Page 53 of Explode
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” I replied.
“No, it’s not. If you want to get back to Forest Point, you’re going tohelp us.”
“Or what?” I challenged, folding my arms.
“Christ,” Ash said in resignation. “Good to know you both listened tome.”
“You want to play this game, wife?” Kai said, ignoring Ash andglaring daggers at me.
“Let me guess, if I don’t help you, you’ll take away the securityprotecting Angel?” I raised a brow and folded my arms across my chest.
“No, I wouldn’t do that to her,” he replied, but then a smirk graced hisannoyingly handsome face. “But your friend, Kendra, seems to have adjusted to her new life of luxury quite well, it’d be a shame to take that away from her.”
His words were a reminder of Hendrix’s threat when he used her asbait to lure me out of the panic room, and the anger bubbling underneath me threatened to burst out of me like a volcanic eruption. “Low fucking blow, Kai.”
He shrugged a shoulder, and with his cold eyes staring back at me, itwas a stark reminder of who Kai was when he wasn’t showering me with his love and affection. “Do you really want to find out?”
I paused. I wouldn’t put it past Kai to stick to his word, and as weglowered at each other, resignation washed over me. He’d pull the plug on the funds I was using to keep Kendra safe if it meant he got to keep me by his side, and where would that leave her? Unprotected and at risk, and I didn’t want that on my conscience.
Like many times since my path collided with Kai, I was in a position where I had no damn choice but to do what he wanted.
For now, at least. When we got back to Forest Point and I could getaway from him, I would figure out what in the fuck I was going to do.
Tension hung in the air as Ash looked between Kai and me before Isighed heavily. “What do you need me to do?”
Kai’s smirk turned into a look of triumph making my fists clench by mysides. The sooner we got on with things, whatever they were, the sooner we could leave this fucking place, and I could get away from my asshole of a husband.
Chapter 16
Kai
Theneighborhoodweweredriving through had seen better days. Itwas clear that poverty was rife in this part of the town. But Leonard Jenkins hadn’t fared well in life, so it was a miracle he could afford somewhere to live in the first place.
The old man had lost everything in the fire that claimed his and theBrowns homes years ago. Sadly for him, he hadn’t bothered to pay his home insurance so was left penniless. It was only because he’d been at work at the time of the fire that he walked away with his life.
The Browns weren’t so lucky.
Ash stopped the car a few blocks down from the house Leonardresided in, and I twisted in the seat to look at Riley who had been quiet for the entire journey. Meeting my eyes, I saw the anger still bubbling under her skin.
I got it. Of course I did. I wasn’t stupid enough to think Riley wouldhave welcomed me with open arms once the truth set in, but was I hoping her love for me would have snuffed out the anger by now?
Yes, yes I fucking was.
The logical part of my brain knew Ash was right. I needed to give herspace to come to terms with everything, and let her come back to me the way she had done when she went to France. The problem was, Riley hadn’t been my wife then. As much as I believed she was mine at the time, I didn’t have a claim on her.
But now I did.
Riley could demand all the time and space she needed, but shewasn’t going anywhere. She was my fucking wife, and when she returned from France, I promised her that if she ever tried leaving me again, I would end her, and then myself so I could follow her into the afterlife.
Well, I’d since been to the afterlife, and it was fucking miserable. Asmuch as my heart was beating in the six months we were apart, I lived every day in hell without her, and there was no way I was returning. So my beautiful wife would just have to suck it up because she wasn’t going anywhere.
But my stubborn Star was fighting a battle against herself. I saw itevery time she spat her venomous words at me because as soon as she said something spiteful, she immediately regretted it, knowing it would hurt me.
And I’d seen it in her eyes when she saw my scars for the first time.They’d filled with a mix of emotions- concern for me, anger for those who had caused them, relief that I was breathing, and love. Love had shone the brightest until she remembered she was pissed at me.
That’s why I had to push a little bit harder. Push her to purge theanger so she could let herself feel the love I knew was inside her. We’d come close earlier when she snapped and told me the doctor shouldn’t have bothered resuscitating me after the first attempt. I knew she didn’t mean it, and if it hadn’t been for Ash interjecting, I would have pushed her a little bit harder and gotten her to break.
It was a cuntish thing to do, but I never hid who I was from her, andone way or another, I’d make her see that her place was by my side.
