[English] Obligation

Obligation
Obligation Page 50



“Now do you want to tell me what’s happening?” Aye asks as soon as we’re in the car and heading towards downtown.

“****!” I roar, pounding the steering wheel as a fresh wave of rage begins to pump throughout my body. “What I’m going to tell you is never to ****ing leave this car. Got me?” I say through clenched teeth.

“You got it,” Aye says softly.

I see Pika nod out of the corner of my eye.

“I know that each of you has been around when Thad’s been brought up, and I know you have seen Myla’s reaction to even his ****ing name,” I start, trying to take a calming breath as I feel my hands grab the steering wheel so hard that the rubber compresses under my touch. “He raped her.”

I hear my voice crack, and I know I’m on the edge of losing it. Knowing that my wife—the woman I love, the mother of my child—suffered at the hands of someone like him causes my chest to crack open.

“You cannot be ****ing serious!” Aye yells, punching the back of my seat so hard that I jerk forward from the blow.

“He’s dead,” Pika grits out.

I stop the car in the middle of the road and turn so that I can look at both of them. “He’s mine. The only way you guys get a shot at him is if something goes wrong and I can’t finish him myself.”

“We both care about her,” Aye says, but I shake my head.

“He’s mine,” I reiterate, and they both nod reluctantly.

I put the car in drive and head towards the warehouse we were at when I saw Thad earlier. The parking lot is empty except for a large, white van, and I know instantly that they are just here for cleanup. I pull my phone out and send a message to Kenton to tell him that I’m cashing in my marker. His man Justin will be able to get me whatever information I need almost instantly. It takes less than a minute for me to get a message back from Kenton, and less than three for Justin to send me everything I need to know about Thad.

I send a reply message, letting him know that the offer I gave him a year ago still stands. I tried to have the kid come work for me, but he wouldn’t budge.

His reply of, Sorry, Charlie, almost makes me laugh. I have to respect that, because loyalty is rare these days. I put the car in drive and head towards the Strip. Thad used his cre*** card there twenty minutes ago, and based on the amount he withdrew, he was sitting at a table.

“He’s at Bellagio,” I say then look in the rearview mirror. “Aye, he doesn’t know you, so I need you to get close to him once we’re inside.”

“What’s the plan?” he asks, cracking his knuckles.

“I’m going to find a woman who will help me get him outside.”

“Where do you want me?” Pika asks.

“I need you in the car,” I tell him, and he nods.

We drive the rest of the way in silence. Every scenario is playing out in my head. It’s not going to be easy to get him out alone, but I know men like him, and if I can make the offer sweet enough, he won’t be able to resist.

When we pull up outside of the hotel, Pika comes around and hops behind the wheel as Aye and I make our way inside.

“Message me when you spot him,” I tell Aye as I head in the direction of the bar.

It takes me less than ten minutes to find two women who are more than happy to take me up on my offer. I tell them that one of my frat buddies is in town and we’re going to play a little joke on him. At first, they are slightly unsure, but after I pull out a wad of cash, they’re more than willing to play along.

It takes another ten minutes to get a message from Aye about where Thad is, and just like I guessed, he’s sitting at one of the blackjack tables. I send the two girls over to him, and they do just what I asked, both of them flirting and whispering in his ear. Even from across the room, I can see that he’s eating that **** up.

Eventually, they convince him to go outside with them, and I know the exact moment it happens, ‘cause he pulls one of the girls into his lap and grabs the other by the back of her head, kissing her then forcing her mouth to her friend’s. They all stumble their way out of the casino as Aye and I follow behind them and make sure they stay on course.

Once we’re outside, the girls do just as I said and get him into the back of the SUV, closing the doors. After a few seconds, I make my way over and open the back door, getting inside.

“What the ****?” Thad shouts as both girls scramble out the other door.

Aye climbs inside to sit on the other side of Thad, who’s in the process of pulling up his pants.

“Where to?” Pika asks as he pulls away from the curb.

“Dino’s,” I tell him, and he nods as we pull out onto the main road.

“I asked you what the ****?” Thad shouts.

Aye puts his arm around his shoulders and pulls him back into him.

“Take off your shirt,” I tell him.

He looks at me like I’m crazy as the weight of the situation finally begins settling in.

“I said…take off your shirt!” I roar.

He holds his hands up in front of him, unbuttons his shirt, and slips it off, handing it to me. I set the shirt in my lap and begin taking my cufflinks off. Then I roll up the sleeves of my own.

“I don’t have a wire,” he tells me.

I laugh in his face. Then I pull my knife out, stabbing him in the gut twice before pressing his shirt to his stomach to staunch the blood flow.

“You just stabbed me,” he whispers.

I lift his face so that he’s looking at me and not at the blood that’s now turning his shirt red.

“I’m going to kill you tonight. I’m going to hurt you until you eventually pass out from blood loss, but then I’m going to wake you up and feed you your own ****ing **** until you choke on it before taking your dead, lifeless body into the desert, where the ****ing wild animals will fight over what’s left of you!” I roar as my hand on his jaw tightens to the point that both pain and understanding fill his eyes.

“She told you,” he says.

I lean forward until our noses are touching. “Yeah, she told me,” I say, and I then lean back enough to elbow him in the face.

His body slumps forward, and I wipe my hands off before turning away from him to look out the window. I was raised to do this. Every cell in my body knows exactly what needs to be done, all of them preparing for what’s to come, and when it’s over, I know I’ll go home to my wife and tell her that she never has to be afraid again because I slaughtered her demon.

Obligation
Obligation Page 51



I roll my window down as soon as we pull up outside Dino’s. His front door opens and he steps out onto the porch. Dino is about three hundred pounds, six seven, with a bald head. As soon as he realizes who it is, he swings his shotgun up to rest on his shoulder.

“Haven’t seen you in a while,” he says, looking at the occupants of the car.

“It’s been a while,” I confirm.

Dino has a house in the desert on two hundred acres. About fifteen years ago, he had bomb shelters built into the ground around his property. These shelters are soundproof and safely enclosed, the perfect place to kill someone and take your time doing it.

“I need a room tonight,” I say, getting out of the SUV and walking over to the porch.

