Bennett Mafia
Chapter 53 - BENNETT MAFIA

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Brooke burst on the scene like a four-year-old colt getting her first run through the field. She zipped in, ignoring the guards in front of her, her arms swinging and her braids flying. Almost in sync. Spotting us in the back, she stopped and did a hop-skip-jump before twirling around and landing on the seat across from me.

"Hi, guys," she said in a rush, smiling from ear to ear.

Dressed in leather pants, a silky, shiny skin-tight tank top and a faux fur vest, she had glammed up for the night. Her hoop earrings swinging with her braids, she was embracing her freedom. "Finally, finally, some booze and boys." She clapped to herself, doing a little shuffle in her seat. "I'm free!"

Jonah and I had picked the back table for a reason. It afforded a modicum of privacy, and there was a walkway beneath us, so if we had to do an emergency getaway, we could go out that way. Plus, just as we figured, the guards were already spreading out to surround us on both fronts.

The place was full, and all eyes were on us.

They'd been watching us since we entered. Two of the guards had taken position at the bar. One was trying to lean against a post, pretending to be on his phone the whole time, but people noticed. Another guard had claimed an entire table behind us. When the staff tried to fill it, he walked off with them, and I saw the manager coming out seconds later.

That table remained empty the whole night. I could only imagine they'd paid them well for it.

The attention from the other customers followed Brooke, because who acted like that? Apparently Brooke did, and I now remembered a time we went to a mall and she decided to start dancing in the food court. I'd forgotten she had that side. She didn't care who was around. If she felt something, she did it. Tonight, she'd wanted to come in swinging, literally.

As she grabbed a menu, I knew who else was coming.

I felt him. A little tingle on the back of my neck.

He walked in at a more sedate pace, with no dance moves, but it wouldn't have mattered how slow or fast he came. Power and authority rolled off of him in waves. His aura filled the entire beer garden, and even the staff paused to watch him walk past.

I heard someone whisper to their friend, "Is he famous?"

"Sssshhhh," was the response.

The closer he got, the more evident it became that guards were following him. More whispers started. Someone pulled out a phone, but the guard closest to her moved to block her. He said something, and the phone disappeared. I had no clue how he managed that, but I tried to fixate on it, focus on that woman whose eyes were suddenly much bigger than they'd been mere seconds ago, because while I was watching her, I wasn't watching him. Closer. Closer.

The tingles rose in power, zapping me. But I was calm.

When I looked up, he was staring right at me, a mocking glint in his eyes. He smoothed a hand down the front of his shirt, as if stroking a tie that wasn't there, before he folded into the chair beside me. He moved the chair over as he sat, and his thigh pressed against mine for a moment before he settled in his seat.

"What?" I asked.

He didn't answer, shaking his head before turning to face the manager as she approached.

"Mr. Bennett." She folded her hands in front of her, her head dipping as if she were going to bow, but decided at the last second just to lower her head in a brief nod. She cleared her throat, her neck becoming red. "It's a pleasure to have you here tonight."

Oh, yes. That guard had really schmoozed her.

She reached up, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She was a plain-looking woman, and she wore the same uniform as her staff: a white button-up shirt over black dress slacks. The only thing setting her apart was the manager tag on her blouse and the fact that she was the one greeting us. Kai spoke to her as Brooke leaned over the table, talking over them.

"All I have to say is if there's a chance we can get this one" She pointed at Kai. "-to a nightclub, I will have died and gone to heaven."

Kai shot her a look, but continued speaking to the manager. She had stepped closer, bending her head, and oh-what a coincidence the top three buttons of her blouse were open. I was fairly certain only one had been opened when the first guard bought the table behind us.

Shifting in his seat, Kai reached over to touch my side, but he continued as if he wasn't aware of the touch. He knew. His fingers pressed into my side before drifting to the top of my leg. He so knew. I caught the faint grin teasing his mouth. He was enjoying this too.

He must have seen me eyeing the manager like a starved hawk seeing a rival falcon on the next perch. And why I was using animal metaphors was beyond me. I needed to get out. Well, I needed to get out more than I had today. Maybe a nightclub visit was in order...

But no. I had plans.

