Chapter 36 - Kane
Kane says nothing at first, eyes locked on Viper. He doesn’t need to look at the holo map hovering above the table. The red spread of Natural Order in District Three is burned into his memory.
He folds his arms across his chest. When Viper still won’t speak, Kane’s patience snaps.
“Half. They’ve taken half now, Viper? And this is the best your squad can manage?
Viper’s lips press into a line. “Yes. But if we want to hold the rest, we need a plan that doesn’t grind my people to the floor. These twenty-hour shifts aren’t helping anyone.”
“Your problem isn’t my orders, Viper. It’s you,” Kane corrects. “Get your enforcers in line and harden their spines. If they can’t keep up, replace them.”
A muscle in Viper’s jaw jumps, but he stays silent. Kane couldn’t care less.
He switches his focus to Echo. “Status on those medkit orders?”
She scratches her jaw. “No good, boss. My connects are getting cold feet. Too much heat here. Worried about attention from the NCPD.”
His fingers curl around the edge of the table. “You think Dr. Hayashi cares about grease when she’s turning broom closets into triage bays?” Kane shakes his head, a bitter laugh escaping. “Can’t you handle something this simple?”
For once, Echo holds her tongue. Her human eye flicks aside.
That same look—Kane crushes the thought. That person’s been out of his life for almost two weeks now.
“Coda, status on our drones?”
“We’re down twenty-five percent.” His delivery doesn’t waver. Still, there’s a pause before he continues. “However, those new shipment routes you approved last week—”
Kane cuts him off. “They’re dead. We’re switching.” It’s the third change this month, but Coda knows better. “What about the batch I flagged for repair?”
Coda’s hands still over the invisible keys. “I…don’t recall that directive, sir.”
The table rattles under the slam of Kane’s fist. “You don’t recall?” These missteps and miscommunications are wearing him thin. If Kane believed he gave the command, then he did.
“This is your job. If my orders don’t get followed, that’s on you.” He gestures at his fellow lieutenant. “Work with Echo. Get our supplies back up. Now.”
His fingers resume their rhythm while Kane turns to Wren at his side.
“Why’re civilians reporting a ghost town at the marketplace…again?”
“I—” Wren swallows. “The residents…they’ve felt threatened. So some of the shops closed up.”
Kane’s jaw tightens.
She straightens fast. “But I told them not to worry! We’ll—”
“Threatened?” he interrupts. “By whom, exactly? Us? Natural Order?” His lips curl in a snarl. “Or are they making excuses to avoid paying their dues? After all we’ve done to protect them?”
Even after they let Natural Order inside their territory, a mistake that doubled that district’s fees.
Her heartbeat flashes red in his overlay. “Um…”
He crosses his arms. “The excuse doesn’t matter. Remind them what waits beyond our holowalls—and what happens if they resist.” Kane jerks his chin. “Press rats say Ulvepack’s out there peeling chrome off anyone they catch. Maybe the shops wanna take their chances with that instead.”
She shoots to her feet, nearly knocking over a holopad. “I won’t let you down, sir!”
When he doesn’t reply, she sits down slowly.
Before Kane can continue, Coda speaks up. “Sir—your wristlink. It’s urgent.”
Kane lifts his arm to turn on the display. A projection flickers above the device. His chest tightens.
Rafael stands alone in Shreveport, outside one of the few HOV stops still connected to Midtown. Even through the grainy holo, his pristine white scrubs give him away as someone not from this side of town.
An ache settles beneath his ribs. The visit alone is unexpected. This close to nightfall, it’s almost a death wish.
He pushes to his feet, the chair skidding behind him. “The meeting’s over.”
Echo lifts a brow. Wren straightens in her seat. Kane doesn’t register anyone else’s reaction. He gives Coda a nod and strides toward the exit.
The walk from Dragoon’s Rest to his bike passes in a blur.
Inside the garage, his HUD pings with a warning.
>HELMET: NOT DETECTED.
He ignores the alert, firing up the engine and tearing down the street.
Only when he rounds for the HOV stop does the world snap back into focus.