“Sure thing.” He greets me with a handshake and waves for Pika to follow him. “I’ll lead you guy out,” he mutters, getting onto a four-wheeler while I walk back over to the SUV and climb into the front seat.

“This place is ****ing creepy,” Aye mutters as we drive through the desert.

Every once in a while, we drive past a part of the sand that has a red light sticking up out of the ground, the light signifying that the room is occupied. There is only one reason to come here.

After driving for about thirty minutes, we come to a stop, and Dino gets off his four-wheeler, and I meet him at the door of the shelter.

“You know the rules. You’re locked in until you call. There are clothes and supplies inside, and make sure you leave your keys in the car so I can have someone come out and pick it up.”

“Got it,” I mutter.

He opens the door and the smell of cleaning supplies hits my nose. I inhale one last breath of clean air before walking into the room behind Pika and Aye, who are carrying Thad.

“Call when you’re done,” Dino says, shutting the door and locking it behind us.

For the next six hours, I tortured him until he couldn’t even hold his head up on his own. Then I cut off his dick and shoved it down his throat like I’d told him I would.

Call me evil, but when I walked away from his lifeless body, I felt cleaner.

There was one last piece of **** in the world preying on the innocent.

When we arrived home, I went to our room and got into the shower before getting into bed with Myla. The moment I lay down, her body curved against mine and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

“It’s done,” I tell her.

Her beautiful eyes close open, and she leans forward, pressing a kiss to my chest. I gather her closer to me, and with her wrapped in my arms and my hand on her belly, I feel my son move for the first time.

“He moved,” I whisper in awe, waiting to see if I can feel him again.

“He’s been doing it all night. It’s almost like he’s trying to tell me that it will all be okay,” she whispers.

I exhale a long breath. “You have nothing to fear now, makamae,” I tell her.

She nods her head against my chest, and I wait, listening as her breathing evens out before following her off to sleep.

Chapter 16

Redemption

We’ve been home from Vegas for three weeks, and I know it may make me a horrible person, but knowing that Thad is dead and can never hurt me or anyone else again makes me feel lighter. I still felt bad for my parents when they called to tell me that he had gone missing. I know they were heartbroken over the loss of their son. I wanted to tell them the kind of monster he was, to make them understand they shouldn’t morn his loss, but I know that, in the end, it didn’t matter. He had paid with his life for his crimes. I even got up enough courage to speak to my brother Royce, and even though the conversation was awkward, it felt good to talk to him.

My relationship with Kai has also changed since coming back to Hawaii. The wall that had been keeping us separated finally crumbled. He now knew everything there was to know about me, and I now know he will be there to help me battle any demons I may have.

I silently lie here, looking out at the ocean, willing myself to sleep, but I can’t get over the feeling that something is going to happen. I know that something is brewing. I don’t know what it is, but the energy over the last few days has changed, and Kai is more anxious than before. But every time I bring it up, he explains that, when the time is right, he will share it with me.

“I need to go out for a couple of hours, love,” Kai says, coming into the room, where I have been lying down, trying to take a nap.

I turn my head on the pillow and take him in, noticing that he looks worried. “Do you want me to come with you?” I ask him.

He shakes his head, leans over me, and presses a kiss to my lips. When he pulls back, his fingers run down my cheek.

“I won’t be gone long,” he says, but the anxiety I see in his eyes has the worry in my chest expanding.

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. You just rest.”

I study his face and take notice of the way his jaw seems to be harder. “I love you,” I tell him as I lift my hand to run my fingers down his jaw.

His eyes go soft and his face changes slightly. “I love you too. I’ll be back,” he tells me, and this time, I hear the conviction in his voice when the words leave his mouth.

“We’ll be here waiting for you,” I tell him instead of doing what I really want to do, which is attach myself to him, making it hard for him to leave without taking me with him.

His lips press against mine as his hand moves to my belly one last time before he leaves the room. It takes all of my strength to stay on the bed and not follow him out of the house.

Soon after he leaves, I get up and phone his mom to see if she knows anything about what’s going on. She tells me that Kai didn’t tell her anything and she is sure it is just the hormones that are making me feel like something is off. When I get off the phone with her, I go into the kitchen and start baking to help keep my mind busy until he comes home.

I look at the clock and then over at Pika, who has been hanging out with me since I got out of bed earlier. When I notice that he’s looking at the clock as well, I give up and go get the phone. I have never called Kai when he has told me that he’ll be working, but right now, I need to make sure he’s okay so the feeling in my stomach will hopefully go away.

I wrap one arm around my waist and then use the other to dial his number before putting the phone to my ear. My eyes stay locked on Pika’s, and I can see that he’s waiting to get some relief as well.

“Kai—”

My heart soars then crashes to the ground when I realize it’s only the message for his voicemail. “Hey, I…I just wanted to make sure you are okay.” I pause and let out a shaky breath as my head drops forward and tears fill my eyes. “Please come home,” I whisper and then hang up. “He didn’t answer,” I tell Pika, placing the phone on the counter.

Obligation
Obligation Page 52



“I’m sure he’s okay.”

“Me too,” I agree halfheartedly.

“He’s probably somewhere where he can’t answer,” he says, trying to convince both himself and me, but even as I nod, that pit in the bottom of my stomach gets bigger.

I pick the house phone up when it rings once, hoping that it’s Kai telling me that he’s okay and he’s on his way home.

“Hello?”

“Honey, Meka’s on her way to you now, and Bane and I are on our way,” Leia says.

“What happened?” I ask as tears begin to fill my eyes. I know that whatever she is going to say is going to rip me apart.

“I don’t know. No one knows exactly what happened. After you called me, I became concerned, so I asked Bane to look into what Kai was doing,” she whispers. “He found out that Kai was meeting someone and they were taking the person’s yacht out. Bane made Kai promise he would call in an hour, and when we didn’t hear back from him, Bane called the coastguard. They told him that a Mayday was sent out, and when the coastguard arrived at the location, only pieces of boat were left. They think there was some kind of explosion.”

“No.” I close my eyes and my stomach dips as I try to avoid getting sick.

“They’ve been searching, but as of yet, they haven’t found any survivors,” she cries, and I collapse onto the couch behind me. “We’re going to go over to the station and see if we can get any more information,” she says, but her words begin to sound garbled, like I’m underwater.

