Page 123 of The Last Inch Of Ice
“Someone has to. You certainly don’t.”
“I talk.”
“You grunt. There’s a difference.”
Nazar’s mouth twitches. Then he leans down and kisses Kai and completely derailing Kai’s train of thought.
When he pulls back, Kai has to physically shake his head to clear it.
“Food,” he says again, but with significantly less conviction. “You need food.”
“Fine.” Nazar rolls off him with visible reluctance. “But I’m eating in bed.”
“You’re—what? No. Absolutely not. We have a perfectly good kitchen with a—”
“Bed.”
“Rykov—”
“Let just eat here for once.” Nazar’s expression is stubborn in that way Kai has learned means arguing is futile.
“Fine,” Kai sighs.
Kai drags himself out of bed, pulls on sweatpants and a t-shirt, and pads to the kitchen. He returns fifteen minutes later with two burritos and finds Nazar propped against the headboard, looking absurdly comfortable in Kai’s bed.
The sight does something complicated to Kai’s chest.
They eat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Bonifazio appears from wherever he’d been hiding—probably judging them from the cat tree—and hops onto the bed, settling near Kai’s feet with a disgruntled meow.
“I missed you,” Kai says quietly. He’s not looking at Nazar. Just staring at his burrito like it might have answers. “These two months have been… insane.”
“Yeah.”
“Very articulate, Rykov.”
“I’m eating.”
Kai sets his burrito down on the nightstand. His heart is suddenly hammering again, but for different reasons now.
“Can I ask you something?”
Nazar stops mid-bite. Turns his head. “You can ask me anything you want.” His voice is firm. Certain. “You know that.”
“Do you have anything to do with what happened to my father?”
Nazar sets his burrito down carefully. Wipes his mouth with a napkin—a surprisingly fastidious gesture that would be endearing under any other circumstances.
He’s quiet for a long moment. Too long. Kai’s chest tightens.
“I’m not sure you want to know the truth,” Nazar says finally. “But no. I have no direct connection to the criminal case. No direct connection to his arrest.”
“But indirectly?”
“Indirectly…” Nazar meets his eyes. “Many people were involved. Journalists. Investigators. People your father hurt over the years. I didn’t need to do much. He crossed too many people, Kai. All I did was… help connect some dots. Make sure the right information reached the right ears.”
Kai’s throat is tight. His hands are shaking slightly, and he presses them flat against the mattress to hide it.
“Rykov…” His voice comes out strangled. “My father will do everything he can to avoid staying in prison. He has influential friends. He knows which strings to pull.” He swallows hard. “Listen to me. Don’t stick your neck out under any circumstances. I’m not joking. I don’t often ask you for anything. Right?”
