Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56709 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
I leave the hospital room with a pit in my belly, Ryan’s words bouncing around my mind. Ryan said he wanted to be alone after our conversation. “I need to rest.” That was his excuse, but I could tell that the real reason was he didn’t want to look at me anymore.
He did his best to hide it, but I can’t ignore the fact I’ve betrayed him. We both have. Me and his best friend. Oh, God, and now… I can’t even think about the next bit.
Natasha springs to her feet when I enter the waiting room.
“You’re home?” I gasp, rushing forward and pulling her into my arms.
She squeezes me tightly. “I couldn’t let you go through this alone.”
I almost break down in sobs again, like after the gas station showdown. Despite showering since then, I can still feel the gore, the mess. We sit together in the corner of the waiting room, away from the Titans who are keeping watch over the hospital, over me.
“How’s he doing?” Natasha asks.
“Physically, he’s doing better,” I reply, “but mentally… Well, it’s not like I’m helping him.”
“What?” Natasha gives my hand another squeeze. “Seeing his little sister has given him a boost. I’d bet on that.”
“I don’t know,” I sigh. “I told you I betrayed Ryan but didn’t tell you all the details.” I lower my voice, though the closest Titan isn’t close enough to hear. “If I did, you might feel differently.”
“Lay it on me, then,” Natasha replies. “Don’t hold anything back.”
It’s like the emotions are trying to restrict my speech. Like after the gas station, when I tried to smile, and the sobs broke through anyway. After a steadying breath, I lean close to Natasha, telling her in frantic whispers about the kisses, the steam, and the fact he called me his woman. I tell her about him finding the notebook—all of it. Finally, I tell her what happened with Ryan and our plan.
“What if Kai doesn’t answer the way Ryan wants?” Natasha says quietly.
“I don’t know,” I reply, my belly getting tighter, all the nerves conspiring to twist me up inside. “I guess I just have to hope and pray because, honestly, I don’t think I can let him go now. Yet I can’t imagine a life without Ryan in it either.”
“You won’t have to choose,” Natasha says, but she doesn’t sound convinced.
How could she be? I’ve broken one of the unwritten rules of life, a rule everybody should know. A sister doesn’t go after her brother’s best friend. It doesn’t matter if she’s crushed on him for years and thinks she loves him. All that matters is loyalty, but I am loyal. To my man. To our future. To the poetry of our connection.
“I hope so,” I whisper. “Kai has to come back in one piece first. It’s not like this war is over.”
“Everybody’s saying now that Kai’s home, there’s no way the Bribones stand a chance.”
“I hope so,” I say again. “If something happened to him…” I bite down. I can’t finish the thought.
If I told Natasha how I’d really feel if Kai got hurt, she’d think I was melodramatic. If I told her my atoms would pull apart, my future would fracture, and my soul would implode… Yeah, even for a poet, she’d think I was over the top.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Kai
I crouch behind a rock, looking at the warehouse, my body pumping with fire, adrenaline, and readiness. Before a job, I used to think about nothing. I’d empty my mind just like I did as a kid, not letting myself think at all, thoughts and fears and everything else slipping from my mind.
However, now, I think of my woman. I think about the future. Instead of crippling me, it makes me even more determined and focused. Anybody who thinks they’ll steal that from me is goddamn deluded.
“Are we clear on the plan?” I ask as Jimmy crawls up next to me, wincing slightly as he keeps his posture low. More Titans are getting ready for the battle about twenty yards behind us.
Jimmy swallows. “Yeah, Kai. You want us to set it on fire before you go in?”
“It needs to be chaotic,” I tell him. “That’s where I work best. If the place is burning, they’ll make mistakes. They’ll rush outside where you and the others can pick them off.”
“But what about you?” Jimmy asks.
“I’ll be fine,” I snap. “I’ve got a…”
A reason to live now, I almost say, but I don’t let myself finish that thought. It’s time to let the other men see the cold Kai, the animalistic Kai, the operator who will do any damn thing to keep this club, this town, and my family safe.
“What if one of those bastards gets lucky?” Jimmy asks.
“They won’t,” I snap. “A fight is all about small moments, Jimmy. Half seconds of hesitation. Hell, less than that. That’s where fights, guns or fists, are won and lost. I learned that lesson hard and early. The flames won’t completely distract them, but it’ll be enough to confuse them for a second, and that’s all I need.”