Page 69 of Taken By the Mafia King
A maid who’d been dusting at the far end of the foyer squeaked in surprise and scurried away like a frightened mouse. I couldn’t blame her.
Fred heaved a breath as Killian’s fists clenched and unclenched by his sides. I hovered an arm’s reach away, not wanting to get too close, but not daring to give up now. The truth was right there, dangling in front of me like a carrot on a string. All I needed to do was reach out and take it.
One more push.
“Please,” I said again, my voice now almost entirely drowned out by the ringing in my ears.
“Tell her, or I will.” Fred’s jaw rose in defiance.
“Get out of my house.” Killian’s voice was smooth but deadly.
Fred’s eyes settled on Killian’s lethal hands, and his tone softened. “Tell her, please. She deserves to know.”
Killian made no move to speak or raise a hand.
“Please,” I whispered.
Killian turned to look at me, and his eyes flashed with something I could only describe as guilt. Then he took a breath and turned back to Fred.
“I will, but you need to leave, now.”
Fred’s jaw tightened but he nodded shortly. Then his eyes met mine. “I’m sorry, Sera. I’ll come visit you as much as I can.”
“You have two seconds to get out of my house before I stain the floor with your blood, Fred. Don’t test me.”
Fred turned for the door and disappeared before I had a chance to catch my breath.
Killian turned to me and motioned for me to walk away from the door with him. Whatever fire had been holding me upright dimmed, and I could do nothing but follow as he led me through the house and to his office.
The ringing in my ears had reached an all-time high. I couldn’t hear the click as he closed the door behind me, and when he spoke, his voice was a murmur, like I was underwater.
“What am I going to do with you?” He put a hand in the small of my back and guided me to a chair by the fire.
The heat on my skin brought me back into my body, and the ringing eased a bit, but not entirely.
Killian’s eyes glanced at my shaking hands, and he walked away. As I sat there dreading whatever he was about to say, he brought me a bottle of water.
“Drink,” he said.
I tipped my head back and took a sip. The ringing eased a bit more.
“You looked like you were about to pass out.”
“You’re killing me,” I whispered.
He stiffened.
I closed my eyes, and tears I wished I could have stopped spilled down my cheeks. “All these secrets. Lies. Keeping me up there locked in my room. Stealing me from my life. I can’t bear it anymore, Killian. Please just tell me the truth. What happened to my father?”
Killian stood staring down at me. I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees and my forehead in my hands. Desperation and anxiety had taken hold, and I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I sank my fingers into my hair and pulled at the roots, needing to feel something to ground me in my body and keep me tethered to this moment.
I couldn’t tell how much time passed, but the silence felt so heavy I wanted to scream. Eventually, Killian took a knee in front of me.
I lifted my head and blinked away tears.
He reached out and brushed one away with his thumb. His touch felt gentle and almost kind.Impossible.
His mouth twisted before he pursed his lips in a fine line. “If you want the truth, so be it. I wanted to spare you from it, but I see that I wasn’t protecting you. You deserve to know.”
