Page 9 of Kai
“Please don’t,” he said as his capable fingers flipped the gun’s safety off. “I hear you’re a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and quite capable of kicking ass. I’m here to help.”
Before I could make my next move, he checked the mag, chambered a bullet, and settled the weapon on the desk, next to me, but pointing away from us. He seemed impervious to the shock that kept my brain from functioning and me in my fighting stance.
“Your gun is chambered and ready to fire,” he informed me in that quiet, silky, nearly hypnotic voice of his. “Please be careful. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
He didn’t want me to hurt myself?What about him? He wasn’t making any sense. Was he crazy? He’d just put himself in mortal danger by returning my weapon, loaded no less.
“Better?” Showing me his palms, facing me all the way, he backed up to the threshold and resumed his relaxed pose, leaving me blinking like a fool, frozen in my defensive stance, and unable to understand anything. “That’s a live weapon on the desk. You can shoot me if you need to do so, but if my opinion counts, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
My lips rounded into a soundless big “oh,” and then an also soundless little “oh.” I gaped like a guppy out of water. It occurred to me he’d disarmed me and risked my black belt only to arm me properly.
Who the hell does that?And how the fuck did he know I was trained in the martial arts?
I looked from the gun to the man. Easing my fighting stance, I lowered my hand and fingered the weapon. I didn’t pick it up, even though I knew I should. He was totally chill, and yet, he was also stronger and taller than me. At five seven and a half, I was tall by female standards, but he easily towered over me by at least six inches.
“Cersi Astor.” The sound of my name startled me. Coming from his lips, it sounded soft, kind, almost pretty. “I’m pleased to meet you.”
“I doubt that,” I tossed out defiantly. “Especially once Ikick your ass and throw you out the window.”
“I get your reaction.” He lifted his wide shoulders and let them drop. “But violence between us is unnecessary.”
Who the hell said stuff like that?
And why?
I took in the man all over again. Encased in his wetsuit, his body showcased the classic proportions of an Olympic swimmer. He was broad at the shoulders, narrow at the waist, with a flat stomach and supple, well-defined biceps. He braced on strong thighs that stacked above muscular calves, and a pair of neoprene booties that enhanced the power of his stance. And those bow-shaped lips that curved up way too often? How would they feel during a purely experimental kiss?
What the fuck are you doing, Astor? Did your brain rot in five seconds?
“I’mnotCersi Astor.” I hissed like Medusa and all her snakes. “I’m not that person.”
“Yes, you are.” He pushed off from the wall and stood to his full height. “Pardon my rush, but our time is short and we don’t have the luxury of playing games or telling lies.”
“Fine.” I braced against the desk, my hand lingering by the gun. “Then get the fuck out.”
“You’re Cersi Astor, the second-born daughter of Richard Astor,” he said evenly. “You’ve been hiding from your father for over three years. I’m not here on his behalf, but you need to know that several tangos have landed on this island and are on their way to this lighthouse with orders to capture or kill you on sight. We need to leave right now.”
“W-what?”I couldn’t make sense of anything he said.“T-tangos?”
“I’m told you’re brilliant, so I’m not gonna beat around the bush,” he continued in that quiet voice that made my stomach flutter so oddly. “My name is Kai King. I’m a MarineRaider who now works for Dash Dagger.”
“Dash?”I breathed. “OurDash? Oh, my God! He’s back?”
“Yes,yourDash, and yes, he’s back,” he went on as if he weren’t shattering my world with his every word. “Your sisters sent me to find you. Your father was murdered.”
“Murdered?”I hated my poor excuse for a father, but murder? “What the fuck?”
“The assassin who ordered your father’s death has pledged—and I quote—‘to wipe his seed from the face of the earth.’” He pointed a blunt-tipped finger at me. “That would be you. And your sisters as well.”
“My sisters?” The air refused to inflate my lungs.
“Your sisters,” he repeated. “The mercs charged with your abduction and/or murder are on their way here. We have…” He glanced down at his mission watch. “Fifteen minutes max to get out of this place.”
My legs gave out, and my ass hit the chair. I stared at the man who’d called himself Kai King and tried to process. He worked for Dash. My sisters had sent him. Someone had murdered Father, and there were bad guys coming my way. Either I’d gone off my rocker or my world had become even more dangerous than before.
I managed a ragged breath. A raging river of questions flooded my mind. I opened my mouth and discovered that my throat was so dry I couldn’t ask them. In the end, I raised my chin and, keeping the gun within reach, defied everything he had just said. “I don’t believe you.”
“Ah, yes, I’ve heard you’re the skeptical type, not to mention belligerent—”
