“Would you like some help Princess?” Her smile is enough to get me up and following after her. While Kayla looks in on Brayden, I see to Nicky. I open his door and find him sound asleep, and Eey raises his head up. I am not sure how my son fits in his bed with that big ass dog next to him, but somehow he has managed to squeeze in close to him with one arm wrapped around his dog and a huge smile on his face. Eey watches me closely as I run my fingers through my son’s hair and kiss him on his head. “Watch over my son Eey, someone wants to take him from me.” Brushing my hand across the dogs head he whimpers with acknowledgment. “If anyone can protect him, it should be a dog that has come back from the dead. Right?”
Chapter 30
~Nick~
Kayla and I sit near the back of the ceremony, invited guests rather than invited family. Kayla being a friend of Brady’s is the perfect excuse for me to be at my sister’s wedding. It is slightly irritating to be treated as an unwelcome guest at my own sister’s wedding. Especially with all these fat cops stuffing their faces with the food I paid for. Kayla keeps reminding me that this is about my sister and her happiness, but I still have to hide away in the corner in order to keep myself under control.
“Jayzon, nice of you to come despite all the cops in attendance. You must feel terribly uncomfortable?” Brady remarks as he approaches my side.
“Not in the least, what do I have to worry about? I do own this hotel. I will simply kick them out when I get tired of their disgusting asses.” I smile.
“Always so cocky, still can’t believe we are related now. That makes me uncomfortable.” He sighs.
“That is something that we both can agree on.”
“Thank you by the way for paying for all of this, making Lena’s day the perfect dream for her. I have never seen her look so happy.” He says as we both gaze over at my sister who is laughing with joy. “You have given her the perfect wedding gift, now how about mine?” He asks giving me a look of determination.
“I told you Savage is not someone you want to deal with, and for my sister’s sake I suggest you keep your distance from him. Be satisfied with the wins you have gotten lately,” I insist, fisting my drink.
“Satisfied? How can I be satisfied when my parents’ murderer is still out there, still free to do as he pleases, to kill who pleases. I am supposed to be satisfied with that Jayzon?” Brady asks with a tone containing every ounce of anger he has built up over the years.
“I don’t think you understand who he is and what he is capable of. He is too strong for you. He is too strong for anyone to try and take down. I find it better to stay out of his path,” I say trying to avoid looking at him any more than I have to.
“Are you kidding me? You mean there is actually someone out there that Nicholas Jayzon is afraid of?” He asks obviously not believing it to be true.
Slamming my drink down, I face him head on. “You’re damn right I am, and you should be too,” I say walking away from his shocked expression.
~
With Brady gone on his honeymoon, I decide to visit Savage once more to thank him, and let him know he will have no further trouble from Simone. I hope by treating him with respect I can distance myself safely from the man once again. This time I am a little more comfortable meeting him, because it is at a downtown restaurant and not as his home. I go alone, but he arrives with his usual entourage of people, plus one more. A man near my age and someone who instantly annoys me with his cocky, white smile. He dresses affluently, and holds his high above his broad shoulders. He wears his hair long, has his facial hair tailored to perfection, but it is his dark, burning eyes that tell me everything I need to know about him.
“Nicholas, how nice to you again. I have to say I was quite excited to hear from you again.” Savage greets me respectively as he always has, but he turns and motions towards the gentleman dressed in nothing but attitude. “I hope you don’t mind, Nicholas, but I invited Adair. My first in command, Adair has worked his way to the top. He is quite impressive in his abilities.”
“No, I don’t mind at all, nice to meet you, Adair,” I say shaking his hand and immediately feeling as if I made an agreement to battle.
“Nicholas, I have been told so much about you. I hope you don’t mind that I am joining the meeting, but after what I have heard about you, I had to see for myself the man of such great accomplishment,” Adair says, looking me over as if I am three feet tall and five years old.
“Thank you,” I say simply, before sitting and hoping to quickly get this meal over with. “Mr. Savage, I wanted to let you know that Chief Simone has agreed to back off of you and should no longer be a problem. I want to thank you for your patience and assistance with that matter.”
“Of course, it was no problem. Like I said, we are old family friends. We might as well be family, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for family,” he says, sipping his wine like nobility. “Speaking of family affairs.” Savage motions for his man Rabbie who instantly appears at our table and hands me an envelope before disappearing again. “We will be celebrating Adair’s new position in a few months, and I would love for you to join us. There will be many influential people there, and I would be happy to introduce you to them.”
“I assume these influential people will be in their usual political masks, kind to anyone that makes large donations to their campaigns,” I say smartly.
Savage laughs, “Masks, yes, I assume they will be. Actually that is a good idea - a masquerade ball. Too bad we didn’t think of that before, but I assure you Nicholas, it will be an extravagant affair all the same. You and your beautiful wife will be a wonderful addition to our celebration.”
“Personally, I would love to be introduced to your wife. I know a dance with her would make the celebration complete for me,” Adair says with a lick of his lips.