I feel the phone slip out of my palm and hear Aye ask for Bane, but after that, everything becomes a blur until I hear my name yelled.

“Myla!”

I stand from where I was sitting on the couch as Meka comes rushing into the living room.

“Oh, God,” she whimpers, rushing towards me with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“No,” I breathe even though I just spoke to Kai’s mom. I don’t want to believe that it’s true, but there is no denying the look in Meka’s eyes as she looks at me.

“I’m sorry.” She cries harder, and my chest compresses under the weight of devastation I feel.

My knees give out and I fall to the floor as a sob rips from my chest. I feel her wrap her slender arms around me, and her tears seep through the shirt I have on. I don’t know how long we stay there in the middle of the living room crying, but after some time, I feel Pika and Aye pull us away from each other.

Aye helps me get settled on the couch just as Kai’s mom and dad walk in, and a fresh wave of tears springs to my eyes.

“Honey,” Leia says, coming to sit next to me.

Her hands go around me, and I know she is not here to tell me good news. It takes everything in me to focus on breathing, to remind myself that I have to breathe for our son. I cannot even begin to think of how I will make it without Kai. I don’t know how I will live when I have to say goodbye to my soul.

“We didn’t even pick a name,” I whisper staring off into the ocean, which is turning orange as the sun begins to set.

“What, honey?” Kai’s mom asks, using her hand on my cheek to turn my face towards her.

“We didn’t even get a chance to pick a name.” I shake my head. “Kai said he wanted to wait until after he was born so he was sure to get a name that fit him, and now, he won’t be here to give him his name.”

“Oh, Myla,” she whispers. “Don’t think about that right now. Right now, just pray that they find him.” She chokes out the last part, and I can see it in her eyes that she doesn’t even believe they will.

“I’m going to be sick.” I get up, rush out of the room, and go to the toilet, the contents of my lunch coming up. I wait until the nausea passes before standing and going to the sink to splash some water on my face. The refection looking back at me when I look in the mirror is not one I have ever seen before, not even during the worst years of my life. No, the girl looking back at me looks lifeless.

“Can I come in?” comes from the other side of the door, along with a quiet tap.

“I’m coming,” I say in a hoarse whisper. My throat feels like it’s on fire from crying, and the passageway feels too tight to even take a complete breath.

As soon as I open the door, I come face-to-face with Aye, who looks me over from head to toe before pulling me into an embrace.

“He’s a fighter,” he tells me.

I nod, because that’s true. I don’t know what happened on that boat, but if there was a way for Kai to get out alive, he would, even if that meant swimming to shore.

Aye leads me back out to the living room and places me in a chair. He leaves and then comes back a few minutes later with a cup of tea and some saltine crackers before walking off to stand with Pika. I look at my two guys and close my eyes when I see not only them looking at me with concern, but also the pain I feel reflected in their eyes at the thought that they have lost their friend.

We all sit around the living room until the coastguard calls to say that they are calling off the search for the night due to a storm that was slowly making its way ashore. I lose it again. The idea of my beautiful husband in the middle of the ocean, with the only help available to him unable to reach him, causes me to lose the small thread of hope I was holding on to.

“Honey, why don’t you go and try to get some sleep?”

I look from the ocean to Kai’s mom and shake my head.

“You need to rest,” she says gently as her eyes glance to my belly.

“Okay, but come get me if you hear anything please,” I tell her.

She nods, murmuring that she promises.

As soon as I get to our room and open the door, I’m bombarded by his smell, and it takes everything in me not to turn around and run. I close the door behind me then go to the dresser and pull out one of his shirts, holding it to my nose and noticing that, even though his scent is lingering in the material, it doesn’t smell completely like him.

I drop the shirt to the floor, walk over to his closet, and find his shirt from yesterday, one he put aside to have dry-cleaned. I put it to my nose and inhale a lungful of his scent, holding my breath until I feel lightheaded. I only let it out when I have my clothes off and I’m slipping his shirt on. I walk over to our bed, pull back the covers, pull the phone off the nightstand, and then climb into bed, bringing the covers up and over my head as I dial his phone number. His name is the only thing he says, but the sound of his voice, repeating it over and over, eventually lulls me to sleep.

Obligation
Obligation Page 53



“Makamae,” I hear whispered as I feel a finger run down my cheek.

I cuddle closer to the scent and warmth, not wanting to wake up if this is a dream.

“Wake up.” This time, the voice is close to my ear, which causes goose bumps to break out along my skin.

“Kai?” I whisper, not wanting to open my eyes.

“Myla.”

I feel fingers run up my thigh and a large hand curve around my ass. My eyes fly open, and a hand covers my mouth as I start to scream.

“Shh. It’s okay. I’m here, but I need you to be quiet.”

I nod, and he moves his hand away from my mouth. I look at him with just the help of the moonlight.

“Am I dreaming?” I whisper.

He shakes his head, and then I see that he has a few scratches on his face.

“Oh my God, you’re hurt.” I go to sit up and turn on the light, but he pins me to the bed.

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches.”

“What’s going on?” I ask him when I notice that he’s acting strange.

“No one can know I’m alive, Myla. Not yet,” he whispers, and I feel pain slice through my chest.

“What? Why?”

“I have the perfect opportunity to make a move. Everyone who was involved in what happened yesterday believes I’m dead. They won’t be expecting me.”

“Your mom and family?” I whisper as tears begin to fill my eyes again.

“I know this is going to be difficult for you to do, but I need your help,” he says softly.

I know he wouldn’t ask me to do this if he didn’t have to, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy to lie to people who I know are completely heartbroken over the fact that they think their son, brother, and friend is dead.

“I had to see you before I left, but you can’t tell anyone, makamae. Not yet,” he whispers.

I know that this is him talking to me. This is him being honest. This is the thing I have needed from him all along, so now, I have to prove I can handle it.

“I won’t tell anyone.” I press a kiss to his chest, and the warm feel of his skin against my lips causes a sensation I thought I would never feel again.

His hand travels down over the curve of my ass, and he pulls me closer to him, so close that I can feel his erection against my belly.

“Kai,” I hiss.

He rolls me onto my back. His hips settle between my thighs, and his arms go onto the bed on either side of me, making sure to keep his weight off my belly.

