Page 52 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

For some reason, I want to confide in Kai. His presence as we eat the impromptu midnight snack makes my mind safe.

“No, she evaporated,” I reply, my throat tightening at the memories.

Nina pulls me in front of her so I can blow out the candle on Corey’s cake and bends to tenderly kiss my hair. The moment her gesture reaches my teenage self, I’m overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions hitting me with such force that I am swept away into a full-body sob. Tears stream down my face as I struggle to regain my composure, butthe floodgates have opened, and I can’t stop the deluge. The rawness of the instant is still engraved in my soul.

“My mother died when I was nine,” Kai tells me. “It was the worst moment of my life. Even today, I still can’t wrap my head around it.”

I gasp, and more tears gather in my eyes. “What happened to her?”

Nina’s loving gesture on the screen only serves as a reminder of the void my mother left behind. If my mother were dead, I could grieve. But she abandoned me.

“An accident,” he replies, not elaborating any further.

“Accident, like… she was murdered,” I add, my voice laced with morbid humor.

His sun eyes scan me, but I avert his gaze. I catch myself on the screen, throwing the ball to my best friend.

“You really read too much. I came back from class one day, and my father told me she was dead. No explanation.”

My mind jumps to dark places, fueled by all the true crime podcasts I listen to.

“Do you think he did it?” I ask.

Kai meets my gaze with a tense expression before answering, “Maybe.”

The air in the room feels thick and heavy as I struggle to maintain composure in front of Kai, unable to hold my tongue despite knowing it’s inappropriate. But how does one deal with the trauma of a father killing their mother?

Let’s try something normal. “I’m twenty-four. How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight.”

I frown and put another bite of frozen heaven in my mouth. Normal is boring. Not as boring as Corey’s third strike in a row, diligently filmed by yours truly.

“Do you still speak to your father?” Kai asks.

“Not since he remarried.” I wasn’t even invited.

We sit in silence for what feels like an eternity until I can no longer bear it. We both know the answer, but I need to hear it from him directly. “What do your men call you? Hiroshi? Or Mr. Kwunaru?”

“They call me Seven,” he replies calmly, licking a trace of ice cream off his lower lip. “My father is Six, and my grandfather is Four, though he gained leadership by cutting off his brother’s Five’s left hand.”

Well, that’s fancy.

“Seven...” I roll the syllables on my tongue, but they don’t belong.

He grunts. “Please, don’t call me that.” His voice is deep, but an underlying current of vulnerability makes him seem more human.

More like me.

“What exactly do you do in the… organization?”

Kai blows out a deep breath. “I’m a high-rank enforcer, mostly.” He pauses as if considering how much to reveal. “Let’s just say I ensure everyone follows the rules.”

I shouldn’t pry further, yet my curiosity gets the better of me. “Blackmail? Extortion? Murder?”

Kai levels his gaze at me, his golden eyes piercing yet guarded. “I do what’s necessary to protect the family’s business. To keep the circus thriving.” He shifts on the sofa.

As moments of my life flash by on the screen, I realize they don’t hold the answers I hoped for. But my conversation with Kai has me captivated.

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