Page 118 of Kai
Squinting into the darkness, I wiped the tears from my eyes, cocked my head, and relied on sound rather than sight to track his approach. Or someone else’s approach. Recalling Kai’s warnings, I slipped my gun out of my right pocket, and this time around, disengaged the safety.
Kai had drilled a range of scenarios into me before he left. The NWO’s mercs were a bunch of cunning assholes. I had to be prepared to deal with their nasty tricks. Kai had been concerned about the prospect of someone trying to impersonate him while he was away. He’d also made sure I had my gun ready. So, I was ready to put a lot of holes into someone who wasn’t Kai.
If the NWO showed up without Kai whole and hale, I had resources. I patted the remote control in my left pocket. Not only did I have the means to blow our enemies to pieces, but Kai hadalso given me access to Bellator, so I could secure my way out. Not that I would ever leave without him.
Somewhere near the reef, the little motor went quiet. Moving my lips, I counted twenty seconds in my head. “Eighteen Mississippi. Nineteen Mississippi—”
The motor rumbled to life. Holding my breath, I began the same countdown again. Twenty seconds later, it quit. Another twenty seconds of silence ended with the motor igniting again. A grateful exhale escaped me.
This was our pre-arranged signal. In response, I flickered the blue lights that illuminatedSerenity’s aft stairs and left them on. I spotted the dinghy as it navigated the last of the reef and emerged from the shadows.
In the night, the cove’s tranquil waters churned like white streamers behind the little boat’s outboard motor. I couldn’t make out the face of the person manning the tiller yet, so I went down the steps and stood on the swimming platform, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. My racing pulse betrayed my anxiety. I gripped the gun so tight that the metal bit into my palm.
Whether it was my fear or my love that reached out to seek Kai’s aura, I didn’t know, but a wave of relief washed over me when Kai’s aura replied. It ignited, radiant, soothing, and familiar, a gift to my eyes, a song to my ears, and reassurance to my soul.
Every muscle in my body unclenched at the sight of his cobalt and gold glow. I lifted my head to the stars and whispered, “Thank you,mahalo, thank you.”
With Kai’s identity confirmed, his aura disappeared. I clicked on my safety and stuffed the gun in my pocket. “You took forever!” I exclaimed when he was finally close enough that I could make out his face. “Much longer than we planned! I was so worried.”
“Aloha, Sorceress.”
His face looked pale as it reflected the blue light, but his smile appeased the turmoil within me. The band around my chest gave some. I felt as though I could breathe again. Deftly maneuvering the tiller, he brought the dinghy abreast. I secured its mooring rope toSerenitywhile he did the same at the back.
A glance into the rubber hull showed me only black. It sucked that after taking the risk, he hadn’t found Levine, but in that moment, I didn’t care. Kai was back. He was safe. Everything was going to be all right.
Kai straddled the inflatable gunwales and stepped onto the deck. I launched into his arms and squeezed him tightly. His hair and his neoprene suit dripped with water, and my smile dimmed when I spotted the wince on his face.
I reached out and cradled the side of his face. “Are you hurt?”
“I’ll be fine.” He planted a quick kiss on my mouth.
“You don’t look fine.” I assessed the dark smudges beneath his eyes. “You’re exhausted.”
He gave me a rueful grin. “Not gonna argue with truth.”
“I’m sorry that you did all that work for nothing—”
“For nothing?” He reached down into the dinghy and tossed the tarp aside to show me the burly figure curled up on the hull, zip-cuffed, and tied up like a hog.
My mouth fell open. “You mean…?”
“You were right, Cece. The asshole survived. I found him half-dead, clinging to some debris.”
For a moment there, I just gawked at the unconscious merc, processing his capture, having a hard time believing my eyes. Then it struck me. Our plan had worked!
“You got him!” I launched at Kai and hugged him again. “You’re freaking amazing!”
His chuckles rang in my ear, and his arms came aroundmy waist, but I noticed he flinched a little.
I drew back, and cupping his face with my hands, studied his features. “Did he give you trouble?”
“He almost flipped the dinghy.” Kai nudged his chin toward the oblivious merc sloshing at the bottom of the boat. “We exchanged some hard blows.”
My temper flared. “That motherfucker—”
“I had to knock him senseless,” Kai continued. “Then I had to inject him with a heavy dose of sedatives to make sure he didn’t attack again. The meds should keep him down for a long while, and the hassle was worth it to find what you so fiercely wanted.”
“The only person I fiercely want is you.” I lifted on my toes and brushed my lips over his. “Your life is not worth his.”
