by Ivy Knight
Why would Nick send me a present? How does he even know my birthday?
"Tell Nicholas that I'm not fond of dowry."
August lets out a low chuckle before replying, "He said that you might say that. It's not dowry, Sweetheart. Take it as an advance payment."
"Of what?"
"Our partnership."
"You guys are quite delusional if you think I'll work for you. I'm pretty sure I went over this with Nick too."
"You can't work for someone who can't work for himself," August states.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly how it sounds," he says. He puts the small box on the desk and looks at me.
"Don't forget it," August warns before getting up and leaving.
Why the fuck was he even allowed in the school?
Packing up my things, I take the small box in hand and follow August ignoring the teacher's protests.
"You-" I stop as I stare down the empty hallway. I walk down and try to see if I can catch him, but he seems to be nowhere in sight.
My name on the school's server is Summer White and everyone in the business knows me as April Salvatore. There is no way that Nick could've found me unless he has someone following me around, but even then, I would know if I was being followed. The person tracking me would've slipped somehow, but I haven't felt vulnerable in anyway.
I walk outside and take a seat in my car. I put my bag on the passenger's seat and open the small box I was gifted. Pulling the ribbon, I rip the wrapping off letting the plain cardboard box appear. I open the lid and find a black USB.
"God dammit," I curse as I take the USB in my hands and throw the box to the side.
This can have anything on it and the only way to be sure about the information on here is to check it on a laptop. The only problem is, I don't have a laptop. I have access to a couple but they'll all be monitored.
"Fuck," I blurt when my phone rings. Calming myself down, I pull my phone out of my pocket and see that it's Alec calling.
"Hello?"
"Why did you run out of class?"
"Wow, the office works fast," I mumble.
"They know what can happen if they screw up. Now, will you answer my question?"
"I have a severe headache and I wasn't feeling it. I think I'm going to head down and see Cole at the hospital for a bit before I come down to the gym."
"Okay, just keep me informed. I don't want Kai worrying about you too."
"What are you talking about? Did something happen?"
"Everything is being fucked around with and nothing makes sense. I think Kai's still tensed about Luciano, but he'll be fine."
"About that, why did you back me up that day?"
"Luciano would hold us back. Because Kai is the father in this situation, it'll take longer for him to understand, but I know why you did it. Like you said, it had to be done."
"Thanks for understanding. Uh- can you just let Kai know that I wanna talk to him? He's been avoiding me for too long, it doesn't feel right."
"I'll let him know, but I can't promise you anything."
"Okay, thanks. I'm gonna go visit Cole now."
"Bye," Alec replies. I end the call and look at the USB in my hand. Cole is my only hope.
I set the USB in one of the cup holders and turn on the ignition. I pull out of the parking spot and head to the hospital.
The USB could have anything on it. My suspicions are that this USB is somehow related to the day Nick broke into the house. Cole's been working on the system ever since and couldn't find anything missing, but none of us believe that Nick left the house without taking anything.
Once I arrive at the hospital, I buy a ticket for my car and head in to meet Cole.
"Oh, hey. I didn't know you were coming," Cole says averting his eyes just for second from the computer on his lap.
"I wasn't feeling well at school and the house is lonely, so I decided to visit you."
"Did you bring food? You have no idea how much I miss home cooked meals."
"Sorry, I'll bring something next time," I apologize taking a seat next to him.
"What are you doing?" I query eyeing the computer screen. All I see is a bunch of codes. They represent something, I just don't know what.
"What I'm trying to do is recover street footage from the day Nick broke into the house. Since I couldn't recover any of our house's surveillance, I thought I'd see where they went after leaving the house. The only obstacle is that they deleted the footage and tampered with the entrance through the back door to recover it. It'll take me a while to get through, but I know I can do it."
"That's good, I like the confidence," I encourage. "Hey, do you mind if I check something for a minute?"
"What is it?"
"It's a USB a girl from school gave to me. She said everything on it somehow disappeared and I told her I might be able to get it recovered."
"Oh, let me see it," he takes the USB from my hands without waiting for my consent.
"No!" I yell snatching it back from him and stepping away from his bed.
Stop acting so skeptical, Summer.
"Sorry, I meant you can't see what's on here."
"Why not?"
"She has some private pictures on here that she doesn't want people seeing. Just let me see if I can get the stuff recovered. If I can't, then I'll be more than happy to hand it over to a professional."
"Fine," Cole groans. With a frown on his face, he closes his own programs and hands over the computer.
I take a seat on the ledge of the window and get to work. Once I insert the USB, I pray that it isn't carrying a virus. As I try to open the USB, I keep Cole distracted by talking.
"So how are you feeling? Did they tell you when you get to leave?" the folder opens, but just as I expected, it's encrypted.
"No, exactly why I hate coming here. I'm perfectly fine. I haven't even lost conscious in three days," he complains taking a cookie off his side tray.
"I know, right? The extra weight you're gaining isn't going to help either," I laugh as Cole puts the other half of his cookie back on the tray.
"Ha, very funny," he comments. "What's taking so long? I would've been done by now."
