Page 8 of Come Alive
But sometimes life leaves you with more questions than answers. Without any choices. Without any control.
And sometimes…you just have to march through one door and hope it leads you to a better future.
Mateo’s large hand found mine. Interlacing our fingers, he brought my hand up to his lips, offering a gentle kiss, his beard tickling my skin. “Kazi is doing the best he can.”
We stepped into the elevator, and turning, I shut my eyes. It was the only way to contain the tears that threatened to burn their way out.
But I wouldn’t cry. Not here, not now. I hadn’t for longer than I could remember, and I knew when they came next, I wouldn’t be able to stop the breakdown being held at bay.
I heard loud shouting from the direction of our room.
“No! Go the fuck away!”
Kazi.
My eyes whipped open, but before I could react, Mateo grabbed hold of me, wrapping an arm around me, keeping me in place.
The elevator door sealed shut.
Chapter 4
Kazi
“Open the door!” The loud words came from Kazi’s left. The adjoining hotel doors.
“No! Go the fuck away!” Kazi yelled back. He lowered his voice realizing his mistake. “I told you I don’t want any part of this.”
“Right. Fucking.Now.” Emilio’s voice turned cool.
Kazi tightened his hand into a fist, the other reaching for the adjoining door. As soon as he opened it, Emilio was on him.
Dropping them to the ground, the air whooshed from Kazi’s lungs, his vision blurring.
Emilio glared down at him, a knife pressing into Kazi’s neck. “What changed? We agreed. I will release you after tomorrow night.”
Kazi screwed his eyes shut, ignoring the cool metal digging into his skin. “She’s pregnant, Emilio. Yara is pregnant.”
The weight was lifted off of Kazi as Emilio jumped to his feet.
“You are all idiots,” Emilio stated.
Kazi focused his attention on the man standing over him, offering him a hand. He didn’t want to take it.
But he did.
Emilio. His boss. The leader of this town. The head of theirfamily.In the flesh. His cool caramel eyes flickered with annoyance.
“I’m going to the reunion, I want to seehertonight. To make sure nothing happens. This town is filled with scum.”
Kazi didn’t dare react to the humor he found in Emilio’s words. The irony. “You can’t hurt her.”
Emilio’s gaze sharpened, his lips lifting to bare his teeth as he straightened, posturing over Kazi. “You do not dare tell me what to do. You had one fucking job. Keep her best friend safe.”
“Yara is safe,” Kazi whispered uneasily. Emilio had always terrified Kazi, but beneath it was a deep respect. Gratitude. Kazi would be dead if it weren’t for Emilio. And they both knew it.
“She’s not.” Emilio regarded him with a long intense gaze. “There is more going on behind the scenes than I originally suspected. I have to confirm, but Mateo needs to stay by Yara’s side.”
Anxiety expanded in Kazi’s lungs, threatening to suffocate him. “And James?”
