Page 42 of Objection

His head shook. “Nah. I considered it heavily, but I want that shit to be dead with the both of them. I do, however, want Fedora punished. I don’t even have to ask if you touched her because I know you didn’t. Her lie cost my brother his life, and she deserves to pay.”

“Already ahead of you. She just filed a false police report. And now, I’m going to make sure she’s charged with both of their murders.”

“Is that possible?”

Smirking, I shook my head. “When you know the law like me? Yeah. Her lie was what led to the shooting. Even though shedidn’t pull the trigger, she’s responsible. I can have her charged as an accessory or facilitator of the murders. Might not get as many years as Mason would have gotten if he was alive, but itwillhold her accountable.”

“Good.”

Wrapping my arm around his shoulders, I led him inside the house. I called Serenity and told her I wouldn’t be home any time soon, and when she found out why, she offered to come over immediately. I appreciated her for that, because the truth was, as upset as I was with Unc over his choices lately, I was still hurt that he was gone.

Serenity

Ten Days Later

I’d never been to a mafia leader’s funeral before. It was cold. Scary. Emotionless yet thick with tension and emotion at the same time. His wife and daughter may have been the only people shedding tears, but I could see the pain and anger on a lot of people’s faces. I saw the tight jaws, the heavy hearts. The unshed tears. Adam looked so pitiful. Kaos shared with me how things had been between the brothers lately, and how a part of him felt responsible. He felt like if he would have been more willing to bend his boundaries, the brothers wouldn’t have had as many issues. I quickly spoke to his heart and character and reminded him that it was more important to remain a man of principle above anything else.

If he would have done what his uncle wanted, Alpha would have taken more advantage, and instead of feeling guilt, Kaos would be feeling relief and resentment. That seemed to help him, and he’d been his father’s strength the whole service.

There would be no burial. No repast. No consoling of the family. Instead, Adam had to immediately get down to business, and life and the mafia would continue on as if nothing had happened.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Kaos said to his father.

Adam smiled. “I appreciate the offer, but you know I want you to stay out of this. I’ll be good, Son.”

“You better be, because I can’t lose you, old man. Not no time soon.”

“I believe I got a good thirty years left in me.” His eyes shifted to me, and he gave me a playful smile. “Gotta be here for my grandbabies.”

“We can make that happen sooner than you think,” I granted, taking Kaos’s hand into mine.

He looked down at me in surprise before smiling and kissing my forehead. After Adam and Claudia left, we went home in a comfortable silence. I tried to be present but also give Kaos his space. The breathy relief that escaped him once we hit the foyer made me smile. I couldn’t imagine how overwhelming this was for him. As he loosened his tie, I asked, “Is there anything you need, baby?”

“Nah. I think I’m good now that the funeral is over. Of course I’ll miss him, but I can’t act like it won’t feel good to no longer feel pressured to do what he wanted me to do. How fucked up is that?”

“It’s not fucked up at all. It’s real, and it’s your truth.”

He sighed and nodded his agreement. “I’m tired, princess. I think I’m just about to go to sleep. Come lay with me.”

I agreed with no hesitation. Once we made it to our room, I undressed him then took off my dress and heels. We climbed into bed, and instead of me cuddling up against him, I lay on my back and pulled him onto me. As I caressed his back and head, Ipaid attention to his breathing, not allowing myself to relax until he was asleep.

The Following Monday

Zander had come over to update us on Fedora’s case. When she heard she could be facing two to twelve years because two people were dead because of her lies, she immediately broke down and asked to see Kaos in hopes of a deal. I know he wanted her to pay, but I didn’t think he’d ask Zander to try and get her the max sentence. They ended up agreeing to the ADA offering her six months’ probation, but she also could have no contact with Kaos or anyone attached to him, including me. I felt like that was fair. It sucked that men had lost their lives, but from what Kaos had told me, they were bound to go to war anyway. I was just glad it was finally over.

While I waited for Kaos to wrap up his business so we could look at buildings for my staffing company, I passed time reading Danielle Allen’s latest release on my Kindle. She was one of my favorite independent authors, and I loved the way she wrote romance.

When a call came through from my mom, I stared at the screen for a while before answering.

“Hey, Ma,” I spoke.

“Hey, baby. I was hoping I could come and see you and your sister this weekend. I talked about it with Taylor, and she told me I could stay at the apartment instead of a hotel.”

My heart dropped and I sat up in my seat. “S-sure. Is everything okay?”

“Honestly . . . no. I still haven’t gotten over the way your father acted toward you and Kaos on his birthday. I love him, and I want to be with him, but I love my girls too. I can’t continue to be in the middle and miss out on time with the both of you. If he can’t understand that . . .”

She let the essence of her words linger in the air. I nodded and licked the corner of my mouth as I processed her words.

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