Page 44 of Fast Fury

“Why’d you come back here, Kai? You wanted to show off yourhaolewhore to everyone from the old neighborhood?”

Shock flared in his cousin’s eyes at the slur, quickly replaced by rage. “What did you just say to me?”

“You heard me.”

Kai took a menacing step forward, his jaw set. “You better hope I didn’t hear right.”

“You did.”

His cousin stopped, inhaled deeply as though trying to calm himself, his stare never wavering. “What the hell is your problem, man? You don’t even know Abby.”

He couldn’t stop now. He might not be able to extricate himself from the life he’d created, but he sure as hell wouldn’t allow Kai’s blood to wind up on his hands. “I don’t need to know her. She’s just another one of your drama queen sluts you like to parade around, pretending you’re the man, like you’re better than the rest of us. Well, you’re not.”

Kai flinched at the verbal punch, and it felt like someone had driven a dagger through Hani’s chest.

He blurted out the rest before he lost the will to continue. “News flash, Kai. We don’t need you here. We don’t want you here. You up and leave us behind for a better life just like our mothers did to us.” He gave Kai a scathing look, dying a little inside. His voice shook, and he prayed Kai thought it was out of anger.

“You’re no better than them,” he spat. “You like to talk about how we’reohana, but you don’t even know what the fuck that means anymore, because you’ve been gone too long. You turned your back on me,Tutu,and our people years ago and I’ll never forgive you for it. You ever stop to think about anybody but yourself? LikeTutu?”

“What about her?”

“The people back in the old town, the locals, they know you turned your back on everyone. You think she deserves the insults and the way they talk about her behind her back?”

Kai’s jaw flexed. “What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, she takes their shit every time she goes into town, defends you at every turn. All without ever telling you how it really is for her.”

A hint of uncertainty flickered in that imposing gaze. “I’ll talk to her.”

“You’ll talk? What the hell good is that gonna do, huh? It’s been like that for years, ever since you left. And the longer you stay here, the harder it is forTututo watch you leave again. So do us all a favor, take your woman back to the damn mainland you love so much and fucking stay there. You’re not one of us anymore, so stop pretending.”

Kai paled, and Hani’s stomach twisted so hard he feared he would puke right then and there. “What the fuck, Hani?” he rasped out, the stricken note in his voice almost more than Hani could bear. “I didn’t turn my back on anyone,” he bit out, jabbing his index finger into his own chest for emphasis. “I might have left for the mainland because of my career, butyou’rethe one who turned your back on all of us. You were too smart for everyone else, including me, wouldn’t listen to a goddamn thing I said. No, instead you took the easy way out with the losers from the old neighborhood, and look where you’ve wound up. Right in the same place we started, staring at a dead end, and now you’re running scared because of it. That wasyourchoice, not mine. No one forced you into it.”

Hani’s mouth went dry. The words cut deep, because they were true, and the truth hurt. Almost as much as having to do this. “I don’t need your approval, you egotistical asshole.”

Kai’s eyes cut sharply to Hani’s right. Hani swiveled his head to find Abby standing at the end of the path leading to the beach with a bag looped over her shoulder, looking between them uncertainly.

She took a step backward. “Sorry. I’ll just go wait—”

“How long have you been with him?” Hani demanded of her.

She stopped, faced him, and he couldn’t help but admire her poise. She was calm as she stood her ground and confronted him. Raised her chin to give him a cool,you-don’t-intimidate-mestare.

“Not long, I’ll bet. Well then, let me give you a little tip and save you some heartache.”

“Shut up, Hani,” Kai snarled.

Hani ignored him. Abby was Kai’s other weak spot. So he would keep hitting that to get this done. He hoped it worked, because he didn’t know what the hell else to do. “He seems like a great guy, until you get to know him.”

“I think I know him pretty well,” she answered evenly.

“Yeah? Do you even know what he does for a living?”

“Yes.”

No she didn’t. Not everything. Kai wouldn’t be able to tell her, for security reasons. “Really? You know he’s with the DEA?”

“Yes.” Her expression was impassive, but her eyes were cool. She didn’t like the way Hani was talking about him. Was prepared to defend him. Christ, Hani wished he’d been able to get to know this one. Hoped Kai knew what he had in her.

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