“I love you,” he whispers fiercely, right before his mouth crashes down on mine and his taste explodes on my tongue.

I lift my hands and run my fingers through his hair as I kiss him back with everything I have, so grateful that I’m able to have this with him, that he’s here with me now. He pulls his mouth from mine and kisses down my jaw and neck before pulling back enough to get the buttons of his shirt undone.

As soon as I’m exposed to him, his head drops down and his tongue licks my nipple before he pulls it into his mouth, sucking hard then doing the same to the other one. My body begins to wither under him as I fight hard not to scream out his name. He slowly licks down my body. Every inch of skin he touches feels like it’s directly linked to my core. When he licks across the top of my pubic bone, I bite my lip so hard that I taste blood in my mouth.

“You smell so good, makamae. Sweet, like pineapple,” he groans. Then his fingers hold the lips of my ***** open and his tongue begins flicking and licking my clit before he pulls it between his lips.

My hips begin to grind as I hiss out, “Please.”

“Please what?” he asks. Then one finger slowly circles around my entrance while his tongue continues to torment me.

“I need more,” I plead, looking down my body at him.

His eyes meet mine, and he enters me with two fingers, only to pull them out seconds later.

“Don’t stop!” I cry. I know I’m going to come the minute his fingers touch that place inside me he seems to be the master of finding.

His mouth latches on to my clit, and his finger at my entrance dips in then out, the sensation causing a slow burn to begin.

“So close,” he says.

I nod. Or I think I nod; everything seems blurry. Then I explode as his teeth graze my clit and his fingers fill me, both of them working in sync to pull me over the edge, and at the last second, I cover my mouth with my hand, muffling the scream that rips from my chest.

I feel lightheaded, and it takes a moment to come back to myself, but when I do, Kai is undressed and his hips are between mine. The moment our eyes lock, he presses inside me, filling me with one long stroke. My legs lift and wrap around his waist, and my hands travel up his back. I watch as his eyes get darker right before his head drops and he kisses me again, his tongue wrapping around mine as his hips rotate, the angle changing deep inside me on each stroke.

I moan into his mouth and press the heels of my feet into his back, lifting my hips up to meet him on each thrust. His pace picks up, and his mouth leaves mine so that he can lick down my neck, and then he bends and pulls one nipple into his mouth, making me turn my head and bite into the pillow to avoid screaming. I dig my nails into his back and use my leverage to **** him, taking him all the way to the hilt each time, every stroke hitting that spot deep inside me that causes me to see stars.

“I’m going to come,” I gasp.

“Let me feel it. Let me feel you milk me,” he groans, and I lift my head and bite into his shoulder as my orgasm erupts through me.

I start to come back to myself when I feel his hips jerk and his face go into my neck, where he groans his release. I wrap myself tighter around him, and he shifts slightly to the side, pulling his weight off my belly. I lie there in awe, knowing that, earlier tonight, I thought I would never have this again.

“How did you get off the boat?” I ask as my mind begins to clear.

“****ing Frank. I swear he doesn’t listen, but this time, I’m glad he ignored my order. He knew who I was meeting with and insisted he follow us in another boat. I told him, ‘Absolutely not,’ because I didn’t want the guys I was with to see him and get spooked, but lucky for me, he ignored me.” He pauses and runs a hand down my cheek. “When we got out into the open seas, the guys jumped ship, leaving me alone on the yacht. I called for Mayday but knew something was up, so I took off all my clothes and got into the water right before the boat exploded. A few minutes after that happened, Frank pulled up on a small boat, looking smug. I told him then that no one could know I’m alive. Their stupid plan to kill me, and Frank’s ignoring my order, gave me the perfect opportunity to finally clean up a situation that has been needing my attention for a while,” he says carefully.

Obligation
Obligation Page 54



“You have to come back to me when this is over. I need you to be there when our little man is born so that you can give him his name,” I say as tears fill my eyes.

“I’ll be here for that,” he promises, and his hips begin to rotate as he rocks in and out of me slowly.

He drops his forehead to mine until we both come together, my orgasm hitting me slowly as the feeling spreads through my body, making my whole being feel heavy and causing my eyes to close right before I hear Kai whisper, “I love you.” I mumble the words back to him, and then I feel him button my shirt up and cover me up. I feel something slide onto my finger before I can no longer stay conscious.

When I wake up in the morning, the night before comes back to me, and tears begin to fill my eyes when I don’t see Kai with me. But then I become aware of the wetness between my legs and I pull his shirt away from my chest, seeing that he left love bites around my nipples. I lie back down and pray that he comes back to me soon.

I roll over and begin to tuck my hand under my cheek when I notice that the ring I have on now has a band that wasn’t there before tucked close to it. This one is the same gold as the original, but all around the band are round diamonds. I slip the ring off my finger and hold it up to look at it, but then an inscription on the inside catches my attention.

M K ~ This is our story.

Tears fill my eyes as I slip the ring back in place. He is right. This is our story, and our story is just beginning.

Chapter 17

Sniper

Kai

I get off the flight and fight my way towards the exit. I haven’t flown commercial in years and had forgotten what a pain in the ass it is. I knew that, if I was going to get to Vegas unrecognized, I would need to make a few changes.

The first change was shaving my hair completely off and trading my suits for jeans and tees so that I matched the appearance of my new ID. The second was flying like any other middle-class citizen.

I had to make sure everyone I knew still believed that I’m dead. Growing up, I learned early on that, if an opportunity presented itself, you needed to take it immediately, so that’s exactly what I did yesterday.

“So, how are we going in?” Frank asks, pulling a pair of dark shades over his eyes.

I look at him and wonder once again how the **** he convinced me to let him come. “I told you you’re staying at the hotel,” I mutter, walking outside into the hot Las Vegas sun.

“I saved you yesterday,” he reminds me for the hundredth time, and I grind my teeth together in annoyance.

He did save me. He also unknowingly helped me orchestrate the perfect plan, one that, until the ship I had been on blew up, making everyone believe I was dead, would never have been possible. Paulie Jr. had no idea that the idiots he’d sent to kill me were going to be the ones who helped me pull off his death.

“You’re not coming,” I say as I look around for Sven.

