Page 113 of Prey

“Old?” Dominic asked. “I’m only five years older than you.”

I tried not to show my surprise. He was only thirty-seven? I knew he looked young, but I didn’t realize he actually was.

I was sure Kai was around my age.

A quick math in my head told me Dominic probably had Kai at fourteen or fifteen.

Kai met my eyes, smirking a little.

“I think I heard your old bones cracking the other day, getting on your bike,” Roman joked.

“Don’t worry, old or not, I can still kick your ass to remind you who’s in charge.”

At this point, I didn’t know if they were still joking.

I decided not to worry about it, considering I knew Roman could take care of himself.

“They’re always like this,” Kai said to me.

I nodded.

“Congratulations, by the way,” I said. I hadn’t forgotten the reason for the party in the first place.

He offered me an arrogant smile, making him look so much like his dad, I had to look away for a second.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked.

He cocked his head to the side.

“Why did you go to college if you knew you were going to end up, uh,workingfor your dad?”

“Because my boy is damn brilliant,” Dominic interrupted, having heard our conversation. I looked over at him, and he added, “And I wouldn’t let him pledge until after he graduated. He needed to decide what he wanted to do with his life, and he needed to be sure, because once you’re in, you’re fucking in for life. There’s no leaving.”

I nodded, looking down at the table.

I hadn’t realized Dominic wanted to give Kai a choice with his life.

For the second time that night, I found myself comparing Dominic and Kai’s relationship to my parents and mine, and once again, I found my parents lacking.

What did it say, then, about my dad’s hatred for the King’s Men MC? He always told me they were the ones in the wrong, but I was beginning to think… I didn’t much agree with him.

* * *

I was drunk.

Happy drunk.

Roman was off somewhere with his brother and Dominic, though I knew he was close by.

Close enough that he could keep an eye on me.

As for me, I was sitting at the bar top with Kai, who I got along with surprisingly well.

He was a little abrasive, a little angry, and a little defensive, but he was genuine, and drunk me found him pretty funny too.

Kai laughed when he took in my flushed cheeks.

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