And standing there in his arms, feeling his heart beat steady under my ear, I realized something.
I did understand him now. Finally understood the violence, the brutality, the ease with which he could hurt people. It wasn't because he was cruel or heartless. It was because this world had taught him that hesitation got you killed. That showing weakness meant losing everything.
He'd learned to separate emotion from action because it was the only way to survive.
But with me, he didn't separate. With me, he let himself feel. Let himself be vulnerable in a way that probably terrified him as much as it terrified me.
That was love. Real, complicated, messy love. Not the fairy tale version I'd read about in books. The real thing that existed in the spaces between violence and tenderness.
Two days before Salvatore's return, everything got worse.
Kai had to oversee a drug shipment. Routine business, he'd explained, but he needed to be there personally. And he didn't trust leaving me at the estate without him.
So I went.
The warehouse was in the industrial district, surrounded by chain-link fence and security cameras. Kai's men moved with practiced efficiency, checking packages, counting product, making sure everything matched the manifest.
I stood off to the side, trying to be invisible. Trying not to think about what was in those packages. What they'd be used for. The lives they'd destroy.
Don't think about it. Just observe.Just survive.
Then Kai's posture changed. Went rigid. Dangerous.
"Who packed this shipment?"
One of the men stepped forward. "Danny's crew, boss. Why? Something wrong?"
Kai held up a package. The wrapping had been re-sealed. Poorly. "This has been tampered with. Someone skimmed product. Find out who."
The men scattered. Thirty seconds later they returned, dragging a young guy. Couldn't have been more than twenty. Baby-faced. Terrified.
A corner drug boy. The lowest level in the operation. Practically disposable.
"Please, Mr. Accardi, I can explain. I just needed money for my sister. She's sick, the medical bills are insane, and I thought just a little wouldn't matter. Please, I'll pay it back, I swear..."
He was crying. Actually crying. Snot running down his face, hands shaking, words tumbling over each other.
Kai listened. Face completely blank. Expression giving away nothing.
Then he nodded to Marco.
What happened next was systematic. Brutal. Marco's fists connected with the boy's face, his ribs, his stomach. The sound of bone breaking echoed through the warehouse. Blood spattered on concrete.
I wanted to look away. Couldn't. Something kept my eyes locked on the scene.
The boy collapsed. Unconscious. Maybe dead. I couldn't tell.
"Take him to the hospital." Kai's voice was flat. Emotionless. "Leave him outside the emergency room with a note. Next time there won't be a next time."
The men dragged the unconscious body out. Left a trail of blood across the floor.
Kai turned to the others. "Anyone else thinking about skimming? Anyone else think they can steal from this family and get away with it?"
Silence. Everyone stared at the ground.
"Good. Clean this up. Finish the count. Report to me when it's done."
In the car ride back, I stared out the window. Processing. Trying to reconcile what I'd seen with what I knew about Kai.