Rafael stands exactly where the holo showed him, beneath the cracked awning, hunched over a flickering map on his wristlink.
Kane drops the bike to a low hover and steps off without a word.
Rafael’s head snaps up. His eyes go wide.
Clenched fist at his side, Kane marches over. “What the hell are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?”
The spike in Rafael’s vitals hit first, followed by his flinch. Kane’s chest squeezes tight.
“I—I’m sorry,” he begins, swiping off his wristlink. “I know it’s dangerous for me to come here…But I had to see you.”
A spark of hope flickers within Kane. He shuts it down instantly as Rafael’s words return.
“There’s no future for us.”
He never agreed. Still doesn’t. But with Rafael here at this hour, while Athena carves deeper into their territory by the minute, an argument is harder to make.
“I’ve been trying to figure out what to say, but…nothing feels good enough.” Rafael clears his throat. “But I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since then…And—and I’ve realized what’s important to me now, what I want.”
Kane goes still as Rafael continues. “Back then, I was afraid—of disappointing my family, of what my friends would say, of completely changing my life. But the thing I feared most…” He draws a shaky breath and meets his stare. “Was admitting how much I love you.”
Love you.
His heart stutters, then Kane’s jaw locks.
Is this the same man who walked away two weeks ago? The same one who looked him in the eye and said there was no future?
The shift feels too sudden, too convenient. This could be a trap, a trick Athena orchestrated.
His gut coils tight. Underneath, something he thought long buried stirs.
He shoves the feeling aside and closes the gap between them in two long strides.
“You love me? Now?” His voice drops. “Where was that love when you ended things? Why should I believe you?”
“You have every right to be angry…I didn’t handle things well before,” Rafael murmurs.
“I hurt you—selfishly. And I’m sorry for that.
I take full responsibility.” He draws a breath.
“I was scared. But I’m here now because…
I’ve changed. Or at least, I hope so.” His thumb rubs over his wrist. “I thought I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t.
Not really. And now—now I think I do. Or I’m trying to.
And…I don’t expect you to forgive me instantly. ”
Chrome fingers loosen at Kane’s side. He wants to believe in this apology, but instinct cuts through. Rafael already left once.
Kane exhales and steps forward.
“So, what does this mean? Because the situation hasn’t changed. Like you said, my place is here with my crew, in Shreveport.” His shoulders tense. “And with the recent…developments, I’m needed here more than ever.”
Rafael’s hands curl and uncurl at his sides. “I know.” He sighs. “And there’s something else you need to know. The night before I ended things, VitaCorp threatened me. Said they knew about you and your crew. Told me to break up with you…or lose everything…”
An image of Rafael, cornered in a dark room with VitaCorp employees looming over him, flashes in Kane’s mind. His stomach drops.
Did they touch him? Hurt him? Why the hell didn’t he say anything? What did they find out?
But Rafael continues before he can get a word out.
“I’m not giving you an excuse. You just deserve to know the full truth. I mean—I told myself I was protecting you, protecting Shreveport…” He bows his head. “But I was really protecting myself. I was scared…Now I know I should’ve told you. We could’ve faced it—like you said. Together.”
A soft smile tugs at his lips as he lifts his gaze. “And now…I think I’m finally ready to do that. If you’ll have me.”
Kane stiffens.
Rafael extends a hand, close enough to brush his wrist. “I want to be with you, Kane. Whatever that means for us,” he whispers. “I love you.”
Three words, eight letters, and Kane’s vitals light up in his overlay.
For a moment, he almost reaches out—until reality crashes into him.
Does Rafael really understand what he’s choosing? What he’s giving up? The danger he’s stepping into?
“So what does that mean, exactly?” Kane raises a brow.
“Are you really ready to leave all that behind? Midtown, your job, your friends? Do you even get what that’ll cost you?
” He gestures at the mess they’re standing in.
“Last time, you were here for a week. You think you’ve got a grip on this place after that, but you don’t. ”
His tone softens, if only a little bit. “Our life here—it’s not easy.
I can only keep you safe up to a point. Even with the crew.
