Page 105 of Science Project

CHAPTER

SIXTY-TWO

AKIO

Forty minutes later, I sat in a surveillance room with at least twenty screens, monitoring Redwood. Kai stabbed a needle into my abdomen to stitch up my wound, and I bit back a grunt of pain because I had been through worse stuff this past week.

While Kai’s place was located in the center of the slums and his windows were smashed in on the first and second floors, the basement floor was built up with more technology than I had ever seen.

Multiple complicated locks. A computer room. I’d even seen a gun range when I was walking into the room. Based on the location and the look of the house, I didn’t think anyone would suspect such secrets would lie underneath this place.

“Why are you doing this?” I hissed through gritted teeth as my wound stung.

“Shut the fuck up, Akio, and don’t ask questions.”

After letting out a low breath, I relaxed against the chair and closed my eyes. Nicole fluttered through my mind, and I really fucking hoped that she wasn’t back with her father. I hoped that she had gotten out.

But that night, her dad had made her feel like she was crazy, like she was seeing things, like her reality wasn’t real. Talk about being a fucking gaslighting asshole. I gritted my teeth as Kai took my arm.

He placed down the needle and picked up some cream, squirting a bunch on my scabs. When he snapped the container closed, I rubbed it against my raw wrists and forced myself to breathe or else I’d pass out from the pain.

“Is everyone safe?” I asked, mainly worried about Nicole.

“Yes.”

“Even—”

“Yes, Nicole is safe.”

After cleaning up the table, Kai stood and motioned for me to follow. I stood on shaky legs and hobbled after him, down a short hallway and to a spare room in the very back of the finished basement.

It was small and only had a bed, but it would do. There was no way in fucking hell that I would go back to Mom’s place now. Not for a while. I didn’t know if Kai would let me crash at his place for long, but I wasn’t going to ask.

“You need anything, you get it yourself,” Kai said. “I’m busy with shit.”

“Sounds good. Where is the kitchen and bathroom?”

“Find it yourself, but don’t get into my sh?—”

Someone knocked on the basement door, and Kai stiffened. With his gun drawn, he stormed out into the hallway and to the door. It was a maze, just trying to find the door. It had to be Poison, right?

I sat down on the bed and lay back, closing my eyes as I listened to the door open.

“Where is he?” a familiar voice asked frantically.

Then, I heard a pair of heels clanking down the hallway toward my room. I lifted my head off the pillow and stared at the door. A moment later, Nicole appeared, her hair thrown up in a messy bun, an oversize sweatshirt hanging off her shoulders, and two different heels on her feet. She dropped her purse and sprinted to the bed.

“Thank God!” she cried, falling to her knees by the bedside. She grabbed my hand and dropped her head, unable to look at me. “Akio, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I … I never wanted you to see what you did. I’m sorry. I didn’t … I wasn’t sure …”

Biting back the pain, I tugged on her wrists and tried to pull her up onto the bed with me. She lifted her head, tears running down her cheeks, and sobbed even harder, taking in all my wounds.

“You … I …” She opened and closed her mouth a handful of times, never speaking another word.

“Come up here,” I whispered.

Her chin quivered, yet she crawled up into the bed with me. I gently cupped her face and swiped my thumbs across her cheeks to wipe away the tears.

“Nicole, it’s not your fault. Stop apologizing.”

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