Chapter Thirty-Three Levi
Light spills into my eyes and I wince, lifting my hand to block it. Everything feels heavy and my head hurts. I groan, twisting in the gauzy blankets as my eyes adjust to the room around me. I’m in a hospital bed, I realise, which means I didn’t dream about what happened with Adam.
Kai is resting his head on the bed and his breathing is quiet. I move my eyes, and Cole is sitting in another chair, scrolling through his phone. He’s in a blue sweater, not a single hair out of place and despite being in a dreary hospital probably running on a few hours of sleep, he still manages to look so perfect.
I shift to try and sit up but it’s like my head is full of water and my throat is made of sandpaper. I groan and Cole looks up, eyes wide.
“Hi, baby,” I say, trying for a smile. “You’re back.”
He stands immediately, coming over to kiss my forehead and pushing my hair out of my eyes. I really should cut it. “I got in last night,” he whispers. “Wanted to surprise you.”
Last night, before everything went to hell.
“How long was I asleep?” I ask.
“Just overnight,” he says. “They pumped your stomach.”
Ugh, that explains the sandpaper throat.
Everything that happened with Adam comes back to me at once, and I wince, seeing his face. “It was Adam. He drugged me,” I say. “He was so angry but when I fell, he left me there. I tried to call for help, but I was so exhausted.”
“I know,” Cole says quietly. “But he’s gone, and you don’t have to worry about him again.”
I look up at him, frowning. Adam’s gone. Did he run away? Before I can ask, Kai shifts on his chair, moaning quietly before opening his eyes. A smile breaks out on his face when he sees me, and maybe it’s the meds but I swear my heart soars, and a thousand angels start harmonising Allegri’s Miserere Mei in my head.
“You’re awake,” he says, eyes bright.
I can’t help my own smile. I love him so much. “I am,” I whisper.
“I’ll get the nurse,” Cole says, letting me go and leaving us.
“Are you okay?” I ask Kai.
He frowns. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“Something was wrong last night.”
“Oh,” Kai says, blinking once. “We can talk about it later but I’m okay. Really.”
Just then, the doctor and a nurse walk in behind Cole and it’s a flurry of examinations and questions but at least they let me chug down a litre of water as they do so. Cole and Kai give my parents and I some space as they fuss over me making me promise I never land in the hospital again as tears dance in my mother’s eyes. It’s not easy for them to see me like this again.
“Promise,” I tell her, determined to keep it.
Sergeant Hollis appears in the doorway a few hours later with another officer in tow. He looks solemn, his pale face slightly flushed and thin hair messy on his head like he’s been running his hands through it.
“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Bellamy,” he begins. “This is Officer Langly. We wanted to get your statement as soon as possible so we can get out of your hair and let you rest. I can’t imagine how you must feel after everything.”
I swallow, my eyes darting to Cole who is holding Kai close. He looks back at me and I can tell there is something he isn’t telling me. I wonder if it has anything to do with this visit. I focus my attention back on Sergeant Hollis.
“Okay,” I say. “What would you like to know?”
A part of me would rather bury everything that happened last night somewhere deep in my mind, but the sooner Adam is arrested, the sooner I can forget about him.
“Can you take us through the events of last night?”
I swallow, my throat feeling dry again suddenly. Kai leans into Cole a little, the guilt clear in his eyes. I want to tell him it’s not his fault, but Sergeant Hollis is looking at me expectantly, so I go over all the details I gave the doctor and the nurses earlier.
I hate reliving it, smelling Adam’s scent, feeling his breath on my face and hearing his voice when he said all of those things. I know what he wanted to do to me and I’m almost grateful he gave me too much and freaked out before he could.
Sergeant Hollis nods, the officer taking down notes in his notepad. He interjects a few times to ask me questions.
Did he say why he drugged you?
Were you and Mr. Roth ever involved intimately?
I answer his questions, fighting my way through the memories of his hands and his scent all over me.
When I’m done, the sergeant nods resolutely and takes in a quiet breath. “I’m sorry to hear what you went through, Mr. Bellamy and I’m glad things didn't turn out as terribly as they may have,” he says. “But this morning we received some news about Mr. Roth.”
I sit up, my heart hammering in my chest. “What’s wrong?”
Sergeant Hollis looks at the officer and then back at me. “Mr Roth died by suicide in the early hours of this morning. He was found in his home by two officers who had gone to pick him up for a statement.”
My jaw loosens. “What? How?”
“He uh—he hanged himself with a belt.”
Something inside me falters, all the blood rushing too fast in my veins.
“He didn’t leave a note so we can’t be sure why, but I suppose we can draw some conclusions after what happened last night…” he trails. “You deserved justice, Mr Bellamy, I’m sorry.”
I still don’t know what to say but I hear him say goodbye and leave the hospital room. When the door clicks shut behind him, I focus on Cole and Kai. Kai’s eyes are wide, but Cole’s expression is unreadable. I’m not sure how to feel either.
“Levi?” Kai starts coming over to me. He sits on the edge of the bed and gently touches my arm. “Are you okay?”
I nod quickly. I’m not sure how I should feel but currently, there is nothing. Maybe I should be sad or relieved that Adam is gone but I don’t feel any of that.
A year ago, this would have destroyed me even if I knew he had done it to himself. The guilt would have eaten me alive but now I can’t seem to find it in me to care.
I only hope he suffered and felt some regret as he hung up there.
“Yeah,” I say, leaning over so I can kiss him. “I’m fine.”
