Page 37 of KAI Tortured

“Yeah, that’s a bummer.” Kai rubs his chin sarcastically. “Do any of you happen to have someone on the inside?”

I don’t need his sarcasm right now.

For some reason, Maisy raises her hand. “I do. It has been quite a while since I’ve spoken to him, but I do know someone from the U.S. Marshals Service. He runs the New York branch. Christopher Miller. I met him when my mother died, and again just before I turned eighteen,” she starts, glancing between the three of us as she talks. “Back then I wondered why he talked to me, a nobody, but in a strange way, I trusted him. When I saw him at eighteen, he offered me a new life outside New York. He must have known more than he let on of course, but by then I lost interest in what he had to say. I’d never leave my sister and he knew that.” She rolls her eyes at the irony. “Silly me.”

“When I said ‘any of you’ I meant Orion or Logan,” Kai is quick to correct her. “Not you, baby girl.”

Agreed. Her contribution so far is enough for sure. Yet, I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut. “How well do you know this guy?”

Let’s just explore all the options here. Who is this Christopher and what is he to her?

“Orion!” Kai warns me. Me! The fucker.

“Met him twice. So I don’t know him at all. He seemed honest, and ambitious.” She finally lets the yawn out and rests her head on Kai’s shoulder. “I just couldn’t imagine leaving Rosey behind.”

“How tired are you, Maisy?” Logan asks her.

“Just a little.” She closes her eyes as her head drops back to rest on the back of the couch. “But I’m fine here. I want to listen to you talk.”

CHAPTER 10

KAI

Maisy must have been really tired to fall asleep on the couch.

While Logan tends to Uncle Jon, I scoop her up in my arms and take her to Orion’s room. I’m not sure where I’ll be sleeping but most likely it will be on the floor, next to Maisy. I don’t fucking care what they say.

“Here we are, baby girl. You rest.” I kiss her forehead and cover her with a sheet; I doubt she can hear me as she seems fast asleep.

I go back to the living room and for the first time, I fully take in Logan’s penthouse and the luxury he lives in.

“She’s fast asleep,” I say, and sit down.

“In my room?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Where will I sleep?” Now I’m just being polite.

“Fuck knows. I bet Logan has plenty of other rooms. Look at this place!”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna cut it. I’m sleeping next to Maisy,” I say bluntly.

Orion frowns. “Why d’you ask me then?”

I shrug. “I thought you’d offer.”

“Fuck that. I ain’t offering. I’m sleeping with Maisy.”

“Fuck you, Orion. I’m sleeping next to Maisy, too. Do you know how much I suffered, how much I needed her, missed her?”

“Then where the fuck were you these two months?” he growls, finally confronting the unspoken. His voice is a mixture of anger and concern. His eyes blaze with intensity as they fix on me. “You didn’t think we missed you? That we were worried over you?”

“Had I known Logan called in a hit on Maisy I’d have been here to kick his ass much sooner, I tell you that!” I try to avoid his penetrating stare. “Besides, I didn’t think anyone would miss me.”

“You didn’t think?” Orion’s words drip with incredulity and bitterness. “Do you have any idea how worried we’ve been? I missed you, damnit.” His voice softens, betraying the vulnerability beneath his tough exterior. “You’re not alone in this world, Kai. You’ve got family who care about you. And I’m not only talking about us being half-brothers.”

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