Page 24 of Trust In Me

“I don’t often discuss this, but our marriage is derived from one of convenience, but it was something we chose. I wasn’t told who to marry by my father. So, I’m not all too happy about arranged marriages happening in my territory.”

With a scowl on his face, Kyle is quick to reply. “Believe me, Mia wants this wedding just as much as I do. We have been engaged for a long time.”

“That’s not what I heard,” Kian chips in, his face not wavering from his usual cheeky dimpled smile. It’s enough to wind anyone up, and given the growl leaving Kyle’s mouth, he’s unhappy too.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well…I mean, I’ve seen the marriage certificate that was requested five years ago, and that would have made your bride-to-be just fifteen at the time. Yet, we are five years down the line, and you still aren’t married. I heard that you aren’t even in touch with Mia anymore,” Kian explains, trying to sound as though he has no idea what he’s talking about, just that he’s relaying information he’s heard. He plays his part well. He’s one of those people that people underestimate because of his boy band good looks, and dimpled smile, he doesn’t look like a threat. They couldn’t be more wrong. Kyle has fallen for Kian’s trap, hook, line, and sinker. He doesn’t even realise he is being played.

“That’s not true. Mia has had some time away from the family to go to college and get her degree, but now that’s over, she will be moving back home to be with me. The fact that she was only fifteen when we first agreed to get married is irrelevant. We planned to marry after she turned sixteen, which, with her father’s permission, is legal, but we decided to wait for her to finish school.” Kyle’s words are short and sharp, the defensive tone in his voice now plain for all to see. Kian doesn’t hesitate as he winds him up further.

“So, she didn’t leave you and run away then?”

Kyle’s cheeks flush red as his dark eyes glare at Kian. Running his fingers through his greasy-looking dark hair, he snaps back. “Who told you that? She didn’t run away. We let her go, but she knows she’s coming back to me so we can be married. Her father has assured me of that, and he’s not someone who should be trifled with.”

I wait for Bree to speak, but she doesn’t. As I look over at her, I notice she appears frozen at the mention of Mia’s father. Who the fuck is this guy? Why can’t I remember his name? Fuck, I’m starting to regret not digging deep into Mia’s past.

“Look, it’s irrelevant who Mia’s father is. She will not be marrying you,” says Liam, as he looks over at Bree, concern moulding his facial features, as he reaches out and takes her hand in his. That’s enough to snap her out of her stupor, just in time, too, because Kyle doesn’t seem to like the way the conversation is going.

“No offence to you, Miss O’Keenan, but my loyalty to your family doesn’t extend that far. You have no right to say who I can and who I can’t marry.” His voice is raised far more than it should be, and the tension begins to crackle away in the air around us.

I feel the phone in my hand buzzing, and as discreetly as I can, I read the text from Kian. Looking up at him, he gives me a small wink, and I can already tell I’m not going to like this.

Kian: Play along. This is the best way to get the info out of him, and get him away from Mia. It will put a target on your back, but I’ve got you.

Oh fuck, what is this crazy asshole up to now?

“Actually, we do have a right. The reason we have brought this up is because Mia is no longer available, therefore her father should never have promised her to you. She’s already living with another man,” Kian explains, a lot more fucking smugly than was probably necessary, but I have to admit, I’m enjoying the look of disgust and anger rippling across Kyle’s face.

“What the fuck? How do you know she’s with another man?” His face is now a burgundy colour, and his hand is shaking uncontrollably. The last of his control is quickly slipping away.

Liam is shaking his head, making his feelings on this perfectly clear, but Kian ignores him, and flicks his eyes to Bree. She looks to Liam first and then to me, and when I give her a slight nod, I see the sharp intake of breath before she starts to speak. “Mia is my best friend. So, I know. She and her boyfriend live with me, which means they are both under my protection. Even though you are aligned with me, and therefore have my support, let me be very clear when I say, they are family. I will always back them first before anyone else. So, as far as I’m concerned, this discussion is over.”

Kyle obviously has a different idea, as he pushes himself up from the table so roughly that the chair flies backwards. Kian’s hand automatically travels to the gun that I know he has holstered to his side, but Bree reaches her hand over, indicating for Kian to stop. We just wait and watch as Kyle paces like a mad man, his hands scraping through his greasy hair.

