Kindred: Kingpin (The Kindred Series Book 1) Read online

  At her words, Lucas’s expression darkens and he huffs out angrily, “I don’t understand why she keeps forgiving him for all of the crap that he does to her. It’s like she’s blinded by the stupid mark that they share.”

  “I think it runs deeper than that,” Lillian chuckles but even to her ears it sounds sad. Lucas waits for her to continue, “I think she’s been in love with June long before she’d even met him.”

  Lucas gives her a disbelieving frown, “I’m not following.”

  “I think she’s in love with the idea of him, her Kindred,” Lillian explains in a patient tone.

  “Okay,” Lucas replies, “Go on.”

  “One of Tara’s dreams, since she was a little girl, was to find her Kindred like in the fairytales,” Lillian explains, “She’s always been a bit of an idealist and I think that may have translated into how she sees June now.”

  “So she’s projected this image of him in her mind, instead of who he really is?” Lucas clarifies.

  Lillian nods, “I think that’s why she’s so forgiving of him, why he affects her so intimately,” the blonde glances at the kitchen entryway with narrowed eyes and in a louder voice calls, “Are you going to keep spying on us?”

  Tara rounds the corner after a moment with her shoulders drooped in exhaustion, “You were the ones gossiping,” she mumbles in a petulant tone.

  “We weren’t gossiping, we’re concerned,” Lillian quips.

  Lucas turns to Tara with furrowed brows, “Is what she said true?”

  “I wouldn’t exactly know,” Tara chuckles, “But I think it might be, now that she’s put it into words.”

  “He doesn’t deserve you,” he replies in a soft smile and Lillian watches the interaction with a curious glint in her eyes.

  When Lucas leaves, Lillian and Tara sit down for dinner. The other woman is distracted by the show they’re watching so Lillian takes her chance, “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I’m not sure where to begin,” Tara sighs.

  “What happened tonight?”

  Tara tells her about June’s date, about her previous misconceptions and about what Michela had told her. She leaves out the part about being harassed, still not entirely sure she should tell anyone.

  “You know,” Lillian begins, “Maybe he has a reason for being the way he is.”

  “That doesn’t give him the excuse to treat me like crap,” Tara hisses venomously.

  “I know that, and I’m not condoning what he does, I’m just saying that sometimes hatred begets hatred. His issues with the Bond obviously stem from some deep-seated childhood issues. You shouldn’t take it so personally.”

  “I know that,” Tara sighs, “It’s just difficult sometimes,” she runs a hand through her hair, “Sometimes I feel like he’s two different people and I don’t know which is the real him.”

  “Maybe they both are,” Lillian shrugs, “We’re human beings, not cartoons. We can be a multitude of things at the same time. I know he’s done some horrible things to you, and I’m not telling you to forgive him, but the Tara I knew growing up wasn’t so quick to hate.”

  “He’s a monster, Lee,” Tara hisses venomously.

  “He’s not a monster, he’s probably just misguided by his own hatred and he’s taking it out on you. Even you admit that he seemed worried for a moment tonight.”

  “I don’t know,” Tara sighs, head dropping into her hands.

  “All I’m saying is, blindly hating him isn’t going to get you anywhere. Also, I think the bodyguard might have a thing for you.”

  It takes a moment for Tara to register her friend’s words before she turns and splutters in mortification, “What do you mean?”

  “Just an observation,” Lillian shrugs, “I could be wrong.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  June is different after that night. He doesn’t treat Tara with such obvious disdain. Their relationship has become strictly professional and when he’s not throwing spiteful comments her way or making her feel guilty for the Mark on her body, she can actually admit that he’s not the devil incarnate.

  One December morning, he even strides into the office with a smile.

  “Make a note,” June begins, “We need to go to the airport at four,” June tells her, “To pick up my mother.”

  Tara stares at him with wide eyes but he pays her no mind, simply striding into his inner office.

  When four o’clock nears, Lucas drives them to the airport. She casts him sidelong glances, asking for answers but they don’t chance any kind of conversation with June sitting in the backseat, quietly humming.

  She doesn’t know what to expect but it isn’t the grey-haired Korean woman who walks through the gates and shrieks an excited, “June-ah!” when she sees them. His mother is dressed fashionably, in light jeans and a white blouse but the crinkles around her eyes give her age away.

  “Lucas,” she beams, pulling the tall security guard into a warm hug as well.

  And then her eyes fall on Tara, a curious glint in them, “And who’s this?” she asks with a playful lilt, eyeing June expectantly.

  “My secretary, mom,” June rolls his eyes, “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

  “But I didn’t even say anything!” his mother defends with a guilty chuckle.

  “Your eyes give away your scheming,” June quips and his eyes look so happy, shimmering slightly that Tara can’t help but stare.

  “It’s nice to meet you, doll,” his mother turns to Tara and she bows politely, surprise on her face when she’s pulled into a tight hug.

