“I owe him a lot. Punishments meant for me…otherthings meant for me—he took the brunt of them. And for that, he’ll always have my loyalty. And he’ll always be my brother, because while I wasn’t spared completely, he never was.”
She turned in my arms. “Kai, what brought you to that place? Where’s your family?”
The wind kicked up, and strands of hair whipped across her beautiful face. I cuffed them behind her ears and kissed her forehead. “I never knew my father…I don’t know if my mom knew either. Could be anyone, if you know what I mean. But whoever he is or was, I probably look like him since the only thing I inherited from Clara Roth were her eyes.”
“They’re certainly pretty,” she said, offering a faint smile.
“So I’ve been told.”
She rolled her eyes with a bigger smile, though her happy expression was short-lived. “What happened to her?”
“Clara was murdered.”
I waited a few beats, wondering if she’d give her condolences, but Amalia watched me with intrigue. And I was grateful, because though I may have loved my mother at some point, she hadn’t been anywhere near fit to be responsible for herself, let alone a child. I’d woken up alone in a cold train station bathroom more times than I’d like to remember. So, in some ways, her death relieved me of the guilt I felt as my resentment toward her grew.
“And with no other known family, I was tossed in the system when I was eight. And the rest is history, as they say.”
“And then Ares found you.”
I nodded. “That’s where Gloria comes in.”
“Did she train you?”
“She was my first mark—the wife of a wealthy real estate mogul. A mistress was involved, and there was an inheritance, insurance money, and the works. That day, my rifle jammed, and she was on me before I could use my secondary, so I had to drown her in her fountain.”
Amalia listened with rapt attention, brokering no emotion. “Then her kid came around the corner. And that’s when I understood why she’d fought so hard. For her child.” I looked away from her as I thought of Maksim. “I’m kind of two for two on that front.”
“So you named your bike after her out of guilt?”
“Not just that. I became consumed with every aspect of her life and discovered that she was an outstanding mother. And that I’d stripped that little girl of happiness, only to leave her in the custody of her bastard father and his revolving door of whores.”
“Kai,” she murmured, reaching up to touch my cheek. “You couldn’t have known. Most of those who die at our hands have families. It comes with the job.”
“I know. I’ve worked through my guilt over the years. Besides, I pulled some strings, used some connections, and ensured her daughter would inherit everything and leave the father penniless.”
Amalia swatted my chest. “If you could do that, then why are we here? Where were you six months ago?” she joked.
My hands slid down her waist and over her hips as I pulled her closer. “Waiting for you.”
27
Thesun finally peaked from the city's edge, and I shifted us around, wanting her to see the view but refusing to let her out of my arms.
“I can’t remember the last time I watched the sunrise, at least not like this. Thank you for bringing me here. I needed it, especially after everything.”
“It wasn’t all bad, wife,” I said, kissing her neck. She leaned her head back and looked up at me.
“No, it wasn’t.”
Tilting her chin, I dipped down to kiss her. “What happened?” I asked. Her eyes were still closed, the whisper of a smile curling her lips. “You and me, what changed?”
“Don’t be a mood killer, Cain, and just fucking kiss me.”
I laughed against her mouth, smoothing my hands farther down her body until I had a handful of each ass cheek. Giving her a little squeeze, I hoisted her onto my waist.
“I’m going to fuck you on my bike, vicious.” Amalia shuddered in my arms and kissed me harder, grinding that sweet little pussy over my abdomen.
I carried her back to where I’d left the bike and lowered her to the ground. “Take off my belt.”
