Chapter 19 #2
Kai couldn’t answer. Instead, he brushed past her. He’d made it almost across the room when his arm was snagged in a viselike grip.
“I saw you,” Dion said fiercely.
“What? What the fuck are you talking about, Dion?” Kai demanded, trying to jerk his arm free and failing.
“I saw you snatch Marilise’s bracelet. I was right behind you, Kai,” Dion snapped. “Does Nolan know you’re a thief? Because only a thief would know how to do what you did. You’re lucky she didn’t lose it, or I would have turned you in so fast.”
Kai’s cheeks burned, but he was well past the end of his rope.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, but while we’re calling names, you’re a fucking dick.
Katie is supposed to be your friend, and you let that bitch treat her like shit.
She doesn’t deserve it, and if that’s the kind of friendship you’ve got to offer, I’ll pass.
Tell Nolan whatever you want. I didn’t do shit. ”
Embarrassed colour flooded Dion’s cheeks, and, this time, when Kai jerked away from him, he let go.
Kai double timed it away from him, desperate for fresh air.
He could’ve cried when an exit sign pointed to a door on his left.
Half-a-dozen kitchen and waitstaff turned to look at him as he burst into the kitchen.
It looked like they were in the middle of dessert prep, because trays of fruit, eclairs and assorted pastries lined the counters.
“Exit?” he demanded of no one in particular. One of the kitchen staff nodded his head to the right, directing Kai’s attention to a door with a bright red sign just past him. Thank. Fuck.
Kai burst past it, the cool night air hitting him like a ton of bricks. He jerked at the tie constricting his throat, desperate to get some air into his lungs. He leaned against the wall, hands gripping his thighs as he waited for the tight bands around his chest to give.
“Hey, man, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Kai choked out.
He looked up at the speaker. It was a kid, maybe fifteen years old.
Taking several gasping breaths, Kai took in his surroundings.
He’d come out onto a narrow side street; dumpsters lined the wall beside the door.
The kid was grimy, dressed in clothes that definitely hadn’t seen the inside of a washer in a while.
Long, lank hair hung in his face, and in his hand he held a battered and bulging plastic bag.
“Are you sure, man? You don’t look so good. Should I go get someone?” the boy asked skeptically. Kai pulled in a deep breath, grateful when his lungs filled, then sighed it out in choppy breaths.
“Nah, I’m good. It’s just hot as fuck in there.”
“Were you at the party? I saw all the limos out front. Were there any famous people?” the boy asked excitedly.
Kai huffed out an exasperated laugh, still trying to catch his breath even though it was getting easier to pull them in. Cold sweat pooled in his underarms and dripped down his back uncomfortably.
“Nah, just a bunch of rich assholes. What are you doing out here? Are you dumpster diving?”
“Of course!” The boy laughed incredulously.
“This place always has the best shit, but you gotta get here before they lock the dumpsters. Look! I got a whole steak.” The boy opened his bag to show Kai his haul.
Kai’s heart cracked open at the bag of food waste in front of him, but he smiled at the kid anyway.
“Where were you when I was your age?” It was a half-truth, but it wasn’t important.
This kid was definitely younger than he had been but was probably bolder than he’d ever been.
Kai dropped to his ass and leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes briefly while trying to regulate his breathing.
“Oh, you know something about this life?” the boy asked, half amused, half disbelieving, and Kai looked over just in time to see him give him a once-over. Kai huffed a half-hearted laugh at his expression.
“A little something. You should check out Beans on Queen. It’s a long walk from here, but the owner used to put all of her pastries in boxes at the end of the night, and you just have to knock on the back door.”
“Oh, word? That’s cool, though. I should go. Security is a menace when they catch people down here. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, kid. I’m good. Hey, wait!” Kai held out a hand when the boy turned away. “They’re about to put dessert out. You want some?”
The boy’s face lit up. “Hell yeah!”
Kai laughed, finally feeling a little better, even though he was still jittery and damp with sweat from the panic attack.
“Okay, wait here. I’ll try to be quick.” Kai pulled the door open, thankful that he hadn’t been locked out. The dessert trays were still on the counters but servers were starting to carry them out.
“Hey.” Kai flagged down the server closest to him. She looked confused but stopped to see what he needed. “Can I get dessert to go?”
Her expression cleared. “Yeah, of course. Just give me a second.” She set down the tray she’d been carrying and grabbed a to-go container and a pair of tongs, carefully loading the box.
Kai waited impatiently, half wanting to grab the tongs to do it himself and half wanting to let her know that the kid outside didn’t give a rat’s ass about presentation.
Finally, she closed the container and handed it to him with a smile but, just then, he heard a scream from the street.
Kai grabbed it from her and dashed back through the exit to find a giant fridge of a man holding the kid by the collar of his shirt, the bag of food held high in his other hand so the kid couldn’t reach it.
“Let me go! Give it back! Let me go!” the boy yelled. He was putting up a hell of a fight, but he couldn’t break free of the security guard’s grip. Kai’s vision went red with rage.
“Hey!” Kai roared, momentarily distracting the guard and giving the kid a chance to grab the bag. Recognizing his mistake, the guard jerked it away, tearing the bag and sending the food cascading to the ground. The boy wailed.
“Get your fucking hands off of him!” Kai screamed again, hatred coursing through his body like venom.
“Sir, please go back inside,” the guard commanded, but Kai wasn’t listening. The box he was holding tumbled to the ground as he slammed his fist into the man’s shoulder with all of his weight behind it. The guard grunted in pain, loosening his grip just enough.
The kid didn’t wait. As soon as he was free, he ran like his life depended on it.
“Wait!” Kai yelled, running after him, but the boy didn’t slow down.
He banked right, where the side street met the main road.
When Kai turned the corner, his new dress shoes skidded on the concrete and his feet slid out from underneath him.
Kai cried out as the palms of his hands dragged along the sidewalk as he hit the ground, and by the time Kai dragged himself to his feet, the kid was gone.
Kai turned back to the side street, where kitchen staff had spilled out of the building to see what the commotion was.
Kai didn’t care about them. He locked onto the security guard now on his walkie-talkie.
Kai stalked back towards him, his blood still on fire.
When he was close enough, Kai took a run at him, curling his hand into a fist. Before he could make contact, an arm curled around his waist, dragging him into the air and away from his target.
“That’s how you treat a fucking kid? Big fucking man? Why don’t you fucking come at me?” Kai screamed, fighting the hold and trying to get at him. “You piece of fucking shit! You couldn’t let him have garbage?”
“Kai! Kai! Stop! What are you doing?”
Kai barely registered Nolan’s voice.
“This piece of shit attacked a kid just looking for something to eat!”
“The kid was stealing. We have policies against dumpster divers.” The man had his hands up, as though that could hold off Kai’s wrath.
“Fuck your policies!” Kai spat.
“Kai, come on. Let’s go inside and we can—”
“No!” Kai’s whole body rejected that idea. He didn’t want to go back in there with those people. He didn’t belong there, and that was the real problem. “I’m done. I want to go home.”
“Okay. Okay. Let’s go.” Nolan turned Kai towards the street, and Kai went willingly, his body still thrumming with violence. He saw the takeout box of desserts lying on the ground, and he swiped it as he went, but he didn’t look back.