He looks at me for a second longer before he nods. My eyes move to Cole and he’s watching us both with that same unreadable expression. It’s a look I know, but a look I can’t decipher even now when I know him fully.
…He’s gone. You don’t have to worry about him again.
Cole’s words ring in my head and I wonder how he knew to say that. Did he already know Adam was dead?
I meet his eyes, and I think I already know the answer to my question.
“Can we go home?” I ask.
“Of course, Evie,” Cole says. “I’ll get the doctor.”
Once I’ve been given instructions to stay on bed rest for a week, I am free to leave the fluorescent-lit hospital. Aleeta gives me a big hug as soon as I step into the house. “Oh my God, I was so worried!” she cries into my shoulder.
I rub her back, trying to soothe her. “I’m okay. Kai got to me in time.”
Behind her, I spot Kai’s watery smile. Right now, I just want to be alone with them but I’m both exhausted and hungry.
“Let’s get some food and tea inside you, okay?” She takes my hand, leading me to the kitchen. Cole and Kai follow behind, their eyes filled with amusement.
When I’m ushered to bed by both Aleeta and Cole, Kai joins to keep me company I suppose as Cole gets on a call with someone. I have a sneaking suspicion it’s about Adam or Nick but I’m too tired to pry. I’ll ask him about it in the morning.
Kai scoots up next to me, sitting up and crossing his legs in his bed. He’s wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts, and his curls have grown out slightly. He’s so pretty it’s like an eighth wonder.
“Can we talk?” he asks, biting his lower lip.
My stomach twists with the knowledge of what this is about. I can see the guilt in his eyes. “Kai, you don’t have to…”
He shakes his head. “No, if I hadn’t left you alone, Adam wouldn’t have hurt you,” he says. “I should have been there and instead I was with Kenny. I shouldn’t have let either of them near you.”
His voice is thick with both anger and guilt. I touch his cheek, hoping he can see how much I don’t blame him.
“Hey, it’s not your fault. Adam was always going to come after me. He was stalking me, and he was going to try to hurt me either way, but he’s gone now and none of it matters anymore.” I pause. “Do you want to tell me about what happened?”
Kai’s eyes widen, he looks a little lost for a second then he nods. “Uh, my stepfather—Kenny—he was released from prison a few months ago. At first, he was only sending me messages. I ignored them mostly but in Monaco, he called and demanded I give him money to pay for something I did. He’s the one who keyed your car, not Adam. He wanted to warn me.” He takes in a quick breath. “He showed up at the hotel yesterday to remind me what he’d do if I didn’t do what he asked. That’s why I disappeared—.”
I stop him, kissing him because none of this is his fault. When I pull away, he swallows.
“Wait, there’s more,” he says. “I already told Cole this when you were asleep but when I was younger, he would hit me—a lot.”
He tells me everything. He doesn’t skip any of the details and my heart beats too quickly. Uncharacteristic hate swirls through me like a dark tornado. The noise in my head rises an octave as he speaks. He doesn’t cry and he doesn’t look angry, just withdrawn and I hate it.
I can’t say I’ve ever had a real urge to kill anyone. Sure, I’ve wanted to kill Anant plenty of times, but this is unbridled rage. I want him dead for what he’s done to Kai, for how he made him believe he does not deserve to be loved or wanted deeply. I know Cole feels the same.
“Kai?”
He looks at me and smiles. “Yeah?”
“You know you deserve to be loved right? You know we can’t give you an inch of the love you deserve but we’ll do our goddamn best. I fell for you so quickly and it was terrifying but you’re so easy to love, Kai. You are my everything, not Kenny, not Adam and not even God Himself could take you away from us.” I hold his chin. “Understood?”
He nods and kisses me deeply, his tongue prying my mouth open. I let him take charge, let his hands explore my body. There is a confidence to it, a self-assuredness I could just eat up. I feel my dick thicken in my sweats and Kai chuckles against me. It is way too easy for him.
“We should stop. The doctor said you need to rest.”
I smile. “You can always ride my dick; I won’t have to exert myself too much.”
Kai snorts. “Sure, because you’re so great at just lying down and taking it.” I laugh. He has a point. “Are you okay though?” he continues, looking at me carefully.
“You know it’s funny, Adam said I should have chosen him not Cole. He was my best friend, and he ruined that before I even met Cole. He never saw that. Maybe he finally did when he chose to kill himself.”
“I’m sorry he did that to you and I’m sorry you lost your friend,” Kai says.
I smile. Adam may be gone but I am left with so much more. “It’s okay, I got to meet Cole and subsequently you. I get to be with two people who I’m obsessed with. Not many people get to say that. As scary as last night was, I think I’ll be fine.”
He shakes his head, biting his bottom lip. I want to bite it for him and maybe mess up his hair a little more. I halt that line of thought. Doctor Green said rest not sex.
“Levi,” he says quietly. “I love you.”
My heart flutters and my entire body relaxes. It’s like slipping into a warm bath after a long day. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that. I love you too, Kai. So, so much.”
He smiles. “I still need to figure out what to do about Kenny,” he says. “I don’t want him to hurt you, but he said I shouldn’t go to the police.”
Way to ruin the mood, Kenny, I think rather petulantly because Kai’s mind should only be occupied by Cole and I. I tell him as much, “I know it’s hard to believe but you really don’t have to worry about him anymore. You trust us?” I ask. Kai nods. “Good, so don’t think about him. He won’t hurt you or your family. Promise.”
I’m not sure how exactly we’ll make that happen but both Cole and I know plenty of people who can make sure Kenny is sent back where he belongs. He doesn’t get to torture Kai, not anymore and not ever
.