Page 24

“Who’s they?” Kai asked, his voice low and dangerous. “Is that your ex?”

“We should split up,” Trevon said, appearing behind Wendy. He tossed something to Kai, who caught it effortlessly. “Clare got this for you. I’ve already saved the number on my phone—don’t lose this one.”

Kai examined the burner phone before tucking it into his pocket. “Where are we going?”

“I don’t know,” Wendy admitted with a shrug. “We’ll call Emily and see what she can do.”

Kai turned back to me, his hand firm on my shoulder. “What kind of trouble are you in? Answer me.”

“I’m not in trouble,” I said, and it was the truth. I didn’t think Dannie would hurt me. “We just needed to leave. Now.”

Wendy’s phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen. “Look, Chloe just texted. She said to head to Mama Bella. It’s owned by Matteo.”

I stiffened at the name. I knew exactly who Matteo was—the Mafia guy married to Chloe’s cousin, Marie. Chloe claimed she hadn’t known her family was connected to the Mafia until recently. I wasn’t so sure. My trust in her had never fully recovered after her mysterious disappearance.

“Another criminal. Great,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. Wendy caught the gesture and raised an eyebrow.

“They’re the only people who can help you now,” she said, her voice tight.

Kai and I left first. Clare had a car waiting for us at the entrance, nothing flashy, but definitely nicer than an ordinary taxi.

As soon as we were on the road, Kai’s voice cut through the silence. “Tell me about your ex.”

I swallowed hard, knowing I couldn’t avoid this any longer. “Okay, I met him ten years ago during a summer holiday here. We were… kind of married.”

His face paled and he swallowed hard while blinking at me rapidly. “Kind of married?”

“We weren’t legally married,” I clarified quickly. “It was just some ceremony to please his dying grandfather.”

Kai let out a harsh breath. “Do you realize that, for some people, that kind of ceremony is an even bigger deal than a legal document?”

I did now. But back then, it hadn’t felt real. And right now, that piece of paper—or lack thereof—was the least of my problems.

“Apparently,” I admitted. “But we weren’t in love, if that helps.”

“Are you sure?” His question hung heavy in the air.

“Yes, I’m sure. And I’m not in trouble. Dannie wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Then why are we running?” His words sliced through my reassurance, and suddenly, the truth hit me harder than I wanted to admit.

This wasn’t about me.

“I want to know that too,” I said, turning toward him. “What kind of trouble are you in?”

His jaw clenched before he gave me the brief version of the story.

By the time we arrived outside Mama Bella, an upscale Italian restaurant, a staff member guided us to a private VIP room tucked discreetly in the back.

The dim lighting and polished wooden table suggested this was a place for quiet deals—or secret meetings.

As we waited for Wendy and Trevon, I pressed Kai for more details.

I exhaled slowly. “Jenny must be terrified.”

Kai nodded, his expression unreadable.

I was the one that blinked rapidly this time. What was he thinking about that had him so distracted? “You need to help her.”

“I don’t know what I can do,” he confessed.

“We don’t know for sure that her husband is dead right?” His gaze sharpened, staring into my skull like I was joking. “It’s possible he’s still alive.”

His hand was warm beneath mine as I reached for him.

“You’re not saying that just to comfort me?”

“Yes and no. You’d be surprised what doctors can do these days.”

“I feel a lot better.” Kai kissed me—slow, deliberate—and without hesitation, I kissed him back.

A knock on the door shattered the fragile intimacy. Trevon and Wendy entered, their faces tense.

I pulled away, heart pounding.

“You should go back,” I said softly. “Jenny needs you more than I do.”

“I came here for you,” Kai countered, his voice rough.

“I don’t need saving,” I snapped, trying to convince myself as much as him.

Wendy huffed, shaking her head so forcefully it was impossible to ignore.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Her tone was razor-sharp. “He’s still in love with you.”

A chill slid down my spine.

“Dannie?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

“Yes. Who else?”

I knew Dannie had always liked me—and maybe he was a little protective of me—but love? That was different.

And dangerous.

“You never thought he might still want you?” Trevon cut in, his voice low. “That he is stopping you from leaving?”

“He wouldn’t—” I started, but the words fell flat. Wouldn’t he?

Kai’s jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it doesn’t matter,” I said, protesting. “He would never hurt me.”

“Wouldn’t he?” Kai’s words sliced through my fragile confidence.

A bitter laugh escaped me. “I already walked away from him once. And he let me go.”

“Maybe he regrets it,” Wendy murmured. “Men like him? They don’t forget. They don’t forgive.”

The weight of their words settled over me, thick and suffocating.

Kai stepped closer, his voice quieter but no less intense. “What if you’re wrong? What if this time, he won’t let you go?”

I lifted my chin, defiant. “He has never hurt me and he’s not going to start now.”

His hand curled around my waist. “How can you be sure?”

“I know what it looks like,” I said, wishing they’d just let it all drop.

“Oh wow…” Wendy interrupted.

“Shut the fuck up and let me finish,” I snapped at Wendy, and it was about time someone taught her not to interrupt when someone was talking, “Dannie is a very powerful person in Hong Kong. None of us can deny that. His friend is going to help me get a visa tomorrow. His name is Huang An, and he works high up in the department. I just met him at the party.”

Everyone in the room looked a little confuse. I knew right away they either didn’t believe me, or they didn’t believe Dannie would actually help me.

“Look, Dannie and I have history. If I didn’t go back to America and become a doctor, I probably would have married him.

Just live, never work, have babies for him, and never worry about a thing in the world.

But I didn’t. I went back to the States, and it was over for us.

I know you guys don’t trust him, but I do—with my life.

He would never hurt me, okay? He would kill for me. He has…”

Wendy gasped while the men didn’t seem to react. Kai shot me another look, and I knew he had questions about my past that needed answering.

“It wasn’t a big deal.” But it was, wasn’t it? I’ve always known that, even if I tried to play it off now.

“What the…” Wendy couldn’t help herself. I realized her need to interrupt people couldn’t be fixed in one day.

“Someone assaulted me. And before I knew it, you know, Dannie did something…” I kept it brief deliberately. I didn’t want to relive that traumatic experience.

“I would do the same for you.” Kai wrapped his arms around me, kissing me on the forehead.

I looked up at him. “Do you trust me now? Dannie wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Okay. I trust your judgement. And if he cares about you that much, then I know at least he can keep you safe. But if he is in love with you, why would he ever let you go? I know I wouldn’t.”

“Well, he let me go once, right?”

“Yes, he would be an idiot to let you go twice.”

“Kai has a point. He could lock you up and have his scary men watch you twenty-four-seven,” Wendy chimed in.

“Stop fucking around and wasting your time on me. You guys must realize that Jenny is our priority. Kai needs to go back to Shanghai, go to the police, clear her name, his name—whatever. He won’t be able to live with himself if something happens to Jenny.”

“I will go with Kai,” Trevon volunteered, I smiled at him as he tapped his hand on Kai’s shoulder.

“And I’ll stay until we meet them in Shanghai.” Kai replied, his face dark with worry.

My resolved cracked.

“You have to go,” I whispered, though my heart begged him to stay.

“I’ll go,” he promised. “But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”