Page 142 of Kings & Chaos

“Okay, tiger,” Drago said, taking Willa’s face in his hands. “Please be fucking careful.”

I moved away from them with Rock while they said goodbye. I didn’t want to hear what they had to say to each other. Drago would be able to tell Willa how he felt about her in a way I would never be able to do.

It was just another reminder that I was fucked up.

Broken.

They kissed, and I turned away to look out over the marina.

“You can always tell her how you feel,” Rock suggested.

“Fuck you.”

Rock sighed. “Would it make you feel better if I said she probably knows anyway?”

I looked over at him. “Maybe.”

He shrugged. “She probably knows anyway. Willa’s good like that.”

Drago and Willa broke apart and I walked over to her, glad Drago stepped away even though I had no fucking idea what to say to her.

She looked up at me. “You’ll be careful?”

“I’ll be fucking fine,” I said. “You’re the one who needs to be careful.”

“I will be,” she said. “And I’ll be home by dinner.”

There was that word again. Home.

I reached out and slid my hands into her long hair, tipping her head back a little roughly because that seemed to be the only fucking way I knew how to do things. “You better.”

She slid her arms around my neck and stood on her toes, her lips only an inch away from mine. Her eyes gleamed like emeralds. “Thanks for an amazing Christmas.”

I wanted to say it back, along with a million other things, but I kissed her instead, trying to tell her everything I couldn’t say.

Then we were stepping away from each other, and Rock was starting up the Audi while Drago headed for the Hummer.

She smiled up at me. “See you soon.”

She slid into the passenger side of the Audi.

And then she was gone.

Chapter56

Willa

Istared out the window of the Audi, watching in the side mirror as the Hummer turned off the highway that ran along the sea. Neo and Oscar would make their way inland to Blackwell Falls while Rock and I followed the coast to meet my mom.

The Hummer disappear from view, and I felt my heart shrink a little. When had I gone from not being able to live with the Kings to not being able to live without them?

I looked out at the water and tried to put them out of my mind while I prepared for the meeting with my mom. I had no idea how she was going to take what I had to tell her or what she was going to say.

Actually, that was a lie. I had an idea, I just hoped I was wrong.

I heard Rock’s voice from the driver’s seat and realized he’d said something.

“Sorry,” I said. “I was zoning.”

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