Page 40 of Severance

Kai

Whipping the car around, I head in the opposite direction, driving back toward the city.

Dahlia glances over and I keep my eyes trained on the road in front of me as I step hard on the gas. The engine purrs and the car picks up speed as I drive well over the speed limit.

“What are you doing, Kai?”

Glancing over at her, I take in her confused expression before turning back to the road. My knuckles turn white as I grip the steering wheel tightly.

“What should have been done a long time ago.”

Dahlia shakes her head lightly and turns in her seat. “Cut the shit, Kai. If you want me to be open with you, this vague shit isn’t going to work.”

Taking a deep breath, I sigh, knowing that she’s right. “We’re going to see Luca.”

Reaching over, she rubs my shoulder and smiles as I glance over at her. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

No, it wasn’t, but you’re not going to like how this is going to go down.

I give her a small smile and continue our short drive back toward the house that I spent the first half of my childhood in. The long driveway is just as I remembered it, although I haven’t been here in many years. I never came back after we were taken from the farm. I refused to come, so my father bought me an apartment, which was just another way for him to exercise the control he had over me.

He’s always been a power-hungry man, driven by control… but that would soon be ending. His time was up and any form of control would soon be out of his hands.

Pulling up in front of his fortress, I stop the car right at the bottom of the marble steps. Killing the engine, I throw off my seatbelt and turn to Dahlia, grabbing her hand as she reaches to unbuckle her belt. Her eyes flash to mine as I hold her hand tightly, not allowing her to move.

“I’m going in there alone,” I tell her sternly as I try to conceal the regret running through me. I know how badly she wants and needs this, but I can’t let him near her.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she barks as she cuts her eyes at me. “Let go of my hand, Kai. You are not leaving me behind.”

She winces slightly as I tighten my grip on her hand. “I can’t let you go in there. It’s not safe.”

“Fuck you, Kai,” she seethes. “We’ve never been safe and that is not getting in my way of seeing that motherfucker take his last breath.”

Staring at her, I hold her hand tightly and she glares back at me as she’s being completely driven by her emotions right now. I’m playing with fire as the flames dance in the bright green depths of her eyes. She’s out for blood and for her own revenge and I’m the last thing standing in her way.

She deserves this… Luca deserves her rage and her pain.

Releasing her, I quietly let myself out as she remains seated. Her eyes follow me as I walk around the front of the car and open her door. Dahlia’s eyebrows are pinched together and she looks at me in confusion as I lean over her and undo her seat belt. As I move back out of the car, I hold out my hand for her, but she stays in the same place.

Dahlia’s eyes bounce back and forth between my hand and my face before she places her hand in mine.I help her out of the car and quietly close the car door behind us. We walk in silence, hand in hand, up the walkway and onto the front porch.

Pausing at the door, I turn her toward me and take her face in my hands. “I may be making the biggest mistake of my life, but he is yours,bambolina.” Dahlia looks up at me with her eyes full of emotion. “You are my queen and I’ll protect you at all costs, but I won’t deny you the revenge that you seek.”

“Thank you,” she whispers as a tear rolls down her cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you more than the air I need to breathe.”

She smiles lightly. “The air is heavily polluted and pretty shitty, so that’s not saying much.”

“Fuck you.” I chuckle as I dip my face down to hers and quickly steal her lips. “Every analogy is such a cliché. I just fucking love you, okay?”

“I know you do.” She smiles against my lips. Pulling away from her, I drop my hands down to hers and squeeze them. “We could both die in there.” The seriousness in my voice brings back the reality of how grave our situation is and what we’re about to do.

Dahlia squeezes my hands back and her lips curl upward into a wicked grin as the flames shine brightly in her eyes. “We could both die at any second. None of this shit is guaranteed and if this is my end, at least I’m going out with my fucking dignity. I’ll die in peace knowing that I finally fought the monster who hid under my bed.”

Taking a deep breath, I release her hands and grab my pistol. Dahlia follows suit and holds hers at her side. Grabbing the door handle, I look back at her and she winks. “It’s time.”

With a nod, I quietly open the front door and we slip inside into the darkness. Closing the door behind us, a light flickers on in the sitting room, revealing my father in his plush leather chair. Taking a drag from his cigar, he smiles as he exhales the thick smoke.

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