Page 217 of Forbidden Lessons

Haven turns her head, her body dipping a little as she sees me. She shakes her head, mouth pressing into a line.

Fuck.

I beckon her with a flick of my fingers, and she hesitates before throwing a nervous glance at the door, then scurries over to me, grabbing me around the waist and burrowing her face into my chest.

“Who’s at the door, Haven?” I whisper, my hand on the top of her head, holding her tight against me.

She shakes her head. “Not real,” she says. “It’s not real.”

Christ, how much molly did her friends give her? Enough to hallucinate?

“Okay. You stay here. I’m going to?—“

“No!” she whispers, holding onto me even tighter. “Don’t go. He’ll kill you.”

I didn’t sign up for this.

But I let her cling to me as I go to investigate, because it seems trying to talk her down will take longer than just opening the door to show her there’s no one?—

She seizes my hand when I go for the doorknob. “No, stop! Don’t open it!”

“Haven, there’s no one?—“

Thank fuck my finger wasn’t on the trigger when someone raps against the other side of the door. I’d have blown a hole in my goddamn foot.

“Christ.” I lean forward, putting my eye by the peephole. “Kai?”

Haven clutches me even tighter and pulls my hand away when I try to open the door. “No!”

“Enough!” I grate out, pushing her away.

She stumbles back, eyes wide, dark, frantic. Shaking her head and murmuring, “No, no, no, no,” as I flip the lock and turn the knob.

The porch light reflects off a wall of rain. Kai looks at me, then down at the Beretta in my hand.

His face is covered with blood. And body paint. He’s wearing a trash bag, like Haven, and a pair of boxers. Bare feet, like her.

The fuck are these kids thinking?

I eject the round from the chamber, catching it mid-air, pocketing it. Shake my head as I tuck the gun behind the waistband of my sweats.

“What are you doing here?”

“Could ask you the same thing,” he snaps. His hands are in fists, but he’s swaying like he’s rolling. Judging from the size of his pupils, he’s on as much, if not more, MDMA as Haven.

“I live here,” I say dryly.

“And her?” Kai’s eyes cut past me, Haven’s body warming mine a second before soft fabric brushes the small of my back. “She live here too now?”

“Haven is a guest seeking respite after some idiot kid padlocked a collar around her throat.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Know anything about that, Mr. Jordan?”

Kai’s gaze darts to the side, then down. “No, Sir.”

Behind me, Haven whispers, “Filthy liar.” I reach behind me and push her out of sight behind my back.

“Are you injured?”

His head is still down. He shakes it. “No, Sir.”

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