Page 41 of The Redemption of Alex Cade
He was calling me out on the hypocrisy of my words; he was right to, because I’d enjoyed the cash we so easily made. But I was learning that wealth wasn’t only about money.
“Kel.” I felt like I was dragging his name up from the depths. “This life we lead, I don’t want it anymore. I haven’t wanted it for a long time but I refused to admit it to myself. Not until now.”
“Keep telling yourself that and maybe you’ll believe it, because I don’t,” he sneered. “He comes along and now you’re seeing rainbows and fluffy white clouds. For fuck’s sake, you’ll be finding god next.”
I shook my head hard. There was no god, as Kelvin and I had learnt the hard way.
“I never believed somebody like Kit would ever walk into my life. He’s made me think and be honest with myself. Even though he doesn’t know it, he’s been the catalyst. I’m going to change my life, Kel, I’m going to walk away from the business and whatever you say or do, it won’t stop me.”
The air in the room was thick and heavy, hot and suffocating, and I tugged at the collar of my shirt. I held Kelvin’s gaze. He was a man who was so much more than a friend or a business partner, a man I loved in ways which were indefinable. A man I’d die for, even as I was trying to pull away.
“Oh, Alex. Babe.” He sighed. “Little Kitten’s got his claws well and truly dug in deep, hasn’t he?” He lurched forward, sharp and sudden. “What’s all this talk of walking away, of giving up, of turning your back on everything we’ve built? Eh? All this sudden nobility, it’s really not you. But tell you what, why don’t you put your Kitten, the one who gives you hope, the one who makes you feel all fuzzy and cuddly, to the test? Tell him about yourself.Reallytell him, and not that pile of half baked shite you fobbed him off with. Do you really think your sweet little cutie, your nice, decent,wholesome suburban boy will want your dirty, tainted self then?”
I opened my mouth, ready to say yes, but the word didn’t come. Would Kit want me? Knowing what had happened to him, would he want somebody like me in his life? No, the word wouldn’t come, because I didn’t know.
Kelvin smiled as I said nothing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
KIT
“Hello, Kitten.”
I swung around and dropped my shopping as I staggered back and fell against my front door. Blinking hard, my mouth opened and closed, but no words came. Kelvin stood in the kitchen doorway, holding a mug which he took a leisurely sip from. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Kelvin, in my home… Alex had said he’d sort it…
“I’ll get you one if you like? Reckon you can use it, ‘cause you’re not looking too great. You’ve gone all pasty, and you’re soaking. Get caught in that downpour, did you? You look like a drowned rat, if you don’t mind me saying.”
“What are you doing here? How did you get in?” I was caught between anger and fear, and didn’t know whether to confront him or turn and run. He didn’t bother to answer as he sauntered back into the kitchen. Anger tipped the fine balance within me and I rushed after him. “You’ve got no right to be here, breaking into my house and?—”
“Didn’t see that I had any other choice, because I don’treckon you’d have invited me in if I’d just turned up.” He smirked when I didn’t have an answer, and all I could do was stand and watch as he stood inmykitchen and poured boiling water frommykettle into one ofmymugs.
He held the coffee out to me, but I didn’t take it.
“Go on, drink it.” He huffed. “There’s nothing wrong with it. I’ve not spat in it, or spiked it if that’s what you’re thinking.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head when I made no attempt to move, and he placed it on the little kitchen table. Pulling out a chair he sat down. “You know, I’m surprised you don’t have a burglar alarm, and frankly your door lock’s worth shit. I’m surprised, Kitten, I really am, what with this being a high crime area an’ all. I’ve never been a burglar. Doing over somebody’s home has never been my thing, but getting into a house without leaving a mark is a very useful skill, and one I learnt during my reckless youth.” He smiled, hard and bright, and I shuddered.
Finding my voice once more, I stoked my anger. “I don’t know what your game is, but I want you out otherwise I’ll call the police, and Alex too.” I fumbled for my mobile, meaning every word, but I’d hardly even punched in the code to open it up when it was snatched from my hand. Fuck, but the man was fast. I’d glanced down for no more than a second or two and he was on me.
“I wouldn’t do that, Kitten, if I were you.” He put it down on the table, almost daring me to make a grab for it. My fingers itched to, but the truth was I was too damn scared; my brief show of courage had evaporated and my legs began to shake. Kelvin pulled out the chair opposite the one he’d been sitting in and pushed me down into. “Sit down before you collapse and hit your head. Wouldn’t want Alex accusing me of marking that pretty face of yours, would we?”
Kelvin sat down opposite me and picked up his drink,looking at me over the rim of the mug, and all I could do was sit there as rigid as a plank of wood and stare back.
“We need to have a little chat, Kitten. Again.”
“Don’t call me that, my name’s Kit.” It was a feeble protest and one he took no notice of.
“You know, I thought I’d made it plain when we had our first get together over a friendly cup of tea. I really did. It was a bit of a joke about suggesting you fuck off to Canada. I wasn’t really expecting you to pack up and jump on the first flight out. Because I’m a reasonable man.”
“Reasonable? What’s reasonable about you breaking into my house and?—”
“Oh, don’t look at me like that! You’ll be hurting my feelings, next, and that’s really not something you want to do.” He winked at me over the rim of the mug before he took a sip.
Maybe I could dart across the table; maybe upend the hot coffee all over him; maybe it’d give me the chance to make a run for it. The thought died before it’d been born.
“Really, really thought you’d have got the memo, as they say, about you waving goodbye to Alex. But you didn’t, and that pisses me off because it’s meant I’ve had to waste time travelling down here to the arsehole of London to go over it all again. Oh, Kitten. There was I thinking you were a clever boy. But maybe you’re really a bit thick.”
I gawped at him as he quirked his head to the side, his gaze roaming over me.
“You know,” he said, “I really can see the attraction. You are very definitely Alex’s type. He likes ‘em blond and skinny, always has.” I hugged my arms across my middle, over the soaked through coat I was still wearing. “You should take that off, you know, because otherwise you’ll catch yourdeath. Which might not be such a bad thing, because it’d solve a very tricky problem.”
