Road to Kaytlyn Read online

  “Yours?” Pedro let out a deep laugh. “Her father gave her to me as payment for his misfortunes. What gives you the impression she’s yours?”

  “She wasn’t his to give. Not any longer.” Jax pushed her back him, using his body as a shield. “She’s been mine for longer than you’ve been in charge. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

  “Jax—”

  “Jax?” Pedro’s eyes widened. “The infamous Jax. You made quite a name for yourself. Even running things while still confined in the penitentiary.”

  “You’ve heard, good, then you know what I’m capable of. Why don’t you put your gun down and we’ll be on our way? No harm no foul.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. That young thing is going to fetch me quite a price. There are plenty of men who would pay a pretty penny to get their hands on Ale Esposito’s daughter. Do you have any idea what they’d do to her? The things I had in mind would be nothing compared to the torture she’d endure at their mercy.” His lips curled into a smile, as his eyes twinkled with the thought of her torture.

  Minutes before, Pedro’s words would have terrified her but with Jax at her side she stood strong. There was something about him that inspired her to have confidence that things would work out. Even when shit was hitting the fan there had to be a way out. This wasn’t how things were supposed to end. She had too many unanswered questions.

  Screw the questions, I want to feel his touch again. Even as the thought drifted through her mind, she knew it was only partially true. She needed to know what happened the night everything changed. Papa had told her he was dead, what else had he lied to her about. The truth and then his mouth on mine. That’s if we live through this.

  Chapter Four

  With one hand on Kaytlyn’s hip, Jax forced her for follow him a couple steps to the side of the sliding glass doors. Pedro’s goon, Jorge was still out there somewhere and if he had made it around the lake house, Jax would be damned if he was going to give the goon an easy shot. Rather than scanning the potential outside threat Jax kept his attention on Pedro.

  “Why do you think no one laid a hand on her? I’ve made my claim known for the very reason I know what they’d do if they caught her. She’s under my protection. Anyone so much as looks at her the wrong way and they’re dealt with, severely” Jax gave that a moment to sink in before continuing. “I’m feeling generous today. You didn’t know of my claim to every inch of her, so I’ll give you a chance to clear up this mess. Let us walk out of here without issue and we’ll wipe the slate clean. Hell, maybe we can even work together, seeing we have the same target in mind.”

  “Esposito.” Pedro tipped his head toward Kaytlyn. “You’d eliminate Esposito?”

  “Esposito and I have some long overdue business to attend to first.” He felt Kaytlyn’s body go still behind him, though he wasn’t sure if was out of fear for her father or not. “I was there tonight to address said business when I witnessed your goon manhandle her into the back of the trunk. She’s precious cargo and Jorge nearly killed her as he shoved her into the trunk of his car. Ruined my night, placed my business with Esposito on hold until another day, and risked what’s mine. I could demand compensation from you, instead I’m offering to wipe the slate clean.”

  “And take what could be very profitable for me with you.” Pedro reminded.

  “Money cannot be spent where I’d send you if you touched her. No matter the amount you received for her it wouldn’t be enough if you sold her to some other stronzo.”

  “Stronzo?” Pedro’s eyebrow rose as he lowered the gun slightly.

  “Asshole in Italian.” Kaytlyn answered before Jax had the chance. “See I do remember.”

  “Interesting. You’ve taught Esposito’s precious daughter to curse in Italian when he doesn’t want her to know his native language. Does he know about that? I bet not, otherwise you’d have been dead long before you were sent to prison.” Pedro let out a deep grunt before turning serious again. “You want the girl then we need to work out a deal.”

  “What do you want? Money? How much does he owe you?”

  “Not money.” As if accepting the situation Pedro lowered his gun. “A life for a life.”

  “Shit.” It was barely above a whisper making him wonder if he even heard her correctly. “I know why I’m here and the answer is no.”

