Page 4 of Explode
Six months. Six long-ass months had passed since the night my heartdidn’t just crack, but shattered into a million pieces, leaving no hope of it ever being repaired.
It’s funny, when I met Kai Wolfe, the man who changed my life, I’dagreed to his stupid deal to be his for six months. At the end of that time, I was going to walk away with my sister, Angel, and the promise of a better life for her.
Never in my wildest dreams did I consider that I’d fall head over heelsin love with the man, agree to marry him, only to wind up losing him several days later.
In the past six months, I’d lost count of the amount of times I lay inbed wondering what life would have been like if I hadn’t met Kai. Or, if I hadn’t fallen for him, and Angel and I had walked away after our agreement had come to an end.
But I never allowed myself to think how different the last six monthswould have been had Kai survived being shot in the heart by someone he had once considered a friend,a brother.
I focused on my breathing as I punched the pads, watching Miles’footwork as we danced around the garden I trained in. I had several trainers, but Miles was by far the hardest on me.
I wish I could say that after Kai died, I developed superhuman badasspowers that meant I could take on my enemies and bring them all down with a single punch, it simply didn’t happen. What did happen though, was the instant Miles told me Kai was dead, something inside me switched.
If I was honest, the switch was already halfway to being thrown bythat point anyway. I’d lost so many people I cared for thanks to Max fucking Thorne, and that traitorous asshole, Hendrix Becker, and the minute Miles uttered those words, all I could think about was vengeance.
Vengeance for Danny, the man who had become like a brother to meand Angel. For Diana, my old boss who’d died when Hendrix tried to kidnap Angel. For Jacqueline and Thomas, the loyal staff members who’d both tried to stop Hendrix from getting to me, and of course, vengeance for Kai.
The man who stole my heart.
It wasn’t just vengeance though. Until the threat had been dealt with, Icouldn’t risk going near Angel. She was safe, for now at least, living her best life on the other side of the world, and that’s where she would stay for the foreseeable.
I hadn’t once seen or signed to my sister in the time that had passed.I knew the second I saw her, I’d want to walk away from everything Miles and I had planned. Miles was in contact with the security team protecting her, but I’d told him that unless something happened to her, I didn’t need to know how she was doing. I didn’t even speak to her on Christmas Day, the first time ever, and that wounded me deeper than any knife could.
Instead, all the anger and pain I was feeling at the loss of Angel andKai, I used it to keep me focused on the one goal Miles and I had in mind.
Kill Max and Hendrix and take back Hollows Bay.
In truth, I didn’t give a shit who ruled Hollows Bay. As far as I wasconcerned, I was going to help Miles take back the city, and as soon as the gruesome twosome were dead, Miles could do what he wanted with it. Angel and I would disappear, start a new life, and figure out a way to live without Kai.
But apparently, it didn’t work like that.
A few nights after Kai died, I’d told Miles that as soon as I helped himtake back Hollows Bay, he wouldn’t see me for dust. That was when he dropped the bomb.
On the evening of our wedding, while Kai was waiting for me to makean appearance so we could exchange our vows, he’d told Miles that if anything were to happen to him, he wanted to leave everything to me.
And I mean everything.
Including Hollows Bay.
Of course, the asshole didn’t bother telling me that part when I said ‘Ido.’ If he’d told me he planned on making me his heir to Hollows Bay if anything happened to him, I would have thought twice about going ahead with the wedding. But then, that’s why he hadn’t told me, because he knew damn well what I’d say.
Despite the seriousness with how Miles delivered the news, and thefact I was grieving for my dearly departed husband, I’d doubled over laughing. But laughter turned to tears when Miles didn’t laugh with me, and I realized he was being serious.
Deadly serious.
Tears turned to anger. Anger at Kai’s stupidity. Anger at the fact hehad made such an important decision on a whim. Anger at him for fucking dying in the first place. Miles watched helplessly as I smashed up the hotel room we were holed up in after getting out of Hollows Bay hours after Kai died.
After that, I sat in stunned silence for hours until I came to theconclusion that it didn’t matter whether I was destined to rule Hollows Bay or not.
It wasnevergoing to happen.
I was a runaway pole dancer until I met Kai, I hadn’t been brought upin the life Kai and Miles had, and I certainly didn’t have visions of ruling a goddamn city.
It was an insane idea.
When I finally found my words again, I told Miles that I didn’t give afuck what Kai had left to me, as soon as the dickhead duo were dealt with, I’d pass the reins to him. Miles clasped my shoulder and said we’d talk about it another day.
We’d ignored the elephant in the room ever since then.
