by A. J. Macey
“So…” I started, drawing the word out awkwardly. My cheeks burned slightly as he continued to stare at me as if I was the world’s most interesting person. “Is this about what Silas said yesterday? About picking up some stuff for me? Does that mean you’ll be getting things from my apartment too?”
“Yes, to all. Have you eaten?” Kane questioned.
Growing increasingly warm as my body responded to the gravel in his voice, my eyes involuntarily traced his perfectly fitted shirt and pressed slacks. Of course, he would look absolutely perfect even at seven in the morning.
“Blue,” he prompted, his voice pulling me from my staring, my gaze darting up to his. The ebony depths were heated, and Kane had lifted a brow at my odd behavior.
“Uh, sorry,” I stuttered, shaking my head, “no, I haven’t eaten.” Get your head on straight and stop thinking with your metaphorical dick. He nodded, getting up and grabbing his coat from the rack. Taking a second one, he held it out to me.
“We’re going now?” I asked in surprise.
“Full day ahead.” I took the soft-shell jacket. Putting it on, it became clear it wasn’t meant for me because the sleeves hung over my hands, and the hem hit mid-thigh.
“Whose is this?” I asked, holding my hands up and flopping them around, so the fabric shook over the ends of my fingers. “I feel like I’m five years old in this jacket.”
“Mine,” Kane chuckled at my exasperated huff. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you things that fit.” He opened the other office door, the one leading toward the exit, before holding his arm out to let me pass.
God, he smelled good, like bacon and waffles—good enough to eat, and damn if I wasn’t hungry. I shook myself out of the thought, trying to focus on anything but his nearness and the feeling of fingers against my back as we walked. My eyes adjusted quickly to the early morning light that barely peeked over the horizon. Kane curved around me, opening the back door to a really nice, expensive, black town car.
“A driver? Are you serious right now?” I asked with wide eyes when I realized the car was running, and a man I didn’t know was seated behind the wheel.
“Yes. It’s a safety precaution; he’s also our bodyguard while we’re out. He won’t bite, Blue.” Kane nudged me slightly, silently urging me to get in. Figuring I didn’t have much choice, I slipped into the back. The supple leather of the car’s interior was soft against my legs and back, and the ‘new car’ smell was potent as Kane slipped in next to me. I thought about reminding him not to call me Blue, but the truth was, I had missed the way my nickname sounded on his lips—those irritatingly kissable lips.
“To our first stop, sir?” the driver asked, looking in the rear-view mirror, but with his mirrored sunglasses, I couldn’t see where he was actually looking. Sir? My face scrunched up in confusion.
“Yes,” Kane nodded before pressing a button on the ceiling. The black partition raised, leaving us alone in the small space.
“What’s with the sir stuff? And you, a Phenom with super strength, need a bodyguard?” I questioned, the confusion and nerves dancing around in my veins, making my sparks flare and sting across my skin. I could have pushed them down, but knowing I didn’t have to, for the first time in my life, had me losing my control, letting the electricity free to do what it wanted over my body.
“Do I actually need a bodyguard? No, but that is generally what my hierarchy expect as head of The Syndicate. Besides, I don’t exactly go around and tell everyone I have super strength. I like to keep a lower profile than that, Blue.”
“Whoa, hold up,” I exclaimed, my hands waving out in front of me. “Head of? As in the boss?”
“That is generally what that means, yes,” he chuckled, looking at me, his arm coming to rest on the back of the seat.
“How long have you been the boss of The Syndicate?” I huffed, glaring at him.
“Since before the Rad Wave.” I felt my breath leave my lungs in a whoosh, the sense of being punched in the gut radiating through my torso as I stared at Kane. This was someone I had known for the better part of my youth, but at this moment, I questioned if I really knew anything about him or Carson.
“Did Rett know?” I blurted, startled by my own question. Kane’s posture stiffened slightly, giving me the answer without having to say anything. “He and Carson were joining, weren’t they? Back before everything happened.”