"I can't get through, it's encrypted."
"Then give it to the professional," he extends his arms and his fingers indicate for the laptop.
"Fine," I roll my eyes. I hand him the laptop and wait for him to get through the encryption. I wait and wait, but the typing doesn't stop. "What's taking so long?"
"I've never seen software like this."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean it's specialized. Are you sure this friend of yours is from school?"
"Yes, why would I lie? Can you just get me to the files? She needs them back as soon as possible."
"Well, you're gonna have to tell her it's going to take a while."
"How long?"
"Hours, a day at most."
"Are you serious."
"Why would I lie? I have better things to do you know?"
"If you don't wanna do this, I can just find someone else who's willing," I try to take the USB out, but he smacks my hand away.
"I'll do it, just give me time."
"Okay, but as soon as you're through, you call me."
"I will."
"Promise?"
"Of course not," he replies.
I shake my head in disappointment and role my eyes.
"Fine, I guess you won't be getting any homemade meals for a while then."
"You're a cruel woman."
"Thank you," I flash him a innocent smile.
"And you ask why people are scared of you," Cole huffs typing away.
"Call me!" I throw over my shoulders as I exit the room.
I really hope Cole can get into the USB. Whatever is on there is important and can be a clue to the future. The faster I get the information on there, the better it'll be.
I climb into my car and decide to sweat some of the stress o
ff at the gym.
...♛...
"Summer?" adjusting to the lights, a blurry vision of Alec's face comes into sight. I rub my eyes and sit up on the couch.
"What time is it?" my voice groggy, I clear my throat.
"It's two am," Alec tells me after looking at the watch on his wrist.
"What took you guys so long?" I question. I remember after I was done at the gym, I came home and ate. Alec messaged me saying that they'd be home soon, so I decided I would wait for them to come home because I needed to talk to Kai. I guess I must've fallen asleep.
"We had to take care of somethings, took longer than we anticipated," he informs.
"Is Kai back?"
"No."
"Where is he?"
"He said he needed to go to the gym to get rid of some steam."
"Is he out of his mind, he hasn't eaten or slept since this morning?"
"How do you know he hasn't eaten?"
"I know people like him. Ugh- he's so stubborn," I groan. "I'm gonna go see him."
"Are you sure? He's really tensed, he might get aggressive."
"I can handle him," I insure Alec. "There's leftovers in the fridge."
"Thanks," he smiles. We part as he enters the kitchen and I exit the house. As I take out the car keys from my pocket, I can't help but think about how tired Alec looked.
The bags under his eyes were darker than usual and his face seems to no longer hold the lightened expression it once did. There's clearly something going on, but nobody is telling me what. Why can't they just fucking trust me? If I knew what was happening, I could help them.
I sigh heavily and get into the car. Turning it on, I start to drive to the gym. The roads are clear at night so I reach the gym in minutes.
Once I enter the gym, I hear the sound of the punching bag being hit. The lights are dimly lit, so I decide to keep them like that as I make my way to the ring.
In the middle, I watch Kai punch the living hell out of the bag. His shirtless figure stands in a lowered position. Each time he pulls back to gain momentum, he inhales and each time his fist makes contact with the bag, he exhales. The motion is quick and repetitive, but each time he winds back his hit gets stronger.
I can tell he has sensed my presence, but doesn't acknowledge it so I stand glued to my spot admiring him.
I've never actually seen him fight. When we went on missions, it was simple when everything went accordingly to plan, but even when it didn't, Kai would never use his hands to fight. He always stayed behind the protection of his weapon. He's been smart doing that.
Born in families like ours, we learn that when we're on the field, it's always best to stay behind the weapons unless there's no choice. This way no one can predict your strength o know how we fight one on one without our weapons. A lot of people slip up on that rule, but people like Kai don't.
I don't know how long I watch Kai for, but my eyes don't get tired. A hit after the other, neither does he. I watch as sweat drips from his forehead and drizzles down his chest, sliding down his abs. His shorts hanging low, I take in a sharp breath when the images of the night in Italy play in my mind.
I've avoided thinking about that night ever since the day after. He didn't want anything more than a professional relationship and neither did I; though, there's a part of me that wants it for two different reasons.
One is because I want to know if I feel something for Kai or is it just physical? Two, I want to know if it's real or physical for him. As much as I hope that it's just physical, I can't help but feel like it's deeper than that. That's the only thing that holds me back. Every time I look at him, I see pain. Not just the pain he's faced, but the pain he still suffers from.
All I want to do is hold his hand and tell him that it's going to be okay, that I'm here for him and care for him, but I can't. I can't because I know I'll risk falling for him and that is a risk I can't take. I have a goal to reach and I can't let my feelings ruin that, but I can let them ruin me because they'll ruin him too.
"Kai, stop," I order as I climb inside of the ring.
"Go home, Summer," he says not stopping his ongoing motion.
"No, you haven't eaten all day, haven't slept and refuse to come home. I'm not leaving until you decide to pull you act together," I cross my arms over my chest and watch him.
