She bites her bottom lip and takes a seat right on the edge of the sofa. Her back is stiff, straight and rigid. Her hands are folded neatly on her lap, and her face shows no signs of emotion.
Yet I know emotions are flooding her. Because she can’t hide everything from me. I know her too well.
“Kayla, I wanted to give you some reassurance. The other night when we spoke…” I pause, shoving images of her naked body from my mind. “Uh, the other night…” I stammer. “You were concerned that I was not willing to do what it takes to keep you safe, but I assure you that I am.”
“I don’t understand,” she says stiffly.
“I’m looking into the attack against you. I have some suspects in mind, and once I confirm that it was them, I will make sure they pay for what they did. I will make sure they understand never to try some shit like that again,” I tell her. My heart clenches tightly at the idea that I might not have reached her on time. It is a painful thought.
“What do you mean, you will make them pay? As in you'll call the cops?” she asks, her brows deeply furrowed.
“No, Kayla. I don’t use the police to sort out my personal business. They are useless. I wouldn’t trust them with this,” I say sternly.
“What, then?” she blurts out. “What are you saying? You’re going to torture them? Murder them?” Her voice is tight, and she’s struggling to hold herself together.
“Yes. I will torture them. I will send a very clear, unmistakable message out to anyone and everyone who thinks they might try the same thing,” I inform her.
Her mouth drops open in horror.
“No, absolutely not. You will not hurt people for my sake. I won’t be a part of this!”
“You became a part of this when they made the first move by trying to harm you. Do you fully understand what might have happened to you? Do you understand the pain they could have caused you?”
She shakes her head, adamant not to hear me.
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean that because they are monsters, you also have to be one,” she huffs.
“No, Kayla. It means that I have to be abiggermonster. I have to be the largest predator in the city.”
She stands up. “No. this isn’t how things work, not in the real world.”
I grab her arm and pull her back into the seat. “I’ll tell you how things work in the real world. The world that isn’t sheltered or protected by a pretense of normalcy. In the real world, if Idon’tdo something and I let those men get away with trying to kidnap mywife, the thing they believe is most dear to me…if I let them do that without any consequences, do you know who they will go after next? The twins. They will take our baby girls and torture them. They will do it to get at me. To break me. And I promise you—I promise you with every bone in my body—I will never fucking let that happen.”
“The twins?” she stammers, her eyes glimmering with fear.
“I’m sorry. It’s horrible to hear. It’s horrible to think about. But that's why I have to do what I have to do.”
I watch her shift and squirm, silently panicking.
I watch her face as emotions flood beneath the surface.
I watch and wait while she processes and understands.
Kayla looks up at me, her face suddenly under control again. “Then I think it’s best if the twins and I packed up things and moved back to California. If it’s too dangerous here for them, then I need to accept that Chicago is not the place for us.”
I scoff dry, bitter laughter.
“You aren’t leaving, Kayla. The twins aren’t leaving. I will not make that mistake again. I will not lose you twice.”
She furrows her brows, confusion darkening her beautiful eyes. She bites her lip and watches me as though she’s trying to puzzle me together. Can’t she tell I’m right in front of her? I’m here for her. I’m here to give her whatever she wants. Everything. Anything.
“Kayla,” I whisper.
She stands quickly, taking in a sharp breath. “I should get back to work,” she says politely.
Kayla walks away as though we discussed nothing more important than what to have for dinner.
Her ability to freeze over is incredible. Her survival instincts have become such a deep and integrated part of her that I have no idea how to break through her cold exterior.
