Page 48 of Kingpin

“I’ve watched the strongest men fall to their knees in front of my uncle. I’m trying to figure out what game he’s playing, but—”

“I don’t beg for anyone!” I bellowed.

She didn’t flinch. “My uncle will kill me the moment I go back without having done my job. And when I realized, upstairs, that you wanted to question those men because you didn’t believe a word I told you a little while ago, I went into protection mode. The reason why I wanted to get in a room alone with those men was because I needed answers. Answers to those questions. And I didn’t want to get those answers in front of you.”

I felt my jaw trembling with anger. “More lies. More hidden secrets.”

I shoved her face off to the side and turned my back to her.

“Can you blame me, Israel? My own husband is eventually going to kill me. The only man I’ve ever considered a father now suddenly wants me dead. I was never a daughter to them, Israel. Only a trinket. A toy. A thing to manipulate without ever compromising theiractualdaughter. Don’t you see? I mean nothing to no one. So, yes. Forgive me for bartering for my own fucking pathetic excuse for a life.”

I whipped around. “You don’t have the power to protect yourself without me.”

“In some ways, that’s true. Yes.”

“In all ways, that’s true. So why risk anything that might piss me off?”

Her eyes watered. “Because I’m not sure if you’re capable of what I thought you were.”

I didn’t know what she meant, but I didn’t have the time. I needed to think. I needed to decompress. I needed to get the fuck out of here while I still could. I cracked my neck before making my way to the coat rack. I slipped my feet into shoes and tossed my coat over me, buttoning it to cover the bare front of my body.

“Where are you going at this time of night?” Bonnie asked.

“You need to sleep in one of the downstairs guest bedrooms for the night,” I said.

“Wait. What? Where are you doing, Israel?”

I checked to make sure I had my wallet. “A cleaning crew will be here—”

“Seriously. Where are you going?”

“Anywhere that doesn’t require me to look at you!” I roared.

When I whipped around, I saw fear in her eyes. For the first time since I had married that woman, she looked fearful of me.

The thought made me sick to my stomach.

“Down the hall. First door on the right. You're to sleep there for the night. When you get up, this place will look like those men were never here. And when I get back? I expect an answer from you.”

She sniffled. “What kind of an answer?”

“I want to know what you think I’m not capable of.”

“Should I start packing my bags?”

I turned my back to her. “That isn’t what I asked of you, so no.”

“Should I prepare to leave?”

I jammed my hand into the elevator button. “You should prepare to give me an honest fucking answer, upfront for once, when I get back. Otherwise, you won’t need to worry about your bags. I’ll send you somewhere much, much more distracting.”

Her sniffles tugged at my gut. Her soft sobs cracked my heart into pieces. I shoved it all away, though. I couldn't afford to feel like that until I had all of the pieces in play. The doors finally opened, and I walked inside, not even bothering to turn around. It wasn’t until the doors closed that I moved to press the button for the garage.

I needed a drive to clear my fucking head.

Alone.

21

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