One of Nolan’s brows lifted. He tilted his head and studied me. “You did send her back home, right?”
I stared at him blankly. “You have to send her back home.” This time the mirth on his face faded and he straightened his stance. “Don’t let your obsession with this girl cloud your judgment, Kairus. She was a placeholder until a debt was paid and now it has been paid. If you keep letting your personal shit impact your actions, the business will crumble.”
My jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it. Nolan sounded a lot like my dad right now. The urge to punch him in the face pulled at me.
“My actions won’t affect shit. This is bigger than business,” I responded tightly.
His eyes cut into slits, his mouth pinched. “You, you’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?”
When I didn’t respond he tossed his hands up before running them down his face. “Damnit, Kairus. I thought this was all just a damn game to you. A twisted way to antagonize her dad to speed up his repayment, but you’ve gone and fallen for the bitch.”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” I gritted, creeping toward him. My pulse picked up.
“No. You need to get your shit together! We didn’t come this far for it all to be fucked up because you want to fall in love with a girl you kidnapped. Do you think that’ll end good? She could ruin every fucking thing.”
My nostrils flared as redness clouded my vision. My stomach filled with lava, exploding into my veins, flowing through my body.
“You know you’re sounding an awful lot like our sadistic fathers. I don’t take people throwing demands upon me lightly, you of all people know that. What I have going on with Azeira has nothing to do with you or the business.” I stepped closer so we were nose to nose. “You worry about being the muscle and let me worry about beingthe boss.” My eyes narrowed as we stood in a stare off. I could tell my words triggered something in him, but in true Nolan fashion he never cracked under pressure. Nolan didn’t like to be dumbed down to simple “muscle”. In reality we were partners in this, but when it came down to itI wasthe boss. Without me, everything would fucking crumble and he needed to remember that.
Instead of going back and forth with Nolan, I turned to reload my clip. He knew not to become my enemy. Crime lords hired him for a lot of mercenary type work. People feared him because he was ruthless. Still, he knew not to try me, because if we were to go to war, we would set the entire city ablaze.
“Do you plan on keeping her locked up forever?” Lillian questioned, making me turn to face her. I stared at her with myarms crossed. She didn’t cower away like most people. Lillian practically raised me. She was the only decent person in my life growing up, cleaning my wounds after one of parents left me bloody and crying. I respected her more than most people, but even she knew not to overstep boundaries with me.
“She’ll stay down there until I say enough is enough,” I commented.
Her eyes softened and she shook her head. “I’ve known you since you were a kid, Kairus. I saw you transform from a happy, outgoing child to a shell of yourself, only craving destruction and blood. You didn’t blink finding both of your parents dead and bloody in their bed, never shed a tear knowing you were alone. Rumors about you being dangerous and unforgiving spread quickly and people tremble whenever you enter the room.”
My eyes cut into slits. “What’s your point?”
“Even with all that, Azeira brought something out of you I haven’t seen since you were a kid.” My silence prompted her to continue. “Feelings. She made you feel. That girl might be too cheery for me, especially given the situation she’s in, but it’s clear she’s grown to have feelings for you and cares about you. When I took her food she looked completely distraught, but I don’t think it was because she was locked up. I believe she was hurt thatyouwould take you two back so many steps.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. It felt like I had a sudden case of heartburn in my chest. Feelings were something I had long ago learned to bury away. Hearing Lillian mention them to me caused a bad taste in my mouth, but I couldn’t deny it. Azeira brought out things in me I never experienced before. On my drive home from Nolan’s I couldn’t get his words out of my head. Azeiradidhave me acting irrationally. Hearing Lillian confirm it didn’t sit right with me.
“I’ll be in my music room,” I told her, not bothering to respond. The urge to go down and see Azeira, to take her andcover myself in her scent and essence, was strong but I fought it. I needed her to need me. To be so desperate for me that she would never think of leaving me no matter what happened.
I pushed the door open and stepped into the room, staring at Azeira curled in the bed. Her wild hair was sprawled all over her head. My nose twitched at the foul scent coming from her. Azeira hardly ate when Lillian brought her food, she barely left the bed. All she did was stay tucked under the covers. I had come down here at night and watched her sleep, unable to truly stay away from her.
My throat tightened at what I was about to do. My stomach recoiled. Gritting my teeth, I stomped toward the bed and snatched the covers off of her.
“Get up and shower,” I demanded, tossing things from her room on the bed.
Her eyes fluttered open and she squinted. A stirring formed in my stomach.
“Get up!”
She stared at me blankly, her face still and pale. Her skin had lost the glow and luster it once held. Her eyes no longer beamed and were shadowed by dark circles.
“Why should I?” she rasped.
“Unless you want to stay locked down here, I advise you to listen to me.” That caused her eyes to buck. She sat up slowly and turned toward me.
“You mean it?” Stiffening my spine, I nodded, stepped back, and spun to leave the room.
“Kairus.” She grabbed my hand. “Thank you,” she rasped in a low voice.
Instead of responding, I pulled away from her and left. I didn’t want to think about what was about to come.
Azeira took less time than I expected to shower and clean herself up. When she came into the foyer she looked refreshed. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and her face was clear.
