Page 6 of Come Alive
“I know. I have known for a while how it affects you. Seeing yourself. Yara, I don’t want to stay behind. You believe that, don’t you? That I wouldn’t be away from you if I had a choice?”
Inclining my head, I examined his face.
Kazi was nervous, anxiety whitening his face, his lips rolling between his teeth.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Is this related to what you and Mateo need to tell me?”
Kazi took one of my hands, squeezing it in both of his. He pressed a kiss to the top. “Miss Yara, I am not a free man.Yet. But I promise you, when all is said and done, I will be yours and yours alone. That is all I can tell you, but I promise—Ipromise—no matter what happens, I will return to you.”
His words had the opposite effect than I think he intended, snakes slithering down my spine. It wasn’t hard to guess that Mateo was connected tonefariousorganizations, that by proxy, Kazi must be too.
“Are you going to be hurt?”
Kazi breathed out heavily. “I am not sure. But I will be left alive.”
Left alive.
A full body shiver wracked through me. I didn’t want him to get hurt. I didn’t want this to happen. But I trusted Kazi to know what he could and couldn’t handle, whether I liked it or not.
“Okay. Book Mateo and I a flight back to California?” I swapped to my typical bossy tone I used with Kazi. Wrapping myself back up together in a neat tight bow, stomping down my concerns and anxieties.
“Of course.” Kazi sighed. “I don’t deserve you.”
“You don’t,” I snorted sarcastically. “But now you’re stuck with me. All of my spicy brain included.”
I didn’t wait for his reply, wrenching open the door and marching into the main part of the hotel room.
Mateo stood with his arms crossed against the door to the hallway, bulging muscles on full display, stretching his dark shirt. Our unasked-for guard.
“Scary.” I marched up to him, poking a finger into his chest. “You cursed me!”
“Mija?” Mateo angled his head down at me, not reacting otherwise.
“I’m pregnant, you fucking idiot. You justhadto say something about it, didn’t you? I fucked a man with a vasectomy, a condom, and while on the pill. I’m a walking science experiment!”
Mateo’s mouth opened, his arms falling lamely to his sides. “Pregnant?”
“Yes! Like I said, you fucki—”
He swept forward, his muscular arms wrapping around me. His head falling into my neck, his hot breath tickling the skin there. “My child.”
“Did you not hear the part on the vasectomy, the condom, and—”
“Mychild,” Mateo growled louder. “Mine.”
Wriggling, I managed to wedge my hands between us, pushing him back. “Honestly, I fucking hope it’s either yours or Kazi’s. Because having a child and it being Izzy’s sister? Not sure how well that would go over.”
Mateo’s eyes were darker than I had ever seen them, churning in promise.
“Mateo?” Concern filtered into my voice.
“Flight is booked.” Kazi walked up, wrapping an arm around me, tugging me into his side before releasing me.
“Flight?” Mateo was clearly confused by that. Mateo and Kazi appeared to have a silent conversation before Mateo continued, “Ah, you’re staying behind. I’ll keep our pregnant woman safe from any troubles that may arise. But we need to discuss our future with…” He cast a glance towards me.
“With your super-secret scary gang?” It was easier to fuck with Mateo than to think about what I had just learned. To examine my feelings. To put a microscope to how much I was looking forward to seeing James again. How much I had missed him. How I wanted more than anything for him to be a part of my life.
Izzy’s dad.
