Kane (Slater Brothers 3)

I blinked. “That doesn’t answer me question.”

“Aideen.”

“Where did the money come from, Kane?”

Kane stared at me, hard. “I’ve been freelancing my... talents to some shitty people, okay?!”

A knot twisted in my stomach.

“What does that mean?”

Kane set his jaw. “It means if someone requires a beat down, people pay me to do it. I hurt shitty people for other shitty people.”

I reared back like I was slapped across the face.

“You... you hurt people?”

Kane said nothing. He didn’t even blink.

“Get out.”

“No.”

No?

“You don’t get a say in this. Get the fuck out of me apartment. Now.”

“I own the building.”

I knew he would eventually throw that in my face!

“You may own the building, but I lease this fuckin’ apartment so get out!”

Kane stood rooted to the spot. “You wanted to talk about this, so now we’re going to talk about it.”

“After what you just admitted? I don’t think so!” I snapped.

I got my phone from my pocket and dialled Nico’s number. I put it to my ear and looked Kane dead in his eyes as his brother answered his phone.

“Come and get Kane from me apartment right now.”

Nico’s voice was hard when he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“He is a lyin’ son of bitch who hurts people for a livin’. I want him out of me apartment right now. I’m serious, Nico. Come get him or I’m callin’ me brothers.”

I screeched when Kane came at me.

“Don’t you touch me!” I screamed and dashed to the right.

Kane punched my wardrobe door, and because the wood wasn’t thick like my door, his fist went through it.

“Tell my brother everything is okay and hang up the phone.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Not a chance in hell- Kane!”

I gasped when Kane shot forward, grabbed my phone and threw it against my bedroom wall. My iPhone shattered into pieces before it even touched the ground. I stared at the fragments on the floor for a moment then without looking at Kane I turned and walked out of my bedroom.

“Wait, I’m sorry,” Kane said from behind me. “I didn’t mean to do that, you just-”

“Made you angry?” I shouted and spun around to face him. “Every time you get angry you seem to lose it. You shout at people, punch stuff, and now you’ve upgraded to breakin’ stuff? How long will it be before you black out and hit the real source of your anger, huh? How long until you take your anger out on me?”

Kane widened his eyes. “I would never, hear me clearly on this, ever hit you.”

“I can’t trust that and that’s the fuckin’ problem.”

Kane looked like I had punched him.

“You can’t believe I would hurt you. You just can’t.”

I swallowed. “I don’t know, Kane. This is all becomin’ too much for me. You aren’t honest with me, you lash out at me when I ask questions, and you are borderline obsessed with me when it comes to other men.”

“Because you’re mine!” Kane snapped.

I jumped a little, but quickly composed myself.

“I understand that,” I stated, my voice surprisingly calm. “I really do. I’m your girlfriend-”

“No, you don’t get it. You’re mine. Everything about you is mine.”

I blinked. “You don’t own me, Kane.”

“Yes. I. Do.”

I took a step backward. “I’m not property.”

“I know you’re not,” Kane grunted and took a step towards me, “but being mine doesn’t make you an object, it makes you my life. You are my life, Aideen. I love you.”

I stopped breathing.

“What?” I whispered.

“I love you,” Kane repeated louder and firmer.

My stomach began to hurt, my chest tightened, and my head spun.

“What?” I repeated, again.

Kane closed the remaining distance between us. “I. Love. You.”

Fuck, Bronagh was right.

That was the only thing I could think of during Kane’s declaration of love for me.

“I can’t deal with this,” I eventually said.

Kane didn’t move. “What are you saying?”

“I’m sayin’ that was the wrong moment to tell me you love me. You shouldn’t have said it.”

“I shouldn’t have said it? It’s what I’m feeling.”

I swallowed. “You harm people, Kane.”

“Bad people, Aideen. We’re talking about the scum of the earth here.”

I shook my head. “I don’t care. It doesn’t justify what you do.”

Kane turned and began to pace up and down the hallway.

“You own apartments, a real-estate agency. You have more money than you need. Why do you continue to... freelance?”

He had his back to me when he stopped moving. I saw the muscles in his back tense as I asked my question.

“I donate all the money I get from freelancing to different charities. I don’t do it for the money. It was never about money.”

I closed my eyes. “Then why do you do it?”

“Because I have to.”

“Why?”

He turned to face me, a sadistic smirk on his face.

“Don’t dare look at me like that. Don’t think being cold and mean is going to get you out of this conversation.”

“Cold and mean,” Kane repeated then humourlessly laughed. “That pretty much describes what people think of me. One look at me and they’re scared. Are you scared of me, babydoll?”

Only of the way you make me feel.

“A puppy has more chance of scarin’ me than you do, Slater,” I deadpanned.

A smile lit up Kane’s face, but only for a moment before his sullen look took over once more. “Everyone is scared of me. They think I’m a monster, and you know what? Maybe I am. I didn’t get this way by being an angel, that’s for damn sure.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Good,” Kane replied. “I don’t want you to understand me.”

“Well, I want to!” I shouted. “I want to know you.”

That admission shocked me as well as Kane.

He shook his head. “If you get answers to the questions on your mind you will leave me. You won’t let me get within five feet of you and our baby. I know you won’t.”

I swallowed. “Sweetheart, if you tell me what I need to know nothin’ will happen. I’m not goin’ to leave you.”

Kane blinked his eyes. “Everybody leaves me, Aideen. Everybody.”

What?

“Who has left you?” I asked, my hands trembling.

“You want the list?” Kane snorted. “My parents—they left me long before they died because they were shitty fucking people. My brothers mean everything to me, but they don’t have the time of day for me anymore since their girls came into the picture. Damien up and left and went back to the States four years ago and hasn’t been back since. When you aren’t with me, I’m on my own. Everybody leaves, even if they don’t mean to.”