Kelley watched Milana sleep for a few seconds before taking his clothes off and heading to the bathroom. He showered quickly and changed into sweats, glad now that he’d sent a bag with Jesse just for in case.He slid into bed next to her and molded his body around hers as she turned in her sleep. His hand went to her stomach, like it always did, and Milana sighed in her sleep. Kelley smiled then. Even when she was mad, she still liked his presence.Sleep came the moment he closed his eyes. He was at peace, here with her, a peace he’d never had before. He slept fitfully until an elbow gutted him in the ribs and a leg kicked out against his. “What the hell!”“I think you meant morning.” Kelley turned onto his back as Milana sat upright in the bed.“When did you get here?”“Last night. I didn’t want to wake you.”Milana looked warily at him and then she turned her face away from his. She shifted until she sat on the edge of the bed. She felt the movement behind her as Kelley moved with h
Kelley pulled up to the gate of his house to find another vehicle already parked there. One of the guards stood next to the vehicle looking stoic but basically ignoring the occupant. Kelley climbed out and the guard straightened his stance.“Detective Black …”The car door opened and Durandt Black climbed out. “Good afternoon, Kelley. I need to speak with you since you are now home.”Kelley smiled and nodded his head at the guard. “Of course, Detective.”The gate opened and Kelley got back into his car and watched the detective drive through the gate. The guard nodded his head at him as he also drove through the gate. He parked his car in the garage as Durandt parked in the driveway.He followed Kelley to the front door that opened just as he stepped onto the stone patio. Connor looked at Durandt and then at Kelley. “Detective Black, I see you made your way inside after all.”“That I did. Lucky for me that Kelley arrived when he did.”“Let’s go through to the sitting room. Connor woul
Kelley sat in his bedroom with the laptop open as he watched Milana on the screen. She was sitting on the bed with her phone in her hand. She kept looking at the screen and Kelley couldn’t bring himself to call her.He wanted her to call him, to tell him she was either pregnant or not. If she wasn’t though, why would she be hesitating to call him? Why was she hesitating in the first place? A million thoughts ran through his mind as he stared at her.She put her phone back in the drawer and Kelley sighed. Maybe she wasn’t pregnant and didn’t want to tell him that. What if she was and she didn’t want to tell him that either? She couldn’t still be that mad at him, could she?Kelley lay back on the bed and watched her as she got into bed and switched off the lamp. He fell asleep watching her sleep and that helped a little. He missed her a lot but at least he could look at her. They needed to speed things along.The next morning he walked into the basement where Kirk lay on the floor with
Kelley sat up straight in bed, breathless with his heart beating a crescendo in his chest. Something wasn’t right. He didn’t know what, but something niggled at the back of his mind. His room was still bathed in darkness as he got up from the bed and walked into his dressing room.He pulled on jeans, boots and a t-shirt and opened his bedroom door. The house was dark and quiet as he made his way to the stairs and then to the foyer. Connor appeared beside him and Kelley didn’t even question why he was awake.“I feel it too,” Connor said.“It’s too quiet. Our victory was too easy,” Kelley said.Connor’s jaw tensed and Kelley could see the muscle twitch there. He had no idea what he should be doing but he knew he had to get out of the house. “Let’s take a drive.”Kelley’s phone rang and he pulled it from his jean pocket and swiped to answer Blaire’s call, seeing that it was one am. “Blaire.”“Dude, I got a location on Charles, he’s in Yorkdare Bay.”“Good work, Blaire, send me the addres
Lee looked up and for a moment he didn’t understand what he was seeing. Kelley was holding Marella in his arms, her shirt was torn, her lip swollen and bloody and in that moment he forgot about his own pain, both physical and emotional.Kelley placed Marella on the floor but kept his arm around her. Mason had stood up too, his own eyes red from crying. Connor had called them at six am to give them the news of Blain’s murder. Lee hadn’t been able to process it.He stood up and his hand instantly went to the wound near his hip, the one healing the slowest. Tears now welled in his eyes as he took Marella in, noting the exhaustion on her face. “Marella.” His voice trembled and Kelley nodded his head at Mason.Lee didn’t even register them retreating or the door closing a few seconds later. Lee took a step towards her and he noted her limp. Against his doctor’s advice of not doing anything, he picked her up and walked towards the bed.His wound pulled but he didn’t care. He sat down on the
It was noon by the time Kelley woke up and got ready for the day. He wandered into his study and sat down behind his desk. A knock on the door drew him out of his reverie. He ordered lunch from the kitchen with a request to eat it in his study.He didn’t want to speak to anyone right now. He was tired and angry, bitterness filled him up and he’d dreamt of Charles. He dragged a hand over his newly cut short hair, an army cut because he hadn’t had time to go to his usual barber, so he’d just cut it off himself.Charles had stood next to his bed, laughing with that fucking hole in his forehead. Kelley felt more exhausted than he had before he’d gone to sleep. He didn’t feel guilty for killing Charles. The man was a sick psychopath.A knock on his door announced that his lunch was ready and he stood up from behind his desk. He opened the door and took the tray from the cook. She wouldn’t send anybody else up to his study. “Thank you, Marjorie.”With a smile and a nod of her head she left