“Blue,” he started, his tone holding the softness it always had when he was about to try to placate me.
“Don’t Blue me, Kane, I want the truth. If I’m going to be sticking around for the foreseeable future, I have to know I can trust you, and after ten years, there’s a lot of shit to work out.”
“Yes. They had just started. Carson had been around for a lot longer, but Rett had found out and wanted in,” he explained simply. “I have a question for you. Was Rett a Phenom?”
“Fire. We didn’t tell anyone, so don’t take it personally,” I tacked onto the end, realizing we had done one of the same things I was so mad at Kane and Carson for—keeping secrets.
“I wasn’t.” Kane smiled slightly, making my body flare as his bright white teeth practically glowed against his warm, deep skin. He opened his mouth to say something, but a soft buzz filtered into the space, the driver’s voice crackling through the speaker on the ceiling, telling us we had arrived.
“Come on, we have a full day of things ahead of us.”
“Yeah, so you’ve mentioned,” I mumbled under my breath as the driver stepped out and opened the door for me. Apparently, I hadn’t been as quiet as I thought, forgetting Kane had always had good hearing until he laughed at my statement. Looking around, I immediately felt out-of-place in sweatpants, a baggy shirt, and a pair of battered tennis shoes. “Why are we here, exactly?”
“You’ll see,” Kane explained. The driver took up position behind us as we walked toward the closest building, the designer labels and high-end fashion posed strategically in the front windows of the store. The scent of overwhelming floral perfume assaulted my nose as soon as I stepped into the large shop, my body buzzing with unspent electricity.
“Go look around, find something you like.”
“Oh, hell no, Kane—” I started, but when I turned to look at him, he had already wandered off, leaving me standing awkwardly with the bodyguard. “Un-fucking-believable,” I mumbled to myself before turning to the man standing next to me. “Uh, hi.” I gave an odd, single-handed wave. “I’m Evera. Figured I should introduce myself.”
“Stanley, ma’am,” the driver slash bodyguard introduced with a polite nod of his head. I internally cringed at the ma’am statement but didn’t want to be rude, so I plastered a smile on my face before turning back to the store.
“Okay then, Stanley, do you have any idea what to do here?” I hissed, growing more and more uncomfortable the longer I stood there. A woman clothed in all black with her hair and makeup done side-eyed me from one of the other sections as I slowly shuffled my way to the women’s department.
“I think you’re supposed to pick out things you like,” Stanley explained, struggling to keep his laughter contained. I groaned softly at his not helpful advice and started gingerly to finger through the racks. Does Kane seriously think he’s going to buy this expensive as fuck stuff for me? I nearly growled in anger. I don’t need or want to be bought with pretty things.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking,” I mumbled, the feeling of being out-of-place growing as I saw the sales associate starting to make her way over.
“You look like you’re handling Vega City’s most expensive art, not clothes,” Stanley countered.
“Well, the fact that none of these items have price tags leads me to believe they’re fucking expensive enough to be a piece of art.” I flashed him an exasperated look, which only made him laugh harder, and despite him smothering his laugh, he couldn’t stop the sound from escaping.
“Can I help you?” the woman who had been eyeing me with disdai
n questioned in a snotty tone, immediately silencing Stanley.
“Uh, nope,” I hedged, giving her a strained smile.
“Well, this is for customers who can afford the luxury pieces we offer here,” she sneered. Grinding my teeth, I pulled the couple of pieces I had been looking at and faced her fully.
“Dressing room?” I questioned, willing to try on the stupidly expensive luxury pieces just so she would leave me alone.
“Right over there,” she pointed with a smirk.
Nodding, I waded through the sea of clothes to the round alcove hidden slightly from the rest of the space. In the center of the circular space was a matching shaped couch and four open rooms, the velvet looking curtain open to show a large clean space with an actual plush chair and side table in each room.
