4|The Losing End

~Kai~

Twenty minutes. That’s how long I’d been confined in this car with Berenice, and I already regret following through with Klaus’ directive.

Everything about her is driving my senses crazy. She hasn’t said a thing since we left the mansion. She kept on wiping her cheeks, staring out the window, and sniffing from time to time. She truly looks vulnerable, pained, and broken. But that is not what bothers me. I’ve been with women of all shapes and sizes and attitudes. It’s not my first time dealing with a crying chick.

What bothered me was her mere presence, her scent, which filled the car with a sweet and comforting cinnamon scent. It had the opposite effect on me. Like a puppy, I wanted to sniff more of that scent. I want to smell it from the source. I want to grab her and bury my face in the crook of her neck. Better yet, rub her all over me.

From my peripheral vision, I got to admire her closely without the danger of adding another purple blotch to my face. She wore a skin-tight shirt and jeans, showcasing her delicious curves. She wasn’t skinny, but she wasn’t full-figured either. Just the right dips and bumps in all the right places.

“Pull over,” she said; her voice, a sweet melodic tone, had my mind jumping on thoughts of how my name would sound if she moaned it.

Fucking hell, Kai. Focus. She’s Klaus Martinelli’s sister, for fuck’s sake! She’s practically off-limits.

“On that gasoline station,” she added.

I followed her instructions without saying a word. She could use bathroom time to touch up and fix herself. Traveling with a woman with makeup and a messed-up face is not a pretty sight. Add my black eye into the mix; it’ll be a sure red flag for highway patrols. And I could also use some phone time with Klaus and get instructions on where to go and how long I’d be on babysitting duties.

She slid out of the car and headed straight to the convenience store. Once I was sure she was safe inside, I pulled out my phone and called Klaus.

“Where are you now?” he asked through the cacophony of gusting wind, water, and engine.

“We kept driving south,” I stated. The windshield and the store’s glass walls blurred my sight of Berenice. She kept cruising from aisle to aisle, filling her blue basket.

“Stay with her until further notice, Kai,” his baritone was outed by the wind. It sounds like they are on a boat, moving fast in the waters. “They couldn’t find Dominguez in the mansion. He might try to get in touch with Berenice, so keep your guards up all the time.”

I grunted under my breath, the background noise on his side downing my groan of protest.

This means I am on my own… with that brat. The thought shoots a strange tingling sensation spiraling down my spine. Was it annoyance or excitement? I am not sure, but this voice at the back of my head saying I should ask him to relieve me of this task turned to riots.

Just the two of us. Together for an indefinite period of time.

My cock twitched. I clenched the steering wheel tight, my knuckles turned white.

What the fuck, Kai?

Yes, she’s hot and gorgeous, but this is not the time to think with your other head, dammit!

“Is there somewhere I should take her in particular?” I asked instead, my molars grinding.

“The less I know of her whereabouts, the better.” He paused for a beat. “Listen, Kai. I know you’d rather help us on the ground than take care of Berenice, but I’m counting on you. You two are of relative age. Please take care of her for me.”

How can I ask him to relieve me of babysitting duty when he sounds like that? Desperate and tired. I had been working for the Martinelli mafia for three years, and I had never heard Klaus speak like that, much less the word ‘please.’

“Of course,” I sighed, those words leaving a sour taste on my tongue. “I’ll keep her safe, Bossman.”

“Thanks, Kai, I owe you one,” he murmured.

I pinched my eyes closed once the call ended. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’

I played with the radio dial, eyes darting on the convenience store to keep my mind busy. Berenice steps out of the store with a bag full of supplies. She headed straight to the passage beside the convenience store, following the arrow with the words ‘Rest Room.’

Hearing a familiar tune, I settled on Atlantis by Seafret. Fingers drumming on the steering wheel, I bobbed my head and hummed the lyrics. Listening to music kept my mind busy until I realized it was taking Berenice too long in the bathroom. Four songs passed. Girls take forever to feel decent about themselves, but I have a disturbing feeling about this.

Stepping out of the car, I clenched my jaw, hoping she didn’t do what I thought she did. She already put me in shame and too much trouble; I hope she’s smart enough not to run away from me.

The hallway between the convenience store wall facing the public bathrooms was empty, littered with dried leaves, empty bottles of alcohol, and rubbish. At the end of the alley was a trash bin, wedged against the cracked decorated wall, distorted by time.

I stared at the fading ‘Female’ wood sign on the door, knocking once, twice. “Hey, we have to get going.”

I got no response. Kicking the door open, there goes my answer.

I raked my fingers through my hair, scanning the perimeter; anger had my blood simmering. Hopping on the bin, I skimmed the empty lot beyond the wall. There was nothing in it apart from a few fruit-bearing trees.

Maybe this is good news. I could just tell Klaus his sister is a fucking brat who didn’t want my protection. But then that would get me on his bad side. Whichever road I take, I am on the losing end.

“Fucking brat,” I grumbled under my breath.