  On the ride home, Tara decides very quickly that she likes June’s mother infinitely more than she likes him. The woman does nothing but chatter the whole way home, the car filled with pretty peals of laughter. She pulls out an extra complimentary sandwich from her flight out of her bag and begins to munch down on it happily, even offering Tara the extra slice.

  “Mom,” June chastises her, “I put more than enough money into your account for you to be eating five course meals. You don’t need to steal cheap airplane food.”

  “Old habits die hard,” she chuckles with a shrug.

  “I have some work to do tomorrow,” June tells his mother after a while, “But Tara can take you around the city.”

  “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” his mother protests, “Why can’t you take off?”

  “Because I have an empire to run,” June’s tone is joking but his words ring with truth. Tara and Lucas share secret smiles.

  June informs Tara that she has the rest of the day off and instructs Lucas to drive them to her apartment. He gets out to walk her to the door, turning so that his mother can’t see his face.

  “Take her wherever she wants to go tomorrow,” June instructs, “I’ll send Lucas to pick you both up. He’ll have my credit card.”

  Tara nods in confirmation, “Okay.”

  “If you’re anything less than polite and respectful,” he adds with a harsh grin, “I’ll hang your cat by his intestines.”

  If he’d threatened her like that a few months ago, Tara would have frozen with fear. Now, she simply rolls her eyes, her old confidence returning, “You underestimate how much my cat hates you,” Tara begins, “He’ll attack on site. I’d be careful about threatening him.”

  June rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Just be nice to her.”

  The next morning, Lucas shows up at 8AM to pick Tara up for the day. On the drive to June’s place, where his mother will be staying, she interrogates the guard.

  “Spill.”

  Lucas sighs, “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything,” she tells him.

  “Well, for starters, June’s mom is the most important person in his life. He treats her like a queen, worships the ground she walks on and will cut off anyone’s head who doesn’t do the same.”

  “I know all that,” Tara scoffs, “What else?”

  “Bringing up his father makes her sad. So don’t do it.”

  “Why?” she
asks, giving him a sidelong glance. She knows the subject of June’s father is touchy at best and deadly when June’s had a rough day, but no one has told her why.

  “I don’t know if I should be telling you this,” Lucas begins, chewing on his bottom lip, “But his mother used to be a cleaner at his elementary school. Her Kindred was one of the kids’ parents, some married asshole that knocked her up and then denied everything. It’s basically just been her and June since then. She’s had a rough time trying to bring him up on her own.”

  “Why didn’t she ask for child support?” Tara asks curiously, “Surely a test could have proven who June’s father was.”

  “You met her yesterday,” Lucas begins, “Does she seem like the type of person to ruin a marriage?”

  “Because sleeping with a married man isn’t just as bad,” she scoffs.

  “Are you really in a position to be speaking about the things we do for the people we’re bonded to?” Lucas rolls his eyes, not waiting for her response, “Not everything is as black and white as you paint it, Tara.”

  His words leave her feeling guilty, “You’re right, I’m sorry. I won’t bring up his dad, I promise.”

  “I know you hate him,” Lucas says in a softer tone, “But there’s a reason he is the way he is,” Tara remains silent, waiting for him to continue, “He saw a lot as a kid. Stuff kids shouldn’t see and it kind of broke him. It’s why we both joined street gangs.”

  “Well that worked out,” Tara quips and Lucas scoffs at her reply.

  “All of it’s been for his mom,” he says in a quiet voice, “So he wouldn’t have to see her like that again.”

  “I can respect that,” she says after a while, tone subdued, “I think he’s a complete asshole with no soul but I can respect wanting to do anything for your family.”

  They pull up to the giant mansion, the security guard letting them in. Lucas spots June’s mother waving frantically as they arrive, chuckling softly.

  “I bet she stole a few eggs from the breakfast table to eat along the way,” he teases but there’s no malice in his voice. He looks at June’s mother with the same adorning expression June looked at her with.

  Sure enough, when she enters the car, she hands Lucas and Tara hard boiled eggs from a lunch tin in her handbag.

  They spend the day shopping and eating at excessively expensive restaurants. June’s mother, who adamantly pesters Tara until she calls her by her name, Soeun, forces Tara to eat as well.

  “What good is a rich son if I can’t use his credit card to buy everyone nice meals?” Soeun whines, “You’ll love the lobster, just try it.”

  Tara takes her around to all of her favourite spots in the city and they end the day shopping at one of the malls uptown.

  “Are you spending tomorrow with your family?” Soeun asks Tara once the day is over and they’re driving her home.

  “Um, no,” she tells her, “I’m working tomorrow.”

  “What?” Soeun gasps in anger, “On Christmas?”

  Tara nods her head sheepishly.

