Page 18 of Rival for Rent
“Of course not. I made sure he got home safe. I tried to convince him it was serious. I even showed him the tear in his tux where the knife went in.”
“Shit.” Dana’s face paled. “This is really serious.”
“That’s not lost on me. But he was determined to brush it off. And then he kicked me out again.”
I tried not to sound petty. Kai didn’t owe me anything, not really. But I’d done everything I could to help him, and he’d still treated me like something Bella had dragged in. Sweet dog. Too bad her human was such a pain in the ass.
“Are you sure he’s okay?” Amir asked. “He texted me this morning, asking why I hadn’t told him your name. Like I was supposed to be psychic and know you guys went to school together. But he didn’t mention getting hurt.”
“If he’s up and texting you like normal, then yeah, he’s probably okay. I’ve seen guys get hurt worse than that and still walk away.I don’t think it was deep. But still.” I turned to Dana. “Did he explain why he wanted a bodyguard? I couldn’t get it out of him.”
“No,” she said slowly. “Jesus, this whole thing is a mess. I figured he was just some rich guy trying to feel important. I never imagined—do you know how much liability this opens us up to? He could sue the hell out of us.”
“He won’t,” Amir said quickly. “He’s not the type.”
“Doesn’t matter if he is or isn’t,” Dana said. “It’s the principle. I really wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay, Dane,” I said. “You couldn’t have known.”
“I still should’ve been more careful.”
I turned back to Amir. “Doyouknow why Kai wanted a bodyguard? He kept saying calling us was a mistake, but if someone’s after him, I don’t think it was.”
Amir looked cagey. “He did tell me…but I’m not sure he’d want me to say anything.”
“Amir, this is serious. Someone tried to hurt him last night. I need to know.”
He grimaced. “Sorry. It’s not personal. But if he didn’t tell you himself, he probably doesn’t want me telling you either.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“That’s Kai.” He shrugged. “You could always ask him yourself.”
“I’m never going to see the guy again,” I said. “He made that clear last night. But I think we need to report this to the police. I’m still not convinced he did.”
“Youcanask him yourself,” Dana said, voice steely, “because youaregoing to see him again.”
“What?”
“You’re going to see him again, and you’re going to apologize.” She folded her arms. “For last night. For high school. Hell, for being born, if that’s what it takes to make sure he doesn’t sue us.”
“I told you, he wouldn’t,” Amir said.
“I don’t care,” Dana said. “This isn’t about whether he will or won’t. It’s the right thing to do.”
Which was how I found myself standing outside Kai’s house that evening, trying to tamp down the hive of bees swarming in my gut. I shook my head. There was no reason to be nervous. But no matter how many times I told myself that, my body wasn’t buying it.
Kai lived in a swanky part of Georgetown. Actually, all of Georgetown was swanky, but his place still stood out—yellow stucco with crisp blue shutters, classic row house style. It shared its south wall with a neighbor, but the north side had a wrought iron gate under an arched brick opening that led to a narrow brick-lined passage between the two houses.
The front yard was small, like all the yards around here. Thick with ivy and pachysandra, with a gnarled Japanese maple twisting up in the middle of it. Right up against the house, a row of irises leaned against the stucco, drooping in the muggy evening air.
It would’ve been easy to blame Dana and say she’d bullied me into coming here. But if I was being honest, I hadn’t liked how things ended last night either. I’d spent all day worrying aboutKai. What if the cut was deeper than I thought? What if it got infected?
Those were the kinds of practical questions I’d learned to ask in the field, when I had to keep my men alive long enough to get them back to base. And sure, this wasn’t the middle of the mountains, and Kai wasn’t exactly bleeding out in the dirt. He was in a wealthy neighborhood in one of the most developed cities on Earth. But that didn’t make me worry less.
Someone was clearly targeting him. Until I knew who and why, I wasn’t going to rest easy. Not until I’d neutralized the threat. Not until I was sure he was safe, and I could walk away from this—and from him.
I took another deep breath, then marched up the front walk and knocked on the blue door.
