Page 49 of Kneeling for Daddy
Nik brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear as his thumb strokes my cheek. “You aren’t going to want to be here for this, Ani. Let me handle this.”
I glance at Alek, and he squeezes my hand. His lips are pressed in a thin line of discomfort, and he struggles to nod in agreement with Nik. “Do what he says, Ani.”
“No,” I whisper fiercely. “I’m not leaving. I know the world we live in. Do you idiots really think I don’t know what you’re going to talk about?”
“You are so fucking stubborn,” Nik groans.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Alek teases. “I’ve been dealing with her bratty ass my whole life.”
Nik chuckles, his hand resting low on my back. Turning his attention to Alek, he asks, “What happened?”
Alek sucks in a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment before exhaling harshly. “It… it was fucking chaos,” he rasps. “We were closing out for the night. They came in fast, gunshots ringing out. A round tore through my shoulder before I even realized what was happening.”
Struggling to catch his breath, Alek pauses, this conversation winding him like he is trying to run a marathon. “Take your time,” Nik insists.
“They shot Gevorg. The guy who was made manager the other night. And Miriam… The bastards held me down as they took turns with her… Then put a bullet through her head when they were done.”
A shiver runs through me, and I lift my hand to my mouth in a poor attempt to cover the gasp blowing over my lips.
Nik’s hand slips around my waist, and he squeezes my hip tenderly. “There is no shame in leaving,” he states softly. “You don’t have to stay.”
“I… I’m okay.” I nod, trying to convince myself I can handle this.
Nik maintains his comforting hold on me as Alek continues, “They torched the place and put two more rounds in me. They… They thought I was dead. But clearly, they wanted to send a message.”
My stomach drops, and my throat tightens. “Oh God…” I mumble under my breath.
“I crawled out the back door and into the alley before the whole building went up… Managed to get the car and somehow drove here… I have no idea what happened after that.”
“Damon got you all fixed up,” Nik informs him. “And Ani, she literally pumped life into you.” He looks at me, still proud of what I did.
Using every bit of his strength, Alek firmly says, “They’re not going to stop. Not when they learn I’m not dead.”
“I know,” Nik exhales, tension building in his jaw. His voice drops further, low and dangerous. “You know what this means.”
“We can’t let them think they can do this to us,” Alek answers. “Toanyonein our family.” Both of them glance in my direction. I catch the edge of worry, the unspoken fear that they’re holding back to keep me safe. Neither of them wants me to panic, but it’s to no avail. There’s urgency in their eyes, and I know what’s coming. My chest tightens as a cold shiver runs down my spine.
Alek swallows. “We go to war,” he announces with a steady but tight voice.
The words slice through me, and I bite the inside of my cheek. The thought of Alek being hurt, or worse…
Or Nik…
I can’t even let myself finish that thought.
Nik leans closer to Alek. “We take them apart, piece by piece. You have my whole fucking family behind you.”
“I know.” Alek nods slowly, though his face is pale, his exhaustion is laced with determination. “But I can’t let them think I’m weak. Not after this.”
Nik exhales sharply, fingers brushing against Alek’s shoulder. “You’re not weak. You survived when they wanted you dead. Andwe’re going to fucking show them what happens when you fuck with the King family.”
Alek’s recovery is painstaking; every day is a battle with pain and his own stubborn pride. He hates being caged in the apartment, watching and waiting. Like the rest of us, he’s itching to do one thing—enact revenge. Tonight, he’s ready—or ready enough—and I am, too.
We have waited a little over a week for him to stand beside us, fully aware that the men who tried to kill him think they have weakened us. They don’t know how patient the Kings can be. I lace up my boots in silence, the leather creaking softly as I cinch them tight, a subtle sound that somehow makes my blood hum. For at least the last twenty minutes, Enzo and Cillian have been pacing the length of our living room. Alek sits at the island, saving his strength for what he knows is coming tonight. The four of us are a unit, ready to bring a reckoning to Brighton Beach.
I check my weapons one last time. Sig Sauer—loaded and an extra clip in my pocket. Knife—sharp and on my belt. Crowbar—because I feel like swinging shit. All of us content with ourchoices, we head to the parking garage and ride in silence to our destination.
The streets are slick with light rain, and the neon and illuminated billboards are all reflecting off the asphalt. Brighton Beach has been quiet lately, but tonight we’re going to make a ton of fucking noise.
