Page 90 of Rise of the King (Checkmate 5)

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Kane

“What do you need me to do?” Jess closes my office door with a silent snick and turns, only to gasp when I storm forward and wrap her in my arms. “Hey.” She holds me up when I can’t do it on my own, runs her nails through my hair, and presses gentle kisses to the side of my neck. “It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

“This isn’t real. And if it is, then I just hurt my baby brother.”

“Now you know how I felt when you came home, huh?” I canfeelher smile, but it does nothing to ease the pain in my heart. “It’s okay to be angry for a minute. It’s okay to be distrusting.”

“He’s got a fucking scar on his forehead, Jessie. He was hurt real bad.”

“And now look at him: he looks strong; his eyes are clear; he’s standing tall, and he’s holding that chick the way you hold me when you’re trying to be a caveman.”

“No.” I shake my head and repeat my denials. “This isn’t real; it can’t be. Maybe we’re all dead. Maybe we all died at Infernos back in November.”

“I sure hope not,” she whispers. Pushing me back, she cups my face and shows me eyes full of tears. But her smile… She’s smiling. “I learned a long time ago that dead doesn’t necessarily mean forever. You were dead. Riley died. Jay died. But somehow you all came back again.”

“He’s my little brother, Jess.”

“And now he’s stronger than ever,” she counters with a shaky voice. “Junkies don’t look how he looks. Junkies are skinny, weak, and sickly. He’s strong, and broad, and brave. His skin is clear, and his words aren’t slurred.”

“I hit my baby brother.”

She shrugs. “He probably deserved it. He admitted to glitching your security, so that’s worthy of a fist to the face. This is good news, babe. He’s back, and he’s our security breach. The world isn’t ending.”

Instead of acknowledging her wisdom, I drop my weight and drag her to the floor. I can’t stand any longer. I can’t do anything but crumble under the pressure in my chest, so I sink to my ass, bend my knees, and purge against her chest for my dead baby brother who may have risen again.

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