“Well, I guess I should… you know,” I said, awkwardly holding up the clothes in my hand as explanation. Stanley nodded his head and stood near the entrance of the little seating area. Taking a deep breath, I closed the curtain behind me and eyed the pieces I had picked out. What the hell was I thinking? I knew I wouldn’t wear something I would be too worried about damaging, and I didn’t want Kane thinking he had to buy me shit.
“Do you need any other help?” the same catty voice called out in a sickly-sweet tone.
My sparks danced across my skin in irritation when I realized she wouldn’t go away, so I started changing into the first thing I could grab.
“Why? Why did I grab a dress?” I whispered quietly, looking at myself in the mirror. The black material hugged my body, the hem hanging slightly past mid-thigh. The tight dress had a sweetheart top and dainty spaghetti straps. After a few moments of struggling to get the zipper up, I called out.
“Stanley? Can you come zip me up?”
The curtain moved, but it wasn’t my temporary bodyguard who stepped into the room. I immediately straightened from slouching, which made the left strap of the dress shift off my shoulder and down my bicep. Before I could reveal a large amount of my chest, I caught the material and held it in place. My heart rattled in my chest erratically, but by some miracle, I kept my sparks in control and under my skin.
“Wow,” Kane breathed, his voice almost inaudible as his eyes stayed glued to my bare legs and form-fitting dress. “Here, let me.” Closing the short distance between us, he stepped behind me and zipped the back.
With his attention on something other than my face, I secretly watched him in the mirror. He dwarfed my lean body. Kane had always been attractive, and I’d had the tiniest crush on him when I was younger, but I wasn’t a little girl anymore. The more I stare, the more I want him.
Barely containing the shiver that ran up my spine, I felt my skin flare in a wave of goosebumps as his fingers ran from my lower back to my neck, following the zipper’s path.
“Thanks,” I whispered, giving him a tiny smile in the mirror as he looked at me.
“You’re welcome,” he murmured softly, his hand still resting against my shoulder and neck. I could barely hear him with my heartbeat thudding in my ears, need building in me as Kane took half a step closer, his dress shirt and tie brushing against my shoulder blades.
“We’ll take this one,” he called out, pulling open the curtain, startling me enough to jump. “Sorry, Blue,” he hummed, his hand tightening slightly as the calloused pad of his thumb brushed against the back of my neck.
“Are you sure? It’s five thousand dollars,” the woman exclaimed snidely, looking at me with a tiny grin. Hearing the price had me coughing roughly into the crook of my arm as I choked on absolutely fucking nothing. Kane’s hand shifted from my neck to my back, patting lightly as I got control of myself. Five thousand dollars? Is he fucking crazy?
“You can put it on my account,” Kane continued as if I hadn’t just completely embarrassed myself.
“Oh, which account was that, and what position for the receipt?” the worker asked with a skeptical eyebrow raise. Glancing up, I was curious to know what the hell he was talking about. Last I knew, he worked as a teller at a bank. Then again, that was when I was younger.
“Regency Financial. CEO.”
“Oh, right away, sir.” The sales associate immediately straightened, snotty attitude falling to the wayside when she realized who he was before running off. Shifting slightly, I looked at Kane with a slack jaw.
“Are you serious, right now?” I asked quietly.
“Yes, I run Regency Financial,” he whispered, his hand coming back up to my neck under my hair.
“That’s not what I meant,” I hissed. “Well, yeah,” I corrected myself with an irritated wave of my hand. “I mean, that too, but you can’t buy a five-thousand-dollar dress, Kane.”
“Why not?” he smirked, looking every bit of the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company and the boss of The Syndicate. “Who’s going to stop me?” he challenged with a biting tone, daring me to do just that.
“What if I won’t wear it?” I snapped. “I don’t need you to baby me, and I certainly don’t need you blowing a shit ton of money on me. I just need you to take me to my place, so I can get some of my shit. I have some very important things there that I need to get.”
“Still stubborn,” he murmured. His gaze narrowed on me as I crossed my arms in defiance. “We can get your stuff from your apartment, but my men will go and get it. I don’t want you near it until we know it’s safe. Until then, though, you need clothes.”
