Page 63 of Us Dark Few

Her blood heated, but it wasn’t so much in fear anymore. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions, and Khalani couldn’t explain what she felt, even if a loaded gun was held to her forehead.

They didn’t talk in the elevator.

Takeshi flexed his jaw, every muscle in his body taut. Khalani cracked her neck on both sides, then popped each finger and her wrists. The tension between them was so thick you’d need something much sharper than a knife to cut through.

She knew better than to ask what was bothering him. Takeshi never opened up about his emotions, much less spoke of his personal life. The less they knew about each other, the better.

Khalani quickly grabbed her training clothes and changed when they entered the training room. Takeshi respectfully faced away, his hands on his hips.

She closed the locker and walked to the bench, grabbing the gloves to protect her palms from the heavy weights. Takeshi had tossed them to her without a word after he noticed her bloody blisters a few sessions back—a kind gesture that surprised her.

“You ready?” Takeshi impatiently asked with his back to her.

“Yeah.” She unwrapped the Velcro on the gloves. “Just give me a sec.”

“You won’t need gloves today.”

Khalani raised her head in confusion as Takeshi moved toward the cage in the center. He unzipped his black vest and threw it to the side. Underneath the vest, Takeshi wore a black tank.

Each dent of tightly packed muscle in his shoulders and veins in his arms was visible. His body was built to draw attention—strong and formidable.

Tenacious.

And she was staring.

“Oh. I, umm.” Khalani cleared her throat and glanced away, tossing the gloves aside. “Am I starting with push-ups in there?”

“No. Come in here, Kanes,” Takeshi commanded, gesturing at her to enter the ring.

Her brows lowered, but she swung her legs over the bars, joining him in the circle.Takeshi rolled his neck and slowly stretched his arms behind his back.

Khalani’s gaze was drawn to the V-cut stretching into his pants as his shirt lifted. A raised scar spanned from Takeshi’s right shoulder to his collarbone, highlighting the ridges in his muscles, honed by years of discipline.

She kept staring and quickly glanced away when she caught his gaze. “What are we doing then?”

“I’m going to teach you basic self-defense and combat moves.” Takeshi squared his shoulders.

Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Why? You said I was too weak to do any good. ‘The roaches don’t even fear me’ were your exact words, if I recall.”

She killed a couple roaches the night he said that. But their cousins always returned, as if to mock her.

Takeshi turned and held one hand to the black bar. He grabbed his foot from behind, stretching out his quads. Khalani didn’t fail to notice the tight grip he had on the bar, his knuckles turning opaque white.

“I was informed today that Governor Huxley requested you to be one of his servants at the dinner tomorrow.”

The air immediately thickened. She moved toward the bar and re-tied her hair in a ponytail, trying to occupy herself with anything else.

“Not like I have a choice. But hey, at least I get to see Genesis.”

Takeshi swiveled around. “You need to be careful, Kanes.”

“From what?”

“Genesis is a mirage. It’s more beautiful than your dreams could conjure up, but when you get up close, you’ll see it’s just as corrupt as Apollo. Keep your head down, don’t talk, and don’t trust anyone, especially the Governor.” The sharp lines in his forehead deepened.

Khalani nearly expected someone to burst the door down for his comments. Slander against the Governor was punishable by death. That was how oppressive and controlling Apollo’s rule was.

“I don’t get it. You’re the Captain of Braderhelm. Aren’t you on the Governor’s side?” she pressed him.

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