29
“Icould get used to this.”
I smoothed out my hair and handed Kai the helmet. “Maybe I should buy my own.”
“Maybe. But I’m getting used to you riding with me,” he said, placing the palm of my hand over his heart. “Always enjoyed the solo aspect of the ride, but with you, it is just something else.”
“You’re just Mr. Romantic, aren’t you? You’re going to get laid tonight, Cain. Stop trying so hard.” I clapped his chest and moved toward the iron gate surrounding the home of my father’s business partner, who also happened to be the CEO of the security detail hired at our wedding.
“Why on foot?”
“In case we have to make a quick exit. Wouldn’t want to get trapped inside.”
Holly’s SUV pulled up behind us. “You brought the calvary.”
“Of course. He thinks we’re here to talk—which we are—but if things go south, and I don’t like what he has to say, he’ll be dealt with.”
Holly squeezed me from behind and fist-bumped Kai. It took several more moments until the gate slid open and another five minutes before we were in front of a 10-foot glass door. An older gentleman with platinum hair greeted us and escorted us to a main-level office without asking questions, where a heavy-set man, who I knew as Rojas, leaned in his chair with a cigar between his fingers and a devilish grin on his face.
“Amalia, my dear, please sit. And congratulations. I’m sorry I couldn’t make the event.”
“I’m sure.”
His lackey eyed me from the corner, where he stood like a sentinel, shoulders tensed, ready for the slightest signal from his boss. I wasn’t naive enough to think he had no knowledge of the men he hired turning on me and my family. But we needed to play it cool.
“Let’s address the issue. Cut the bullshit. You’ve been doing business with me for five years, longer with my father. What happened yesterday was unforgivable. And I need answers.”
“I was just as shocked as you were.”
“How are you going to sit there and tell me you had no idea your men were paid off.”
Rojas chuckled and blew a puff of smoke. “Probably the same way you weren’t aware.”
I hated to be made a fool. It made me ragey and homicidal. What was more frustrating was that I knew he had a point, and that alone made me want to stab someone. Preferably the bastard checking out my ass from the corner.
Kai hadn’t said a word, but I clocked him. His eyes were focused but everywhere at the same time. I was thankful he let me take care of things while staying vigilant.
“Three people were murdered in front of witnesses. The strings we had to pull and the money we had to pay to keep this story out of the press is on you. You won’t get the remainder of your pay, and you’ll owe me. And I don’t tolerate unpaid debts.”
“Bullshit!” he roared, jumping to his feet. “Those men came from one of the many agencies I own but don’t directly oversee. It was out of my hands.”
“And now it’s not. You have forty-eight hours to pay up, and I want a roster with the names of every man and woman who works for you.”
He rounded his desk and reached for me. “That’s not how this works—”
“Careful. You put a hand on my wife, and she’ll remove it. And I’ll take the other for fun.”
Kai’s tone was menacingly calm, the threat palpable in the air. Rojas’s hand recoiled as if he’d been burned, and he lifted his wary eyes toward my husband.
My husband.
“Forty-eight hours,” Kai repeated. “Was she clear enough for you?”
“Crystal.” He clamped down on his mouth, his eyes moving between us, lingering longer than I was comfortable with on Holly, then nodded his acknowledgment. But in my peripheral, I saw the signal he gave with the fingers at his side.
He’d sealed his fate.
“Kai.”
A blade descended into my palm from inside my sleeve, and I plunged it twice into the side of his neck before he even knew what had happened. In that exact second, Kai sent five rounds into the tall man in the corner, who’d managed to pop off two of his own before he went down.
“I’m assuming this was the quick exit you were talking about?”
“Nice of you to keep up, Cain,” I teased, snatching a laptop from the desk and bolting out of the office.
Thunderous footfalls beat against the hardwood above us and from unseen corridors on the main floor.
“Amalia, they’ll be on us soon. Toss me the laptop if you’re riding with Kai.” Holly was just a step behind us as we tore out the door and onto the front lawn. I eyed Kai’s backpack but knew the precious seconds I’d spend stuffing it inside could be the difference between life and death. Looking back, I hurled the device toward Holly, who caught it effortlessly.
We’d originally planned to scale the walls, but to our luck, the main gate was still slightly open, though it felt like it was miles away once bullets started whizzing by.
“Get in front of me.” Kai reached for my arm and slipped behind me to shield me from the gunshots. It was unnecessary but a sweet gesture, nonetheless.
I’d thank him on my knees later.
“Fuck.” A loud thud against the dirt had me glancing back in time to catch Holly taking a tumble, possibly having tripped over her own feet. At least that’s what I hoped, not that she’d been hit. My first instinct was to run to her aid, but I heard Kai release a sharp hiss, and I knew he’d been hit.