And now…” Kane takes a breath and adds, “Shreveport is more volatile than ever. Athena’s taking more territory every day, recruiting from our own people, and turning some of the districts against us. ”
He clears his throat and sets his shoulders. “Of course, it’s nothing I can’t manage. But it’s not the stable life you’re used to.”
Kane steps in until their chests touch. Rafael sucks in a breath. “Once you’re in my world, there’s no going back. Is that what you want?”
Turning and leaving would be the smart choice. It’s what Kane almost expects, and he wouldn’t blame him, no matter how much the thought digs in.
Instead, gentle fingers slip over his. Rafael draws Kane’s hand forward, clasping it between both of his.
“Yes, I understand.” Rafael’s breath wavers. His grip is certain. “I’m ready, Kane. To be part of your world. Here, with you. In Shreveport.”
That warmth Kane keeps trying to bury rises.
This man is willing to risk everything for him. But what if he only has a vague picture?
“I’m serious, Rafael,” he warns. “VitaCorp’s already onto you. And now you’re here at night. They’re not stupid.” Kane glances at their joined hands between them.
“Your wristlink’s probably lighting up their terminals. Coda scrubbed it once, yeah—but that only bought you time. You quit now, they’ll put two and two together. You try to go back, you’re blacklisted.”
His free arm sweeps through the air. “A third of the people in Shreveport were blacklisted. This is where you land when no corp will take you.” Kane’s gaze hardens. “This is what choosing me costs.”
Rafael’s eyes sweep over the busted HOV stop, the cracked pavement, then settle on Kane.
“I knew that coming here,” he whispers. “I know what I’m giving up. I don’t care.” The fingers clutched around Kane’s tighten. “I just want to be with you, Kane.”
Silence settles between them. In Kane’s ears, his heart hammers.
Rafael wants him. Loves him, wants all of him.
Except loving Kane means loving the Chrome Baron too. And that part of him gets people killed.
His uncle proved that.
Kane’s chest locks up. He should end this now and send Rafael back home to Midtown, where he’s not a weakness for enemies to exploit.
Only he doesn’t want to. Kane loves him. He wants Rafael close to keep him safe.
Maybe there’s a way he can. It doesn’t have to be permanent—just long enough to make this work. Kane can handle the fallout.
This is a risk he can afford. Kane will make room for this man in his life. Not just in passing or during occasional trips to Midtown. He’ll become someone who stays, who Kane won’t have to watch walk away.
A smile curves on his lips. He tugs Rafael closer, sliding his free arm around his waist.
“Alright. One step at a time.”
Then he closes the space between them, claiming Rafael’s lips.
Anyone could be lurking in the alley, some Natural Order member slipping through the dark, one of Wren’s riders flying past on a bike. Except Kane doesn’t care. Right now, there’s only Rafael.
When they finally part, he keeps Rafael close, speaking low. “You’re in this now. With me.”
Rafael’s mouth lifts. He leans in for another kiss, only to stop short as a security drone whirs past overhead. His gaze flicks upward, expression tightening.
Kane eases back, though his grip on Rafael stays tight.
“We need to move.” He scans the street, down the alley, and the nearby buildings. Thankfully, his HUD doesn’t flag anything out of place.
“Let’s go.”
As Kane steers him toward his bike, Rafael follows, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand.
“Where are we headed? Your place? The bar?” he asks.
“My place for now.” Kane squeezes his shoulder.
“We’ll figure out the rest later.” At the HOV, he pops open the side compartment and retrieves the spare helmet.
“We can get your belongings from Midtown, but it’ll take planning.
Until then, the streets are off-limits unless you’re with Pixie or someone I clear. Understand?”
Rafael nods, taking the helmet with steady hands. “Yes, Kane.”
That quiet resolve sparks a warmth Kane wasn’t prepared for. He fights the urge to embrace him and mounts the bike.
When Rafael settles behind him, his arms loop around Kane without hesitation. He even leans in, head resting against Kane’s shoulder as if he never left at all.
As if he’d never fit anywhere else.
Kane’s heart skips a beat. He powers the bike on, engines humming beneath them.
Rafael is back.
And now that Kane has him again, losing him isn’t an option.