20. - Kayden -
Chapter twenty
- Kayden -
K ayden finally got the update from Archie after he got out of the shower. The transfer had gone smoothly. The grip on his chest released, and he revelled in the smoothness of his breaths, feeling lighter than he had all day. But between the run and the elevated anxiety, he was drained, and he’d propositioned Corey for a movie.
That’s where Jason found them a few hours later, when he finally came home, whole and in one piece, with not a scratch on him.
Kayden smiled at him, warmed by the comfort of having his other half back in his presence. Jason gave a half-smile back, unable to stifle the secondary joy. But he went straight for the bottle of whiskey in the kitchen, pouring himself a drink. At least he was using a glass this time.
As he slugged back his first drink of the evening, Jason turned his attention to the sunset outside the expansive windows. The warm glow was filtering into the open living space, gilding everything it touched. The credits were just rolling on the TV, and Kayden hit the pause button.
“Everything good?” he said to his brother.
“Yeah,” Jason replied, refilling his glass .
After another drink, Jason opened the fridge, looking inside. Kayden saw him grimace, no doubt at the stock of lean protein and the array of cooked vegetables. From the corner of his eye, Kayden noted Corey watching Jason just as closely as he was. Jason’s exhaustion was palpable.
“Jase, why don’t we order dinner?” he called over.
Jason closed the fridge and sighed. “That sounds far more appetizing than meal plan right now. Pick whatever you want, make it carb-y. I’m going to shower.”
He trotted up the stairs with a barely disguised glance over his shoulder to the girl on the couch, still watching him.
“What’ll it be?” Kayden turned his full attention to Corey.
“I’ll eat anything.”
“Is that so?” Kayden gave her a suggestive look, and she batted his shoulder, a small smile on her face.
“Actually, I don’t know if I can trust you to order dinner now, since you chose chocolate ice cream. Maybe your taste isn’t as good as I thought.”
“Unfortunately, you weren’t an available flavour. So it didn’t really matter what flavour I ordered, it would have paled in comparison.”
Corey’s eyes dilated, her cheeks heating. He had to restrain himself from prowling over top her on the couch.
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his saved numbers. “Sushi?” he asked her.
“Oh god, yessss,” she responded, lust bleeding into enthusiasm, drawing out her words.
Kayden made the call to his favourite sushi restaurant, a hole-in-the-wall a little way out from downtown that had actual authentic Japanese food. He ordered enough food to feed an army—sushi rolls, karaage chicken, ramen, and because fuck their meal plan , he even ordered an okonomiyaki.
When he hung up the phone, Corey looked confused. “What the hell is omoyoko-whatever?”
“Okonomiyaki,” Kayden repeated slowly .
“Yeah, that.”
“It’s Japanese street food. It’s kind of like a savory pancake. I know you love pancakes. Trust me, you’ll like it.”
“Let’s see if you can redeem yourself. I’ll reserve judgement until after dinner.”
They both turned at the sound of footsteps against the stairs. Jason was walking towards the kitchen, grey sweatpants hanging low on his hips, a matching sweatshirt slung over his arm. His skin was still damp from the shower.
Once he was in the kitchen, Jason pulled the sweatshirt over his head, poking his head through the hood, his black hair hanging around his face. Kayden caught the moment his brother realized Corey was watching him.
He cocked a brow at her.
“Couldn’t put that on upstairs?” Corey said, feigning annoyance.
“Why? Looks like you enjoyed the show.” His tone was harsh, expression harder.
Corey huffed out a breath and averted her eyes, apparently at a loss for a comeback.
Taking the bottle and glass from the counter, Jason made his way over to the couch. Corey was curled up in the corner piece of the sectional, so Jason was forced to sit on her other side, though the sectional was big enough that there was still space between the two.
“What happened to your feet?” he said, noticing the bandages wrapped around her big toes.
“New shoes,” Corey said dismissively.
“Were they too small or something?” There was a note of concern in his voice. Kayden knew Jason liked to get his gifts right.
“No, it was just a long run.”
“We were out for two hours. I’m pretty sure we ran a half marathon,” Kayden chimed in .