We stared each other down, my jaw clenching while he looked unruffled despite my snapping. The roughness of his fingers caressing my neck was slightly distracting, but remembering the fact I was wearing more than I made in six months at the café brought me back to myself.
“If you want to help me get clothes,” I compromised, knowing Kane wouldn’t back down, “we can do it somewhere cheaper. That’s the only way I’ll let you get me anything.”
“Hm, deal. But I get to treat you for brunch too.” At the mention of food, my stomach growled, making him smile. “Maybe breakfast instead if you’re so hungry.”
“I’m not that hungry! It was just because you mentioned food. Besides, I don’t really like going out in sweatpants and clothes that make me look like I raided someone else’s closet.”
“Alright then, let’s go somewhere else. Besides, I don’t like how she was talking to you,” he nearly growled, glaring over at the sales associate who was behind one of the registers. Nodding, I turned to let him unzip me. My face warmed as he stared at me through the mirror, his gaze never leaving mine as the back of his fingers trailed slowly down my spine.
“Thanks,” I murmured with a tiny awkward grin. My pulse raced, blood coursing through my veins, making its way to my core. I clenched my thighs, fearful of staining the stupidly expensive dress as my thoughts crept back into uncharted territory, the urge to feel his arms around me or his lips against my skin… I mentally shook myself, cutting off any other crazy as hell ideas my brain was just about to come up with.
“I’ll wait outside,” he whispered, the tips of his fingers making me shiver in their wake. “Oh, and Blue?” he called out before closing the curtain, his lips curling ever so slightly as he looked back at me.
“Yeah?” I raised a brow in question, holding the dress in place, so the straps didn’t reveal anything.
“You look beautiful.” He flashed me a full smile before letting the curtain fall, leaving me with no company but my thoughts.
Why is he making it so hard to stay mad at him?
Acer
“Where’s Evera?” I asked Silas when I found him sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria.
“Out with Kane for the day. They’re getting her clothes and other stuff she needs,” he explained calmly, despite my gruff tone.
“You know she won’t just accept expensive shit from him, right?” Silas smirked, his eyes lighting up as he looked at me.
“I do, yes, but try telling that to Kane, who wants to buy her everything in sight, just to get her to smile.”
&nb
sp; “He loves her, doesn’t he?” I knew Kane and Carson, even Silas, wanted Evera. I could tell by the way they looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention, the way they hung on every word she said, but I hadn’t really considered any of the deeper feelings those two might have had. It had been ten years, but that didn’t mean those feelings were gone, just dormant. Silas sighed, putting his cup of coffee on the table after taking a sip.
“Kane and Carson,”—he paused, taking another sip before continuing—“have cared about her for years, but she was more of that memory they had been chasing. Her being here is bringing all that up. How long that flare will last? I don’t know, but I don’t think it’ll ever diminish. Instead, I think getting a real taste of the woman she is now will just make it burn brighter. So, be prepared for that.”
“Psh,” I scoffed, “I’m not worried. Angel is her own person, and if she chooses to care about Kane and Carson, even if they abandoned her, she can do so, but they need to remember,” I continued, getting up from the table in irritation. “I’m not going anywhere. They may have left her before, but I’m not willing to do the same.”
“I’ll be sure to pass on the message,” Silas stated plainly, unruffled by my insult as he took another drink of his coffee. Does he ever get affected by anything? I thought as I walked out of the room. Doesn’t matter since I have more important things to focus on.
“Alright, Kane Renick, what do you have to hide?” I mumbled to myself as I sat down at my on-the-go equipment, ready to learn all the dirty little secrets of Kane and The Syndicate while the scans for the men who’d tried to take Angel were still running “What in the hell…” I breathed, reading through what my scans had found. Oh, fuck.
Evera is going to be so pissed.
8
October 13th
Sunday, Late Afternoon
Silas