  “Does she speak for you now?” Pedro eyed Jax, as if watching an explosion about to happen. When Jax didn’t give him the reaction he was looking for Pedro shook his head. “Here I thought Jax was a man who was up for any challenge. Your property there seems to think she controls things.”

  Jax didn’t like the way Pedro called Kaytlyn ‘his property’ but to dispute that would put them back in an area of questions he didn’t want to discuss. Not with Pedro, hell not with anyone other than Kaytlyn.

  “I’m not exchanging myself for Jax’s life.” She leaned closer, pressing the front of her body tight against his back. “Please Jax, not again.”

  He caressed his hand over her hip, trying to convey that everything would be okay. “Why don’t you tell me what you want, and we’ll go from there. She believes you want me dead, but you mentioned a challenge. Even if I’d agree to exchange my life for hers, that isn’t a challenge, at least not for me. So, what is it that you want Pedro?”

  “Esposito murdered my son. He has no son for me to take, so he gave me his daughter. She’s to birth me another son to lead when I am too old to do so. Upon the birth of my son he will regain his daughter and his debt will be cleared.”

  “What the hell? Papa would never”

  “Tesoro…” He kept his voice low as his fingers pressed into her hip, keeping her where she was. “He would to save his own life.”

  “Jax…” The pain in her voice had him glancing over his shoulder at her.

  “I’m sorry, Tesoro.” Needing to move this conversation forward so he could get her to safety he forced himself to look back at Pedro. “You planned to sell her though, not impregnate her.”

  “I have many women who would give me a child. Her…” Pedro nodded to Kaytlyn. “She’s much more valuable in other ways. A son with her would risk much. I’m a cautious man I’d rather play the hand dealt to me in the most constructive way possible.”

  “I would rather die than give you a child. I remember your son, he was ruthless. He got himself killed.”

  “Kaytlyn.” Jax snapped as Pedro raised his gun.

  “Perhaps I’ve misjudged this situation. I thought of you as too soft for this life, too bendable to your fathers will, with no backbone of your own. Now I see that the spirit you had before isn’t just senseless shit as I thought. You don’t have the sense God gifted you to keep your mouth shut.” His finger hovered over the trigger as he eyed her. “It’s clear you won’t live long in this world. You’ve only survived until now because of your father’s protection. Now that he’s on a slippery slide to the end, you’ll fall along with him.”

  “Pedro.” Jax shifted his weight, blocking her completely with his body. “She’s been his cherished princess all her life. She doesn’t understand what it takes to survive in this life. But we do. We know what must be done. You want him out of power, so the way is clear for you. That’s the exchange you want, correct? I can leave with her with the promise I’ll end Esposito. We can make that deal if you lower your gun.”

  “My son didn’t get himself killed. He wasn’t like you, a spoiled brat, he knew how to take care of himself.” Pedro spat, still not meeting Jax’s gaze.

  “Because you raised him right. You raised him in our world.” Hoping to de-escalate the situation Jax lowered his gun while keeping it out. “I heard about Pedro Junior. He was a good man who went down in an unfortunate situation. Your need for revenge is unquestioned. I can deliver what you ask.”

  “Forty-eight hours.”

  “You know I’m going to need longer than that.” Jax shook his head. “Kidnapping his princess will have him on high alert. I can use her t
o get close to him, but I’m going to need more than two days.”

  “You have until this time next week.” Pedro lowered his gun as he glanced back to Kaytlyn. “Otherwise I’m coming for her and by the time you find her she’ll be in pieces. Understand?”

  “Crystal.” Jax held out his free hand. “In return, you’ll forget about Kaytlyn. You’ll never come after her again or order it done. Otherwise I’ll put a bullet between your eyes and anyone you send our way. Understood?”

  Pedro nodded, accepting Jax’s outstretched hand. “Once this job has been concluded our business will be done.”

