365 Days | Reylo 🌻🦋

Chapter 26

The doors to the warehouse were slid open by the men who guarded it, his cousin's men, as Ben approached – entering quickly before they were shut behind him and the small entourage he arrived with. The only sounds that echoed in the vast space were their dress shoes on the concrete as they made their way to the middle where Poe and Chewie stood near a bruised and beaten man who was tied to a chair in the only spotlight in the dark place. When they were close enough, Armitage bent slightly to slap Palpatine's cheek ever so gently to wake the man who could open only one eye due to the other being swollen shut. Armitage straightened with a smirk before moving back to stand united with his family as they watched with amusement as the former don of a once-powerful family sputtered awake – fear reflected in his eyes as they shifted back and forth between each person.

"Don Palpatine, what a pleasure it is to meet you here of all places," Ben grinned as he stared down at the older man. "I was hoping to run into you sooner, but it seems your schedule was so full you had no time to return any of my calls or messages."

Palpatine tried to speak around the gag in his mouth, but it was futile.

"I'm sorry, can you speak up? I can't hear a word you're trying to say."

The men around him chuckled before Chewie ripped the cloth away from his mouth.

Palpatine panted heavily as he spoke. "I'll give you whatever you want. Money, jewels, drugs, land, weapons, women. Anything, just please don't kill me, please!"

Ben snickered sadistically as he gripped him by the chin, his fingers digging into the face he never wanted to see again. "Those things are worthless to me. What else do you have to offer?"

"What about an alliance between our families?! With my heir apparent taking over my seat as the head of my family soon, you two would be unstoppable, and no other family outside of ours would dare to cross us, cross you."

Forcing his face to the side, Ben made sure Palpatine saw what he wanted him to see as Kylo Ren stepped out of the shadows.

"No..." Palpatine gasped as he shook in his chair, fear radiating off of his entire body as Ben stepped away.

"You mean the heir that is my brother – the one you stole from my family?"

"Kylo Ren, son," Palpatine pleaded. "You need to help me get out of this. I raised you, clothed you, protected you, and gave you everything you've ever desired. How can you do this to the only father you've ever known, who only wanted the best for you? None of this is my fault, you know that. Please help me."

Kylo Ren growled, tired of being manipulated by him. "No, you've brought this upon yourself and are at fault for everything. I can't believe I couldn't see how much of a manipulative bastard you were before... before you had me killed my own father in cold blood. I thought the world of you and was willing to do anything and everything you asked of me because I did think of you as a father-figure, but no, you made me experience the worst type of betrayal against my actual family." Kylo Ren laughed bitterly before continuing. "And I was never your son because you used me as your pawn in your sick twisted little game of gaining power my entire life. This is what you deserve after every lie you've told over the years to help your family – for everything you've ever done to my real family." Kylo Ren turned his head to stare at the men beside him, his gaze landing on his twin brother before saying, "Our family."

Armitage, Poe, Chewie, Obi-Wan, Kylo Ren, and Ben stood in front of Palpatine to glare at the man who hurt their family in more ways than one.

Stepping forward first with a cleaver in hand, Obi-Wan stuffed the gag back into Palpatine's mouth before slicing one of his hands clean off – his screams muffled by the cloth. "This is for thinking you could touch our family."