Page 43 of Gates of Tartarus

I nod.

“Your helmet?”

I nod again.

He frowns. “At least that did its job.” Squatting down in front of me, he takes my hands, examining the rough skin on one side where my glove had dragged a bit and the leather had peeled back. “It could have been so much worse.”

“But it wasn’t, D,” I whisper comfortingly. “I’m okay.” Wincing as he raises a disbelieving eyebrow at me, I concede a little. “Mostlyokay. Just a bit banged up.” Sitting up slightly, dawning realization breaking over me, I can’t help but let a note of pride enter my tone. “Hey! I just realized! I’ve never laid out my bike before. Just practiced the movement.”

Deo makes a noise halfway between a groan and a curse and is about to reply when Walker and Marco come back in, both looking incredibly grim. “The bleed caps were all super loose. And there is fraying on the brake cable. And your brake pads are shot to shit. So no obvious tampering. Just looks like poor bike maintenance.”

Hideo and I exchange long looks. “Except for the fact that Kai’s meticulous about her motorcycle,” he says, “and gets it tuned regularly. Come to think of it,” he says, voice thoughtful, “did you not notice anything strange when you got on?”

I nod. “I actually would have noticed the slipping earlier if I hadn’t been in such a rush because of Elizabeth... Shit! Maddox!” I cry out, and he holds up a hand, stalling my sudden panic.

“Got off the phone with Seef right before we walked in. She’s fine and talking to the Brits. A bit banged up but nothing like you. More of a scare than anything. Her security team did its job. Back to you… when did you last have your bike looked at?”

Sighing in relief at the news about Cole, I reply, “I just had those pads changed out a month ago. At my normal shop, with my normal guy. And I saw them after he put them on. So if there are super worn pads there, someone switched them out.”

Everyone’s frowning at this point, talking over each other, the energy level in the room ramped up to eleven, and I feel like I’m on a ship in sky-high waves, stomach being tossed side to side.I’m 100% going to throw up. Closing my eyes, I gulp convulsively, trying to settle my stomach from the emotions curdling there. Jonah’s smooth, smoky voice breaks through the surrounding noise, calm and even as always.

“Hey guys. Guys!” The second word is sharp, cutting through the chaos, and everyone quiets. “This is too much right now for her. I get it, but everyone needs to settle a little. Just… we can figure it out, one at a time. Smith?”

Jonah turns to Maddox, who nods and stands and focuses his voice to be calm. “Okay. Where was the bike?”

“Work or the restaurant,” I reply, eyes still closed. Jonah’s hand slips into my own, and, though my instinct is to pull away, I grip it instead, letting the rhythmic motion of his calloused thumb on my skin calm and center me.

“I’m guessing it was at work – could that type of change be done unobserved and that quickly outside a restaurant?”

I shrug a little and am about to answer, when Marco breaks in, voice surprisingly deferential. “For sure. She was parked in the side-parking next to the restaurant. You pull up a car beside it? Block the view for a minute? Have two guys working? That could be done real quick. You guys didn’t see anything from Starbucks?”

The men all grimace. “Too many people from across the street,” Jonah replies, and Maddox adds, “And I was up in the room so I could record the conversation.”

“Could it have happened at work? Anyone have it out for her there?”

“Absolutely,” Deo says tightly. “The garage isn’t well secured from the inside. Once you’re in, there’s not a lot of worry, since everyone who gets in has to have a badge and be cleared by the guard. And, as unbelievable as it may seem, Kai does have enemies. I’d check the garage tapes for Markel and Posta to start, though this seems above their paygrade.”

“Not to break up the party,” a chirpy, sweet voice interjects, “but your girl there is bleeding all over my bar. Do we maybe want to get her some medical attention?”

Making Friends

Friday, November 9 – Kailani

All the guys but Marco turn to see the perfect face, hair, makeup, and dress of a stunningly lovely Chantalle, Terry standing silently behind her like a shadow. I feel like a bridge troll next to her, and Marco grins at whatever expression he sees on my face, teeth flashing like a tiger.

“Hey, Kailani!” she says happily, swaying over to me with practiced grace and allure. Running her eyes over me with surprising concern and focus, she then turns to the guys around me, cooing softly. “Well,hello. My goodness, Kai, you certainly have an entourage.” Twirling her hair around one finger, she saunters over to Maddox to breathily introduce herself. “I’m Chantalle,” she says, somehow jointly sounding helpless and alluring at the same time. Maddox runs cold eyes over her, then dismisses her with an uncaring look, turning back to me, concern heavy in his gaze. Rather than being offended, the sides of her full lips curl into a smile, and she moves towards Hideo and Jonah, holding out her hand. “Hi!” she says, and Jonah grabs her hand distractedly.

“Hey,” he says, not really looking away from me. “Jonah.”

Hideo, though, smiles at her, all charm and grace. “I’m sorry we’re all so distracted,” he replies warmly. “I’m Hideo Tanaka. These are my teammates, Maddox Smith, Walker Donovan, and Jonah Shotridge. Reed was injured tonight during a work function, and we’re just debating the correct course of action.”

“Oh my!” she says, sounding appropriately worried, but I see the twinkle in her eye and roll my own in response. “Is she in danger? What should we do?” She lays a hand on Deo’s arm, and he looks at me sharply before gently removing it.

“No,” he says simply.

Chantalle laughs to herself. “None of them?” she asks me, pouting prettily. “You shouldn’t be so selfish.”

I frown at her, confused, and she sighs, dropping the act. “Okay, girl. Marco told me what happened. I called in our personal doctor. He should be here in a minute–”