Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Tokyo
One Week Until Fright Night …
Alec’s hand snakes up my leg before he grips it and brings it over his.
“Tonight is the night,” he muses as he traces patterns on my skin.
I feel like crawling out of my skin—I hate his touch.
My soul rejects his claim, but I do what I need to in order to survive and keep Kai safe.
Maybe, for once, someone else doesn’t have to bleed over my choices, especially someone I love so deeply.
I would much rather let them bleed if it meant sparing Kai. I would betray her a thousand times, deliver her to the devil himself, as long as I kept him away from Alec’s path.
“You have to make sure to keep them away from each other,” he continues as he pinches my skin to get me to focus on his words.
Not that I wasn’t, but I would much rather live inside my head and not the truth of my life.
I don’t want to feel the hardness pressed against my legs, demanding access to something off-limits.
But I guess I have no say in this either… I’m his bitch… his Judas and pawn.
“Are you even listening?”
“Yes, how do you expect me to keep him away from her?”
He sighs. “Try seducing him.”
Was he being for real?
To seduce the man who killed not one but two of his brothers over Xena.
“Ha.” The laugh comes out bitter—no real humor behind it. “Do you think I can seduce someone like him? Someone who killed for what’s his.”
Alec shifts suddenly—my body now beneath his—as his hand wraps around my throat painfully, making it hard for me to breathe, his blue eyes glint menacingly as he leans closer.
“It will be a shame to kill you before I have a chance to show you what I’m truly capable of.
” He grinds his erection into my stomach, causing me to tense.
“A little birdie told me there’s someone looking for you. Should I deliver him in a body bag to you, Tokyo?” Leaning closer, he runs his nose against mine.
“Make sure you separate them. You have one job. Get it right, or I’ll show you devastation.
” My heart hammers in my chest, and I hate that he can feel my pulse quicken beneath his grip.
Darkness dances in the corner of my vision, and my nostrils flare desperately, searching for the breath he denies me.
The distress in my features causes him to smile before his lips crash into mine.
My lips thin out, trying to deny him access, but the sudden release of his grip around my throat causes my mouth to open, inhaling a deep breath before his mouth steals it away.
His tongue invades my mouth, dominating against my immobile muscle—his hands greedily touch over me.
And all I can do is give him what he demands for Kai.
A tear slips out of the corner of my eye as my body rocks, and each painful thrust causes the bed frame to bang harshly against the wall.
Each movement is a reminder of who’s in control—who truly holds my leash.
My phone rings beside us. Shifting my body, I look at the illuminated screen even though I know exactly who it is.
It’s almost time…
Whether I’m ready or not… It doesn’t matter when the stakes are too high for me to fail. Closing my eyes, I let my mind slip into a world where Alec doesn’t exist. Where his cock isn’t inside me.
One where I’m free...
Kai
“You think tonight is the night?” Chino asks as he walks out of the bathroom, towel hanging low on his hips as he drips water onto the stained carpets.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of funds, I’m forced to share a room with Chino.
Which means we spend too much time together, and I get to see him naked way more than I want to.
I shrug, opening the can of the blue energy drink in my hand. “I don’t know, but this town is on the border of Cedarvale, so I at least hope we are closer.”
“What if we aren’t? When will you stop looking?” Chino walks over to his duffel bag and pulls out another white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweats. “Hermano, look, I know that’s your sister, but she’s a big girl, and if she’s running, then maybe you should let her go.”
I don’t look up at him… I can’t.
Maybe he’s right. But I’m not there yet.
I’m not ready to let go of the ray of sunshine that burst into my life with no warning. There are so many questions I need answers to; mostly the one that keeps replaying in my head. We aren’t related?
Was it all a lie? How long did she know?
I didn’t answer Chino because I don’t know what to say.
The truth is, I won’t stop looking, but I also don’t expect him to continue to follow me around.
I look up at my friend, placing the blue can in the air and cheering.
“You saved me, and I will forever be thankful, but this isn’t your demon to chase; it’s mine. Chino, go home.”