  He didn’t trust Pedro completely, but at that moment, he was sticking both of their necks out on the line. If things backfired, they both would end up dead, but it was the only way out of this situation. Killing Esposito had been his game plan all along. Only it had been the end goal, one that would come after some much needed revenge. Now it had been moved up. The additional hiccup to his plan was Kaytlyn was never supposed to know he intended to murder her father. A problem for another day.

  Chapter Five

  Darkness sped past as Kaytlyn at a high rate of speed as she sat in the passenger seat while Jax drove them away from Lake Erie. She didn’t know where they were heading and couldn’t find her voice to ask. She wasn’t sure she’d like the answer even if she could. Were they heading back to the hotel where her father was supposed to be having a meeting? Had he even learned she’d been kidnapped, or did he think she just didn’t show up?

  “Where was Finn?”

  Jax’s question caught her by surprise as she turned to glance over at him. It was the first time she looked in his direction since they left Pedro’s house. “Finn? You remember him? How do you know he’s still my bodyguard?”

  “Did you think I’d leave you unprotected?” Without slowing down, he glanced over at her.

  “He’s been my bodyguard since…”

  “You were sixteen.” He supplied. “He’s still your guard, so where was he tonight?”

  “Papa…” She brushed a few strands of her dark brown hair away from her face and took a deep breath. “He really handed me over to Pedro, didn’t he?”

  “Where was Finn? Is he still alive?” He asked ignoring her question.

  “Papa called as we pulled up to the hotel. He had another guard waiting for me at the door. Plans changed, and I was now only supposed to make an appearance. Since it wouldn’t take long he wanted Finn to wait in the car to be ready to leave with me when my duties were done.” With her elbows resting on her knees she leaned forward to rest her head in her hands. “It was Jorge. How could I have been so stupid. I bet there wasn’t even a meeting. It was all a set up to get me away from Finn, so I could be delivered to Pedro.”

  Jax remained silent as he pulled his cell phone out of the pocket of his jeans. While keeping a hand on the steering wheel he pressed a couple buttons on the phone.

  “Finn is your man? How? He worked for my dad for years.” With her head still supported by her hands she turned to look over at him. The dark interior hid most of him from view but she could see the outline of his face from the dashboard lights.

  “Finn and I go way back, all the way back to our youth. He’s a good man, one of the best. I knew you’d be safe with him.” He dropped the phone into his lap and glanced over at her. “Once I get in touch with him, he’ll get you somewhere safe. I’m going to make this okay for you.”

  “How?” That one question seemed to keep repeating itself over and over. Nothing about this situation felt right. It seemed like a dark hole that grew bigger and bigger with each second swallowing more of her life. There didn’t seem to be any way out, any way to make it better. “By killing my father?”

  “Tesoro, there is much you don’t know about your father and his business. A darkness to his life that I’d hoped you would never learn. He’s your father, a man you cherished and idolized most of your life, but he is not a good man.”

  “And you are?” She took a deep breath and leaned back. “You just spent the last few years in prison. Pedro said you’ve been running things from behind bars. How can you sit there and act as though you’re better than him?”

  “I told you before I’m no knight. I’ve never claimed otherwise. Still, I’ve never put a bullet in someone who didn’t deserve it. Your precious papa can’t claim that.”

  She sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. “He can’t. You say I don’t realize how dark my father’s world is but I know more than he thinks I do. More than you probably think I do. I know he murdered Sig, just as I know he placed the blame on you. We were cousins, but he was like a brother to me and he’s dead.”

  “I was there that night.” Jax jerked the wheel, pulling the truck over to the edge of the road before bringing the truck to a stop. “His death is on my shoulders. I should have seen what Esposito planned, should have known he’d eliminate Sig to send a message to anyone who thought of betraying him. Blood means nothing to Esposito. If someone isn’t pulling their weight, doing what he needs done, he’ll order their death without a second thought. He prefers not to get his hands dirty. Sig’s murder was a message he had to deliver himself. That was the only way to get the full impact.”

  “Murder isn’t the answer. It leaves families grieving and heartbroken. What does it give you in return?”