“I don’t believe you. I only spoke to her father a couple of days ago and he said nothing,” Kyle spits, as he continues to pace at the opposite end of the table.

Kian, obviously trying to rile him up even more, leans backwards in his chair like he’s the most relaxed in the world, which could be true for this cocky fucker. He’s so relaxed he’s almost horizontal. “Her father obviously doesn’t know shit. He hasn’t seen her for years. She’s very loved up, isn’t that right, Kellan?”

All eyes are on me, and I can see Liam out of the corner of my eye shaking his head and giving Kian his best death stare. I don’t even need to look at Kyle to know he, too, is staring at me, he even stops pacing while he takes me in. I don’t bother looking at him, instead I look at Bree. I don’t want to do anything that will cause more trouble in this business. But, at the same time, I hate the idea that this fucker thinks he can stake a claim against Mia, particularly without her consent.

Bree gives me a small smile, and I know she’s telling me that it’s up to me. It’s my choice whether I play along with Kian or not, my risk to take. But the thing is, it’s not even something I really have to think about. It may have been Kian's plan, but I was on board instantly. Anything to show this guy we mean business.

“Yes, that’s right. Mia’s with me, we live together, and I have no intention of letting her go. So, you should forget all about whatever her father promised you,” I say, my voice holding a confidence I didn’t know I had. Although I try not to show it, my heart is racing, my palms are sweaty, and I’m having to mentally remind myself to breathe. I’m not scared, I just don’t like these kinds of confrontations, the ones where you have no idea what the outcome will be. They make me anxious as fuck, but with Bree, Liam, and Kian by my side, I know I’m fine.

“You! There’s no fucking way my beautiful girl is marrying you. What the fuck do you have to offer her compared to me? You are a nobody,” Kyle shouts, and I can see both Liam and Bree getting ready to pounce on my behalf, but I don’t let them. I can do this myself.

“I’m not a nobody to Mia. We are a family, and that’s the end of this discussion. So, I would strongly advise you to let this go. Make sure you delete Mia’s number. I’m deadly fucking serious when I say this to you, if you make any form of contact with Mia again, they will need to use DNA to identify your body because all other markers will be obliterated. I don’t think I can make that any clearer.” I hear a chuckle coming from my right, and I look over at Kian who hasn’t changed from his laid-back position, only now he is laughing at the ridiculous, shocked expression plastered across Kyle’s face.

I reach over to take a sip of my water. It looks like I’m as laid-back as Kian, but I’m fucking not. I need to replace the fluid in my body because I’m sweating in places I didn’t know I could sweat from. There’s a reason I sit behind a computer screen. I get far too fucking anxious for these types of interactions. I could have walked in and shot him, but mind games are not my thing.

Kyle pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts playing with it. Instantly, that pulls Kian out of his relaxed position. He has his finger pressed to his ear with one hand, while the other is tapping away on his phone. He’s obviously warning the security staff that the threat level is rising. For all we know, Kyle could be calling for his security, planning to slaughter us all. What we didn’t expect is for him to put the phone on speaker, and as he pulls his chair back up to the table, taking a seat again in front of us, he places the phone on the table as it rings.

After a couple of rings, an older, somewhat familiar, posh British male voice answers, and as soon as I realise where I’ve heard his voice before, my blood runs cold. “Hello, Whitlock speaking.”

I can tell both Liam and Kian have no idea who is on the other end of the phone, but Bree does. Her face isn’t giving anything away, but she doesn’t look confused like the guys do, or shocked like I do. Of course she knows who Mia’s dad is, but does she know who he really is?

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Whitlock. I’m here with Miss O’Keenan and some of her associates. One of them is claiming that he and your daughter, Mia, are an item. I was very much hoping you would correct them and kindly confirm that I indeed will be marrying Mia very soon,” Kyle explains, although he doesn’t sound anywhere near as cocky talking to Whitlock as he did us. You can tell by the little quiver in his voice that he’s afraid of Whitlock, and I don’t blame him.

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