Page 3 of Our Blood, Our Pain

As we both head to the rear door, Lev calls out to me, as Simon continues out of the property.

“All done?” Lev asks as he approaches me.

“Yeah. We’re just gonna wash up before heading out to Desire.”

“I’ll come with you. Those two are already fucking and my ears will start bleeding if I have to hear princess Seb cumming again,” Lev says, rolling his eyes. Dima and Seb are definitely in your face when it comes to PDA. I don’t mind it too much but it pisses Lev off, which I find more than amusing.

“Don’t be jealous,” I tease.

“I’m not jealous. I just don’t enjoy hearing my brother get the little shit off, it’s fucking annoying.”

I chuckle and shake my head, before turning to leave.

“I’ll meet you out front in twenty,” I say over my shoulder as I head over to the guards’ house. When I enter the single story open plan home, I can hear the shower running from Simon's room as I pass it, heading towards my own room, which is at the end of the corridor. I quickly wash off in the shower and dress in our standard attire of black shirt and black pants. As I pick up my cell phone from the chest of drawers in my room, my eyes drift back to the text from Jenny. I’m not sure why I’m hesitant to reply, but she hasn’t reached out in forever, and it makes me panic. Has something happened? Is Kai okay?

Before I know it, I’ve pressed the call button next to her name, and I’m taken aback at how fast she answers, barely on the second ring.

“Jules,” she says, followed by a sigh that is full of exhaustion and relief.

“Jenny, what’s wrong?”

“Well, hello to you too,” she quips, but I’m not a fool.

“I know you. Now, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Kai. I just can’t deal with his shit anymore, Jules. He was arrested tonight, and I just don’t have it in me to deal with his bullshit again. I’m tired. He’s a grown man, and I’ve had enough. You’re my last hope of getting through to him.”

“Hold on, arrested? For what?”

“Fighting. He was out drinking with those dumb friends of his at a bar, and they got into a fight with another gang.”

“He’s in a gang?” I’m shocked. Kai was always such a sweet boy, kind and funny. It’s been years since I’ve seen him, and I know he’s a man now, but it still rocks me to the core that he’s caught up in shit like this. Then I remember who I work for and the term hypocrite comes to mind. Jenny doesn’t know the full extent of my work. She thinks I work in security, which has some truth. A grain of truth.

“Yes. He’s been hanging around with them for a while. Nothing I say or do is helping. I know he doesn’t want this life, Jules. My sweet boy is still in there, but around here, I think he thinks he has no choice. I don’t know; maybe it’s my fault for moving,” she says, her voice cracking on the words.

“You just did what you thought was best. You’re a great mom.”

A small sob comes through the phone. My instinct to make things right for them both takes over, so I decide to take charge of the situation.

“Look, let me talk to my bosses and I’ll head over in the morning to the station. Text me where he is and I’ll try to talk some sense into him.”

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Of course. I’ll head over to you after. I just need to run it past the boss here first. We’ll sort this out. Trust me.”

“I trust you. Thank you, Jules. I know we’ve drifted apart, and I’m sorry for being a shitty sister.”

“Stop. We’re good. I have to go now, but I’ll text you later. Get some sleep.”

“Okay. Night.”

As I end the call, my heart starts to race. A slight twist of unease rises in my belly at what I’m letting myself in for. But I’m determined to help them.

“You ready, man? Lev is pacing around like he’s about to lose it, waiting on us,” Simon shouts through my bedroom door.

Placing my phone in my pocket and grabbing my jacket, I follow Simon out to be greeted by a scowling Lev. I ignore him and his broody ass as we get into my car and drive off in silence to Desire.

As we enter the club, the base of ‘When I’m Gone’ by Dirty Honey vibrates beneath my feet, and the smell of perfume and lust fills my lungs. It’s pretty packed in here tonight. The girls are on stage, their gorgeous bodies rolling to the beat of the music. Simon wanders off to the side of the room to talk to one of the girls, his flirty smile in place. Lev and I head to the bar and grab a soda each before we make our way through the packed tables towards the back where Lev’s office is situated. I scan the crowd as we move, always checking for potential threats. That is my job, after all. As Simon predicted, Carlos is here, sitting in the corner with a couple of his men, watching the show. Well, his men are leering at the girls on stage, Carlos is currently watching Simon with narrowed eyes like he’s about to run over there and beat the shit out of him. I may not be gay, but I know when a guy wants to fuck, and I’m convinced Carlos wants not only to beat the hell out of Simon but to fuck him while he’s doing it. I could be wrong, but I’ll keep my thoughts to myself.

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