So that was it. He thought he could earn his family’s forgiveness by putting a stop to the bell ringers, and until that day came, he was left staring forlornly at a phone number he could never call because he knew it wouldn’t pick up for him.
“That’s so...”
I wanted to offer something profound, or at least comforting, but the right words eluded me. My blood boiled so suddenly in my veins it turned my brain to useless soup, and all that came out of my mouth were unintelligible sounds.
Not knowing what else to do with myself, I grabbed one of the pillows off the bed and threw it across the room where it hit the wall with a muffled sound.
“That’s so unfair!”
“Jordy?”
“No, that’s not...”
With a frustrated shout, I threw another pillow. Luckily, the luxury bed had more than enough.
“It isn’t your fault that the bell ringers are a bunch of monsters. Maybe you made a mistake handling the case, but so what. You’re human. Humans make mistakes. It’s not worth cutting off all contact with you over something like that. I’d give anything to have even a single family member, yet your family can afford to just throw people away for stupid reasons.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I slouched down among the remaining pillows and scowled at the phone still balancing on the edge of the nightstand. “Ugh. It’s not fair.”
Now, instead of fixing the phone, I desperately wanted to bat it off the table and watch it crash to the floor. I probably would have done so if Kitt hadn’t taken that opportunity to climb on top of me and press me into the mattress with a heavy kiss.
I could tell he wasn’t trying to start anything, after our numerous rounds last night, I don’t think I could have gone again even if I wanted to, but the kiss still left me breathless. Even after it ended, I chased his lips, desperately seeking more.
He laughed and gave me another quick peck before pulling away. “I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever gotten mad for my sake.”
Although he pulled away, he still stayed on top of me and his weight kept me pinned. I couldn’t chase after him, so I flopped back against the pillows and scowled up at him.
“Well, get used to it. I’ve got enough anger to go around for multiple people.”
The first light of morning trickling through the window was finally illuminating his skin. It wasn’t any sort of brilliant glow. The day was dawning overcast, and what little sunlight made it through the clouds was gray and weak.
I reached up and cupped his face, tracing the edges of the dull morning light on his skin.
“Your family doesn’t know what they’re missing by keeping you out of their lives.”
Grabbing my hand, Kitt placed a kiss at the center of my palm. All at once, the dull morning seemed a little brighter.
“A whole lot of drama. That’s what they’re missing. It’s probably a blessing in disguise. Being cut off from them means I can pursue the bell ringers case without worrying that my family could be used against me. The bell ringers have been known to use such tactics before, and I wouldn’t want to put them in danger.”
Since he wouldn’t let go of my hand—not that I wanted him to—I retaliated by cupping his face with my other hand as well.
“Well, if stopping the bell ringers is what it’ll take to make your family talk to you again, then that’s just what we’ll have to do.”
To my delight, he didn’t even try to escape my grasp.
“Now, we just need to figure out how two people, with no legal authority, and no formal combat training, can take down an experienced trafficker all on our own.”
When Kitt put it that way, the task before us sounded difficult. Maybe even impossible.
Luckily, I’d laughed in the face of impossible odds before and survived. This time would be no different.
CHAPTER 21
Jordy
The airport bustled with activity.It was the middle of the morning rush, the busiest time at an airport, and the easiest for someone to disappear into a cloud. Security was stretched trying to keep track of everyone coming and going, which also made it the most opportune for traffickers to slip through the cracks.
Well, hopefully not today.