Jason looked impressed, just as he had in the gym when Corey had announced her distance.
“Did you run on the trails?”
“No, we just lapped the city a few times.” Kayden told his brother. “I wanted to stay closer to the house… just in case.”
“Just in case what?” Corey asked.
Kayden shifted in his seat. Maybe he’d said too much.
“In case he couldn’t keep up with you and needed to take his slow ass home,” Jason teased, smiling at Kayden. But the smile didn’t meet his eyes. There was a warning there.
It was enough to get Kayden off the hook, though, since Corey laughed. “Well, he’s definitely not slow. I’m pretty sure he was holding back.”
“Kayden doesn’t hold back,” Jason said, not looking at her.
“Hmm, I think he was. Hey, we could race, see who’s the fastest!”
Kayden’s lips curled into a smile. He would love to see Corey racing the two of them. She would lose, but it would be thrilling to watch her try. Corey was right—he had been holding back.
“We already know who won our last race, Little Fox. Are you asking for a rematch?”
Corey’s cheeks flushed again, and she dipped her head, a sheet of cinnamon hair falling to cover her face before she tucked it back behind her ear. “That wasn’t a race. I didn’t know where I was going.”
“Rematch, then. Are you in, Jase?”
“Depends. What do we get when we win?” Jason finally looked at her, and Kayden didn’t miss the hunger in his brother’s eyes.
Corey’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. “ If you win.”
“We will,” he said, a wolfish grin on his face that was all teeth.
She tensed.
“We get to choose our prize.” Kayden knew his face was a mirror of his brother’s, both of them boring into the girl on their couch as she tried to hold her own against them .
“Fine,” she said, sitting up straighter.
Kayden reached for the remote, ready to diffuse the rising tension. “How about another movie? Corey likes paranormal and action movies.”
“Of course she does,” Jason muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.
“Have you seen Reservoir Dogs ?” Corey asked.
“A classic, and Jase’s comfort movie.”
“Of course you’d find comfort in some guy bleeding out on screen for 90 minutes.”
“You were the one who brought it up,” Jason shot back.
Kayden sighed as they continued bickering, finding the movie on the streaming platform and clicking it on. As the scene in the diner unfolded on screen, the two of them finally shut up. Jason sipped from his whiskey and leaned back into the couch, his sharp edges softening, if only a little.
It wasn’t long before Kayden got the call from Jenkins that their food delivery had arrived, and he would bring it up.
“What did you end up ordering?” Jason asked.
“It’s a surprise.” Kayden winked at his brother and went to the front hall.
He scanned his thumb on the reader, unlocking their floor to Jenkins. The steel doors slid apart, and the security guard stepped into the hallway, carrying two plastic bags around his wrists and holding up two boxes.
The sweet aroma of the food wafted through the hallway, and Kayden’s mouth was already watering.
“Do you need help?” Corey called out from the living room.
“Sure!” Kayden called back, pulling the two boxes out of Jenkins’ arms.
Corey strode up to the security guard, reaching for the bags he was still holding. She looked him over once before retreating back to the living room.
Recognition flitted through Jenkins’ thoughts, Kayden catching them the moment Corey disappeared from the hall—the girl with the rope around her neck from the elevator. Though his face remained impassive, Jenkins was shocked that Corey was still here. Internally, the man ran through all the times he’d seen the twins bringing a woman up to the penthouse on the security feed. It was always a one or two-time thing; they rarely saw the same girls consistently.
Jenkins hadn’t caught on to the fact that she’d been here for weeks now, likely because she hadn’t been leaving the penthouse much. Kayden just stood there listening as Jenkins’ thoughts tumbled over each other, waiting to see if there were any red flags, if Jenkins could potentially be a problem. He hoped not. He really liked the man.
“Everything good?” Kayden asked.
Jenkins gave a genuine smile. He was happy the boys had found consistent company. A beautiful girl, and they’re such good kids . “Oh, yes. Enjoy your meal.”
Kayden hid his smile. If only their trusty security guard knew, he wouldn’t think so highly of them.
“Thank you, Jenkins.”
He let the security guard take his leave and brought the boxes into the living room, setting them on the coffee table. Corey had already brought napkins from the kitchen.
