walk out, closing the door behind us.
Cohen spins quickly, grabbing me and pressing me against the wall, kissing me with a ferocity I’ve never felt from him. His mouth is hard and rough, and he is ravishing my lips like a man who will never taste a woman again. I whimper and curl my fingers into his hair, kissing him until my mouth hurts. Then I pull back. “What was that for?”
“You are the strongest, most fuckin’ beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Seein’ you like that, takin’ charge, fuck me...it does things to me.”
My cheeks heat. “Really?” I say with a sly smile.
“If I had time right now, I’d fuck you so god damned hard you’d lose your voice from screamin’, but unfortunately, we’ve got a little girl to save and a war to finish.”
“You’re right, we do. To be continued...”
He chuckles. “Oh, it’ll be continued.”
I pull out my phone and dial Alarick to give him the good news. He organizes for Samson and Zariah to watch Angelica, not wanting Samson anywhere near this. Then he sends Kendric, Bohdi, and Mykel to the room to watch Benedict while we get this started.
It feels like we’re so close.
This is nearly over.
God, please let this go to plan.
If we deserve something, anything in the world, it’s this.
The club needs this to be done with.
I need this to be done.
We all just need this to be over.
“YES,” BENEDICT SAYS, phone held in his hand on speaker so everyone can hear what he’s saying.
That was another condition of our deal, we have to be able to hear everything he’s saying, and if he wasn’t willing to do that, then we wouldn’t agree.
He had no problem with it.
I don’t have a bad feeling about this, and considering my gut is usually pretty good at reading things, I’d say that’s an excellent thing. I think Benedict is far more worried about his company, reputation, and life to care about Blanche, Dax, and Peter. Though, I do want the chance to see my uncle, to look him in the eye before he is taken from this world.
Maybe I’m bitter because of the life I have endured for the last five-plus years, but the fact is, death doesn’t scare me. Not with other people. I don’t care that those men are going to be taken out, that they will no longer be here. I honestly couldn’t give a crap that they’ll never walk another day on this earth. Briella has said she is concerned about it and the guilt that might follow, but I know when she can breathe easily again, she is going to feel so much better.
As for Kendric, and his need to have Dax admit to everything so his charges are dropped, Benedict has a plan for that, too. He has a friend of a friend who is a reporter and is going to make an announcement when all of this blows up about the operation they were running and how it went bad. It’ll be all over the news, and Benedict, with all his power, is going to ensure Dax is linked to the murder of Bennett and not Kendric.
He assured us everything would be cleared.
I have to trust him. We all do.
It’s really our only chance.
“You want me to get all of them?” The man on the phone says, snapping me back to the here and now.
“All of them,” Benedict orders. “We are going to take down that operation ourselves.”
“Any chance of this coming back on you?”
“None,” Benedict confirms. “They’re all going to stop breathing. Nobody will be there to speak. It’ll be a big police bust, and they’ll think they’ve taken down everyone involved. I’m a silent partner for a reason. Make sure all the money is transferred away from them before they’re taken care of.”
I glance at Cohen, but he’s staring intensely at Benedict.
“Make sure it cannot be traced, too.”
The man makes a sound of agreeance. “I’m on it, boss. It’ll be done.”
“You make sure that girl is out of there safe before you do anything. That is the number one priority. You get her out; I’ll give you instruction