He continues to punch the bag for another five minutes before stopping. As he holds the bag to steady it, I notice it's deformed shape. Tilting my head, I make out the picture and I'm left speechless.
"Who's in the bag?"
"No one that you'd care about," Kai spits. He turns around and heads out of the ring. Walking over to the bench, he drinks his water.
I climb off and follow him. "Kai, you can't just bring bodies into the gym and start punching them!"
"I'm not going to justify my actions to you. You work for me, it's not the other way around," he states. After he's done, he takes his bag and heads to the guy’s washrooms.
"You have to talk to me, Kai," I enter the washroom behind him. I find him at a bench inside the room. He sets his bag down and turns around to face me. "I don't care if I work for you. I don't need permission to care for you, okay? It's been three fucking days since we last talked and I'm stressed. I keep thinking about you and wondering if you're okay because you're too fucking stubborn to even text me back. And you can't just punish others for my mistakes. If you hate that I sent Luciano away, then tell me! Punish me! Not some helpless person who can't even get a proper funeral now because parts of its body is scattered around the city."
"Are you done?" he asks uninterested.
"Am I done?" I repeat. "No, I am not done! I've waited far too fucking long for this day and I I'm gonna take full advantage of it. You are eighteen years old and have had enough time to know that being this stubborn is fucking childish. If there's something going on or if you're upset about something because of me, then you don't disappear off the face of the earth, you talk to me about it! You know everything about me, how I sleep, how I eat, when I'm on my fucking period, how I exercise, how I study, how I look when I wake up in the mornings. You know every single thing about me, but every time I get a little something from you, you seem to go right back to who were the day I met you. And maybe that's okay with everyone else in the world, but that is not okay with me. Do you understand?"
"Summer," Kai sighs heavily. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I found out that Nick took over the remaining states, we're outnumbered."
"What?" I'm taken off guard. "No, we- he -he's nowhere to be found, how can he takeover the remaining states?"
"I've been wondering the same thing," Kai breathes out. As if the news is finally weighing in on him, he takes a seat on the bench. "He made a deal with the Russian mafia and somehow they did all his work for him while he's doing god knows what."
"We still have a chance, Kai. We have states under our control and I'm sure we can get Alessio to pitch in."
"It's over, Summer. I've tried doing everything in my power, it's just a matter of time now."
"Until what?"
"Until he comes for us."
I look down at him and clench my jaw. This can't happen. Nick isn't supposed to win, he can't.
I get on my knees and intertwine my hands with Kai's. He looks at me. His eyes the lightest shade of grey, I can tell he's given up. "You can't give up, it isn't in your blood. If Nick can get to where he is, then you can too. Why do you think he saved us for last? Because he knows we'll be the hardest to break. Don't let his small wins distract you from the trophy. We'll bring him down together, I promised you that and I tend to keep it."
His eyes linger on mine. I don't know what he's thinking, but it seems to be a lot. Silence seems to be the most comforting as we keep our eyes concentrated on each other’s. His lips part and I hear him release a small breath.
"You can go, Summer," he says. My eyebrows knit together, bewildered by his words.
"Wha-"
"You can go live y
our life, away from us," he adds. "I've gotten everything I needed from you and now there's nothing left to take."
"Kai-"
"Summer, I'm giving you the chance to walk away, don't decline."
"No," I state pulling my sight away from him. How can he do this to me? After dragging me here, he can't throw me out. All the suffering would be for nothing and Alice, she - she's still out there somewhere. I can't leave, not now.
"Summer," Kai's hands cup my face and he forces my head up. "You're amazing in every aspect and I know I've never treated you like you are, but that doesn't change the fact. I did the same thing to you that my brother did to that girl two years ago and I can't be responsible for what happens to you next. Nick will come and he won't come for me alone, he's coming for you too. I won't be able to protect you from him forever."
"I'm here to stay," I say with confidence. I take his hands and pull them off my face. "And don't you ever think that you are in any way responsible for what I do or what I go through, because I do what I want, not what I'm told."
I get up from my knees and turn around. I take a deep breath and blink the tears away from my eyes. Saying that I'm staying, took way more energy than I thought. All I ever wanted to do was leave and when I have the option to do so, I choose to stay. The ending is indefinite, but I'm still willing to take the risk.
I start to walk away, but Kai's hand finds a strong hold around my wrist. He pulls me around and I go crashing into his chest. My arms in between us, his arms wrap around me keeping me in place
"Why are you doing this?" he questions.
"Doing what?"
"Staying," he clears. Our bodies pressed together tightly, I feel his heartbeat pouncing against his chest. His skin reflecting the light, I stand there not being able to take my eyes off him.
From his eyes, my eyes travel down to his lips. I watch as they come closer to me and I stay still waiting for them to be on mine. It feels like forever, but when they finally meet mine I take in the softness and purity of the kiss.
His arms untangle from around me as his right hand finds a grip on my neck pulling me deeper into the kiss. I kiss him back like it's the last time I'll ever get to kiss him and take in the sweet taste. His teeth bite my bottom lip and I let out a small moan.