Lee set up the video call and Jesse brought David and Cecile to the control room so they could talk to Lee. Kelley walked out of his study and pulled his own phone out of his pocket and dialed Milana’s number.“Hi,” she answered.“Hi.” Kelley briefly closed his eyes. “How are things on the island?”“It’s okay, considering,” she replied.“Lee’s talking to David and Cecile right now. You’re all flying back this afternoon,” Kelley said.“What happened?”“Blain was shot … he didn’t make it,” Kelley said.Milana’s intake of breath was sharp and she was quiet for several seconds. “I’m so sorry. I never met him, but he’s family, right?”“Family,” Kelley confirmed. “I’m not sure how long you guys will be here but we can’t bury Blain without his family.”“Kelley, are you okay?”“I’m fine, Mila. I’ll see you tonight,” he said.“Okay, see you later.”The call ended from her side and Kelley sighed as he stood outside his study and listened to David yelling at Lee. Cecile was crying so much that i
Kelley slept like the dead. The first night in weeks that he slept right through with no haunting dreams. He showered and dressed in a suit before going to his study. The funeral would start at ten and afterwards everyone would return to the house to celebrate Blain’s life.He ate breakfast alone in his study since it was seven am and nobody else had woken up yet. He printed the documents he would need and placed them inside a folder in his briefcase. He worked until ten when Milana opened his study door.“Good morning,” she said and walked around his desk, already dressed for the funeral.Kelley pushed his chair back and pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. “A good morning it is,” he agreed as she smiled and climbed off his lap.“Can I use your laptop to order a few things? I think I left my cable on the island,” Milana asked.“Of course. I need to head out for a bit. I’ll be along later.”“Where are you going?” she asked him with a frown.“Nowhere you should worry about. Ask Marl
It was a week later when Jesse called him. It was a go. Nobody talked about his little meltdown, instead they walked on eggshells around him. Lee and Mason hovered, worked out of his study and at night Milana occupied his mind with sex. It wasn’t a bad deal, except that they all watched him, constantly.Nobody told her that it was Ernesto that he had killed and neither did he. He kept quiet and he waited. He tried to be himself, it was hard, but he tried. It didn’t fool his brothers though. They knew something was up and Connor finally broke the ice.“I can’t really decide who’s the crazier motherfucker, you or Lee.”Kelley looked up from his laptop and Lee huffed out a laugh. “Kelley. Definitely Kelley.”“You stabbed your father over thirty times, how am I crazier than you?”Mason leaned back against the sofa and took turns to look at them. “Did you see that guy’s face? You caved his skull in with your bare hands!”“Soft in the head just took on a whole new meaning for me,” Kelley sa
The front door opened as Kelley walked up the two wide stone steps. “Welcome to Meadow Lake, Kelley.”“Ernesto.”Kelley followed him to his office and they sat down on the two sofas facing each other. Ernesto poured them each a drink, assuming that Kelley would want one. He didn’t really but he took it and emptied the glass.“So what brings you to my little town?” Ernesto looked smug and Kelley fought to keep the sneer from his face.“I want to know where Milana’s mother is,” Kelley said.“I see.”Kelley’s expression remained stoic and he could see Ernesto was thinking about his answer. It wouldn’t be a good answer, Kelley knew that too. Kelley shifted slightly and pulled the pistol from under his jacket.Ernesto’s eyes followed the movement and his left eye twitched as the pistol came to rest on Kelley’s thigh. “Where is she?”“She’s dead. She killed herself four years ago,” Ernesto said calmly.“You didn’t think to share that news with her daughter?”Ernesto shifted and Kelley’s han
Kelley walked into his study with a grin on his face. He’d barely slept the previous night, despite his exhaustion. Once hadn’t been enough and he’d reached for Milana a few times until the sun rose and he’d gotten up for Kyzer.He walked over to the couch area and moved the one he and Milana had been on back to its original place. His tie was on the back of the other couch and it slipped to the floor against the wall just as he reached for it.Kelley moved the couch away from the wall and bent down to retrieve his tie. The wooden part of the skirting lay on the floor and he pushed the couch further away and picked it up. He looked at the piece in his hand, the edges a little jagged, like it had been cut out.He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned the flashlight app on and directed the light into the hole that had been hidden by the skirting piece. He lay flat on his stomach as he moved his phone and something caught his eye.Kelley stuck his fingers inside and it gripped the