There was a reason I'd asked to come here, had asked to stay here. I just hadn't entirely figured out my plan. But glancing at a nearby clock, I saw I still had time.

"Thank you," the manager finished, nodding before she left.

Kai leaned back, putting an arm over the back of my chair.

I stiffened.

Brooke and Jonah noted the movement, but Brooke didn't stop talking.

I tried to tune in. She was asking for Jonah's recommendation on the first shot for the night when Kai touched my shoulder, pulling me back into his side. He moved his head as if he were looking past me, his lips right next to my ear. "You abandoned me earlier," he said, his breath tickling me. "I could've used your backup."

I turned my head just slightly so our eyes could meet. "You were handling it just fine. Besides, you left me in the lurch earlier than that."

"I had work to do."

He eyed me, daring me to bring up my parting words from our argument.

A flush worked its way up my back, my neck, and he felt it, his hand moving to the back of my neck. His thumb began rubbing in circles, which caused another tickling sensation to vibrate over my skin.

"Is your work done?"

Now he smirked. "You tell me." He looked meaningfully over his shoulder.

I followed his gaze and gulped.

He saw the clock too.

He knew. Of course he knew.

His thumb kept rubbing. The manager returned with three servers in tow. Each held a tray overhead. The manager set up a long table just off to the side. She spread a cloth over it, and one by one, the servers put the food and drinks on that table. They were setting up a buffet, complete with a bartender who had moved to a portable bar in the corner of our space.

Brooke squealed, heading to the bar right away. "Shot, please! Give me a sex on the beach." The bartender reached for an already opened bottle, and a guard stepped up. He'd merely looked at the bartender before the manager went over to have a word with her employee. Within a few moments, all the already opened bottles were pulled and sealed bottles took their places.

As this was happening, a guard came over and tasted some of every food on the buffet.

He was testing, and it hit me what was happening. They were making sure nothing had been tampered with.

I had fallen in love with a mob boss.

I'd forgotten for a moment.

A wave of doubt hit me, but just as quickly, it was gone. I'd gone down this path. I had tortured myself over what I was doing. I had decided.

I had chosen Kai.

Jonah said before it was all of them together-one for all. Sitting here, seeing how the people around us seemed mesmerized by Kai, I began to think about power shifts. Everything was balanced out. What would happen if Kai forced one of the illegal trades to grind to a halt in their country? What would replace it? I wasn't naive enough to think something wouldn't, or someone wouldn't. Everyone wanted to make a dollar, and bad fucking people could be ingenious. That's why Kai kept Jonah close.

Jonah was good. Jonah was a genius, but so was Kai. The intelligence must've been passed on through their mother? No, Kai had said he thought the way his father had. Both his parents must've been highly intelligent. "What's wrong?"

Kai pulled me from my thoughts, leaning forward in his chair.

Jonah had joined Brooke at the bar. He shook his head as she pushed a drink toward him. The guards had moved back. The servers were gone, the manager too. In our little bubble, we had a small bit of privacy.

"I know you don't have a hand in the drug business, but if you pushed to eradicate it, what would happen?"

He didn't blink or pause. He didn't even question why I was asking. "A new drug would happen. There's always something new coming down the pipeline. New guns. New drugs. New form of sex slaves. That's just the tip. There's gambling. Black market for organs, for bodies, for anything you want. Credit cards. ID theft."

"Do you control all of that?"

A beat. Two. Then, "I know enough about it."

I gave him a rueful grin. "That's all you're going to tell me?"

"Why are you asking?"

I pressed a hand to my chest, as if to keep it from exploding. "I thought I could help do something. Anything. But learning about it all, I'm left with this helpless feeling of how can anything be made better when the bad is always there?" He held my gaze. The way he paused was significant before he reached over to cup the side of my face. His thumb ran over my lips, his eyes darting to them before rising to look tenderly into my eyes, taking my breath away.

"In the world I live in, it's hard to be good. But I will try. For you." He tipped his head down, his forehead resting on mine. "I'll do what I can. I promise."

I closed my eyes, his words filling me up inside.

He wiped away a tear on my cheek.

That meant more than I could put in words.

It meant the world to me.

It meant that I could stay.