I begin to twirl my glass, pushing my fire back down to a minimum before I speak. “If you need a date, Adair, I can hire a whore for you, a gift for you on your big night. I will make sure she stays the night even. Maybe it will be an even bigger night for you. It will be a first time for you. No? I know someone that could teach you how to do it right.”
Adair leans back in his seat and watches my mocking smile. “I assure you, my skills in bed have been polished to perfection, better than you I would think, considering your frail appearance,” he says causing me to laugh. “If you would like to know for sure, I am willing to let your wife decide, Nicholas,” Adair says.
“Mr. Savage, thank you for dinner and the invitation, I will talk with my wife and let you know as soon as I can,” I say to Savage who is nodding in agreement. Turning towards Adair’s cocky smile, I lean forward and say, “I assure you, Adair, that if you speak of my wife again as if she is some kind of property that can be traded for pleasure, you will not be smiling so handsomely ever again.” I nod at Savage’s wide smile and adjust my jacket back to perfection before leaving with heated hands.
Chapter 31
~Nick~
I love my days at home when it is quiet and calm. Kayla and Ryan have finally called a truce thanks to Sam. Kayla broke out the big guns and told Ryan’s girl, Sam, everything that Ryan taught Nicky. Ryan met a cold silence for two days before he finally broke and begged forgiveness. I have to give it to him, I can’t believe he held out without sex for that long.
For the first time in awhile, everything is quiet, actually too quiet. I sit up listening and begin to wonder what my son is up to. Kayla left him with me, and if he and that dog break something else in this house, I may be meeting her cold silence. Before I become too worried, I hear the dog barking outside and look to see Nicky running and playing with him. I lean down to look over some numbers once again, but am quickly interrupted by Eey’s growls. Deep daring growls which escalate into barking madness. I race out to see Nicky standing behind his dog, as Adair approaches him. “Nicky, go in the house, son,” I say getting between him and Adair. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the neigh
borhood, and I thought I would drop by and say hello.” I watch him carefully as he glances back at my son who is peaking around the doorway. “Your son is something, I heard a lot about him, so I couldn’t help, but come out here and talk to him.”
“I don’t want you here, and I certainly don’t want you anywhere near my son. I don’t know how you got in here, but I want you to leave, now,” I say adamantly.
“I only came here to try and become friends, I feel bad for the way we started. I admit I started it, but we both acted childishly, don’t you think?” I stand silent. “Oh, Nicholas, we really should find a way to be civil to each other, it would be in both of our best interests.”
“I don’t trust you, I don’t like you, and I want you to leave my home before I force you too, “I say heating up and feeling his excitement intensify. Adair steps forward and suddenly Eey comes running at him in a rage.
“I think there is something wrong with your dog, Nicholas.”
“Get out before I allow him to tear you apart.” I watch him back away and leave the way he came. I spot the guard who seems to be in a daze and immediately replace him before sending him home. I warn Nicky to stay away from Adair and talk to Kayla about watching over our sons more closely, since our guards are not exactly trustworthy with everyone. She doesn’t completely understand, but all I can ask is that she trust me for now. I don’t want to worry her until I myself understand more.
~
I had hoped I would never see Adair again, but when I show up with Kayla to a benefit dinner, there he is with a woman on each side of him and a smile I want to knock off his face. Kayla notices my emotions instantly but is unclear why. I spend most of our night avoiding him and steering Kayla away from his direction. I thought I had made it clear that I didn’t want to speak to him, but he goes out of his way to be in my face.
“Good evening, Nicholas.” Adair says with a chipper tone. “This must be your lovely wife, Kayla, correct?” he says reaching out for her hand.
“Yes, and you are?” she says gazing at him and obviously impressed.
“My name is Adair, Adair Savage. Nicholas’s father and mine were old friends from what my grandfather tells me. Which makes us …?”
“Absolutely nothing,” I say bluntly.
“Nick,” Kayla says looking up at me.
“Oh, it is okay. It is probably my fault. I was a little rude when we first met, and I guess I owe you both an apology for showing up at your home unannounced. I saw your son playing, and he was so innocent, I couldn’t help myself. I simply had to meet him.”
“You talked to my son?” Kayla asks him. “You came to our home and scared my son.” Kayla steps into his face and looks him dead in his eyes, before smacking him hard across the face. “Don’t ever come near my son again.”
Adair looks up in shock, as I pull Kayla back away from him. He slowly smiles as he looks her over. “I am truly sorry for my behavior. You are right, I should have never gone near your son. I certainly didn’t mean to scare him or harm him in any way. My grandfather speaks so highly of you Nicholas, that my curiosity got the best of me, but I promise that it will never happen again. Despite our differences, Kayla, I hope you and Nicholas will be able to make it to my celebration. I would hate for my grandfather to be disappointed just because of something I did.”
“Your celebration? And what are you celebrating?” Kayla asks.
“Well, it is the night my grandfather announces me as his next in line, something that I have been waiting for, for a very long time,” he says glancing my way for some reason.
“Good for you, but unfortunately we are already obligated to be somewhere else that night,” I say, pulling Kayla closer to me and away from him. Kayla looks up at me suddenly, wide eyed.
