Free Kane's Ransom: A BWWM Mafia Romance Novel by Samantha Westlake Page A

to the left lane.
    Once they'd reached their cruising speed, however, she felt a lull fall over them, like an empty hole in the conversation that needed to be filled. Thanks to its luxuriously conditioned and insulated interior, the inside of the vehicle was nearly silent, even as they cruised along at what Alicia guessed was more than eighty miles per hour.
    She glanced over at Killian, wondering if he also felt the empty air trying to draw out conversation. He turned to glance back at her, and she quickly pulled her eyes forward, trying to ignore the little flush of blood that she felt rushing to her cheeks. She hadn't been checking him out or anything! She just wanted to know his thoughts, that's all, she pointed out to herself.
    After another minute, Killian cleared his throat. "So, Marcus," he started, and then paused.
    "What about him?"
    He shrugged, still looking forward out through the car's windshield. "Tell me about him. It doesn't have to be recent stuff," he added quickly. "But just anything about him. It might help me get a better picture, figure out how we can save him and get him out of this whole kidnapping bit of trouble."
    This kidnapping bit of trouble? Alicia sensed that Killian was attempting to lighten the tone, to not bring her down by letting her know just how serious this whole thing was. Still, she appreciated the gesture, if not its execution, and she tried to think of the best way to describe her brother.
    "He... he was always looking out for me," she started, her voice soft as she recalled old memories from when she was just a little girl. "I remember that he'd take me to school, most days, because my mom wasn't around much. I'd be this little girl, only seven or eight, my hair done up in pigtails, and he'd be walking me through the ghetto to get me to school." She laughed softly at the recollection. "I had a backpack, a pink one, but it was too big and heavy for me to carry all the way to and from school. Marcus would just pick it up, sling it over his shoulder. I remember that a couple of guys in the neighborhood would always yell at him and give him trouble for wearing something pink, but he never stopped, always took me to school every day."
    "He sounds like a good brother," Killian offered.
    Alicia shrugged. "I mean, he wasn't perfect. He had a temper, and he'd get really mad sometimes. Sometimes at my mom, because he didn't think that she was doing a good job with us. They'd have shouting fights, and I'd go run away and hide in the little room that I shared with Marcus, hiding under the covers of my bed."
    "But then, afterwards, he'd always come in and make sure that I was okay, before he went out for the night," she went on, smiling as she almost felt her brother's hand pressing down gently on her shoulders. "He never wanted me to go to sleep angry with him, always had to come in and promise me that it was all gonna be all right, that he'd work to make sure that things just got better and better."
    Killian risked taking his eyes off the road for a moment to glance over at her. "I bet he's proud of what you've accomplished," he commented.
    The simple little compliment brought unexpected tears to Alicia's eyes, but she blinked rapidly to try and force them away. "He gave up a lot to get me here," she replied. "Like I said, he'd go out most nights. While the other boys his age were having fun, running around and goofing off with their friends, Marcus would be out working, earning money. I don't know what he did for a job, not exactly, but I don't think it was legal. I think he got tied up with some bad people, just trying to keep food on the table and save up some extra so that he could help me out of there." She sighed, taking a deep, shuddering breath, before continuing.
    "See, all around me, I saw my friends, my girlfriends, getting caught in the trap of the ghetto. It's scary, real scary, because you never see it coming for you until it's already too late and you're stuck. You go to school,