Page 105 of Explode
“Is it really over?” Riley whispered, her voice hoarse.
I turned to her and cupped her face, my eyes landing on her split lipand bruised cheek. The need to bring Hendrix back to life and kill him all over again was all-consuming. But as a tear slid down my Star’s face, I brushed it away, reminding myself the fucker was dead and he’d never be able to hurt her again.
I kissed the top of her head before meeting her beautiful eyes. “Yeah,baby, it’s really over.”
Chapter 30
Riley
‘Weneedtogo,’I signed to Angel, who was ignoring me. Instead,she was stroking Edgar’s nose, beaming at the stallion like she couldn’t believe he was here. In fairness to her, she’d gone weeks without seeing her best friend, as she called him, so I wasn’t surprised that dragging her away from the beast was hard work.
I had a feeling I’d be spending a lot of time at the stables with her inthe coming days. As much as she couldn’t believe he was here, I couldn’t believeshewas here.
But we needed to go. Kai had a surprise for me, and I’d promisedwe’d be back by now. Moving to stand in front of my sister, I folded my hands across my chest and glared at her. Still, she refused to look at me.
It would have been a hell of a lot easier to get her attention had sheagreed to have the cochlear implant, but when the little brat arrived back in Hollows Bay a few weeks ago, and Kai offered to pay for the procedure, she announced she had changed her mind. She claimed she liked being deaf so she didn’t have to listen to dickheads.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The whole damn reason I’dagreed to Kai’s deal in the first place was so she could get the cochlear implant she so badly wanted, although knowing Kai like I did now, he would have found something else to blackmail me with.
‘We can come back tomorrow,’I signed when she eventually lookedat me. Her bottom lip jutted out, and her eyes filled with tears, making my heart crack down the middle.
“I can stay with her if you like, Mrs. Wolfe. I’ll bring her back whenshe’s ready,” Dean said. He was Angel’s personal bodyguard, and one of the few men Kai had working for him who knew ASL.
He’d been assigned by Kai after Ash recommended him. He wasex-military, and Ash had wanted to recruit him as an Apollo mercenary, but Dean hadn’t wanted to go into that line of work. He was a good man, and both Kai and I trusted him with Angel implicitly.
“Are you sure?” I asked. Knowing Angel, she’d be out here all night.
“Absolutely, it’s no problem,” he replied, a kind smile playing on hislips.
I only had to take one look at Angel with her arms now aroundEdgar’s neck to make my decision. Giving my sister a kiss on the head, I said goodbye to the two of them and headed out of the stables, passing Tyler, Angel’s other bodyguard who was checking the perimeter. The second I walked out, I was flanked by James and Adam, my own bodyguards.
I was still getting used to having the two guys follow me everywhereany time I left the house, and there were moments, like now, when it felt like overkill. But it made Kai feel better knowing both Angel and I had protection when he wasn’t with us, and really it was a small price to pay.
Besides, the emotional scars Hendrix and Max had left behind werestill raw, and I never wanted to find myself in a position of vulnerability again, and I certainly didn’t want anything to happen to Angel. But with the life we now lived, there would always be a risk, so if having bodyguards meant keeping us that little bit safer, then so be it.
Adam opened the door to the car. I got in and settled in the backfor the short ride home.
In the days after Kai killed Hendrix, we moved back to Hollows Bayand into Kai’s childhood home. I thought it would be weird living in the house Max Thorne had claimed for himself, but it wasn’t. The minute I walked through the door, it felt right. It was the place where Kai and I declared our love for each other, and the place where Theo was buried.
It was our home.
A place where we would make happy memories as a family nowAngel had returned from Spain. Miles had also moved into the house with us and had taken Angel under his wing. He was teaching her all about hacking and coding, something I wasn’t overly impressed with, but it made my sister happy, and that was all I ever wanted for her.
The house was nestled on the edge of the forest overlooking the city,and as we drove along the roads that would take me back to Kai, I stared out the window, catching sight of the city below.
Two months had passed since the night Kai killed Hendrix. Twomonths of Kai working his ass off to repair the damage Hendrix had caused. For the most part, people were pleased Kai had returned from the dead. It transpired Hendrix was a lousy businessman.
He’d made people’s lives a misery, and had fucked up not just Kai’scriminal businesses, but his legitimate ones too. He’d lost contracts, and therefore hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it took Kai a lot of time and effort to rebuild his enterprise.
But Kai was nothing if not determined, and gradually, associatescame back to him. Two months later, businesses were booming, and Kai was once again King of Hollows Bay, and I was right by his side. Kai kept me involved in all his business plans. Not that I had the first clue what I was doing, but under his guidance, I was learning.
Slowly.
As James turned into the driveway, a cop car pulled out, and thedriver held his hand up in acknowledgment. I waved back to Graham, the new Chief of Police. He’d taken up the position after Kai visited the Mayor, and told him in no uncertain terms that if he ever dared go against the Wolfe name again, he wouldn’t live to see another day.
The Mayor knew he’d fucked up by giving Max the job in the firstplace, regardless if he knew Max wasn’t a real cop at the time, so he was only too happy to make amends with Kai.
Now Graham had finally got the position he’d been after for so long,he chilled the hell out. He was a good ally to have on side, turning a blind eye when Kai needed to bring in a shipment of weapons or drugs. He’d also started providing Kai with intel, such as which cops could be trusted, and if any gang members from other cities were trying to sell product on our streets.
