Page 92 of Kai
“Nope,” he assured me. “He almost died.”
I sank my face into my hands, then looked at him through my splayed fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me thisbeforeI was a royal bitch to Javier?”
“You didn’t ask, and I thought you’d want to hear the story directly from Missy.”
“Yup.” I threw my hands in the air and let them drop with a huff. “I’m a horrible person.”
“You’renota horrible person,” he countered. “Youwanted to protect Missy.”
It was my turn to cock my eyebrows at him. “You caught on to that, huh?”
“Being pretty doesn’t mean I’m dumb.” He teased me with a smile.
My lips curved up. This guy actually got me, and he didn’t seem to hold a grudge for long. Or at all. I huffed. Shame he couldn’t fall for me. Not that I could blame him.
“Guzman has been in the dumps since Nix died,” Kai said.
“That makes two of us.”
“But Missy changed that for him.”
“If anyone could pull someone out of a pit of despair, she’d be the one.”
“Just give the guy a chance.”
I expelled a gigantic sigh. “Okay.”
“Okay?” He broadened his smile. “You mean it?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll give him a chance, but if he—”
“Thank you.” He put his arm around my shoulders. “Question. Were you planning on giving me a heart attack or were you just now flirting with the water?”
“The only water flirt here is you. You love it. I suspect you have gills hidden somewhere. Based on what I’ve seen, you hide them in your ass crack.”
He burst out laughing. “That would be weird, not to mention unsanitary.”
“True.” I shrugged. “No gills then, but the ocean loves you.”
“I don’t know about that…”
This was the second time he had said something along those lines. I turned my head and was shocked to spot the sadness that dimmed his eyes.
“Kai?” I scooted around and sat facing him, knees to knees. “What happened?”
“I wanted to tell you, but…” He looked away.
“Whatever it is, I can handle it,” I said. “Please. Give me a chance to handle it.”
He swept his gaze over the cove. His eyes gained a distant glimmer. My stomach roiled, and suddenly I wished I hadn’t asked. Although I’d dealt with a lot of shit in my life, I wasn’t sure I could handle the storm darkening Mr. Sunshine’s gaze. I felt more than saw the spike of sorrow I’d so carelessly dug out of him.
Yeah. I was gonna die a bitch.
***
Kai
The time of my reckoning had arrived. I felt it in my bones. It was now or never, and never was the option that cut me off from Cece for good. I took a deep breath, called on my guts to rise to the occasion, and charged forward like a platoon running toward the fight.
