Kane(55)

Kane's hands balled into fists. "It's my money, I know how much is there."

"Why're you actin' like this is normal? It's not fuckin' normal!"

He placed his face in his hands. "I don't want to argue, please."

Seriously?

"If there was ever a reason to argue it's because of this, Kane!"

He turned and punched my bedroom door, instantly denting the wood.

"What the fuck do you want from me?"

I didn't hesitate.

"The truth," I demanded. "For once just tell me the fuckin' truth!"

"Why?" Kane screamed causing me to stumble backwards away from him. "Why  do you have to know everything about me? Why can't I have some secrets  left that are just for me?"

I pushed the wardrobe door closed and pressed my hand against it. I just  needed something to hold onto. "Because I just found a bag of cash in  the back of me wardrobe and I want to know where the hell you got it  from."

Kane lifted his hands to his head and ran his fingers through his hair.  "It's my money, okay? Apart from the income from my apartments, I don't  do bank accounts with my money. I never have. I don't like paper trails.  I only deal in cash."

I blinked. "That doesn't answer me question."

"Aideen."

"Where did the money come from, Kane?"

Kane stared at me, hard. "I've been freelancing my... talents to some shitty people, okay?!"

A knot twisted in my stomach.

"What does that mean?"

Kane set his jaw. "It means if someone requires a beat down, people pay  me to do it. I hurt shitty people for other shitty people."

I reared back like I was slapped across the face.

"You... you hurt people?"

Kane said nothing. He didn't even blink.

"Get out."

"No."

No?

"You don't get a say in this. Get the fuck out of me apartment. Now."

"I own the building."

I knew he would eventually throw that in my face!

"You may own the building, but I lease this fuckin' apartment so get out!"

Kane stood rooted to the spot. "You wanted to talk about this, so now we're going to talk about it."

"After what you just admitted? I don't think so!" I snapped.

I got my phone from my pocket and dialled Nico's number. I put it to my  ear and looked Kane dead in his eyes as his brother answered his phone.

"Come and get Kane from me apartment right now."

Nico's voice was hard when he asked, "What's wrong?"

"He is a lyin' son of bitch who hurts people for a livin'. I want him  out of me apartment right now. I'm serious, Nico. Come get him or I'm  callin' me brothers."

I screeched when Kane came at me.

"Don't you touch me!" I screamed and dashed to the right.

Kane punched my wardrobe door, and because the wood wasn't thick like my door, his fist went through it.

"Tell my brother everything is okay and hang up the phone."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Not a chance in hell- Kane!"

I gasped when Kane shot forward, grabbed my phone and threw it against  my bedroom wall. My iPhone shattered into pieces before it even touched  the ground. I stared at the fragments on the floor for a moment then  without looking at Kane I turned and walked out of my bedroom.

"Wait, I'm sorry," Kane said from behind me. "I didn't mean to do that, you just-"

"Made you angry?" I shouted and spun around to face him. "Every time you  get angry you seem to lose it. You shout at people, punch stuff, and  now you've upgraded to breakin' stuff? How long will it be before you  black out and hit the real source of your anger, huh? How long until you  take your anger out on me?"

Kane widened his eyes. "I would never, hear me clearly on this, ever hit you."

"I can't trust that and that's the fuckin' problem."

Kane looked like I had punched him.

"You can't believe I would hurt you. You just can't."

I swallowed. "I don't know, Kane. This is all becomin' too much for me.  You aren't honest with me, you lash out at me when I ask questions, and  you are borderline obsessed with me when it comes to other men."

"Because you're mine!" Kane snapped.

I jumped a little, but quickly composed myself.

"I understand that," I stated, my voice surprisingly calm. "I really do. I'm your girlfriend-"

"No, you don't get it. You're mine. Everything about you is mine."

I blinked. "You don't own me, Kane."

"Yes. I. Do."

I took a step backward. "I'm not property."

