13. Kali
13
KALI
I was in another universe. That’s the only thing that made sense as I lay back down on the bed, struggling to think clearly again and listening to Shane King rip apart my husband. No . Ex-husband .
Shane King.
I couldn’t wrap my head around that, around him. That he was here. That he was in my life again.
That he sounded like he wanted to murder Foley.
That was making me feel a certain way, a good certain way.
“Yeah, dipshit. You don’t know me. You don’t want to know me. Why are you calling her? Divorce was final, wasn’t it? She walked with nothing, you piece of shit. She wanted to get away from you so fast that she walked with nothing. Far as I’m thinking, the only reason you should be calling her is because you woke up and realized how unfair that shit was, after all the women you went through behind her back, and you want to right some of your wrongs. Is that why you’re calling?”
Whoa . I think Shane really did want to kill Foley.
He was listening now. I could hear the murmur of Foley’s voice and recognized what he was feeling. He was scared, but angry and panicky at the same time.
I sat up on my elbows and raised my head. It felt so heavy. I should’ve gotten up, taken the phone away from Shane, but there wasn’t an ounce of caring in my body. I was all cared out, and I couldn’t deny that it felt nice hearing someone take up the fight for me.
I was tired, and there was a heaviness inside of me. I’d always felt it, but it had been more the last year. It felt like an anchor trailing behind me, always pulling me back. I had to strain against it. To keep going. To keep fighting. To keep persevering.
I was just fucking tired.
Shane glanced my way, and his eyes were so fierce I felt seared by them. I was starting to like that burning feeling I got from him, from being around him, from touching him, from him just looking at me.
“You want to know what right I have to be saying any of this?” he demanded, turning his attention back to the phone. “I know the names of all the women you cheated on Kali with. How about that? I know the men you dipped into too. And yeah, she’s here. She’s hearing this. She’s letting me talk to you this way. Think on that.” After a pause he added, “She wants nothing to do with you. Do not call her unless it’s to apologize with an offer of compensation, what you owe her from the divorce. Any other reason, you’ll get me every time.”
He hung up and tossed the phone next to me on the bed. It landed with a soft thump. His eyes never left mine, and I couldn’t look away from him.
I didn’t understand any of this, but I could tell it was affecting him too.
I sucked in some air. I needed a moment. I needed my brain to work once more.
Why was I— my sister . Connor. His club. The reminders landed on me with a hard thud.
“He call you a lot?” Shane sounded disgusted by that thought.
“No.” Which was the funny thing about it. I hated Foley, legit hated him, but he called me after three months of total silence and that was his reception? I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Not really. I had to laugh a little. “I wish I’d been in the room with him when you told him about the guys. He doesn’t know I know about them. He just thinks I know about his foursome.”
Shane’s grin was faint. “You want the names?”
I started to say no, but remembered what Shane had said on the phone. All those names. All those women. He was right. I’d walked with nothing because I wanted nothing to do with Foley. I nodded. “Yeah. I think I do.”
“Good.” There was a glint of approval in his eyes, but then the atmosphere shifted again.
The ex was out. Now it was just him and me.
“Why are you here, Shane?”
He didn’t answer right away. “It’s weird hearing that name. I’m VP or Ghost.”
I shook my head. “Not to me.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t look happy about that.
“Shane, why—”
“You can’t see your sister. Not yet.”
A surge of irritation sliced through me. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t know what she’s overheard while she’s been following us around.”
So I was right. “Is it about Connor?”
“We’re a 1% club. Could be anything.”
That made sense. “So when can I see her?”
“After I know she doesn’t have anything to tell you.”
Okay. I was going to try one more time. “What about Con—”
“Stop asking me about your brother. I can’t talk about him.” His voice was gruff, rough. A note of authority rang out. “Who sent you out here?”
I gave him a smirk. “What? You don’t think my own sister might’ve called me?”
He shook his head. “Like I said, I know your sister. Who sent you? Your mom?”
I narrowed my eyes. “If she did? She told me you guys are spreading the word about her bar. You going to rescind that?”
He seemed to consider it. “Maybe I should, if she’s sending her daughter after the other daughter. Your mom’s observant as hell. If you think she sent you after Claudia for Claudia, you’re fooling yourself. She sent you out here because she saw how I reacted to you that night.”
I opened my mouth and clamped it shut. “Why would my mother do that?” I finally asked.
“Who knows with Ruby.” He raised an eyebrow. “You wanna ask her? Share the information with me?”
I repeated what she’d said to me. “Gloves is in prison. She and I are not close. Claudia was it for her. She misses her daughter.”
His phone started going off. He pulled it out and cursed. “I have to take this.” He started for the door. “Don’t come to Frisco. Your sister’s gone. I’ll be in touch when you can talk to her.”
And he was gone.
I was left with an ache inside of me and a ball of fury threatening to fill in the space.
SHANE
I’d thought it might be Maxwell, having heard about Kali’s arrival. It wasn’t.
As soon as I was out of hearing distance, I hit accept. “Stripes.” He wouldn’t call unless there was a reason. He wasn’t like that.
I could hear shouting before his voice came over the phone. “We need you back.”
“What is it?”
“Marco Estrada is here.”