Chapter Two Khai
Chapter Two
Khai
Two Hours Earlier
“I need to blow off some steam,” I say, wiping down the barrel of my gun to remove the last traces of residue.
It’s been a long fucking day. Jaxon and I have just finished carrying out a job for my father.
I light a cigarette and inhale deeply, rolling my shoulders and tilting my head from side to side as I take in the carnage around us.
Three men lie motionless on the tarp, their bodies so badly damaged they’re barely recognisable.
“Oy, Khai!” Jaxon calls. “Cleanup crew’s on the way.”
He grins as he wipes blood from his face. Jaxon enjoys getting up close, enjoys the mess. There’s something unhinged about him, but no one extracts information like he does. Probably why my father treats him like the son he never had.
Me? I’m the one they send in when someone needs to disappear.
I toss the rag onto the tarp and tuck my gun behind my back. The smoke settles into my lungs, easing the edge just enough.
“Let’s get out of here,” I mutter. “I need a drink. And a distraction.”
Jaxon laughs, already heading for the exit of the abandoned warehouse. “I know just the place.”
The cool October air hits me the moment we step outside. I pause, breathing it in, letting the night settle my nerves, the aftershock of violence still humming beneath my skin.
I don’t enjoy this work. But my father’s word is law.
He runs the city. Not officially, but everyone who matters answers to him. Politics, real estate, finance, his hands are everywhere. Dirty, invisible, inescapable.
I’m his weapon.
I used to have a twin. Nine years ago, he overdosed, mixed too much, too fast. He couldn’t handle the weight of our father’s world. Ever since, I’ve been shipped off to job after job. My father says it’s good for business.
I think he just can’t look at me without seeing my brother.
“Earth to Khai!” Jaxon shouts from across the car park. “You stand there any longer and your dick will forget how to function.”
I snort and head for the bike.
The ride into the city is fast, reckless. We break every road rule there is, but the rush clears my head.
We make a quick stop at my place first, just long enough to shower and change before going out again. Before the night really begins. Jaxon has a stash of clothes and essentials at mine for nights like this or when he crashes here after he got blind drunk.
By the time we pull into the nightclub car park, the bass is already pounding through the walls. Lights wash the brick exterior in colour. A line of people stretches around the corner, waiting.
We don’t stop.
The bouncers step aside without a word, ignoring the protests behind us as we slip through the doors.
Inside, the noise hits hard.
I make straight for the bar.
“Whiskey. On the rocks,” I say, sliding a fifty across the counter to Cherry.
“Make that two, boobs” Jaxon adds, flashing his usual grin.
Cherry doesn’t look impressed. “The world please wouldn’t kill you Khai. Jaxon, call me boobs one more time and you may never see a pair again”
I lift my hands in mock surrender and turn away, scanning the crowd as I take my drink.
A few rounds later, I’m on the dance floor with a brunette who latched on early. She’s attractive enough, clinging close, clearly enjoying herself. It’ll do.
My hands settle on her hips as the music pulses around us.
Then I feel it.
Someone watching.
I lift my gaze and see her.
She stands out immediately. Dressed in black, moving with quiet hesitation, like she’s still deciding whether she belongs here. Blonde hair spills over her shoulders, her eyes fixed on me.
Not shy. Not bold.
Just… focused.
Something sharp twists low in my chest.
I hold her gaze, let the moment stretch. Let her see exactly what she’s watching. I put on a show. I flick my tongue out and glide it up the brunettes chest. Even in the dim lights I can see the blush creeping up her neck. Her thighs clench together, slightly. Subtly.
Time seems to slow.
Then…
Pain.
White-hot, searing through my chest.
The floor rushes up to meet me.
The music cuts. Screams tear through the space.
I barely register the chaos as I fall, only that she’s moving toward me. Not running away.
Toward me.
She drops to her knees, hands pressing against my chest, trying to stop the blood pouring out of me. Her mouth is moving, saying something I can’t hear.
More shots. More screaming.
My vision starts to fade, but I force myself to focus.
On her.
Her hair falling loose around her face. Her eyes wide, terrified. Her voice, why can’t I hear her voice? Her lips, delicious.
I want to say something. Anything.
But the darkness closes in.
FUCK!