Kane's Ransom: A BWWM Mafia Romance Novel by Samantha Westlake Page B
Authors: Samantha Westlake
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out that backstory, he'd immediately clam up and refuse to share anything more, but she could still catch tantalizing hints every now and then of something dark in his past.
"So, what do I do?" she asked instead. "I don't have the money, but I can't bear to just sit back and wait for my brother's body to turn up somewhere." She tried to keep her voice under control, but a muffled sob shook her shoulders at the thought of finding Marcus dead, having to plan his funeral.
Killian's face looked tortured, caught between a rock and a hard place. She looked up at him helplessly, knowing that, if he left her, she'd be unable to do anything. Her only chance, if she even had a chance at all of finding her brother, rested on the shoulders of this near stranger, a man she only knew as a client, a patron.
Alicia didn't know what to say, whether any words would push him towards helping her, or away. Still, she had to do something, had to say something.
She suddenly sensed that in this man, of a different skin color than her, a different age than her, a different history than hers - her only chance of seeing her brother rested on his shoulders.
She leaned forward, reaching out and picking up one of his hands off of his knee. Killian started slightly as Alicia wrapped her slender brown fingers around his hand, but he didn't pull back from her touch. She lifted his hand, holding it in both of hers, feeling how, despite its big size, his fingers felt agile and capable.
"Please," she said softly, staring up into his blue eyes.
For a moment that seemed to stretch out into infinity, he just looked back at her, looking completely torn between two opposite answers. But finally, after several seconds of silence, he dropped his head down, looking down at where her fingers still wrapped around his big hand.
"Okay," he replied, speaking almost too softly for her to hear.
For an instant, Alicia thought that her ears were lying to her. "Really? You'll help?" she asked, her tone almost disbelieving.
"I can't promise that I'll be able to do anything," he spoke up quickly, raising his head back up to look at her again. "I might not be able to do anything to get your brother back, and I might even put him in more danger. Don't get your hope up, please. I couldn't bear if you trusted me, and I just-" he cut off before finishing the sentence, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before reopening them.
Alicia nodded, but she still felt her heart soar, filling up with hope. Even if Killian insisted that he might not be able to do anything, she felt unbelievably happier to have someone else with her, to not be dealing with all of this on her own. Her fingers tightened in their grip on his hand, squeezing him with excitement.
Killian didn't pull his hand away.
Instead, he looked back up at her, smiling for an instant. "You know, this isn't what I planned on agreeing to do when I came over here," he pointed out, his tone a little milder, more joking.
"Oh? And what were you expecting, coming over to a single woman's house like this?" Alicia fired back, raising one arch eyebrow. "I suppose you thought I'd offer you up my body? Maybe invite you up to my bed? What kind of woman do you take me for?"
His frantic back-pedaling was comical, she giggled. She managed to keep up her stern face for an instant longer, before collapsing into peals of gay laughter. "Oh, relax!" she told Killian, patting his hand. "I know you don't think about me like that!"
His look of panic faded, but for a moment, Alicia thought that he might challenge her last statement. His lips pursed, as though about to speak, but no sound came out, and he closed his mouth again after another second.
Instead, he stood up from the couch, finally tugging his hand from her grasp.
"We've got a lot to do, then," he announced. "Ready to get to work?"
After a second's consideration, she nodded, also rising up to her feet. "I'm ready," she declared.
Chapter nine
Inside the back of his head,
"So, what do I do?" she asked instead. "I don't have the money, but I can't bear to just sit back and wait for my brother's body to turn up somewhere." She tried to keep her voice under control, but a muffled sob shook her shoulders at the thought of finding Marcus dead, having to plan his funeral.
Killian's face looked tortured, caught between a rock and a hard place. She looked up at him helplessly, knowing that, if he left her, she'd be unable to do anything. Her only chance, if she even had a chance at all of finding her brother, rested on the shoulders of this near stranger, a man she only knew as a client, a patron.
Alicia didn't know what to say, whether any words would push him towards helping her, or away. Still, she had to do something, had to say something.
She suddenly sensed that in this man, of a different skin color than her, a different age than her, a different history than hers - her only chance of seeing her brother rested on his shoulders.
She leaned forward, reaching out and picking up one of his hands off of his knee. Killian started slightly as Alicia wrapped her slender brown fingers around his hand, but he didn't pull back from her touch. She lifted his hand, holding it in both of hers, feeling how, despite its big size, his fingers felt agile and capable.
"Please," she said softly, staring up into his blue eyes.
For a moment that seemed to stretch out into infinity, he just looked back at her, looking completely torn between two opposite answers. But finally, after several seconds of silence, he dropped his head down, looking down at where her fingers still wrapped around his big hand.
"Okay," he replied, speaking almost too softly for her to hear.
For an instant, Alicia thought that her ears were lying to her. "Really? You'll help?" she asked, her tone almost disbelieving.
"I can't promise that I'll be able to do anything," he spoke up quickly, raising his head back up to look at her again. "I might not be able to do anything to get your brother back, and I might even put him in more danger. Don't get your hope up, please. I couldn't bear if you trusted me, and I just-" he cut off before finishing the sentence, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before reopening them.
Alicia nodded, but she still felt her heart soar, filling up with hope. Even if Killian insisted that he might not be able to do anything, she felt unbelievably happier to have someone else with her, to not be dealing with all of this on her own. Her fingers tightened in their grip on his hand, squeezing him with excitement.
Killian didn't pull his hand away.
Instead, he looked back up at her, smiling for an instant. "You know, this isn't what I planned on agreeing to do when I came over here," he pointed out, his tone a little milder, more joking.
"Oh? And what were you expecting, coming over to a single woman's house like this?" Alicia fired back, raising one arch eyebrow. "I suppose you thought I'd offer you up my body? Maybe invite you up to my bed? What kind of woman do you take me for?"
His frantic back-pedaling was comical, she giggled. She managed to keep up her stern face for an instant longer, before collapsing into peals of gay laughter. "Oh, relax!" she told Killian, patting his hand. "I know you don't think about me like that!"
His look of panic faded, but for a moment, Alicia thought that he might challenge her last statement. His lips pursed, as though about to speak, but no sound came out, and he closed his mouth again after another second.
Instead, he stood up from the couch, finally tugging his hand from her grasp.
"We've got a lot to do, then," he announced. "Ready to get to work?"
After a second's consideration, she nodded, also rising up to her feet. "I'm ready," she declared.
Chapter nine
Inside the back of his head,
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