“You’re going to let some guy you don’t really know help you do this, but not the man who has been with you your whole life?” He shakes his head, muttering under his breath something about how my mom should have raised me better.

I ignore him and keep walking. Then I spot Sven posted up next to a small sports car.

“What’s up, man? How have you been?” Sven greets us as soon as we’re near.

“Good. How are things?” I shake his hand and place my small bag in the back seat. Then I lean the seat forward so that Uncle Frank can get in.

“You have got to be ****ting me,” Uncle Frank complains, looking at the seat then back at me.

“Sorry, man. My assistant is using my other car, so I had to bring this,” Sven apologizes as my uncle stuffs himself into the small back seat then gripes when I put the front seat back in position so I can get in.

“Just ignore him,” I tell Sven once we’re all in the car.

“We still have some time to kill, so I figured we could all go to my house and get the details worked out before doing what you came here for,” Sven says.

I nod then ask him about his club, which is close to the area of downtown that Paulie Sr. has recently started running drugs out of.

He tells me that the drugs have recently begun seeping into his club and a few women who have gone to the club have been roofied. When he went to the cops, he had a dead body and a note telling him to shut his mouth show up on his front step.

When we pull up at his house, I’m slightly taken aback by the normalcy of the area and home. I know that Sven has money, and a lot of it, so the fact that he’s living in a neighborhood has me raising a brow.

“I have a penthouse but have recently been staying here,” he mutters, shutting down the car.

I get out as well then lean the seat forward so Frank can get out before grabbing my bag from the back seat and following Sven up the front steps and into the house.

The house is large. The moment I enter, I walk into a large foyer that has a round staircase leading upstairs, and then there is a library off to one side and a living room on the other.

“Let me see if Mag’s home,” Sven murmurs.

We follow behind him through the living room and into a large, open kitchen that has a small dining room off to the side.

“Oh good. You’re here. I got all the crap you asked for,” a woman’s voice says as we walk around the corner.

I wonder who she is. Her hair is dark brown, and it hangs down the middle of her back. She’s slightly chubby, but she has curves in all the right places.

“Meat is not crap, Mag,” Sven tells her, but I can see softness in his eyes as he looks at her.

“Stop calling me Mag. It’s Maggie, for the millionth time, and meat is gross.” She shakes her head then swings around to look at Uncle Frank and me when she realizes we’re standing there. Her face is soft and round, but the color of her eyes is what makes her beautiful. They are so light that they look like honey. “You have zero manners.” She looks at Sven again as she scolds him then looks at us, and her face transforms and a smile lights up her face. “He’s rude. Sorry about that. I’m Maggie, this guy’s assistant. Nice to meet you guys.” She shakes my hand then takes Frank’s, who holds on to her and pulls her closer.

“Nice to meet you, Maggie,” my uncle says, kissing her hand.

“Aww, you’re so cute.” She pats his cheek then steps back and looks at Sven. “I’m going to head out. I have a date tonight.”

I look at Sven, and his jaw begins to tick as he shakes his head.

Obligation
Obligation Page 55



“You need to work tonight,” he tells her, but his jaw is so tight that I’m surprised the words even come out.

“I don’t work nights.” She laughs. “Nice meeting you guys,” she says as she walks over to the counter, picking up her bag before walking out of the kitchen with Sven’s eyes glued to her ass.

“I’ll be right back,” he growls then storms out of the kitchen after her. Then we hear the front door open and slam shut.

“That was awkward,” Frank says, but I have a feeling I know what’s going on.

Sven looks like the kind of guy who could walk into a room full of women and have his pick. Now, the woman he wants is not falling at his feet, so he has no idea what to do. It only takes a couple of minutes for the front door to open back up, and then the loud bang of it slamming echoes before we hear Sven storm into the kitchen.

“She makes me ****ing mental,” he growls, walking to the fridge and grabbing a beer. “I swear to ****ing Christ I’m going to end up being put in a goddamn hospital because of her and the stress she causes me,” he says before tilting the beer back and taking a large pull.

“You gonna be able to handle tonight?” I ask him after a moment.

He looks at me, and a different look fills his eye. “**** yes,” he mutters, and I nod once. “Let me show you guys to your rooms.” He walks out of the kitchen then leads us upstairs. “You guys can stay in these two rooms. Mag’s room is down the hall next to mine,” he says.

I start to laugh ‘cause he is setting himself up for ****ing mental issues.

“You don’t even have to say it. I already ****ing know,” he grumbles then looks between Frank and me. “I’m gonna shower. We’ll meet downstairs in an hour to talk about what the plan for the night is,” he says, running a hand through his hair before walking off towards his room.

“That kid has it bad,” Frank mumbles, shaking his head before walking into his room.

I turn and walk into my room and close the door behind me. I want to call and check on Myla, but I can’t until this is done. I was going to leave her in the dark about what happened yesterday, but I knew, if I did that, she would be pissed, not only about what I was doing, but that she had been forced to believe I had died. I couldn’t imagine someone telling me that she was dead and living with that news for even ten minutes.

I walk to the window and look out, and I see Maggie standing in the driveway and talking on the phone while looking at the house. My first instinct is that she somehow knows who I am, but then I see her wipe her cheeks and look up at the sky, saying something I can only make out as, “He’s a jerk,” before getting into her car, slamming the door, and backing out of the driveway.

I leave the window and sit on the bed, looking down at my hands and twisting my wedding band around my finger. I slip the ring off my finger and place it in my pocket. In a few hours, when I put it back on my hand, our whole future will look different. It will just be us.

I wait a few more minutes then go downstairs, where Sven and Uncle Frank are laughing in the living room when I walked in. Uncle Frank has that quality about him; he can always lighten up a situation. And as pissed off as he makes me sometimes, he is family, and he really did save my ass.

“Ready?” I ask.

Sven stands, and we walk into the dining room, where he has some papers spread out on the table.

“Justin did some searching and found out that Paulie is always at Steam on Fridays. I guess he buys out the VIP section and shows off how much money he has. He’s always with these two guys.” He hands me a picture. “This guy is missing”—e points at Thad—“but this guy is still around.” He points at a man I have never seen before.

“Did Justin find any info on him?” I ask as I look at his picture.

