Craving My Brother's Best Friend (Bailey and Kaleb) novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Kaleb’s POV

I walked into the Serpent Mafia headquarters pissed as fuck.

My hands were tight fists, my jaw grinding so hard it almost cracked.

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That bastard Marco had sent me a message, and the task he dropped on me was the dirtiest one yet.

Sabotage Ridgeway Company.

At first it sounded normal, just another job. But then I found out the company he was asking me to sabotage wasn’t just any Ridgeway company it was Bailey’s dad’s subsidiary that he was working on opening in New York.

If he sent me that message and a way to rile me up and he had succeeded.

The Serpent Mafia’s headquarters was hidden inside the most normal–looking building in the city.

It was a regular restaurant with regular workers who knew nothing about what went down underground.

White walls, gold trimmings, ordinary chairs lined up neat and polished.

The air smelled like roasted lamb and garlic bread. It looked so clean and not a chair out of place.

Families ate upstairs, laughing over pasta and wine. No one would ever suspect that right underneath their feet, men were being tortured, money was being washed, and orders like mine were being handed out.

I pushed through the doors like a storm, my boots echoing on the perfect marble tiles. My anger only grew as I scanned the place.

“Where the fuck is Marco?” I barked at one of the boys standing near the kitchen door.

He was young, probably new, his face pale as he quickly pointed me toward the back.

“He’s… he’s in the room,” the boy stammered.

I didn’t wait another second. My steps were heavy, loud and I slammed the door open and the sight in front of me made my stomach twist.

Marco.

He sat on a chair, one leg crossed over the other. A half–burnt cigarette dangled from his lips as smoke curled into the air.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up, and blood stained his hands.

On the floor beside him, a rag already dark with red. He was cleaning his fingers casually, like he had just finished painting instead of whatever sick shit he’d been doing.

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Chapter 46

My chest tightened at the sight.

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“What the hell is this message?” I snapped, throwing the folded paper down on the table in front of him.

He dragged a long breath of smoke, then exhaled slowly, blowing it right in my face. That stupid smirk spread across his lips.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” he said in his deep, mocking tone. “Are you having cold feet now?”

I felt the urge to punch his face, to knock that smirk off once and for all. My fists shook at my sides.

“I’m done,” I said, my voice hard.

“I’ve done enough jobs for the Serpent Mafia. I’ll pay back what I owe, every damn cent, but I’m not doing this.”

Marco’s smirk dropped into a sharp sneer. He crushed the cigarette under his boot, then stood and stepped right up to me.

His hand shot out, grabbing me by the collar and yanking me close. His breath smelled of smoke and weed.

“Why?” he hissed. “Because of that stupid girl? Because it’s her father’s business?”

I shoved him back, my eyes blazing.

“Don’t bring her into this. You know very well Mr. Hart is like family to me. I can’t do it.”

Marco threw his head back and laughed.

“You’re a fool,” he said, his grin wide again.

“You think you know everything? You think Hart is your friend? Tell me, Kaleb, do you even know the truth about his involvement in your father’s death?”

My body froze.

The words slammed into me like a blade straight through my chest and my head started to ring.

“What the fuck did you just say?” My voice cracked as I glared at him.

He leaned close, his eyes dark and full of poison. “Oh, you didn’t know? Of course you didn’t. No one told you of his involvement but I think it’s high time you find out.

“Your dear Mr. Hart… the man you call family… he wasn’t just the very reason your father died. He helped make it happen.”

My heart stopped.

That was impossible. That was a fucking lie. Hart and my dad had been friends since forever and were close, almost like brothers.

Chapter 46

“You’re lying.” I growled, shaking my head hard.

“Hart would never… he wouldn’t.”

Marco chuckled, lighting another cigarette like he had all the time in the world.

He puffed smoke in lazy circles before speaking again.

“Believe what you want, kid but the truth is ugly. And I’m enjoy watching you choke on it.”

My chest heaved, my fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned white.

“Shut up, Marco,” I hissed. My voice shook but I forced it hard.

Marco always lied. He lied a lot.

But sometimes he told the truth and there was no way to know whether he was lying or being truthful.

I reached for my phone. “How much do I still owe?” I asked. I’ll pay it off without working for tgis damned syndicate anymore.

He threw my phone at me.It hit my chest and slid to the table. I picked it up, my hands cold.

There it was; seven zeros. Counting each zero like it was a punch.

I threw the phone back at him. “I won’t do this job,” I said.

I was angry and tired. I had been doing things I hated for too long and wouldn’t betray the only people I had

now.

Marco caught the phone with one hand. He did not look surprised. He stood up slow, like he owned the whole room and blocked the door with his broad shoulders.

“You think you can just walk away?” he asked.

“Have you ever wondered who benefited the most from your dad’s death?”

“You think I don’t know?” I snapped. “The Serpent Mafia benefited the most.

They took his money and everything remaining and made me pay back his loan with blood.”

Marco smiled.

“You’re smart,” he said. “Clever even but you’re missing someone else.

Did

you know Mr. Hart was involved in the bid that took his life?”

My head moved like a machine gone wrong.

“What bid?” I asked, though I could already feel the pieces falling into place. My father had chased a big deal. He had borrowed and I remembered he asked me to go to the Harts summer house when men in suits kept

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Chapter 46

visiting.

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Marco leaned in close. “Your dad borrowed money. He died before he won the bid. After he died? Hart’s company got the contract.

Ridgeway corporation grew overnight and grew fast. Where do you think the money come from?”

My stomach dropped and the room spun. The ceiling lights blurred into white. I had always trusted Hart. He had been like family.

He had done everything I wanted from getting me into school to getting me an apartment he even set up monthly allowance even though I never asked for it.

He helped hold me together when I was angry and broke and lost.

“Wasn’t your dad’s death the reason his business tripled?” Marco asked, like he was asking about the weather.

“Be wise, Kaleb. Think.”

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