Page 42 of Cruel Devotion

I shrugged. “Busy training.”

“Naw.” Banks shook his head. “He’s not that busy.”

“He is.”

Banks glared at Chen. “Where’s Lei?”

Chen placed his hands in his pocket. “You require his presence?”

“Fuck yeah, I require it.”

I shifted my weight to my other foot. “Is that necessary, Banks?”

“We were supposed to have a conversation, Moni.”

“No one said anything about your talking to Lei. We just said that I would wear white and have your men.”

Banks grinned at Chen. “So, Lei doesn’t know I’m here?”

Chen remained quiet.

I cleared my throat. “Where are the clothes?”

“Are you rushing me, Moni?”

“Are you trying to start some shit?” I gestured to all of his men. “Why are they here?”

“Just in case shit popped off.”

“And why would shit pop off, Banks?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “I’m keeping your promise—”

“But Lei doesn’t know—”

“So that promise was to start shit with him?”

“It was to see how intense his feelings are for my cousin who has no business being around him.”

“We talked about this.”

“We did.”

“I said it would only be seven days and that I was just helping him.”

Banks kept his view on Chen. “And what do you think, Mr. Deputy Mountain Master? Will your cousin stand by that seven days or will he expect more time with my cousin? And does he only see Moni as a friend or is it more?”

Chen’s warm smile cracked a little. “I would never attempt to guess the moves and thoughts of my Mountain Master.”

“Yet, you’re scared to have him come down here? Didn’t even tell him about our being here.”

“I had no time. Your appearance was a surprise for me.”

I jumped in. “Chen didn’t know you were coming until you arrived. I was getting dressed.”

Banks snapped his view to me. “Getting dressed? You didn’t have clothes on? You were naked?”

“What? No.”

“Then, why did you have to put clothes on?”

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