The dining room remained quiet for exactly twenty seconds when Kelley walked out before everyone started talking at the same time.“That was intense,” Sylvie breathed.“You!” Marley stood up and pointed her finger at Sylvie. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off him the entire time. Get over it, he’ll never love you. He loves her!” Marley pointed at Milana and sat back down.“Shut up, Marley,” Jesse said softly.“Is that true?” Mason asked. “Are you still in love with Kelley?”“I should go talk to him,” Lee said.“No!” Milana said fiercely. “I’ll go talk to him, if any of you go up there now he’ll probably kill you. He won’t hurt me.”“Says the one that tried to kill him,” Marley muttered.“You created this whole mess, Marley. You should listen to Jesse and shut the fuck up,” Milana hissed and walked out of the dining room.Nobody moved and then Jeannie stood up and glared at all of them. “This is all levels of fucked up but Kelley’s right about one thing. You all want to get angry and gla
The weeks sped by and Kelley became broodier and quieter than ever before. He spent more and more time in his study catching up on work and spreading their business further, moving across continents and into other markets.He went to sleep each night with his back turned towards Milana but they always woke up attached to each other in some way. Today would be a test for all of them. They were planning a family dinner and Kyzer was already three months old.He rubbed his temples, wishing the headache would go away. It was the one constant ever since the coma. He had one every night and probably would for the rest of his life. He had an hour before everyone would knock down his front door.Milana walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body as Kelley closed the bedroom door behind him. She didn’t look at him but rather looked past him. His grip on her arm made her waver because he hadn’t hurt her, not once since that night he gave his ultimatum.“Mila …”“I need to get re
Kelley was standing by the crib when Kyzer’s face scrunched up and he picked him up before he had the chance to scream. He changed him and then sat in the rocking chair as he fed him the bottle he’d made. He didn’t feel like he’d missed anything but Kyzer was bigger and heavier and his face had changed a little.The door opened and Kelley looked up just as he pulled the empty bottle from Kyzer’s mouth. He placed the bottle on the table next to the rocking chair and lifted Kyzer to his shoulder. Three burps later and Kyzer was already half asleep.Milana had remained standing in the doorway, leaning against it. Tears were running down her cheeks and she hadn’t bothered to wipe them away. Kelley tucked Kyzer in, sighing softly in his sleep, before he turned to face Milana.He gripped her hand in his as he walked past her and pulled her behind him towards their bedroom. His bedroom, since none of her things had been in the dressing room when he’d changed earlier. He waited until she was
Kelley’s eyelids fluttered and he blinked a few times before the ceiling came into focus. He tried to swallow and felt the nausea rising. Kelley’s hand rose to his face and he felt the tube going down his nose.He started pulling, slowly and swallowed the nausea down. The pipe seemed never ending and when the last bit popped out of his nose, he gagged. The beeping was low in his ears but irritatingly there. Kelley turned to look at it with a frown and then he switched it off.He ripped the patches off his chest and stumbled to the bathroom. His hand was against the wall because his balance was up to shit. Something was trailing on the floor behind him and he felt for the light switch and stepped back as his reflection appeared in the mirror.“What the fuck,” Kelley whispered.He looked down and saw the bag half-filled with urine. ‘Why the hell do I have a catheter?’ he thought to himself as he picked it up and placed the bag on the counter. His head felt fuzzy but he wasn’t in pain at
Five weeks later …Mason looked at his phone for the hundredth time. It wasn’t going to magically ring. He rubbed his hands over his face and walked out of his office at the warehouse. His calm veneer was cracking, his soul was splitting off piece by piece.Their family was breaking and he had no idea how to fix it or even if he wanted to try and fix it. Carey wasn’t talking to him, Marella wasn’t talking to Lee and Connor was like a bear with a sore tooth. Grace had been with Carey for two days now, she’d taken her for the weekend.Marley was the only woman that was talking to them. Steel had drifted to the other side, he’d had no choice. Milana was his detail and he stuck to her side. Connor had lost his shit, broken three chairs and Steel had had to drag him away from Milana.Kelley had survived brain surgery, even though the odds had been stacked heavily against him. There had been swelling, another brain bleed and another surgery, he’d survived that as well, even though his docto
Two weeks passed and they’d fallen into a routine with Kyzer. Kelley did most of the heavy lifting, bringing Kyzer to their bed so Milana could feed him. The doctor’s timeline had been four weeks and Kelley made sure she stuck to it.She looked healthier, her hair shining again although she hadn’t gained any considerable weight yet, though Kyzer had. His pediatrician was happy with everything and Kelley felt like he could breathe easier.He hadn’t heard from Sylvie and he doubted he would and as the days passed he felt more comfortable. Mila looked more and more like herself again and at night she slept in his arms, her head on his chest like they’d always done.Kelley opened his eyes and gripped his erection through his pajama pants. He hated sex dreams, especially now. It was still early, not even six am yet. Milana’s side of the bed was empty and his cock twitched at the thought of her.Kelley closed his eyes again and tried to adjust himself in the loose pants. “Do you need help w