“Don’t mess with the concealer.”
“Sorry.” Kayn opened his arms. She stepped into them, only able to hug him with her right arm.
“Not too tight,” she breathed when he reciprocated. “I’m stiff.”
“Sorry.” He released her and stepped back, his face twisted with emotion. “You might have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t, and now it’s finally over.” Ahri reached up with her good arm and patted his cheek.
“What did you tell Bill?” he asked.
“That I think Zed hid something in Mom’s Korean doll. I’m guessing a flash drive.”
“Oh, wow.” Her brother looked at her, bemused. “If you’d have shipped it with the rest of your stuff, they’d have gotten it.”
“Yeah. I called Francie before I took my shower and told her to watch for the police. It scares me to death they could have come after me there.” Ahri had to blink back tears.
“It’s okay. They didn’t.” He kissed her forehead. “Remember, it’s over. You ready?”
Kayn’s bell chimed at the same time the door opened. Rafe entered, dressed in a tux with a white jacket this time, and a red rose in his lapel. He looked so good, Ahri sighed.
“You havetwotuxes?” she asked.
“The black one was my costume.” He opened the box he held and pulled out a corsage. “Ahri, you look beautiful.”
“More prom stuff?” Kayn didn’t wait for an answer. “No PDA around me, okay? Let’s go.”
“Let me put on my flower.” Ahri took it from Rafe but needed his help to pin it on. She faced him and whispered, “How bad do you hurt?”
“I’m going to need some time in a hot tub.”
“Me too.”
He kissed her, took her right hand, and led her to the banquet. When they entered the room, they found Darius welcoming the guests. He looked relieved when he saw them.
“Well, it looks like our CEO Rafe Davis has arrived. I’ll turn the time over to him.” As everyone clapped, Darius took a seat.
They walked to the front table together, Rafe on one side of her and Kayn on the other. Ahri didn’t think it was a coincidence,and it made her feel protected. She accepted it for the kindness she was sure they meant it to be. Rafe seated her and moved to the podium.
“I’d like to welcome everyone to our first annual Midsummer’s Eve Banquet. Did everyone have fun today?” The crowd erupted in applause and some cheers. When everyone quieted, he continued. “We had a little incident today—” He indicated his face. “—but rest assured that it’s been resolved and the bad guys are in custody. Since it’s an ongoing police investigation, we can’t answer any questions, so don’t ask. I’m sure everyone’s ready to eat, so the service can begin.”
The longer Ahri sat, the stiffer she became and the more her left shoulder ached. It didn’t hurt as much if she kept her arm at her side. As often as Rafe shifted in his chair, she knew he wasn’t doing much better. She didn’t do the delicious meal justice.
When everyone had been served dessert, Rafe rose, moving a lot like an old man who was stiff with arthritis. He acknowledged their guests from the community, such as the university president and local elected officials and then put on a forced grin for the group.
“I’d like now to thank our guests of honor. These are people who’ve done the most to share their love of playing REKD. Word of mouth is everything, and your contributions have helped with our amazing success. Your efforts have grown the popularity of the game worldwide. We have a special gift for each of you, as well as a plaque like this.” Rafe held one up. “These will be placed on our Wall of Honor here at headquarters.”
Ahri was hurting so much by then, that she lost the rest of what he said. She only came out of her fog of pain when he put his hands on her shoulders. She looked up.
“I think we’ll go to the hospital now,” he said.
“What about the hospital?” Kayn was at her chair in an instant.
“I don’t know if I can get up,” she whispered, her voice tight with pain.
“We need to be discreet,” Bill said. “Don’t try to pull her up. Let her hold onto you.”
Ahri took the forearm Kayn offered her. As soon as she tried to stand, a stabbing pain in her left shoulder made her cry out.