“Ugh, sushi.” Jason groaned in pleasure, pulling out the first tray from the bag.
“Amongst other things.” Kayden opened the boxes of the karaage chicken.
“Wow, fried chicken. You health freaks are really going crazy today,” Corey said, eyeing the karaage.
“I know, and ice cream, too. How will I ever recover from it?” Kayden teased.
“What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?” Corey asked Jason, who was already popping a roll in his mouth. “It’s got to be better than Kayden’s.”
Jason finished chewing and swallowed down the food, the muscles of his neck straining with the movement. “Chocolate. ”
“Oh my god, what’s wrong with you people? Of all the flavours!”
“Let me guess, yours is mint chocolate chip.”
Corey’s jaw dropped. “He told you!” She pointed an accusing finger at Kayden.
“No, you just seem like the type,” Jason replied.
“Mint chocolate chip has a type?” She was livid now.
“Yup,” he said, popping the P.
“And what type is that?”
“Annoying.” He tossed another roll into his mouth, chewing around a self-satisfied smile.
“I’m not annoying,” she pouted.
Jason shrugged, turning his attention wholly to the food.
Corey cracked a pair of chopsticks apart and started rubbing them together.
“You trying to start a fire over there?” Kayden asked her.
“I’m getting the splinters off. I don’t want little wood particles in my food.”
“Oh, so best to put them on our floor, then.”
Corey rolled her eyes. “I’ll clean it up, don’t worry. Wouldn’t want you to step on it and get a booboo.”
“Feisty tonight, are we?” Kayden got his own pair of chopsticks and took a roll.
Grinning, Corey held out the roll nestled between her two wooden sticks. “Cheers.”
Kayden laughed, pretending to clink his sushi against hers before bringing it to his mouth. He finished chewing and put the movie back on.
The three of them continued eating, the movie becoming secondary to the feast spread out before them. They’d all seen the film before, anyway.
“What’s in that other box?” Jason pointed across the table to the last takeout container in front of Kayden.
“Okonomiyaki. ”
“Nice, pass it over here.”
Kayden opened the box, sliding the savoury pancake to Jason. It was topped full of green scallions, bonito flakes, and a lattice of Kewpie mayo spread across the top.
“Um, I think that thing is still alive! It’s moving!” Corey said in panic, pointing a chopstick at the top of the dish and pulling her legs up onto the couch like the food was going to walk right off the table and bite her toes.
Jason choked on his food, laughing at her hysterics.
Fuck, she’s so damn adorable. Kayden couldn’t help his grin. “It’s the bonito flakes. The heat from the pancake makes them move. There’s got to be some science behind it, how the heat affects the protein molecules and the water in the flakes, but I’m honestly not too sure. Give it a try.”
Corey didn’t look convinced.
“You’re eating raw fish anyway. You’re opposed to eating something moving?” Jason asked her, sipping on his whiskey to clear his airways.
“I guess not. Give it here, let’s try this okomomoyoko.”
“Okonomiyaki,” Jason corrected, passing her the box.
“That’s what I said.”
“Not even close.” And Jason was trying like hell to hide his smile, but Kayden saw right through his efforts.
“Okay, that’s fucking amazing,” Corey said after her first bite. She quickly took another.
“Told you,” Kayden smirked.
Jason held out his hand, silently asking for the food. Corey looked like she wasn’t going to give it up, but sighed and passed it over.
Between the three of them, they devoured everything Kayden had ordered.
There was only one piece of sushi left in front of Jason.
Corey snipped at it with her chopsticks like an insect with pincers. Before she got to it, Jason intercepted it with his own chopsticks, fighting her off. It escalated to an all-out chopstick brawl, and Kayden was a little amazed by the dexterity on display. Corey was giggling, dashing about with the stupid wooden sticks, but with a jab from Jason, her fingers fumbled, and he went in for the kill, shoving the last piece of sushi into his mouth and smiling like a cat with a bird in its mouth.
“I win,” Jason announced once his mouth was empty again.
“Whatever, I’m full enough to burst,” she said, nestling back into the couch and patting her bloated belly.
