Page 12 of Played By The Bishop

“You’re here because you were promised to me years ago. Did you really think your mother was a maid?” I open my mouth to rebuke his claim but he carries on. “Your mother was a whore and a drug addict. The only decent thing she did was fuck your father and have you.” I flinch at the coldness in his tone, Gage reaches out to place his hand on my back but stops when Bishop pins him with a look. “Touch her again and she won’t be able to save you. I’ve let you live because of what you did for her but don’t fucking mistake my kindness for weakness.” Gage nods and steps away from me. “You want the truth?” I mull over his question for a second but answer,

“Yes.”

“You are going to marry me because our marriage will bring the end to a war between two of the greatest mafia families. You are not a Coleman… your last name is Bennett. You are the only heir to the Bennett mafia family. Your mother was brought here so Tony could raise you in his image and keep your father from attacking my family. Your father is the Don of the Bennett mafia in Florida.” I can hear everything he is saying but none of it is registering with me. My mother was the maid here. She got hooked on drugs and sold her body to fund her addiction. Gage ignores Bishop’s warning and wraps an arm around me, pulling me into his side. I suddenly feel cold. “I believe your father has taken my sister and wishes to trade you for her.”

“How do you know that?” I slam my eyes closed and push away from Gage. I stare up at him as he slowly lowers his gaze to mine. I see it, right there in his eyes.

“You knew about all of this, didn’t you?” Gage doesn’t perceive to misunderstand my question.

“Yes, I found out not long after you started living with me.” I nod, too numb to even form words. I trusted him more than I have ever trusted anyone in my whole life.

“Is that why you trained me?” I whisper.

“God, no.” He reaches out and places both his hands on my shoulders, then bends down so we are eye level. “I trained you to fight so you would be able to defend yourself. I never wanted you to be in the position you were in the first night we met.”

“What position?” Bishop asks. I can’t even stand to look at him. Gage doesn’t take his eyes off me as he answers.

“She was nearly raped. I stopped it.”

“So you thought teaching her how to fight was the answer? You should have fucking brought her here to me!” I flinch at the sound of his booming voice. All the years I spent training to fight and harden myself against feeling any emotions and not even twenty-four hours of being near the Murdoch brothers, has all my training fleeing me.

“This isn’t about you, Bish. Other shit happened and she needed me, not you.” I close my eyes willing the tears of betrayal to stay put and not leak out. I knew Bishop had lied to me. It’s the MO of this family, but what I didn’t expect was for Gage to be in on all of this.

“I would like to go now… please.” The only sounds that can be heard in the room is everyone breathing. I can feel all their gazes on me but I can’t look at any of them.

“Doll––” I shake my head, cutting Gage off.

“I want to go now.”

“Let me explain.”

“I don’t want to hear any of it,” I whisper, wrap my arms around my middle and sniff. Gage reels back like I hit him. He can see the unshed tears in my eyes. I have only cried in front of Gage twice—the night he found me and the night I told him about Tony. I finally turn to face Bishop. He has an unreadable expression on his face as he eyes me warily. “I’ll do the trade for Car, just let me know when. I’m going to walk out of this room right now and no one is going to follow me.” He opens his mouth but I raise my hand halting him. “I won’t run, I just need to be alone right now.” I don’t wait for an answer, I turn and walk out as quick as I can so they won’t hear the first sob tear out of me. I race up the stairs taking them two at a time, run to the end of the hall and slam the door behind me. I rest against it and drop down as I finally break. I cry for the life that was robbed from me, for the father I never knew, for the pain I suffered because Tony Murdoch used me as a fucking pawn in a war I didn’t even know existed. I cry for the best friend that I trusted, I cry for the boy I have wanted my whole life—who turned-out to be a monster just like his father.

* * *

Islowly blink my eyes open and realize I must have fallen asleep. I sit up and notice I’m in bed and not on the floor. I pat myself down and I’m grateful that I’m still in my clothes. I look to the side and see it’s dark out. I must have slept the day away. Movement from the corner of the room catches my attention. The only light in the room is from the moon but even in the darkness I would be able to tell that it’s Bishop that is sitting in the corner. I tuck my hair behind my ears and cross my legs under me as I wait for him to speak. My eyes feel puffy and swollen from crying earlier but I just don’t have it in me to give a fuck what I look like. Everyone has lied to me and used me in some type of way. My heart is shattered. I’m woman enough to admit I have been in love with Bishop since the first time I saw him when I was six, he was twelve and I knew there was no way a boy like him would ever look at a girl like me. Now that I finally have his attention, I don’t want it because he doesn’t want me for me. He wants me so he can gain more power because of who my father is.

“Gage didn’t betray you.” His softly spoken words startle me from my thoughts.

“Yeah, he did and so did all of you.” I hate how weak and defeated I sound.

“I never betrayed you, Kiara––”

“You lied to me Bishop, you knew who the fuck I was my whole life and didn’t say shit!”

“I didn’t find out until I was sixteen who the fuck you really were, Kiara. Tony told me then I was to marry you to unite the Bennett and Murdoch families. You were only like eleven or twelve at the time and there was no fucking way that I was agreeing to marry a child. Did I notice you? Yeah. Did I like you in that way? Fuck no. It wasn’t until you ran from us when you were fifteen that I started to pay attention to the way you looked. When you turned sixteen and I saw you out with Gage, I paid closer attention. But, when you turned seventeen is when I really noticed how beautiful you are. Now that you are finally eighteen, I don’t have to feel disgusted at the thought of finding you attractive, or wanting to fuck you. Mark my words, Kiara, you are mine and I am going to fuck you wherever and whenever the fuck I want.” I balk at his crass words. I can hear the truth in each of his words and it shocks me to know he rebelled against the idea of this marriage as I know that would have pissed Tony off.

“You were never going to let me finish school and go to Alaska, were you?” He leans forward and runs a hand through his hair. He doesn’t even have to utter a word, I already know the answer before he speaks.

“No.”

“Hmmm.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m just not surprised, of course you would know what I had planned.”

“I stayed out of your life as much as I could. Gage was just supposed to keep you safe and away from Tony.” I tense at the mention of his father.

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