“Nicholas, I really wish we could be friends, I think it would be good for both of us. Let me introduce you to my dates, Taylor and Hillary. Ladies, Mr. Nicholas Jayzon. They’re dancers, you should let them show you what they can do. Ladies.” The two women drag me to the dance floor surrounding me like vultures. I turn away from them only to find Adair has disappeared with my wife.
“Get off me!” I demand as the two women paw at me as if I am going to fuck them any second. I immediately search for Kayla, pushing my way through the crowd until I see her. Adair has a grip on both of her arms as he looks down at her. She tries to jerk away from him, but he is determined to hold onto her. “Kayla!” I yell snapping his concentration on her. Taking hold of my wife I push her behind me, and look deep into his eyes. “You are crossing one line after the other, Adair. Out of respect for your grandfather, I will allow you to walk out of here on your own, but don’t tempt me any further.”
“Why, what are you going to do about it Nicholas?” he asks.
“You don’t want to go there with me,” I say, feeling Kayla grip my jacket, reminding of her presence and calming my boiling blood.
“Oh, I think I do. She is something special your wife, I think she is worth fighting for and it seems that you do too.”
I stand back with Kayla slipping her hands into mine and holding tightly. “Nick, let’s go. He is not worth your time,” she says.
I stay focused on him and shielding my suddenly trembling wife from his sight. “You don’t want to fight me, Adair, trust me. You have nothing to gain from it and a lot to lose.”
“I have seen your son, and now I have seen your wife, and I want her. I am willing to do whatever I have to in order to get her. How far will you go for her, Nicholas? It is clear that you will fight for her, but to what extent?” The clarity in his eyes makes his intentions clear to me.
My body begins to heat, my blood boils, and a low thundering growl erupts from my lungs, “To the death.”
~
When we arrive back home, I pace the room going over the night in my head, going through every moment of my life, searching for the missing pieces to this puzzle. “Nick?” Kayla whispers from behind me. She stands against the doorway of my office, dressed in the sensuous silk robe I bought for her not that long ago, her beautiful body being highlighted underneath by the light. The moment I look into her eyes, she smiles and reaches out for me, “Are you okay?”
I take her hand and pull her into my arms and hold her so tightly to me that I exhale deeply. “As long as I have you I am.” My hands feel over her body lifting her up and sitting her on my desk. She sheds the robe from her bare body and welcomes my lips to her warm skin. Every part of her reminds me of why I fell in love with her. Kayla gasps as I push deep inside her, but her eyes stay focused on me as I look into her eyes. “You’re still mine? You’re still Kayla?” Thrusting hard into her I breathe her in with every moan she makes.
“I am yours because I love you, Nick. No one can ever change that.” She grasps the back of my head and forces me to stay focused on her. “He tried, but he didn’t succeed.” I bring her to me, burying my face into her hair. “Nick, you have to tell me … why I saw the swirling shadows in his eyes that I have seen in yours?”
Chapter 32
~Nick~
The idealistic cloud of buildings sits high on the hill, daring me to move forward. It always does this to me whenever I come here. I hate coming here, but I can’t bear the thought of leaving her alone forever either, no matter how little I mean to her. This is the first time that I am bringing Nicky with me, and he is obviously as curious as am I to her response to him.
I check in and take Nicky’s hand to lead him down to her room. Before I open the door, I look down at him. “Remember what I told you?” He nods. “She is very sick, and she doesn’t know who you are.”
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll be good.”
“I know you will, Son.” I am hoping that having Nicky around may jog her memory. As I resemble my father, Nicky resembles me as a child. Walking into her room, she sits rocking and humming her usual favorite tune, “Gillian.” She turns instantly with a wide smile.
“Oh, how wonderful. I had a feeling you would come today.?
?? Kissing my cheek, she hugs me tightly, more than she ever did for me when I was a child. “Oh, Dante, I have so much to tell you …” She rambles for some time about all the people in the home. Some women she finds repulsive as well as some men who don’t understand she is in love with another.
I finally have to interrupt her nonsense. “Is your health okay? Are you still happy here?”
“Yes, but I wish you could visit more often. Are you taking care of the house? I can’t imagine the mess it must be in. I haven’t heard anything from my office. Will you call them for me? I could go in this week for awhile if they need me to.”
“I told you that you don’t work there anymore. You don’t need to work anymore. I am taking care of everything.” It is always the same when I come to see her. Her mind has no sense of time. Pulling out the key my father once gave me, I hold it up to her, hoping she will somehow recall it. “Do you remember this key?”
“Your work?” I nod. “Do you want me to help you again, Dante?”
“Yes, and I want to take Nicky … Nicholas there. Can you remind me where it is?” I ask. She steps back from me, looking confused and scared.
“You said you would not take him there until he was older. He is still much too young, Dante,” she says finally noticing Nicky, “don’t you think?”
“Hello,” Nicky says starling my mother, forcing me to have to steady her legs for her. “How are you today, Gillian?” Nicky asks, taking her hand.