Page 55 of Kaine

Chapter Twenty-Four

HIM

She’s quiet the entireride back to my apartment. The only sounds from the back of the car are Gabriel’s occasional moans, and her softly comforting him, patting his arm and pulling my jacket up over his shivering body. Her face is as pale as it was this morning outside her office; her eyes are dark now, filled with worry. I don’t know what she thought was going to happen, but if there’s even the slightest thing I can do to relieve her burdens, I’m going to do it.

That revelation isn’t as surprising to me as I thought it would be.

“Drive around the back, Henry,” I whisper to my driver when we’re a block away, and his head nods.

I’ve called in advance to let the apartment building manager know that I’m going to need a private elevator waiting for me when we get there. Everything is ready just as I have requested, including my doctor, waiting in the apartment’s living room when we arrive upstairs.

“Henry, can you please take Mr. Sinclair into the guest bedroom? We’ll be there in just a second.”

I gesture for the doctor to follow Henry and Gabriel, and I gently press against Jade’s arm, keeping her back.

“Let the doctor examine him. Then you can be with him as much as you like,” I say gently. She nods and wanders over to the couch, clutching her bag against her chest.

I pour a glass of water and bring it over to her, sitting down on the couch beside her. She takes a sip of the water before I take it from her, placing it gently on the coffee table.

She looks at me for a moment and then lets out something that sounds half like a sigh, half chuckle. It’s a strange reaction to what’s going on.

“What is it?” I ask her.

“I was ...” she starts, then swallows. “I was just about to open my mouth to say thank you. Then I thought, the way things have been going with us, maybe I should just get a recording of it so you can replay it to save me the trouble of constantly repeating myself.”

I lean forward and take her trembling hand in mind. “You don’t have to thank me. You can forgive me, but you don’t have to thank me.”

“What the hell do I have to forgive you for?”

“Last night. The shower.”

“Kaine. I told you, that was all my fault. Maybe you should be the one forgiving me.”

I shake my head. She can’t let me off this easily. “I’m sorry I yelled.”

“I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

“But...”

“You know something? If you think it makes sense to me now why you’re always wearing hoodies, it doesn’t. There’s nothing you should feel like you have to hide, Kaine.”

“Then the world needs more people like you.”

This time it’s clearly a chuckle. Or a snort. “I’d have thought you’d be the LAST person who thought that.”

I laugh along with her, glad to see her relaxing a little.

“Kaine?”

“Yes, Jade?”

“You’re a hero.” I look down and her hand is on mine. I don’t know what to say, so I say the truth.

“No, Jade. Heroes have hearts. I only have scars.”

She opens her mouth as if to protest but we’re interrupted before she can.

“Ms. Sinclair, you can come in and see your brother now.”