Page 117 of Kai
“What if he was deep under the water when the missile hit the plane?” she asked, sharp as ever. “Wouldn’t the water reduce the blast’s impact?”
“The blast radius would have affected everything, including the ocean, but theoretically, there’s a chance the water may have offered some level of protection,” I admitted. “Even if it had, he probably died of his injuries, burned in the fuel spillage, or drowned by now.”
“But—”
“I know what you’re thinking, but the probabilities don’tjustify compromising your safety and breaking cover to recover a dead body.”
“What if he’s not dead?” Cece challenged me with a sweep of her eyebrows. “What if we can get our hands on him, ask him questions, and solve this mystery once and for all?”
“What if he’s dead, but his boss is still looking for us?” I countered. “What if this is a trap designed to draw us out, or to home in onSerenity? What if this afternoon was all for show and Li is lying in wait for us to break cover to nab you or send that helo to kill you?”
“I get this could be a trap,” she admitted with a sigh. “But if I wasn’t here, if you were alone onSerenity,or if your team was on board and you had the same information we have right now; would you go out there and take a look?”
Of course I would, but I refused to answer.
“The answer to my question is yes,” she said. “You’re prioritizing the wrong things.”
“Prioritizing you is my mission,” I bit out.
She flashed a bitter smirk. “If I weren’t here, you’d be on your way to the crash site right now.” She stepped up to me, put her hands on my shoulders, and met my gaze, her blue-silver eyes pleading with me. “This could be the break we need, what Dash is trying to achieve, and our only chance to stop the NWO and maybe even end it.”
Fuck. When she looked at me like that, I turned into pudding. Not to mention that her analysis made all the sense in the world. But I couldn’t compromise her safety. She was my mission, and now, she was also so much more. I had to protect her at all costs.
Shaking my head, I said, “I won’t put your life on the line based on speculation.”
“There’s a chance Levine could be alive.” She straightened to her full height. “Maybe not a big one, but a chance. Maybehe knows where Affie is, or how my father got involved with the NWO, or why they want to kill us and what they’re going to do next. And if there’s the smallest possibility that Levine is still alive, then there’s only one thing left to do.”
“Don’t say it.” I scrubbed my face, dreading what I suspected she was about to suggest. “Please don’t say it.”
She pierced me with her blue eyes. “We need to go looking for him.”
Chapter Thirty-eight
Cece
It took a lot to convince Kai to accept that a nocturnal expedition to the crash site was worth the risk, but then again, I was persuasive, and he’d known all along that my plan made sense. In the end, he’d agreed to take a look.
My triumph was short-lived, given that the jackass refused to let me come along with him. I’d argued with him until I was blue in the face. I understood he wanted to protect me, but the idea of him going alone when I could back him up was utterly ridiculous.
The argument only wasted precious time. He didn’t budge. Eventually, I gave in. He didn’t say this, but I suspected part of his refusal was justified, given that my incipient swimming skills could become a liability to him.
The moment he’d left, navigatingSerenity’s inflatable dinghy, I’d felt sick. My stomach churned like a washing machine. Even after I changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, my belly squeezed and tumbled hour after hour, as I waited for his return, pacing the deck. Obsessed with the idea of nabbing Levine and keeping my sisters safe, had I sacrificed the life of the man I loved?
I hadn’t believed in love before, hadn’t understood the power of that inexplicable connection that bound me to Kai, no matter how different we were from each other or how dire our situation was. Love had wrapped around my soul like a warm blanket. My heart was no longer numb. It was hot and vibrant, alive, even greedier for Kai than my pussy was, and that was saying a lot.
This wasn’t about “hey, look everybody, no-love Cece found a man!” It was about the inner process that had allowed me to ditch my fears and dismantle my walls.
I’d finally found the cure… for my sorrows.
What if I lose him when I just found him?
Drums of doom played in the depths of my mind, a prelude to disaster. The iron band squeezing my chest tightened. What if Kai got hurt while looking for Levine? What if this was a trap, and they had Kai now? What if he didn’t come back?
He’d been gone for several hours. The bad juju churning in my gut got worse with every moment that passed. The stupid tears flooded my eyes again. For a gal who never cried, this was becoming a habit. If something happened to Kai because I’d been a righteous bitch obsessed with finding Affie and protecting my sisters, I would —
The rumble of a small outdoor motor echoing in the night interrupted my despair.
“Please let it be him,” I whispered. “Please, please, please!”