“Nope. I guess he showed up a couple of years ago, and he and Junior have been tight since then. His name’s Ivan.”

“He’s undercover,” I mutter.

“What?” He takes the pictures and holds it up, looking at it. “We need another plan, because I can guarantee you they will be at that club together, and if he’s undercover like you think he is, we can’t risk him seeing anything.”

I know he’s right. I also know that the club would be the best location. Not only would his guard be down, but also, there would be so many people around that the risk of being seen would be minimal.

“Plan still stands,” I tell him.

I can see that he’s not convinced, but this is what I was raised to do. Long before I took over for my father, I was his watcher, the eyes in the back of his head. I knew exactly what someone would do before they did it, and that kind of con***ioning doesn’t go away.

We talk for a few more minutes before I head back up to the room and change. I put on a white tank and a dress shirt over it, and I keep the jeans I was already wearing on. Once I’m changed, Sven meets me downstairs dressed similar to me.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come? I can wait in the car,” Uncle Frank mumbles, walking us to the door.

“We’re not going to the grocery store,” Sven says.

I shake my head.

“What if you need backup?”

“We won’t,” I assure him as we leave the house, shutting the door behind us and leaving my pouting uncle at home.

We drive to the club and park down the street. It is after midnight, but the sidewalks are still packed with people.

“Where’s your club?” I ask when I notice this block has clubs lining the street.

“A block over. This area is new, but the nightlife here is one of the reasons people come to Vegas.”

“This area is also connected to the mob,” I tell him, and his eyes come to me as he runs a hand through his hair. “This street used to have nothing but old warehouses on it. Back in the day, a bunch of men bought up these lots, knowing that Vegas was going to expand. I wouldn’t be surprised if Paulie actually owns the club we’re going to.”

“Justin didn’t say that.”

“Just because his name isn’t on the papers doesn’t mean anything, kid.”

Once we reach the club, we go to the front of the line, where Sven knows one of the bouncers at the door, and they let us in without a word. Once we walk in the door, we know where the cameras are, so we avoid them at each turn.

From Justin’s intel, we know that the club has three levels. The top is all VIP, which has smoked-glass panels with red backlights every twelve feet, making it look like a steamed shower with dancing people silhouetted behind the glass.

Obligation
Obligation Page 56



The second floor has the same panels, but these are blue and techno music is loudly pumping. The first floor is a large bar that goes around the whole perimeter of the room, with a dance floor in the middle.

“Let’s head up and see the layout,” I say.

We walk towards the stairs that will take us up a level. We know where Paulie would be hanging out, but seeing it on paper and being here in person are two different things.

“Sven?” a woman says halfway up the first flight of stairs.

“Hey, babe. I don’t have time right now.” He removes her hands from him then jogs to catch up with me.

“Sven,” another woman says.

I look over at him and frown when he says the same thing he just said to the last one.

“Hey, stranger,” a blonde says, stepping in front of him.

I shake my head. I have had my fair share of partners, but this is ****ing ridiculous. No wonder Maggie is running away from him.

“It’s not normally this bad,” he tells me once he’s free from yet another woman.

“I should have had you stay home with Frank,” I mutter, looking around the second level.

“**** off,” he grumbles then points toward VIP, where there is another set of stairs, this one blocked off by a red, velvet rope and a woman standing there with a clipboard in her hand.

“We need to get up there,” I tell Sven.

He smiles and walks towards the rope. The woman’s face lifts and she smiles as he gets near. I follow close behind him and hear her say his name. His hand goes to her waist, and he dips his head close to her ear. She looks over at me then nods and pulls the rope. He kisses her cheek then says something else before we make our way up the last set of stairs.

We walk up to VIP and look around. There’s a bar off to the side with steam rising up out of the glass behind the bar. Sven taps my shoulder and nods to the right. I see the guy from the photo, the one I swear is undercover. He’s standing off to the side, his head lowered as he talks on the phone.

“Where’s Paulie?” I question, knowing he has to be close.

I hear someone yell, “****er!” and I start toward the commotion while staying in the shadows.

Paulie is standing over some kid, who is lying on top of a busted-up glass table. His hands are in front of his face, and I can see that he’s bleeding from open wounds on his arms. Paulie leans over him and spits, and then he starts to laugh before looking around at the people who have formed a circle, making sure they’re laughing too.

“Get up and get out of here,” Paulie says, kicking the guy, who rolls to his stomach before scrambling to his feet and taking off.

“That guy is a ****ing dick,” Sven says, and I can’t agree more. He is a ****ing egomaniac.

“We need to find our opening. You watch Ivan, and I’ll keep an eye on Paulie.”

He nods and walks off to the bar while I stay in the background. Every once in a while, a woman stumbles over, but as soon as they’re in my space, I give them a look that has them turning around and finding another man to **** with.

I still don’t even understand how being with Myla came so easily. It’s like the gods sent me everything I could have ever asked for in a wife, qualities I didn’t even know I was looking for.

I watch as Paulie stands, pulls the blonde who’s been all over him to her feet, and leads her towards the bar. My pulse starts to quicken as extra adrenaline begins pumping through my system. My eyes zero in on him as he leads the girl behind the bar and down a hall that is almost dark with strobe lights that flash every few seconds. I follow behind them; this is it—the opportunity I have been waiting for.

I watch as he picks the girl up. Her legs go around his waist, and one of his hands works between them. I get closer and pause when I feel a whiz slice through the sleeve of my shirt. I turn my head to see where it came from, and when I turn back around, Paulie is down on the ground. The blonde he was about to **** up against the wall is screaming at the top of her lugs as she tries to stop the blood that is pooling out of his shirt.

Sniper.

I scan the area again, and then my eyes land on Sven. I have no idea what just happened, but we need to get out of here. Commotion begins to build around us as the crowd moves in on Paulie, who is still lying there, only blood is now bubbling out of his mouth. I lift my chin to Sven, and we both make our way outside. I see him moving quickly ahead of me. Just as I get to the club exit, the lights turn on. I step out onto the sidewalk and through the crowd that has begun to spill out of the club, and then I head towards the street we parked on. When I get there, I spot Sven.

“What the **** happened?” he asks as we both get into the truck.

