“They’re gone,” he agrees, tilting my chin up. “But I’m here. You have a new family now. You have Carter, Ryder, Broadway. The girls. And most importantly, you haveme.” He kisses me again. Not on the mouth, but everywhere else. My temple, my cheek, the corner of my jaw, like he’s stamping me into his memory. “Stay, baby. Stay with me.”
And I know he doesn’t just mean now... he means forever.
26
Koby
It’s Wednesday. The week’s slowly chewing itself away and yet I’m still immersed in Leilani’s story from Sunday.
I take care with the speed limits, obeying each and every one while everything inside me twists and rages. If I let those feelings surface, if I let her sadness overwhelm me, I’ll floor the gas pedal and end up wrapped around a tree.
She’s still nineteen for fuck’s sake, and went through hell already. A hell I can’t erase. It’ll always be a part of her. The memories will fade, they’ll blur at the edges, but they’ll never completely go away. Those three years she spent with Anton, the loss she experienced... it shaped her into the woman she is now.
And while I love every part of her. The good, the bad, the unhinged, and the sad, I wonder who she’d be if she wasn’t taken.
I pull in underneath my building, the roar of the engine echoing all around the parking lot until I press the button and quiet takes over.
Not for long, unfortunately. The hands-free system wakes up, Carter’s name flashing on the dashboard. It’s almost nine in the evening, but I answer the call, venting my frustration before I think it through.
“Ijustgot home,” I say.
“And now you’ll come back.”
I press my teeth together and swear under my breath. Every instinct I have wants to exit the car, take the elevator upstairs, then fold Leilani into my arms while a movie neither of us cares about plays in the background, but Carter’s the boss.
He saysjumpand I fucking jump. I’m expected to know how high already.
“You need to see this, Koby,” he adds, a little less bite in his tone, a little more empathy. “Trust me.”
“Fine. I’m on my way.”
The engine springs to life and I dial Leilani. She’s expecting me home any minute. I don’t want her worrying.
“Hey,” she answers with a heavy sigh that conjures up her face, that little crease in her brow. “Let me guess... you’ll be late.”
“I’m sorry, hellcat. Something came up. Carter needs me.”
“It’s okay. I get it. Should I wait or—”
“Yes, wait for me. I’m fucking that disappointment right out of you the minute I get home.”
She chuckles, probably rolls her eyes, but I hear the smile in her voice. It loosens the knots in my chest.
“You’re a menace, Mr. Maddox.”
“So you keep saying.”Mrs. Maddox. “I’ll see you soon.”
I hang up before I get all pathetic and needy and ask her to tell me she misses me.
The city blurs outside the car windows, though I’m obeying all the traffic laws... and the slow pace gives me time to think.
By the time I park outside Carter’s house I’m wound up so tight every muscle in my body fucking screams.You need to see thisloops in my ears like a broken record.
I head inside, finding Ryder hunched over his laptop, Broadway leaning against the wall with a glass of Bourbon in hand, and Carter in the armchair, arms folded, jaw ticking.
“Ryder’s been working on Grey’s servers,” he tells me. “He found video clips of Anton with Leilani. They won’t help us with Octavius, but they might help you understand her better.”
Ryder doesn’t look up. His fingers flicker across the keyboard, dragging files into a playlist. He transfers the feed onto the big TV and the screen comes alive with an image of the living room I know from Leilani’s stories.
