Page 132 of Pawn's in the Bishop's Game (Checkmate 1)

When Kane is mad, Kane is at his best.

I met him a little more than a week ago, and yet, my heart is invested.

Stupid silly heart.

Our relationship has been at the tip of an adrenaline surge since the moment we met. We haven’t had a single day ofnormal,so everything we feel, everything we do, everything we are is tinged with desperation and adrenaline andwhat ifs.

What if this is all we get?

What if he gets hurt for Abel?

What if he never comes back to me?

What if we never get to experience the normal phase of life?

But worst of all, what if Alex’s raid tonight nets Kane and sends him to prison? A part of me hopes that’s exactly what happens. Arrested and locked up by Alex will keep Kane safe.

I would fight for him.

I’d fight for his freedom.

I’d rather fight my brother for his freedom than fight Abel.

But the other part of me knows Kane won’t go. He said he’d die first, and I take his words literally. Everything he does is literal, to the point, and scarily accurate. He would provoke my brother and force a bullet into his body before he allows Alex to escort him to the cruiser.

Oh my God.

“Yeah, well…” Laine’s shrug scares me from my thoughts and back to reality. She brings my palm closer to her face. Pressing the tips of my fingers against her plump lips – lips exactly the same as mine – she sniffles and brings my worry full circle. “Graham’s mad is different. Sometimes it’s… hard to live with.”

“How do you mean?” When the angle is just right, I catch sight of her tear-filled blue eyes in the moonlight. “Hey.” Sitting up, I pull my sister up with rough hands. “Why are you crying, Laine? What do you mean?”

Her breath hitches and breaks my heart. “Jessie…” Cupping her mouth, she catches her cry and muffles the sound. The giant dog at the end of the bed pops her head up with curiosity. “I just… I think I need to break up with Graham.”

“And you’re sad? Because he’s a douche anyway. No one likes him.”

She chokes on a watery laugh and wipes tears from her cheek. “Yeah. He’s a bit of a douche. I think I need to leave him.”

“So it’s done. Hey.” I slide my palm across her cheek and wipe away the torrent of tears. “It’s done. You said the magic words, so now it’s done. You broke up.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Yes, it is, Laine.” I take her hands. “Yes, it is. It’s that easy. You still live at the apartment. Don’t even bother going back to his place. I’ll replace your shampoo or undies or whatever you left there. You’re not married, so we have no legal mess to unjumble. You’re not pregnant, so we– Oh my God! You’re not pregnant, are you?”

“No!” She smacks my thigh. “I’m not pregnant. But Graham’s… he won’t be happy that I want to leave. He’ll be mad.”

“Who cares if he’s mad? He’s allowed to have a tantrum, but he can do it on his side of town. You can stay on ours. Do you want him dead? Because I might know someone…”

“Ha.” She lets out a nervous laugh and misses the truth in my words.

I don’t even recognize myself in the easy way I threaten someone’s life. It’s not the same as when I threaten Luc with a frying pan to the head. That’s a joke. He might cop the pan, but I wouldn’t actually kill him. But now, frying pan in hand, everything feels different. I have more clarity. Everything is much more real.

And I meant what I said.

“Laine… You need to leave him. If he makes you unhappy, leave. You’re sitting on Brat’s spare bed and crying, that means he makes you unhappy. Do you remember when Jack pissed Britt off? You gave her this giant speech about how men are supposed to treat women, and how she deserves more than that, and then you went on to lie and tell him she was dating Luc?”

With a soft giggle, she nods. “I remember. I was so mean to him.”

“Right. Find that girl again! Find that sass, break up with the McDouche, then come back to family dinner.”

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