  She storms up the stairs of June’s front porch, to where her son is waiting for her. June stares in silence as his mother hits his chest, angry scowl on her face, “June Park! How can you make your lovely secretary work on Christmas? What are you? Satan?” she scolds and June looks at her sheepishly.

  “I really need her in the office tomorrow,” he doesn’t. He’d made her work on Christmas day out of spite, when Tara had told him off for making one of the waitresses work herself to exhaustion without a day’s leave.

  “Bullshit,” his mother snaps and both Tara and Lucas stare at her with wide eyes, “You give her the day off or so help me, I’ll go spend Christmas with her instead.”

  June’s expression darkens and Tara begins to fear the worst. So she rushes up to them, “Really, it’s okay. I had no Christmas plans. I don’t mind working tomorrow. Please don’t fight because of me,” the last part is added for her own self preservation but Soeun stares at her with warm, sympathetic eyes.

  “What did my son do to deserve you,” she chuckles and they know she’s joking but both June and Tara stiffen at her words.

  “Alright,” Soeun finally relents, “But I’ll send Lucas with some turkey and Christmas pudding so you don’t go hungry.”

  “Thank you,” Tara replies earnestly and when the older woman pulls her into a warm hug, she doesn’t hesitate to return the sentiment.

  June orders Lucas to drive Tara home shortly after.

  That night, as Soeun and June eat quietly at the dining table, she eyes her son curiously, “So we went shopping today.”

  “That’s nice,” June smiles, “I hope you got something pretty.”

  “Hmm,” his mother replies distractedly, “I bought some stuff for Tara, too.”

  June nods, stabbing a few carrots onto his fork.

  “I noticed a very familiar Mark on her while she was trying on clothes,” she adds and June looks up with narrowed eyes.

  “Mom,” he warns in a low tone, “Stop.”

  “I’m just saying,” she shrugs innocently; “She’s a really nice girl. I wouldn’t mind someone like her for a daughter-in-law.”

  June stands abruptly, “I have work to finish.”

  He rushes out of the room and up the stairs, a door banging shut a moment later.

  Soeun glances up at her son with sad eyes, sighing to herself as she continues to eat alone.

  Soeun leaves for her home in the countryside two weeks later. She’s had Tara plastered to her side for most of her stay with June, so the younger woman thinks nothing of it as she pulls Tara aside under the pretense of needing someone to help pick out a gift for her friends back home.

  “So I know it isn’t my place,” Soeun begins, “But I know that you and June are Kindred.”

  Tara stiffens at her words, hands frozen over a set of scented candles.

  “I know it can’t be easy,” Soeun carries on, “Being tied to someone who hates everything to do with the bond. June likes to pretend he has no feelings but he feels very deeply and really, he’s just a boy who had to grow up without a father and he blames the bond for that,” she looks at Tara with sad eyes, “I’m not sure why exactly you’re working for him, but if I may be so bold as to ask you to watch over him,” and here she looks at Tara with wide, tearful eyes, “Make sure he’s eating well and that he doesn’t overwork himself.”

  Tara despises June, would rather see him put in prison but something in Soeun’s gaze looks so familiar, reminds her of her own mother, and Tara cannot help but nod her head, swearing to do as Soeun asks.

  A few seconds pass by in silence as they continue to browse through the candles while feeling both Lucas and June’s curious eyes on them from their table at the restaurant across the souvenir shop.

  Tara glances up at Soeun with a hesitant purse of her lips, “I hope this isn’t too rude of me to ask, but what exactly happened between June and his father?”

  Soeun looks at Tara for a moment, sees the desperate look in her eyes and knows the woman is asking to somehow make sense of the situation she’s in, “I met June’s father at a school I worked at,” Soeun begins, “His daughter used to attend it,” she chuckles to herself and Tara picks out a hint of bitterness in Soeun’s tone, “He found out we were Kindred one day and came to me heartbroken and crying. His father was an office man, managed to work his way up to the position of a manager in less than three years and was married at the time. We slept together,” Soeun whispers and Tara sees the guilt mar her expression, “I’m not proud of it but I don’t regret it either. He gave me June, my pride and joy,” Soeun’s eyes soften as she chances a glance at the man, “His father called off our affair when he found out that I was pregnant with June. A few months later, he disappeared,” she takes a deep breath, “It’s been the two of us ever since.”

  Tara stares at the older woman with sad eyes, “I’m sorry that you had to go through that,” she reaches out a hand to grasp onto Soeu
n’s one, squeezing tightly and she feels such a swell of guilt for having judged this woman who’s only been nice to her.

  “Life happens,” Soeun shrugs, squeezing back as tightly, “I was bitter at first, but I’ve gotten over it. I had a baby to raise and a life to live, I couldn’t sit around moping for the rest of my life,” she grimaces, “I’m just sorry that June had had to grow up without a father. Sometimes I can see that lack in the things he does, in the way he treats other people.”