Page 18 of Kai (Alpha Heroes #13)

“Thena and Missy almost died.” I pushed the words through my tight throat, trying and failing to control my frustration. “Affie’s missing. All my sisters are in danger. How can you call this debacle a success?”

“Your plan worked.” His rationality slowed my internal meltdown. “Your father, with all his power and resources, couldn’t find any of you. You couldn’t have anticipated that the NWO would murder Richard Astor, or that you and your sisters would become targets.”

I lifted a despondent shoulder. “I should’ve at least considered the possibilities.”

“You’re smart, Cece, but you can’t see the future.” He paused for a second and glanced up. “Or can you?”

“Of course not!” I snapped. “What kind of question is that?”

“A good one, given that your last name is Astor.” He locked in his rifle’s parts, leaving me wondering what he meant. “Since you can’t see the future, you can’t create contingencies about situations that didn’t exist when you first came up with your plan.”

“Don’t you dare go easy on me,” I grumbled. “If something happens to any of my sisters, to Dash, hell, to anyone trying to help us, like you, for example, it will be on me.”

“Stop.” He lifted his weapon from the stand, settled it down on the table, and gave me his full attention. “This clusterfuck is not your responsibility. You didn’t start this shitshow, and you didn’t know about your father’s dealings with the NWO.”

“No,” I admitted. “Had I known, I would’ve done something to protect my sisters.”

“I believe you,” he said. “I understand you are your family’s protector. You’ve done well by them, but that’s a big job for a whole trained team, let alone one woman, no matter how smart and fierce you are.”

“Yeah, right.” I huffed. “If I’m so smart, why is Affie’s life in danger right now?”

“You can’t control everything, Cece. Control is an illusion. Affie made her choices. So did your sisters. You can only try your best. You can’t assume responsibility for everyone’s lives.”

“Says the Zen King,” I teased, even though I realized he could be right. “Or is it King the Zen?”

“It’s neither,” he said. “I’m more of a Zen seeker. Back to you. Am I right to assume you don’t know where Affie is?”

“No idea.” My eyes stung, and the band around my chest squeezed tighter. “See? Another mistake on my part. I decided on a no-contact situation. I should’ve made sure we could communicate with each other.”

“Had you maintained contact with your sisters, the mercs would’ve found you months ago,” he pointed out. “Once they got one of you, they would’ve tortured the information out of their captive to find the rest of you.”

“Um…” My voice thinned. “ Torture? ”

His stare bored a hole in my brain. “That’s the kind of enemy hunting you.”

“Shit.” I scrubbed my face.

“Cece, look at me.” He waited until my eyes met his. “You understood that going dark was the only way for your plan to succeed. From one operator to another, it was an excellent call.”

I twisted my face into a grimace. “I’m not an operator.”

“You think like one,” he said. “You fight like one. I like that about you.”

He liked something about me? Why did I perk up at this?

The gloom returned as soon as I remembered my sisters were in peril. “I have to get back to Thena and Missy. I need to find Affie before it’s too late.”

“We’ll find Affie,” he assured me. “Meanwhile, you need to slow down the guilt trip. You’re quite hard on yourself. Brutal, really.”

I lifted my chin and shot him a cutting glare. “You know nothing about me.”

“I know some things about you.” Kai lasered his stare on me. “Your sisters briefed me on this mission. I know you’re a fighter, and you work hard. I also know you put up a tough facade when the going gets rough—”

“It’s not a facade,” I protested.

“I even know what brand of chocolate you like,” he went on, even as he silently challenged my bravado with a knowing smile.

“Thena and Missy believed I was right for this mission, for you .” He paused as if to make a point I failed to understand.

“We have a real chance of winning this fight, but we have to let go of the past and focus on the present.”

He was right, and insightful as well, something that impressed and alarmed me in equal proportions. His aura made an appearance, confirming his honesty, dazzling my eyes, and humming in my head. I blinked several times before it disappeared.

I wanted to believe everything Kai said, even though my skepticism reared up. Had there ever been a time when I was anything other than a hopeless, desolate, angry soul?

Tears threatened to overflow my eyes. Oh, no . I blinked and swallowed a salty gulp. Cece Astor didn’t cry, especially not in front of other people. Thankfully, Kai got busy storing his weapon in its case.

I took a breath and challenged him with a stare. “How did you find me?”

“We got a hunch from your sisters.” He set the case beside him on the floor. “We verified it as actionable intel.”

“Sounds mysterious.” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Specifics, please?”

“You should talk to Thena and Missy about that.” He focused all his attention on reorganizing his tools in his cleaning kit.

“Really?” I lowered my chin and glared. “You’re going to make me wait?”

“The info you want is not mine to share.” He zipped up his cleaning kit, leaned back on the bench, and held my stare, confirming he might be easygoing, but he was no pushover. His lips remained sealed. Hell, he might even be as stubborn as I was.

“Fine.” I conceded. “What’s the plan now?”

He glanced at me, quirking his lips to one side in a rueful half-smile. “You’re not gonna like it.”

“Just tell me.”

“Okay.” He shrugged. “Now we wait.”