Kane's Ransom: A BWWM Mafia Romance Novel by Samantha Westlake Page A
Authors: Samantha Westlake
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slightly ill at ease sitting on her couch.
"Besides," Alicia let herself continue, as if speaking mostly to herself, "the police probably wouldn't listen to a woman like me. Woman of color, lower class - doesn't exactly inspire launching a full investigation, does it?"
"Maybe if you gave them a pretty smile and brought them some pie from the diner, they might listen," Killian fired back, and a brief little smile danced around his lips. "But it probably won't help out much in the end."
For a second, Alicia blinked. Was the man flirting with her? She'd tried to flirt with him a couple of times back when he first started coming to the diner, but he'd never seemed to return her advances. She'd given up on it, assuming that maybe he had a dead wife or something - it would explain his reticence, as well as his unwillingness to talk about the past, even though he didn't wear a wedding ring.
"So what should I do, then?" she asked, deciding to ignore that comment about the pretty smile for the moment. "I mean, like I said, I don't have much in the way of money."
Killian sighed, leaning forward and setting his cup down carefully on the coffee table in front of his long legs. "It seems a bit suspicious," he finally commented, crossing his hands across his chest and frowning.
"What does?"
He gestured around him. "I can see that you don't have that kind of money," he pointed out. Alicia didn't hear any accusation or disrespect in the comment, but she still bristled a little at the slight, imaginary or not. But Killian, either not noticing or ignoring it, kept on talking. "So why would the Mob demand so much money, knowing that you can't pay up?"
After a second, Alicia shook her head, sighing. "I don't know. Why?"
"For two reasons, as far as I can see," he replied. "First, they might believe that you do have that kind of money, but just can't show it. You got it from some sort of illegal activity that Marcus, your brother, is involved in. They want a cut, and they want to make it clear that they know about anything you're trying to keep secret."
"But I'm not part of anything!" Alicia insisted immediately, flopping her hands on the arms of her chair hopelessly. "I mean, look at my life! I wouldn't be working as a waitress at some middle of nowhere diner if I actually had money!"
"And that's what brings me to the second reason," Killian continued, his brilliant blue eyes looking suddenly sorrowful. "But it's not a nice thought."
"What is it?"
He sighed. "You might not like hearing it."
"I'd rather hear it than not, though," Alicia demanded, leaning forward. "Please, Killian. Please tell me."
He shook his head a little, but finally lifted his eyes back up to meet hers. "The other option," he revealed, "is that they never mean to release your brother at all."
"Why?" Alicia gasped, feeling her stomach churning, doing a flip. "Why would they go to the trouble of holding him ransom?"
"They might want to send a message," Killian explained. His hands twitched, as if he was considering reaching out and holding her hands in his own to provide some small measure of comfort, but he didn't move them off of his lap. "If your brother was messed up in something bad, something that the Mob didn't like, they might want to get as much news coverage as they can. A ransom attracts more reporters, makes a more lasting story - and it also sends a message to anyone else who might have been tied up in whatever this whole risky business is."
"What message?" Alicia asked, not sure that she wanted to hear the answer.
"That if they want to keep on living, if they want their business to not fall apart, they'd better be willing to pay whatever fees the Mob demands, or else." Killian shook his head. "It's a nasty tactic, but it gets results."
There it was again, Alicia thought. That little comment that suggested that this man knew a lot more about what was happening to her brother than he wanted to let on or reveal. She knew that, if she tried to dig
"Besides," Alicia let herself continue, as if speaking mostly to herself, "the police probably wouldn't listen to a woman like me. Woman of color, lower class - doesn't exactly inspire launching a full investigation, does it?"
"Maybe if you gave them a pretty smile and brought them some pie from the diner, they might listen," Killian fired back, and a brief little smile danced around his lips. "But it probably won't help out much in the end."
For a second, Alicia blinked. Was the man flirting with her? She'd tried to flirt with him a couple of times back when he first started coming to the diner, but he'd never seemed to return her advances. She'd given up on it, assuming that maybe he had a dead wife or something - it would explain his reticence, as well as his unwillingness to talk about the past, even though he didn't wear a wedding ring.
"So what should I do, then?" she asked, deciding to ignore that comment about the pretty smile for the moment. "I mean, like I said, I don't have much in the way of money."
Killian sighed, leaning forward and setting his cup down carefully on the coffee table in front of his long legs. "It seems a bit suspicious," he finally commented, crossing his hands across his chest and frowning.
"What does?"
He gestured around him. "I can see that you don't have that kind of money," he pointed out. Alicia didn't hear any accusation or disrespect in the comment, but she still bristled a little at the slight, imaginary or not. But Killian, either not noticing or ignoring it, kept on talking. "So why would the Mob demand so much money, knowing that you can't pay up?"
After a second, Alicia shook her head, sighing. "I don't know. Why?"
"For two reasons, as far as I can see," he replied. "First, they might believe that you do have that kind of money, but just can't show it. You got it from some sort of illegal activity that Marcus, your brother, is involved in. They want a cut, and they want to make it clear that they know about anything you're trying to keep secret."
"But I'm not part of anything!" Alicia insisted immediately, flopping her hands on the arms of her chair hopelessly. "I mean, look at my life! I wouldn't be working as a waitress at some middle of nowhere diner if I actually had money!"
"And that's what brings me to the second reason," Killian continued, his brilliant blue eyes looking suddenly sorrowful. "But it's not a nice thought."
"What is it?"
He sighed. "You might not like hearing it."
"I'd rather hear it than not, though," Alicia demanded, leaning forward. "Please, Killian. Please tell me."
He shook his head a little, but finally lifted his eyes back up to meet hers. "The other option," he revealed, "is that they never mean to release your brother at all."
"Why?" Alicia gasped, feeling her stomach churning, doing a flip. "Why would they go to the trouble of holding him ransom?"
"They might want to send a message," Killian explained. His hands twitched, as if he was considering reaching out and holding her hands in his own to provide some small measure of comfort, but he didn't move them off of his lap. "If your brother was messed up in something bad, something that the Mob didn't like, they might want to get as much news coverage as they can. A ransom attracts more reporters, makes a more lasting story - and it also sends a message to anyone else who might have been tied up in whatever this whole risky business is."
"What message?" Alicia asked, not sure that she wanted to hear the answer.
"That if they want to keep on living, if they want their business to not fall apart, they'd better be willing to pay whatever fees the Mob demands, or else." Killian shook his head. "It's a nasty tactic, but it gets results."
There it was again, Alicia thought. That little comment that suggested that this man knew a lot more about what was happening to her brother than he wanted to let on or reveal. She knew that, if she tried to dig
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