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My lips pressed gently to hers. The roughness of them soaked into my memory. She was dehydrated and felt so tiny in my arms. How much weight had she lost? Too much. It only had my anger intensifying. This was what I needed—to feel the proof of my father’s evil right here, under my hands.
“You know I will. I won’t be long. Then, we’ll start our lives together.”
With one last kiss, I stepped back, meeting Slade’s disapproving glare. He was afraid for Lily, I knew that, but he wasn’t objecting. I had a feeling he also knew I had to do this, whether he liked it or not.
“Let’s go,” I said to Blake, quietly. Marcio began to accompany us when I shook my head. “Get everything ready for Washington. We’ll be back shortly.”
I didn’t look back as I headed for the door. Truthfully, I couldn’t. My heart ached. I just got Lily back and now I was leaving her. It tore me to pieces. The amount of time I’d had with her since I’d killed her kidnappers was almost nonexistent, and now I was going into a situation I wasn’t sure the outcome of. My father was guarded by at least four men that I knew about. Were there more? Were some of Jonathon’s men with him, too?
The elevator seemed to take forever, but the walk to Blake’s SUV was even longer. It was as if no matter how fast I walked, gravity was pulling me back, urging me to stay. I pulled at the collar of my black shirt, tugging at the vest underneath as I climbed in.
“We headed to the location you gave me earlier?”
Blake’s voice was deeper than usual. There was a killer next to me and not once since we’d been together had I forgotten that. I trusted the tracker, but I didn’t let my guard down completely. If it ever came between me and him, it would be one hell of a fight to the death. Seeing him slice and dice my brother’s guard while I took out my own blood was something to be admired…if one could praise such a task. Grace came with every slice of his blade. It was so fast and precise that I’d ended my brother’s life quickly, just so I could watch Blake work.
“The address he gave me is the only one I know. Lily was right, it’s probably a trap. Then again, he didn’t expect me to leave the hospital without him.”
“I’m sure he’s there,” Blake said, quietly. “It’s one of the fanciest hotels in this city. But they have cameras. That poses a problem. We can’t both just waltz on up there and knock on the door. There will be a trail.”
I gazed out the window while Blake pulled out of the parking garage and turned onto the road. My mind raced and I knew I had to end this as soon as possible. But what was the best way? That was the question.
“I’ll call him. Have him meet me.”
“You’re not that stupid. You’ll be target practice, exposed to all his guards. Does it have to be up close and personal for you?” Blake’s eyebrows drew in and he shook his head. “Stupid question. Of course it does. You’re not going to settle for a shot through the head from a distance.”
Hell, at this point, it was half tempting. I just wanted to get back to Lily. To hold her tight while we flew out on Slade’s helicopter to Washington. But he was right. My father looking me in the eyes as I killed him was important. He deserved to die for the pain he caused. Not only to me, but the families of the girls he’d taken and helped sell off.
My hand reached into my pocket and I pulled out my phone, running my finger down the screen. Fuck, what was I doing? Was there a better way than setting myself up for a bloodbath? If there was, it wasn’t coming to me. My heart raced and I let my slave’s bruised and swollen face push to the forefront of my thoughts. Amir had planned to give her to Saul, damn well knowing what would happen. He wanted her dead for my crimes. I couldn’t allow this to continue.
Angrily, I hit his number and brought the phone to my ear.
Ring.
Ring.
“Zain.” One word, spoken with hate. He knew I had Lily. He knew I killed yet another member of my family, his only other surviving son. It was laced thick with the disgust in his tone.
“I need to speak with you.”
“You know where I’m at.”
My head shook. “No, I know a place.”
“Where?”
I glanced at Blake, only to take in the surroundings of downtown. My father was roughly less than a mile away. We both needed time. Me, more so. Blake needed to get in position, prepare for what was to come.
“There’s a lookout right past the Golden Gate Bridge on the left. This time of night, it should be somewhat private. We’ll be able to talk there.”
“You mean, you should be able to kill me there,” he said in Arabic. “Don’t play me for a fool, Zain. I know your intentions and you know mine. Let’s cut the act and get down to it. You want to die? Is that it? Was this slave so important that you had to kill off your family? Did I teach you nothing?” he exploded. “Family is blood. You’re my blood. They were all your blood. We look out for each other. I’ve done nothing but take care of you since I brought you into my home. I treated you better than everyone and this is what you do?”
Lava could have been boiling in my veins for as hot as I felt from my anger. “You killed my mother and Jeff. You beat me. Scarred me. You destroyed everything I was. How is that treating me better? Lily opened my eyes. She showed me what it was to feel again. Where you ruined, she healed. So do not try to preach to me about the definition of family. You don’t understand the meaning.”
“Understand this,” he said, lowly. “Tonight, your slave will be the death of you. I hope she was worth it. I’ll be there soon.”
The line disconnected and I squeezed the cell in my hand as I lowered it to my lap.
“He believes I’ll die tonight,” I said, stuffing it into my pocket. “But he won’t show at the location. It’ll be his men who arrive. Head back toward his hotel. We’ll catch him when he leaves for the airport.”
