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How do I articulate it?

“I was listening to everything being said and comparing it with what you’d told me about Graham and… You were right. I do know you. And I trust you. And believe you. And believe in you. And there was a moment, when that man, Enzo or whatever, was getting ready to pull the trigger, where I saw a world without you in it…” A new set of tears emerge. “And I couldn’t live with that. So I reacted. It wasn’t really a choice, it was…instinct. You know?”

Khaos studies me. “You were willing to trade your life with mine? That was your solution?”

I feel my cheeks heat beneath the streams.

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t’ve done the same for me.”

“Without hesitation, I would’ve. You know that. But…”

“But what?”

“You deserve it.”

“And you don’t?”

He shakes his head. “Not after…”

“The thing with Guy?” That’s the worst he did himself. The rest was Graham.

“The ‘thing’ with Guy? Kota, I basically robbed him.”

“To save someone you love.”

I know what he did isn’t right, but his reason for doing it makes sense to me. It does.

“Someone that didn’t deserve it.”

I don’t disagree. Just from the little bit that was shared, it’s obvious Graham was a con artist.

“Tell me what happened,” I say, and he does. He tells me all about the fight he was supposed to throw, the fallout from the judges’ scores, and Graham’s grand scheme to get the money he owed on the bet he never should’ve been allowed to make.

“Why my mom?”

“Sea Haven has one of the most lucrative fighting scenes around. Where other fighters might pull in a couple hundred dollars per fight, I was getting a couple thousand for each match here.”

“Thousand? But you told me…”

“I told you what I was taking home after my dad took his cut.” Brows lowering, Khaos pauses. “Once we had the location narrowed down, he researched the wealthiest women in the area. From there, it was about who was single, then who was looking for a lapdog of a partner.”

“That’s Sarge all right.”

We both laugh, but mine ends in a wince.

“Shit, sorry. You’re probably due for more morphine.”

“Wait.” I stop him from pushing the button on the pain medication dispenser. “I want to hear the rest.”

I can’t be sure but I think his thumb depresses the button before he sets the pump aside.

“The rest? Let’s see, I fell in love with the tiniest, most beautiful warrior I’ve ever met. She made me see the world differently. She made me see me differently. I almost fucked it up with her. But in the end, she chose me, and I’m so fucking grateful.”

Scoffing, I pretend to act jealous. “So what’s her name?”

Khaos smiles before dropping it to say seriously, “Dakota Lynsi Stack Rhodes. I’m so sorry for everything that went down. As soon as I got to know you, I stopped thinking of you as a mark and only thought of you as…everything. You’re everything to me, Kota.”

Weakly, I use my left hand to sign my name on his chest, directly where it’s tattooed. Khaos’s hand covers mine, holding it there, allowing me to feel his heartbeat. It’s fast. Very, very fast.