Page 46 of Kane's Bounty
She took one more look and then followed him down the steps to the main floor. She expected him to go to the front door. He turned toward the study door.
“What are you doing?”
He released her hand and pushed open the double doors.
Oscar’s head came up from the papers he was engrossed in. His wide eyes stared from Lena in the doorway and back to Kane as he approached the desk. “Guard!”
“They can’t hear you, Thorn,” Kane said.
“You killed them all?”
Kane shrugged. “Not all.”
Oscar’s eyes darted toward her. “You see what kind of a monster you’ve gotten involved with, Lena. He’s a killer. Doesn’t it bother you that the man you’re fucking thinks nothing of taking a human life?”
She leaned against the doorjamb and thought about it. “I believe he thinks very much about it, and the answer is, no. I’m not bothered at all by anything Kane does. He’s ten times the man you are. Besides, you and I both know you’re not averse to taking a life or two when it suits you.”
Kane rounded the desk and Oscar rolled his chair back as far as it would go. The wall stopped his backward motion. “So, you’re just going to stand there and let him kill me?”
“I doubt I could stop him, if that’s his plan,” she said mildly.
Kane stood over her ex-husband. An unpleasant smile tugged at his lips and his eyes narrowed. “I’m not going to kill you, Thorn. That’s too good a fate for you. I’m going to make you suffer in a way that will linger for the rest of your life. I’m going to destroy you for what you did to her.”
“You don’t have the juice to hurt me.” His arrogance knew no bounds.
Kane smiled brightly. He took a step forward, and in the blink of an eye, his fist swung around and bashed Oscar on the side of the head. He slumped awkwardly in the large leather desk chair. His eyes rolled back in his head for a second and then closed. Kane said, “I may not have the juice, but I know a few people who do.” He turned to her and strode across the carpet.
“Why didn’t you kill him?”
He stopped in front of her, where she still leaned against the wood. His face was a mask of emotion. She could see tenderness in his eyes along with fury. “I would love to wrap my fingers around his scrawny neck and squeeze the life out of that asshole.”
“So?” It surprised her how much she wanted him to do it. She had been raised to find the good in people. It was her destiny to serve humanity, not to destroy. Still, the idea of Oscar’s body being buried in the ground gave her hope for her future.
“I might have enough cause and enough friends to get away with it, but we’d have to live with the outcome. If I use my resources, we can destroy him in a much more meaningful way. Death is too good for him.”
She tried to suppress her hatred for her former husband. “I don’t know, Kane. He deserves to die.”
His hand came up and caressed her cheek. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, tipped it up and kissed her forehead. “He deserves worse than death, baby. I promise, I won’t rest until he pays for what he did to you.” Another tear slid down her face. Kane wiped it away.
“We have to get out of here,” he said. “Are you okay to walk?”
She pushed away from the wall. “I’m okay.”
They turned toward the front door. Monty, perfectly unaffected by what he’d witnessed, stood with his hand on the doorknob, waiting for them to exit. “I assume you will be leaving us again, madam.”
“Yes, Monty.”
“Then I will wish you well.” He opened the door, letting in the midday sunlight.
“Thank you,” she said.
The butler said, “I will have been resting when you left the house. It will likely take me an hour or so to notice anything is amiss and call the authorities, Mr. Lakeland.”
Kane stopped and looked the butler up and down. He smiled. “Thanks, Monty. You’re a good man.” Kane offered the butler his hand.
Monty took it and nodded. “Best of luck to you both.”
Once on the street, they walked quickly down several blocks. Kane walked into a small convenience store and she followed. He asked to use the phone. The shopkeeper looked them up and down. Kane was sweaty and rumpled looking and she could only imagine how terrible she looked. They must have seemed desperate, because the man didn’t even hesitate when he nodded and pulled a cell phone from his pocket, handing it to Kane.
