Page 51 of Fast Fury

They shocked him again.

A tiny blip appeared on the display screen.

Kai stared at the machine, heart in his throat, a burst of hope swelling inside his ribcage.Come on, come on, please…

Another shock. Hani arched again, then sagged.

This time there was no answering blip.

They kept working on him. Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen.

Finally, the paramedic eased back onto his heels, looked up at Kai. Icy numbness spread through Kai’s chest at the look in those pale blue eyes. “He’s gone,” the man said quietly.

Kai sucked in a ragged breath, then a horrible, wounded sound ripped from his chest. He was shaking all over, his muscles quivering like plucked elastic bands.

“I’m sorry.”

He didn’t answer the man, just stared down at his cousin’s still face. Hani had been trying to force him away for Kai’s own safety. Had been trying to protect him. And now he was dead, shot by some woman who may or may not be affiliated to theVenenos.

The paramedic watched him in silence for a few moments. “Is there someone we can call for you?”

Jaw tight, Kai shook his head. With one last look at his cousin, he forced himself to his feet, swaying a second before he staggered off to the curb and dropped onto it like a sack of cement.

Part of him was numb. But inside him, a deep, burning rage intensified, twining with a rapidly swelling wave of grief. When it hit him, it would take him so far under he wasn’t sure he’d be able to find the surface again.

His stomach twisted as he shifted to pull his phone out of his pocket. He needed to call histutuand tell her about Hani. But not yet. He couldn’t bear it. There was only one person he wanted to talk to right now.

He dialed her number with a shaking finger, held the phone to his ear while it rang. And when she picked up, something inside him cracked wide open.

He squeezed his eyes shut, dropped his head and sucked back a sob, managed to croak out her name before his voice broke. “Abby.”

Chapter Fifteen

At the pain in Kai’s voice, Abby jackknifed upright on the chaise out on the lanai. “What’s wrong?” she blurted, dropping her e-reader and putting her hand to her chest, right over her racing heart.

He made a choked sound and she shot off the chaise, shoving the sliding glass door to her suite open and stepping inside.

“Kai?” she said urgently after a pause, fear curling inside her. “Are you all right?”

“No,” he rasped out.

Oh my God.“Are you hurt?”

“No. Just…”

“What?” My God, what had happened? She rushed to the bathroom, dumped her robe on the floor and started pulling on a pair of jeans, her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder.

“Hani,” he managed after a moment. “He’s dead.”

She froze, hands on the button of her jeans. “What?” she gasped.

“A woman shot him. I was standing there talking to him, and she came out of nowhere, opened fire on us.”

Jesus. “Where are you?”

“His place. The ambulance and cops just got here.”

So he was sitting there while Hani’s body lay just a short distance away.Oh, Kai…“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” She ached for him. “What can I do to help?”

---