I ignore him, pull my off shirt, and look at the sleeve. There is a small tear in the fabric where the bullet that hit Paulie tore through.

“There was a sniper in there,” I tell him as he stops at the stop light.

“****. Do you know who it was?”

“No clue.” I think, trying to pull up anyone I know with that kind of background.

“Where was Ivan?” Sven asks.

“He was still on the phone, and when Paulie went down, I saw him take off.”

“What now?”

“I go home,” I mutter, not knowing if I’m pissed or relieved.

“This isn’t over,” he reminds me.

“No, it’s not, but now, we have to wait for his dad to make his move.”

“How long will that take?” he sighs.

“No idea. The first thing he’s going to want to do is figure out who took out his son…even if he knew the ****er was trying to take his seat.”

“That does not make me feel better.”

“Did you ever play with blocks when you were a kid?” I ask him.

He looks at me and shrugs. “Sure,” he mutters, obviously wondering where I’m going with my question.

“What happens when you take out the block at the bottom of the building?”

“It falls?”

“No, it gets weak, and then, when you take another, and another, the structure continues to weaken until it eventually falls to pieces.”

“How many more pieces until this is done?”

“One,” I tell him, and the rest of the car ride is silent.

Once we arrive back at the house, we tell Uncle Frank what went down, and he has the same questions we do, but I have no answers.

Sven offers for us to stay, but there is no reason for me to stay in Vegas another night, so I decline his offer but do take him up on using his plane to get back to Hawaii. While we’re getting out of his car at the airport, he gets a text and starts laughing. I don’t expect him to share it, but he tilts his phone towards me and I can’t help but grin.

Obligation
Obligation Page 57



Justin: Tell Hawaii sorry about his shirt.

I shake my head and move to the plane.

*

I walk into my house, and everyone sitting in the living room stops to look at me, but my eyes are on Myla, whose eyes instantly fill with tears.

“Makamae.”

She comes to me, wrapping her arms around me, and the moment I have her in my arms, a sob tears from her that rips through me.

“I’m home. I told you I would be.”

“I know!” she cries.

I tilt her head back and kiss her, absorbing her taste, letting her soak back into my system.

“I was so worried.” She holds me tighter, and I do the same.

“Nothing could keep me from you. Not even the devil himself,” I whisper into her ear.

She nods then lifts her tear-filled eyes to mine. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” I hold her face in my palms and kiss her again, the salty taste of her tears mixing in with her natural sweetness.

“Oh, God,” my mom whimpers.

Myla wipes her cheeks then steps back.

“You’re not dead?!” my sister cries.

I shake my head. “I had to take care of some business,” I explain.

“I should kick your ****ing ass,” Pika yells, rushing towards me, and I brace myself, ready for impact.

“Pika, I knew all along!” Myla cries.

Pika stops halfway and looks at her.

“He came and saw me the night he went missing. I wanted to tell you guys, but I promised not to tell anyone,” she whispers.

Aye glares at her. “You cried and screamed about keeping the search going. You flipped out whenever we talked about giving up and having a funeral.”

She drops her head, looking at her feet. “I didn’t want to have a funeral. I didn’t want you guys to give up hope,” she whispers.

“This isn’t her fault. This is on me. I made her promise not to tell anyone.” I go to her and wrap my arms around her. “I didn’t want anyone to know what was going on. I couldn’t risk anyone finding out I wasn’t dead.”

“I know that we raised you to always do what needs to be done, but this is going too far. Your mom was a wreck, and your sister and brother were devastated,” my father scolds.

“Sorry, Dad, but I had to make sure that, when my son takes his first breath, nothing and no one can harm him,” I explain, and I see understanding flash in my father’s eyes.

“We thought you were dead. I believed I was going to have to plan a funeral then figure out how to get Myla through this pregnancy without her having a meltdown!” my mom shouts.

Guilt strikes me hard. She would have done it. She would have put her own pain away to make sure everyone else was taken care of.

“I love you, Mom,” I tell her as she comes to me, wrapping her arms around me.

“You ever do anything like that again and I really will kill you,” she says.

I hear some grunts of agreement around the room, but I ignore them.

“I needed to make things safe for my son,” I repeat, and my mom nods against my chest.

Since Myla became my wife and we found out we’re having a baby, I have worked tirelessly to make sure she can have a normal life and our boy has a chance to experience normalcy.

“I have been blessed to have you guys as my parents, but I don’t want my kids growing up in a house where there has to be men with guns hanging around all the time. I want to enjoy my family.”

“I can understand that, honey.”

“Runt.” I look at my baby sister, and she comes to me, winding her arms around Mom and me.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she whispers.

“I won’t,” I promise then look at my brother.

He closes his eyes then comes over to us. He wraps his arms around all of us, muttering that he’s going to kick my ass.

“I’m sorry, guys, but thank you for taking care of Myla for me,” I tell Aye and Pika.

“Always,” Pika says, and for once, there is no feeling of jealousy—just gratefulness.

“You don’t even have to thank me,” Aye says.

I nod then step away from my mom, my sister, and me brother, and step towards my dad. Then I hug him like I haven’t done since I was a kid.

“I love you, son, and I’m proud of the man you have become,” he tells me.

I pat him on his back then step away and walk right to Myla to scoop her up.

“What are you doing?!” she shouts.

“We’re going to bed,” I tell her, looking at her beautiful face.

“Your family’s here, and you just got home.”

“I don’t care.” I lift my head and look at my family. “No offense, but I’m taking Myla to bed. You guys can stay or go,” I tell them then turn and walk to our room, where I carefully set her on the bed then get down on my knees in front of her, lifting her shirt up so I can press my mouth to her stomach.

“You shaved your head,” she says quietly, running her hands over my buzzed hair.

I close my eyes, relishing the feeling of her touching me. “Yeah.”

“I’ll miss your hair.”

I open my eyes and smile. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she repeats, resting her forehead against mine while her hands curve over my skull.

“It will grow back.”

“You look good in jeans,” she teases.

“Yeah?” I chuckle.

“Definitely,” she whispers, placing her mouth on mine.

I let her take charge for a moment then push her to her back, taking over. This is what I would kill for—the woman under me and my child she is carrying. They make everything worthwhile.