It wasn’t long before a soft snore from Corey indicated she was fast asleep.
“We have another shipment for Kreig scheduled this week,” Kayden murmured to Jason. “Can the Afghanis support that supply?”
“We already secured it from Kovack before.”
Damn. He hadn’t been keeping up with the inventory, and guilt roiled in his gut. “It’s a 20 million dollar transaction. I’m not letting you do another transfer alone, Jase. If anything happened to you and I wasn’t there….” Kayden’s chest tightened at the thought.
“It’s fine. I got Archie watching out. Just enjoy yourself.”
“Please, Jase, no more solo runs.”
Jason blew out a breath. “Okay.”
“Okay.” Kayden repeated, not feeling that much better about it. He switched gears, trying to avoid any further protests. “Man, it felt so good to run through the city. We went to the market by the pier the other day, too. I haven’t been there in ages. It’s like I forgot what it was like to be alive, to actually be in the real world without wanting to blow my head off.”
Kayden looked at Corey, her beautiful face so peaceful while she slept.
“We can’t keep her here forever, Kay.” Jason said, like he was trying to explain to a child why they couldn’t keep the baby bird they’d rescued. It made Kayden’s blood boil.
“No? Then what’s your plan for her, Jase? Because it’s really unclear to me. I know my plan.” His voice was aggressive, barely containing his rage at his brother’s stubbornness. “No one is coming for her, and she isn’t even looking for a way out.”
“And you believe that?” Jason’s temper was flaring right along with Kayden’s.
“She’s had a rough go—”
“Yeah? So have we.” Jason’s voice had hardened again. Kayden could see him frantically trying to rebuild his walls, brick by brick.
“She feels safe here.”
“I don’t really care what she feels. If she gets any information on us, she could blow this whole thing up, everything we’ve worked for.”
“How?” Kayden argued. “What could she possibly do?”
Jason turned away from his brother, focusing back on the movie that was still playing. He didn’t have a good answer to Kayden’s questions, because the reality was that Corey could do nothing to harm them. But it seemed like Jason was still trying to hold on to that narrative. It would be easier for him to keep her at arm’s length that way.
“You’ve fallen for her,” Jason said after a moment. Kayden couldn’t tell if it was an accusation or if he was just stating the truth.
“So have you.”
Jason scoffed. “She’s just some girl, man. She’s nothing. We should have offed her weeks ago when no one came looking, but you said no. Now you’ve just made it harder for yourself when we do inevitably have to delete her.” More bricks to try to secure his walls.
Kayden wanted to scream that they would not be deleting her, but he lifted his eyebrow at his brother instead, gripping at patience. “Dude, you bought her shoes.”
“Just so she could go running with you.”
“She already had shoes for that.”
“Well, they were shitty.”
Kayden rolled his eyes, releasing his building anger. Jason was making his point for him, but he was either truly denying it to himself or unable to admit it out loud just yet. Kayden saw the way he watched her, and it was just as intently as he did himself. She was taking his walls down piece by piece, and it was only by sheer force of will that Jason was holding them up after every interaction. She brought out a lighter side of Jason, the Jason that teased and joked and laughed . And god, his brother laughing in joy and not in malice was a sound he never thought he’d hear again.
He also saw Corey watching Jason right back, tracking his movements, the angry way he moved around the house, always with his shirt off, how she focused on his mouth when he was speaking, when he was leering at her. Corey was competitive, and Kayden didn’t doubt that the challenge had Corey’s attention. She would want to win over this difficult man.
Credits rolled across the television screen. The second movie he’d barely watched today.
Jason’s slow breathing mingled with Corey’s as Kayden turned off the TV.
They were both asleep on the couch, close enough that if one of them reached out their arm, they would be touching. And he wanted that more than anything.
Kayden draped their only throw blanket over Corey. Jason looked cozy enough in his sweatsuit, but they would need to buy another blanket. It wasn’t in either of their habits to fall asleep on the couch. Kayden cleared off the coffee table, stuffing the empty boxes and containers in the plastic bags and dumping them in the kitchen trash before taking himself up to bed, feeling only a little sulky that he’d be sleeping alone.