  “Sig wanted to overthrow your father. He wanted to take over the family business because Esposito was becoming ruthless.” He reached over placing his hand on her back. “Sig knew your father was using you to get what he wanted. He knew it would only be a matter of time before he did what he did tonight. You’re a bartering chip for Esposito. You help close deals and when your usefulness runs out what do you think he’ll do then?”

  “He’s my father.” Jax’s words cut through her heart, shredding it worse than any knife could. Still there was a truth in them, a truth she couldn’t deny. Especially not after what happened to Sig’s younger sister. “A year ago, Gianna was used to seal a peace treaty with the Kuznetsov family. Papa arranged it, against his brother’s wishes. Both of my uncle’s children have been taken away from him.”

  “I know.” He caressed a hand along her back. “Sig realized what Esposito was capable of and wanted to protect you and Gianna. Taking over was the only way he could do that. Most were behind him, including your uncle. Sig’s death was not enough of a message to your uncle, that’s why he used Gianna to finalize the Kuznetsov deal. He didn’t have to, the treaty would have been settled without her sacrifice, but she was a pawn in the greater game Esposito is playing.”

  Backstabbing, pawns being sacrificed for the king’s enjoyment, and murder was too much for her to handle in the mist of everything else, especially considering her father was at the center of all of it. He was the king and everyone around him were sacrificial lambs, including her.

  “You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?”

  Chapter Six

  Jax debated answering her question as he stared into her eyes. Esposito was responsible for a lot of her pain, for the murder of Sig and countless others, and for Gianna being in Russia. Still, the pain in her eyes made him hesitate. Every day he spent in prison, he thought about the moment he’d finally end the world of Ale Esposito. His death wouldn’t bring down the Esposito family as someone else would step into his position, but it would make the world a little safer. Vic Esposito—the man who’d lead the Esposito family into the future was a different type of leader, one who wouldn’t use those around him like Ale did.

  Kaytlyn could hate him for the rest of his days but she’d be safe. Her safety was the one thing that matter to him. Her happiness was a close second but in this case protecting her would override all else.

  “I can see it in your eyes. You will.” Even as the words left her mouth, she didn’t pull away from him. Rather she sat there staring at him as if she accepted it.

  “Tesoro…my sweet tesoro. Protecting you has always been my
priority. You have to know that by now.”

  “I—”

  His phone buzzed, stealing her words from her. Finn’s name popped onto the screen. “I’ve got to take this.” He pulled back from her, grabbing the phone from his lap before answering it and bringing it to his ear. “Where are you?”

  “She’s gone.” Finn’s voice filled his ear.

  “Where are you?” He asked again, not wanting to give Finn any information over the phone. If someone was listening, he didn’t want them to know he had Kaytlyn. That was a surprise he’d save for later to avoid it getting back to Esposito.

  “Buffalo, searching the area for her. It was supposed to be a short trip inside, a guard already in place but she never came out. I went into the hotel and they know nothing. I can’t get their security tape without alerting Esposito that she’s missing.” The panic deepened his voice. “Fuck man…”

  “Go to the place. I’ll meet you there.”

  “What?” Finn raised his voice. “I’m not just leaving her.”

  “Trust me. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” He glanced at her, debating his next words before adding. “The treasure is safe.”

  “The treasure…okay.” The line went dead as Jax pulled the phone away from his ear.

  “Treasure?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

  “My tesoro, my treasure. He knows that’s what I call you, he’ll put it together and understand you’re safe.”

  “How am I your treasure but you claim not to be my knight when you’re always there to save me?”

  “Knights are good men, honorable men. That is not me.” Placing his hands on the steering wheel Jax stared out the window. How could he explain to her why she deserved so much better than him? He wasn’t worthy of her. She was kind and pure, where he was tainted.

  “Jax…” She scooted across the seat, so she was in the middle of the truck, directly beside him, her knee brushed against the side of his leg. “You’re honorable. The most honorable man I know.”