Epilogue

Kai

“You can do it, makamae,” I tell Myla, kissing the top of her head while she bears down on another contraction.

“Oh, God, Kai!” she screams.

I wish I could take her pain away. Since the moment we arrived five hours ago, she has been in pain. They gave her the epidural as soon as we got here because she was already dilated five centimeters, but it only numbed the left side of her body.

“You’re doing so good.” I press my forehead to hers as she lies back on the bed, looking exhausted.

“One more, Myla,” the doctor says.

I want to tell her to shut up, that my wife is exhausted, but when the nurse hands her a blanket, I relax.

“He’s almost here,” I tell her as her foot presses into my hand and she pushes again, her face turning so red that it looks purple.

Obligation
Obligation Page 58



“Five-count,” the doctor says.

We all start counting. Once we reach five, Myla collapses back onto the bed, breathing heavily as a loud cry fills the room.

“I’m so proud of you,” I whisper, kissing the skin above her ear as our son is placed on her chest.

“He’s really here,” she whispers, running her hand over his still-wet hair. “He is so beautiful.” Her eyes lift to meet mine, and the wonder I see there takes my breath away.

I lean in and whisper against her lips, “He is beautiful.”

His skin is lighter than mine but darker than Myla’s. His hair is black, and it already has a little wave to it. His nose is wide—like mine and the rest of the men in my family.

“We need a name,” she says.

I look at her then at our son. Since the moment we talked about naming him, I have said that I wanted to wait until we met him. I knew I wanted our son to have a strong name, a name that demanded respect, one that a good man, a man of honor, would have.

“What do you think of Maxim?” I ask her.

Tears fill her eyes as she looks down at him again and whispers, “Maxim,” then kisses his head. “It’s perfect.”

“I’m going to take him and get him cleaned up,” a nurse says softly.

I look at her then my son and want to say no, but I know she has a job to do.

“I’ll bring him back,” she assures me.

I nod, and Myla kisses his head once more before the nurse takes him from her arms.

“I can’t believe he’s here,” she says as we watch the nurses clean him up.

I knew the moment I met Myla that she was going to change my life. I just had no idea to what extreme it would be. Not only did she make me a husband and father, but she made me want to be better, someone she would be proud to call hers.

“Love you, makamae,” I tell her.

She shakes her head and lifts her hand to run down my jaw. “Love you too,” she whispers.

One year later

Myla

“Kai!” I yell as my hands go to the top of his head between my legs.

I woke up with Kai behind me on the bed. His hand was wrapped over my waist, his leg over the top of mine so I couldn’t move as his fingers slid in and out of me, torturing me. When I was going to come from his fingers, he turned me over then tormented my breasts while holding my hands against my stomach.

Now, his head is between my legs, and I finally have the ability to touch him, but that doesn’t mean he is giving me what I want.

“I really want to come,” I tell him, and his fingers slowly slide into me, lifting up when they reach that beautiful spot. “Kai, please,” I whisper.

That must be what he wanted, because his mouth latches on to my clit and his fingers pump quickly, making the orgasm that was building detonate. My legs start to shake, and my hands go to my sides on the bed, bunching up the sheets in my fists, My hips lift higher to his mouth as he drinks my orgasm, the strokes of his fingers and tongue slowing.

I try to get my body back under control as I feel his mouth on my belly. Then it’s on my breast as he moves up my body until his hips are snugly between my thighs.

“Good morning.” He smiles as his hand wraps around the back of my neck.

His mouth comes down on mine, stealing the last of my breath as he enters me with one long thrust. The taste of me and him is on my mouth as he consumes me. I lift my hands to his back as his hand travels down my side, over my hip, and then under, lifting my thigh higher as he goes deeper.

“Right there,” I hiss when he hits that spot deep inside me that has my toes curling and my thighs squeezing his waist tighter.

“I feel it. Squeeze me.”

He groans as his fingers dig into my skin and his hips pump faster. I lift my other leg higher and he wraps his arm under it, lifting up so he can pound harder.

“Oh, God!” I scream, putting my hands above my head, pressing my fingers against the wall.

He dips his head and pulls my nipple into his mouth, and I feel my ***** begin to pulse around him, pulling him deeper as my orgasm overtakes me. His hips jerk. Then he plants himself deep, his forehead falling to my collarbone as I feel his chest moving rapidly and the beat of his heart pounding against my sweat-soaked skin.

“That had to be it,” he breathes, lifting his head to look at me.

“Be what?” I ask in a daze, my orgasm still lingering in my system.

“The time I got my girl.”

I shake my head and start to laugh. We decided a while back that we would start trying for another baby, and since then, Kai has insisted he wants a girl. But unlike the first time we got pregnant, this time has seemed to be a little more work. Yesterday, when I took an ovulation test, Kai sent Maxim away to his parents’ house for a few days when it came up positive in hopes that lots of *** during this time would get us what we wanted.

“It will happen,” I tell him.

He rests his head against my chest again.

Four years later

What we didn’t know then was that Kai was right. That was the moment he got his girl.

I look down near the shore as Kai chases Melanie, our youngest. Her cries of joy and laughter fill the air as her long, curly, blond hair flies around her head.

“No, Daddy!” she screams, making me laugh.

Kai has been chasing her for the last few minutes, trying to get her to put her swim bottoms back on, but every time he gets close to catching her, she runs off again.

I take in the hotness that is my husband when he pauses, crossing his arms over his chest. His shirtless torso is defined by hard muscle covered by smooth, dark skin. His hair is down, and the shorts he has on show of the V of his hips. His eyes come to me and he shakes his head. I know what he’s thinking. She’s cute, but a pain. The moment he held her in his arms—actually, before that—she had him wrapped around her little finger. I guess that’s not surprising since she is his only girl.

Melanie pauses, looks over her shoulder, realizing that her dad isn’t chasing her, and then runs back past him just out of arm’s reach before running towards me, screaming, “Sabe me, Mommy!”

I catch her in my arms, careful of my belly, and pat her cute, bottomless little toosh. “Easy, baby,” I tell her, quietly pulling her close to my chest.

“Sorry,” she says, patting my belly, where her baby brother is growing.

“Got you.” Kai chuckles, plucking her out of my arms and quickly putting her pants on her before she has a chance to wiggle away again.