Page 46 of Ruthless Sinner

Shit.I hauled her up. I was alone, thank fuck. Nobody else had heard what she said. So long as she kept her mouth shut while she got medical attention, maybe we could wait and deal with this privately, just the two of us.

Footsteps sounded—the fact that I could hear them meant that the place was clear. Our guys were good and understood the meaning of stealth, unlike police who just thundered in everywhere declaring themselves.

I stood up, Kennedy still in my arms, her head gently cradled against my shoulder. “She needs medical attention,” I told Toby as he came into view.

Vincent was acapowhich meant he rarely conducted such raids himself, but often sent Toby in his place.

“We’ll get her to the doctor,” Toby assured me. He eyed her. “That’s not Misha’s usual method. What happened?”

“I think she pissed him off,” I said.

“That was stupid of her.”

“Kennedy’s not stupid,” I replied. “She probably knew our policy would be not to come for her. A quick death’s better than a slow one.”

Technically, I wasn’t lying. I was just conveniently leaving out the part where she’d wanted to die so that she wouldn’t have to hurt me by betraying me.

She’s not family,Dad had said, multiple times. Vincent had said it too. But what could possibly prove her to be family more than this? She’d wanted to die to keep me safe. To keep my entirefamilysafe.

Toby seemed to accept my answer. “Tough cookie.”

“You have no idea.”

Hell, I barely had an idea, apparently.

We got her to one of our trusted doctors, who patched her up. Kennedy started to wake up during the process, but he gave her a sedative. I thought it would be better for her to wake up at my place, somewhere she felt safe, rather than at a strange backroom doctor’s office.

The doc gave me some ointment and medication for her injuries, and sent us on our way. They’re no-nonsense, our doctors. They know that we prefer the school of “shake it off” medicine.

I laid Kennedy carefully down in my bed, got an ice pack for her swollen eye, and rubbed the ointment on her bruises. She’d taken some real hits there. But when I’d been creeping into the building, I hadn’t heard a peep from her. No sounds of crying or begging or screaming.

She’d held up. Like a true mafia girl.

The elevator slid open just as I finished up with her bruises. It was Vincent with Toby.

And neither looked happy.

“Finally finished looking into your girl,” Vincent said quietly. I stood up. “Jade over at Cozy Bunny had the craziest story to tell me, about a client Kennedy took on before she went steady with you.”

I could remember that time. The older man. I’d been seeing red with jealousy.

“The story that Jade told me, is that she had someone check in on your girl, just to make sure everything was okay since they’d never seen the man before. And what does she hear but that this woman isn’t giving a lap dance or anything else at all. Instead she’d been giving the guy information. Information aboutus.”

Vincent’s eyes went dark and I saw our father in him, as our father lives in us all: that dark, swirling, menacing anger that pulses through our blood.

“She’s a fed,” I said quietly. “I know.”

Vincent stared at me. His fingers flexed and I realized his hands were gloved. So. That was why he’d come here. Gloves didn’t leave fingerprints.

“How do you know,” he said. “When.”

“Earlier. She told me before she passed out.” I took a subtle step to my right, putting myself directly between Vincent and Kennedy, helpless on the bed. “She wanted to die back there so that she wouldn’t be forced to give me, or anyone else in our family, up to her boss. I think we can turn her.”

Vincent’s tone held no humor. “You think your dick is really that magical.”

“What really happened with Marla and her brothers?” I countered. “I know that you’ve let people believe the Petrovs were responsible so you’re justified in your little meddling you’ve been up to, but if the Petrovs were involved you know I’d know about it. Something happened, and I have a feeling that something led to Marla choosing you.”

I stepped forward, just a little bit, just enough. “Kennedy’s chosen me. I don’t care where she’s from.”

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