“Let’s meet at the one in Hempstead instead,” Honey said.
“Isn’t that one a little far out for you? The one in Flatbush is closer.”
She knew that, and usually, she wouldn’t waste her gas going miles out to an establishment when there was another one closer, but she didn’t want to be anywhere near her home or the club. It was best to stay out of sight, especially when she knew Antonis probably still had people looking for her.
“Okay. Whatever suits you.”
They exchanged a time to meet before hanging up, and Honey looked at her son with a smile, who jumped up and down excitedly.
“Get ready. You’re going to meet your father today, and he has a gift for you,” she told him.
“Yay!” Kai yelled as he raced upstairs to the room they had been staying in at Ava’s place.
“That’s good that Kai will be able to go out so he won’t be so couped up in here,” Ava said warmly, and Honey agreed. Kai had been having fun with some of the kids in the neighborhood when they got out of school, but in the mornings, he mostly spent his time inside and would miss his friends from school.
“Yeah, it’ll be good for him to get some of that energy out at the arcade,” Honey said, thinking that it might also be good for herself to have a bit of a distraction so she could keep her mind off her worries.
“I’ll finish this up, and you go get ready. I’ll tell Yanis that you’re going out today.”
Honey nodded before taking her leave upstairs.
***
“Yay! I love it, Dad,” Kai said as he admired the video game he received from his father. It wasn’t long before the young boy burst out of his seat and into his father’s arms, giving him a tight hug. Andre hugged his son back, looking pleased with himself, and Honey smiled.
They sat at a table in the bustling arcade filled with young kids and their parents. Kai had just finished eating his slice of pizza when Andre finally allowed him to open it.
“Thanks so much, Dad,” Kai said, pulling back with a smile that rivaled a million-watt voltage.
“You're welcome, Kai. I know how well you’ve been doing in school, and I wanted to get you something for your hard work. Keep up the good work, and you’ll get more like this.”
Kai nodded at the incentive before turning his bright smile on her.
“Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“Is Nik coming back today? I want to play the game with him. It’s going to be so much fun!” he exclaimed, and Honey tried to hold her smile, even though it wanted to fall from the mere mention of his name.
“I’m not sure, honey. But when he does, he’ll definitely play with you.”
Kai nodded before his eyes drifted off to all of the kids playing around him.
“Can I go play?” Kai asked, looking back and forth between the two of them, waiting for who would give permission first.
“Go ahead, Kai. But stay in my sight,” she told him firmly, and Kai nodded before he sped off to the toy bin. Honey watched him, glad to see he was having a good time.
“Thanks for getting him the gift,” Honey said gratefully.
“Yeah, I can take care of my son too,” Andre said, and Honey sighed. She hadn’t had a cordial conversation with Andre since her pregnancy eight years ago, and she didn’t even know why she bothered to try now.
“Please, don’t start,” she said. She already had enough on her mind as it was, and she didn’t need to add irritation to it. “I’mnot in the mood to argue with you, so let’s just make this about Kai.”
For the next ten minutes, they both sat quietly without exchanging so much as a word together. Andre shot texts on his phone, making the occasional call, while Honey wondered if Nikos was okay. The last time he had gone off, he had returned to her with three bullets in him, barely surviving. She didn’t want to imagine how it would be this time around. Now she wished she had told Nikos to let someone else handle it, like his brother or his father. Why did he have to be the one to handle someone as crazy as Antonis, who clearly had lost his mind after coming out of a coma? It was all so frustrating. She sank into her seat with irritation.
Andre cleared his throat. “Kai hasn’t called in a while.”
Honey arched a brow, wondering what he meant by that until she thought about it. It had been a while since Kai had asked to call his father. Usually, Kai was the one to ask her to call him so they could speak. Rarely did Andre make that effort, and maybe Andre had noticed in the past few months since their last encounter that Kai hadn’t tried to get in contact.