“Nah.” He shakes his head. “This ain’t what I was talking about. Like, man, you can’t continue to chase after Tokyo.”
“She’s not my sister,” I finally say, admitting to her betrayal out loud, because that’s what that was back at Heartless. There’s no doubt about that. But I know, deep down, there’s more to it. I refuse to believe Tokyo is just a selfish bitch, like I’m sure he’s thinking right now.
Chino takes a seat on the twin-size mattress. “Not your sister?”
I nod. “Nope, and I’ve also been fucking her long before I found out she wasn’t.”
“Yo, that’s fucked. Umm. Okay.”
I notice the confusion spread across his face as he runs a hand over his baldness. “Don’t look at me like that. She’s not my sister, so it’s alright. No?”
“Man, whatever floats your boat. But now that we’ve got the confession out of the way, what the fuck does it mean?”
Finishing the blueberry-flavored Monster drink, I crush the can between my palms before aiming and shooting it at the small trash can by the door. “It means that I need to find the woman I love and clip her wings so she can never leave me again.”
Chino lets out a whistle. “Man, that’s some fucked up shit. I don’t know if I’m just too twisted to be surprised, but this is like a novela. So much drama and shit.”
Only this isn’t a novela, it’s real life. I don’t tell him the truth—that I’m preventing Tokyo from running into trouble. Fucking Trouble. But my Trouble.
“Kai? One more question.”
“What’s up?”
“Did you know Lalo wanted Tokyo?”
The question doesn’t take me by surprise—it wasn’t like Lalo hid the fact that he wanted her, but I told him to stay away even as I slipped inside her because I was selfish.
I never gave her a normal chance to explore anyone outside of me…
because I wanted to be everything. I played into her charms and worked hard for the one girl I couldn’t have.
“I did.”
He nods. “Did you think he knew?”
“I do.”
We don’t talk anymore about the fact that I fucked my maybe half- sister or the fact that I love her and still very much want to fuck her.
The drive to the meet-up spot is quiet—only the hum of the car’s engine and the nightlife fills the space.
Chino looks out the window as he smokes his cigarette in silence, probably processing everything.
I wonder if any part of him regrets saving me.
But all that sentimentality comes to an end as I pull beside a white Subaru with a driver dressed as a slenderman.
He revs the engine as we pull into the empty lot where tons of other drivers wait for their turn.
The scent of burnt rubber, marijuana, and oil is carried in the night breeze.
“No Heart,” by 21 Savage, blares from someone’s speaker and simultaneously competes with “Booker T,” by Bad Bunny, from another.
It feels like home, and all I’m missing is my wingman.
The first, and only woman I let drive my car—showed her the thrill of the race.
Tokyo
My phone rings, interrupting the music blaring from the car speakers. My heart sinks, fingers hovering over the green call button before I finally answer.
“Hey.”
“Hey, we are here, where are you?” Xena shouts over the music and the sound of revving cars. I watch from across the parking lot, trying not to focus on the single black Audi that sits by itself.
Waiting…
Watching…
“I’m about to pull in.” I try to hide the quiver in my voice.. It’s not like I wanted to do this, but I have no choice. It’s her or him. Unfortunately for her, I will always choose him—something Roman and I can probably relate to. We will go to no end to protect what’s ours.
“Okay, hurry. I think I convinced Ro to race.”
I can hear the smile in her voice. As a matter of fact, I see it as she wraps her arms around Roman’s waist and he places a kiss on the top of her head. “What is he gonna use, my car?”
“He says his truck will do.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes, my voice laced with amusement. “Ha, that clunker doesn’t stand a chance.”
Roman scoffs at my comment, but a clunker is just what I need to get him out of the way. “I’ll be there shortly, see you soon.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you in a few.”
With that, she ends the call, and I take a deep breath in, holding back the tears that threaten to spill as I look to the car that lingers like death. Adjusting my mirror, I place the car in drive and go join Xena.