Surprisingly, it’s Roman who answers. “Kill me instead.”
Rolling my neck and pressing my boot down harder before crouching before her. “I’m planning on it, but not before fucking your girl in front of you. Letting you see the needy whore you wasted your life for.” Using my fingers, I shift her panties, already damp with what I’m sure is his cum. He smiles, realizing I've noticed his little gift inside her. It takes me by surprise how angry that makes me and how much I just want to degrade her. Pulling out my cock as I stand, I do the only thing I want to do. Warm piss flows out of the tip of my dick onto Xena, who lies there like some used-up rag doll. Witnessing the rage overtaking Roman, while keeping his leash, is truly more arousing than fucking pussy, even my Tokyo's. Shaking off the remaining piss, I nudge her with the tip of my boot. “On your knees.”
She doesn’t move.
“Kill me.” That's all she says, my eyebrows lift amused with how these crazy assholes are truly willing to Romeo and Juliet their way out of this one, and that fucking makes me see red. I kick her, making her roll to her side. Before Roman can move, I place my boot on her chest and point the gun directly in her face as she laughs. Screams fill the air, and a thick, heavy black smoke that comes from something being set on fire rises up into the night sky. The music cuts off just in time to hear the panicked screams as people warn others about a fire. Blood rushes into my ears. “Say goodbye now.”
But just as I go, I pull the trigger. There's a blur of movement in front of Roman; the shape takes the form of her. Something tugs at my heart, followed by a blooming pain on the back of my head. It all happens so fast that I have no time to react before I collapse onto my knees, my hand with the gun flailing around.
Then, Xena brings her knees to her stomach right before dishing them back into my gut, causing me to fall to my side. Looking over at Roman, as he holds onto Tokyo, as crimson stains the back of her grey dress. Xena grunts beneath me, andbefore I can look behind me, another painful pang comes down on my head, making me fall back onto my side.
Did she just take a bullet for him? Tokyo sacrificed herself for somebody else? A weak smile pulls at my lips at the fucking irony of this all. Then, another painful pang across my back causes the air in my lungs to escape and forces me to roll onto my back. “Have fun in hell,” Kai snarls through gritted teeth before my face connects with the bat in his hand, my brain rattles in my skull, and my vision tunnels. Stars and blackness dance in my vision. I try to raise my head, but it’s useless.
Chapter Twenty One
Kai
I’m barely thinking as I continue to bring the bat down on his head, each blow landing with wet smacks. I don’t even stop when he stops moving or as the back of his head sinks further into the soil. Not even the burn in my arms stops me from continuously striking him, even when I know that he’s dead.
A small arm wraps around my waist, and something wet and cold flushes against my back while the stench of ammonia invades my senses. A hand pries the bat from my hand, causing Tokyo’s bat to fall to the ground. I can’t bring myself to look at Roman. To look at the bleeding woman he holds in his arms. The world is silent, even as his lips move. I can’t make out the words. Not until Xena comes into view, smacking me harshly in the face before cupping my jaw in her warm palms.
“She’s alive, snap out of it.” My eyes move past her and towards Tokyo, who waves gently in the air, sparking life back into my beating organ and oxygen back into my lungs, despite the heat of the fire that now surrounds us. The groaning of thewood, the screams, and flames flickering through the air became a background noise. It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters, only that she’s okay.
“Trouble.” I breathe out the word as my feet drag me forward. Roman groans as he lifts her, and I quickly yank her out of his arms and pull her into mine, kissing her forehead. “Let’s get you home.”
She shakes her head, her arms extended, and looking over my shoulder, I see Tokyo’s fingers intertwined with Xena’s.
“Thank you,” Xena says with a small quiver in her voice. My heart could explode with pride. My Tokyo turned out to be selfless after all—stupid and reckless—but this is her atonement. Thankfully, she seems okay, but is still bleeding a little too much for my liking.
“Follow me out.” I cock my head to the clearing that leads to the parking area. “I have a ride.”
“Kai, I’m di—zzy,” Tokyo bites out, squirming in my arms as she grows colder by the minute. Her body shivers against my arms, trying to use my body to warm her up. I can hear Roman groans behind me as he leans into his girl. The chaos around us is insane. People holding up their phones, exposing the truth of tonight’s partygoers crying as they look for their friends and find multiple corpses lying around the fields. I don’t look back as I walk out with my heart in my hand. We walk in silence until we find the clearing with the designated parking lot. Chino notices, running towards me.
“You got her, you good?” I nod just as he looks at Roman. “You good, bro?”
At first, I thought Roman wouldn’t answer. It’s not like he cared much for anyone but Xena, but a deep chuckle rumbles through him before he replies, “I’m good.”
Chino focuses back on me, noticing the blood that I’m sure is pouring down my body. She’s dying. The words hit me harderthan anything I could ever prepare for. “Chino,” I bite out as I push past him. “She’s dying.”
“Nah, fuck that,” Chino says as he opens the door, motioning me to get inside. Cradling her into me, I slip inside and cry as I feel her grow weaker.
“Ka–i,” she says my name weakly, each letter sending a dagger into my heart. “Shh,” I plead, not sure what I’m asking her to do as we peel out of the devil’s playground…
I pace back and forth, blood coating every inch of my body, as Chino sits on a metal chair, looking down the hall as if he can give me answers. I’m normally a patient man; however, right now, I can’t find a drop of any. All I can think about is the bluish tint on Tokyo’s lips as they placed her onto the stretcher, and the chaos around us as they worked on her before wheeling her back into surgery.
Roman and Xena are in a separate room, talking to the cops after Roman woke up from surgery on his knee to remove thebullet. Thankfully, the one on his side was a clean hit. My girl wasn’t as lucky. Right now, things are looking grim, and the longer she’s in there, the heavier the realization weighs on me.
“You gotta stop pacing, man,” Chino says as he leans back into the chair, resting his bald head on the tall window behind him. “It’s not going to make time go quicker.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?” I snap back, glaring at my friend, and feeling instantly guilty for my response. He’s trying to help—all this time, he’s done nothing but help. “I can’t.”
It’s all I can say before taking a seat beside him, bringing my hands to my temples as I rest my elbows on my knees, just as the double doors open and light spills into the soft glow of the waiting area.
“Family of Tokyo?”
“Here.” I clear my throat, unsure of how to reply, so I say the only thing that will always remain true to me despite the blood that runs through our veins. “I’m her brother.”
Chino holds back a laugh, and it makes my lips curl slightly. The surgeon is an older guy, and he removes his duck surgery cap and tussles his graying hair. “She’s out of surgery. The bullet was lodged in her spine. We won’t know until she’s awake if she will be able to walk, but for now, she’s alive and out of danger. Would you like to see her?”
