The Mafia Lord's Vengeance

Chapter Six: Kayden

KAYDEN

Silence met my best friend’s suggestion and he rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation.

I did not bother telling him the absurd and crazy reason I had not done what I would have done on a normal day, have s*x with her obviously. I did not bother telling Jason about the brown-eyed blossom-smelling student I met in California some months ago. I also did not tell him that I have not been able to get her out of my mind since then.

I figured that it would make me a snivering coward to tell him that I had not gone to California for business the last two weeks, but I went in hopes of seeing her. I did not see her.

It would also make me more than a coward if I told him that since I saw her, my body and mind wanted no other woman. Only her.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get myself to respond to other women. I wanted her, there was no argument about that.

“Victoria is not my type.” That was the only answer I gave him.

”That had never seemed to bother you before,” Jason noted. I only grunted in answer.

It annoyed me to no end to admit that I did not even have a type till three months ago.

But this was business and if I could get that b***h’s number by ducking her senseless, then that was what I would do. I only needed to get my body to agree with me.

“I met her today.” Jason started abruptly.

My heart stopped. Flashes of fiery hair, brown eyes and mischievous lips darted across my mind. I dared not breathe.

“What?” I tried not to seem too eager as I sat up in my chair, Jason taking my entire focus.

He tried to hide his squirming, the bastard in me would have delighted at that on a normal day if he was also not listening intently to who Jason was talking about.

Could it be her? Orange blossom? Could it be her? Here in Los Angeles?

A more reasonable, sensible part of me knew that it was not possible. I never even told Jason about that encounter. How would he know? But the other stupid, larger part of me apparently wished.

Wished. Gods I was becoming putty already.

“I said, I met her today.” He repeated and I caressed the hilt of the small dagger in my sleeve, wondering if I should throw it and intentionally not miss this time. I wondered how many years it would take me to find a competent lawyer like him to head my firm if I impaled my best friend’s head on my office door.

“Who?” I growled, decided it was not worth the hassle. Killing him.

“Valerie Taylor?”

Who now?

“The new secretary I told you about?” he went on and I sighed, not acknowledging the pang of disappointment that hit me deep in my chest.

Not her then, not like I did not know that already.

“Oh.” Was the only reply I could muster.

“You have got to see her, Kayden. She is a dream.” Jason said with a smile, then he looked at me, suddenly serious. “I want her.”

“Do not f**k the secretary, Jason.” I said half-heartedly, dismissing the talk.

“No, no, I do not mean it like that.” Jason pressed, and I stared at him, unimpressed. “I want her, something serious and permanent, if possible.”

I did not see my 'something permanent' when I went back to search for her at her apartment in the last two weeks.

“Do not f**k the secretary.” I muttered again.

Jason growled, giving me a death glare that would make a normal man pee in his pants.

“I am not joking, Kayden. Not that I am asking for your permission.” he snarled and stalked off.

Before he reached the door, I sighed. “I am sorry. I am just...Today is not a good day.”

Jason just shrugged and walked out.

I did not add the fact that I was jealous he found this person, while mine had just disappeared. I also did not let myself linger too much on thoughts of her, instead I stood up and stalked outside, suddenly in a dangerous, shitty mood.

I needed a fix and I knew just how to get it. I knew just where to get it.

As soon as I stepped out of the office, the men, my men, lounging in the sitting area stood at attention immediately while my second, Nick, walked over to me.

“Boss?” he bowed slightly, his hard face yielding nothing, no expressions, no emotions, just how I liked them.

I gave a stiff nod and he returned the gesture, understanding where I intended to go.

With a swift series of hand gestures from Nick, my men quickly dispersed, no one uttering a single word or joke as they usually would. Not when I was in this mood. A joke could cost an important body part or, God help them, more.

He moved out of the way as I stalked towards the door, down the stairs, past the workers in the house who, with their heads inclined respectfully, moved out of my way, out of the mansion, into the warehouse beside it, down the stairs, underground, down the stairs again, into the dungeons.

The smell of piss and vomit hit me strongly the moment I entered my underground torture room, but I ignored it, making it a point to look into the eyes of each prisoner in each room.

Watching them cower in fear and terror, some turned over to vomit, more piss and even some started crying.

Pathetic.

It did not lighten my mood to watch them shake in fear, wondering if today was going to be their day, wondering if it would be their screams that would pierce the air, or if it would be their blood that would wash my floors. But I made myself smile that cruel, heartless smile that showed I was enjoying their misery. And I was sure I would enjoy it soon; once her face and orange blossom scent left my memory. Once, that memory was replaced by my mother's face and her sightless eyes staring into nothing while she choked to death on that red rope.

It worked. And I started to smile genuinely once I picked a random cell and walked in.

My grin grew even wilder once I saw who was sitting in the cell, a wet patch decorated the front of his dirty trousers, but even at that, he managed to stare up at me defiantly.

Nice, I was going to enjoy it.

“Oh, would you see who it is today?” I cooed at the man tied to the iron chair while I went to get my work tools.

I dropped them on the table beside him, watching him take in the scissors, hot coal and knives, watching his breath hitch and turn uneven, watching it dawn on him that today would be his last.

“It is Uncle Will, my father's right-hand man,” I said delightfully.

“W-what do you want f-from me?” he snarled, baring his teeth, fighting harder to escape to the iron shackles.

“Tell me what you know.” My smile vanished. “Tell me who killed my mother.”

“I swear! I-I do not know a-anything! I swear!”

“You can either tell me what you know now, or tell me what you know later.” I shrugged. “Either way, this is going to be fun.”

“I am your father's brother, Kayden! This i-is not right!” Uncle Will pleaded frantically. “The mafia code is all about family, you bastard! You can't just kill me off like this!”

I checked the knives, wondering which one I would pick. “I can.” I looked up at him, waving a jagged, blunt knife. “I will.”

He took the weapon and started struggling anew, cursing and crying. He knew he was going to suffer and I was going to enjoy every moment of it. The blunt jagged knife was going to make messy, extremely painful work of his limbs. “La familia!! I am family! We do this work for family!”

“My mother was family, you all still killed her anyway.”

His screams were loud, horror-filled and satisfying.