"I know you're not," Kane grunted and took a step towards me, "but being  mine doesn't make you an object, it makes you my life. You are my life,  Aideen. I love you."

I stopped breathing.

"What?" I whispered.

"I love you," Kane repeated louder and firmer.

My stomach began to hurt, my chest tightened, and my head spun.

"What?" I repeated, again.

Kane closed the remaining distance between us. "I. Love. You."

Fuck, Bronagh was right.

That was the only thing I could think of during Kane's declaration of love for me.

"I can't deal with this," I eventually said.

Kane didn't move. "What are you saying?"

"I'm sayin' that was the wrong moment to tell me you love me. You shouldn't have said it."

"I shouldn't have said it? It's what I'm feeling."

I swallowed. "You harm people, Kane."

"Bad people, Aideen. We're talking about the scum of the earth here."

I shook my head. "I don't care. It doesn't justify what you do."

Kane turned and began to pace up and down the hallway.

"You own apartments, a real-estate agency. You have more money than you need. Why do you continue to... freelance?"

He had his back to me when he stopped moving. I saw the muscles in his back tense as I asked my question.

"I donate all the money I get from freelancing to different charities. I don't do it for the money. It was never about money."

I closed my eyes. "Then why do you do it?"

"Because I have to."

"Why?"

He turned to face me, a sadistic smirk on his face.

"Don't dare look at me like that. Don't think being cold and mean is going to get you out of this conversation."

"Cold and mean," Kane repeated then humourlessly laughed. "That pretty  much describes what people think of me. One look at me and they're  scared. Are you scared of me, babydoll?"

Only of the way you make me feel.

"A puppy has more chance of scarin' me than you do, Slater," I deadpanned.

A smile lit up Kane's face, but only for a moment before his sullen look  took over once more. "Everyone is scared of me. They think I'm a  monster, and you know what? Maybe I am. I didn't get this way by being  an angel, that's for damn sure."

I frowned. "I don't understand."

"Good," Kane replied. "I don't want you to understand me."

"Well, I want to!" I shouted. "I want to know you."

That admission shocked me as well as Kane.

He shook his head. "If you get answers to the questions on your mind you  will leave me. You won't let me get within five feet of you and our  baby. I know you won't."

I swallowed. "Sweetheart, if you tell me what I need to know nothin' will happen. I'm not goin' to leave you."

Kane blinked his eyes. "Everybody leaves me, Aideen. Everybody."

What?

"Who has left you?" I asked, my hands trembling.

"You want the list?" Kane snorted. "My parents-they left me long before  they died because they were shitty fucking people. My brothers mean  everything to me, but they don't have the time of day for me anymore  since their girls came into the picture. Damien up and left and went  back to the States four years ago and hasn't been back since. When you  aren't with me, I'm on my own. Everybody leaves, even if they don't mean  to."         

     



 

I was surprised when hot tears filled my eyes. "You should let your  brothers know how you feel. You know they would re-evaluate everything  they do if they thought for a second you felt alone and pushed aside by  them."

Kane shook his head. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me," I stated. "You're not fine, and you need to talk to your family about this."

"I am," he murmured. "I'm talking to you."

He considered me his family?

"Kane," I whispered.

He shook his head. "Enough with the heavy emotional bullshit, let's talk about something else."

I glared at him. "No, the heavy emotional bullshit needs to be discussed."

Kane blinked. "Please, babydoll. I don't want to lose you too and a conversation about my heavy shit will make that happen."

I stood my ground. "Talk about your heavy shit or I will leave you."

I didn't like saying that, but I had too.

Kane stared at me for a long moment. "You won't be mine anymore once you know the things I have done. I know you won't."

I placed my hand in his. "Me and you?"

Kane swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut. "Me and you."

I waited patiently then for him to speak. He silently led me into the  sitting room and sat us down on the settee. I turned to face him, but  Kane kept his body straight and stared at the television in front to us.