Page 125 of Havoc

Dad turned off the screen and waved her in. “Of course, Kenna.”

“Kenna, please come in, dear.” Mom smiled.

“Perhaps I should step out,” Elio tucked his phone in his breast pocket.

“Actually, Mr. Capri, I think you might need to hear this too.”

“Please, Kenna,” he inclined his head, “and it’s Elio.” He took his seat, and I waved her to a chair. I was outnumbered.

“I know this is an extremely sensitive topic, and this comes with my deepest respect, but I think I might know who is behind Leo’s killing.”

We all sat in silence as she told the story Yen Hong had described of the organization called Potens. She answered every question we threw at her. I glanced at Elio when she mentioned the crocodile. Now I knew why he was shocked.

A few tears trickled down her cheeks as she pushed on, and the longer she spoke, the more I felt shitty for the way I’d treated her. I’d known what I was doing. I’d pushed her away purposely because I knew she cared for me. I hurt, and I wanted her to hurt like me. The only problem was no one could feel the hurt I felt, because Leo was dead, and I knew it was supposed to be me.

“Elio,” my father addressed him when Kenna finished, “no rock unturned, no door left unopened.”

“I’ll pass the information along.” Elio looked at me, and I gave a nod that I had nothing to add. “I’ll be in touch.” He left.

“Thank you, Kenna.” Mom’s voice caught. “I know that was hard to bring us, but you just gave us a new direction.” Dad put a hand on Kenna’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head then took Mom’s hand and helped her up. He murmured something about going to their suite to be alone.

Once they left and we were alone, Kenna pulled herself together and reached for her purse.

“Kenna.”

“No.” She held up a hand then turned and headed for the door. I pressed a button on the table to lock it. “Grim.”

“Hear me out.”

She whirled with fire in her eyes, and I was glad we were in my suite. If she screamed at me, no one could hear. “No. I did that last night. I gave my body, and fuck me, I even gave you a little of my heart, and where did it get me? A whole lot of nastiness, a kick to the gut, and a knife where it hurt the most.”

“Yeah, I was prick last night,” I admitted.

“Don’t do that.” She stepped close as angry tears pooled in her eyes. “Just because you acknowledge that you’re a prick doesn’t justify your behavior.”

“I wasn’t justifying anything. I was agreeing with you that I was a prick.”

“Are—” She stuck her finger in my face. “You don’t think Leo’s death affected me, too?” Her voice went up. “I worked with him for almost a year before you walked into my life. He was the nice one, the one who actually cared what came out of his mouth. Where you?—”

“I what?”

“You hurt people. Use their own demons to tear them down to join you in your misery. I would never do that to someone I—” She stopped herself.

“You what?”

“No.” She looked away.

“Finish your sentence.” I pressed my chest into hers and towered over her in the way she loved. “Kenna.”

“Cared about.” I could tell those were not the words she wanted to use, but at least she said it.

I threaded my fingers through her hair as my other hand slid up her throat and tilted her chin to look at me. “I do care,” I stumbled over my own confession, “about you.”

“You have a hell of a way of showing that.”

I raised a brow then dipped low to snag her lips. “Let me show you how much I do.”

“No.” She pushed against my chest, but I grabbed her wrists and spun her around to hold her in my arms. My lips pressed to her ear, and she wiggled to get free.

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