“Kai!”
“I’m fine,” he yelled back. “Flesh wound.”
Despite his reassurance, I felt my heart pounding out of my chest. I knew I wouldn’t be okay until I saw his wound with my own eyes. Holly had already caught up as we crossed the gate and split toward our respective rides.
“I dropped it,” she yelled as she climbed into her car. “I dropped the laptop… I couldn’t go back.”
“It’s okay,” I yelled. Jumping on the back of Kai’s bike, I pulled the helmet over my head as he did the same.
The engine roared to life, and we raced down the street just as one of Rojas’s crew pulled out of the gate in a black SUV. Holly had taken off in the opposite direction.
“Baby, hold on tight.”
My fingers interlocked around his torso. “Kai, where are you hit?”
“I’m good. Caught some lead in the arm, but it’s nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me. Please.” I hadn’t meant to sound so vulnerable and afraid, but the thought of him hurt made my heart heavy.
“So you do care?”
“Kai, don’t make me kill you.”
Our moment only lasted seconds as more bullets were sent our way.
“Malditos.” I reached into Kai’s holster and pulled out his Glock, returning fire while holding on to him with one hand.
The SUV’s windshield shattered, causing the vehicle to swerve uncontrollably before righting itself and continuing its pursuit. When the gunfire stopped, I was sure I’d hit the passenger. “I’m out!” I shouted, dropping the empty mag and reaching for a new one.
“The bag, baby.”
I noted the strain in his voice, and my stomach plummeted. “Kai? Talk to me.”
“The bag. Get the bag. I’m fine.”
“Fuck.” Reaching into the black backpack, I pulled an MP7 and set it on full auto.
“Steady, vicious. Keep it steady. You can do this.”
A bullet ricocheted off the body of the bike, causing Kai to swerve slightly, and I bumped my head on his back. “Easy,” I said, giving him a reassuring squeeze. The moment he grunted in pain, a haze of rage rolled through me. Twisting around, I let it rip, spraying into the vehicle’s cabin until my arm couldn’t take the pressure, and it dropped onto the highway. But not before doing its job.
The SUV hit the stone median, clipping the edge and flipping twice.
“Did we lose them?” he asked.
“Yeah, we did.”
Kai glanced back briefly and saw the fiery wreckage.
“That’s my girl.”
“I’m your wife.”
“My fucking wife.”
I circled his waist with both arms, and that’s when I finally felt the wetness, and he flinched.
“Take the next exit.”
“We still have another five miles.”
“Kai, take the goddamn exit.”
He said nothing and maneuvered through cars until we were off the highway. I gave him directions, and after the longest fifteen minutes of my life, we finally reached my condo and parked in a private garage.
Hopping off the bike, I tossed the helmet, opened his jacket, and frantically searched for the wound. Just below his right ribcage was a growing stain of blood. “Kai…no, no, no.”
He lifted my chin, mouth tilted into a half smile. “Hey, I told you it was a flesh wound. I won’t lie to you. Hurts like a bitch, but it’s just—”
I suddenly threw myself in his arms, a wave of relief lifting off my shoulders, and kissed him hard. Kai returned the hug and tightened his hold on me.
“I think you like me a little bit,” he whispered, grazing my lips.
“I do,” I said, unable to suppress my smile.
“Good, because I fucking like you a lot.”
“And here I thought it was the amazing sex.”
He laughed into my neck. “That’s a bonus.”
“Come on,” I said, tugging him toward the elevator. He seemed to look around for the first time, and his eyes narrowed.
“The garage is empty.”
“I know. That’s because only one other person lives here: Dr. Aaron Ward, on the third floor. He’s on my payroll and has his expenses paid in exchange for his services.”
Kai’s face lit up with understanding. Ares had its doctors, lawyers, and judges—pretty much every profession that would allow its organization to continue in secrecy and remain above the law.
“I’m fine. I can patch myself up if you got a first aid kit.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
He pulled me to his chest and kissed my forehead. “That was close. Too close, too soon.”
“We kicked ass. That’s all that matters. Don’t get soft on me.”
I was pretty sure a flock of birds had taken up residence in my stomach. This feeling was foreign, and I had to admit that I liked it.
The elevator doors slid open to a short corridor where the second lift awaited us. I placed my hand on a black panel, and Kai watched with intrigue as it scanned and alerted green a beat later. When the second set of doors opened, we ascended three more floors.
“This is impressive,” he said when the last set of doors slid open directly into my condo’s main living space, which also doubled as a second studio.
“Another one?”
“Of course. But before any questions, let’s take care of you first.”