Page 61 of Kai (Alpha Heroes #13)

Cece

My stomach flipped, tossing around the eggs in my stomach. I pushed up from my stool. Levine had just described my box. It had always belonged to me. I’d bought it years ago, when my sisters, Dash, Nix, and I had gone together to Mexico on spring break.

Why the hell had Levine and his brutes gone on a search mission for something that didn’t even belong to my father?

My fingers itched to get my hands on it, but Kai shook his head ever so slightly. Understanding his message, I eased back on the stool and huddled over my plate. To conceal my eagerness to check out the box, I hid my face behind my long bangs and forced another bite down my throat.

We didn’t want this creep to know I had the box. The merc was greedy enough to want it for leverage. I wouldn’t put it past Levine to steal the box and take it back to Li to get back in his boss’s good graces. I had so many questions.

When, if ever, had my box stood on my father’s credenza? It must’ve been when I was away. Who had returned it to my room? And why? Who had spotted it there and reported it to Li? Was the thumb drive still stowed away in the photo box along with the mementos I’d collected as a young woman?

Kai’s honed voice interrupted the flow of my endless questions. “I need to know where she is, Jack. ”

No doubt disoriented by the abrupt change in subjects, Levine frowned. “Who?”

“Aphrodite Astor.” Kai’s mention of my sister straightened my spine. “I wanna know where I can find her, and I wanna know now .”

My fork froze in midair. My heart skipped several beats.

At last, Kai had asked the question that mattered the most. He’d been strategic about his interrogation, testing Levine all along.

I trusted Kai. His brilliant mind ran circles around the merc.

He’d just ambushed the asshole to extract the precise information we needed.

“That bitch?” Levine’s detestable sneer tightened my grip around the fork. “She was all over the map. The broad could be anywhere by now. She’s probably dead. That’d be my guess.”

I bolted out of my seat and barreled toward the merc, clutching my fork as if it was a dagger. “If she’s dead, so are you.”

“Easy now.” Kai reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

“He’s trying to mess with your head.” He returned his attention to the merc.

“I didn’t ask you to guess anything. I want you to tell me where Affie was when you last had hard information about her. Did you ever have that specific intel?”

“Yes,” the mercenary replied, eyes dancing with glee.

I studied the merc’s aura, and then, heart pumping, I stabbed the air with my fork in the Levine’s direction. “He’s telling the truth. He knows! Give it up, asshole. Where the fuck is my sister?”

“So reactive.” The man licked his lips, tasting my desperation, egging me on. “So fiery and passionate. You’re gorgeous when you’re all riled up.”

I lunged at him again.

“He’s pushing your buttons.” Kai hooked his good arm around my waist and held on to me. “Don’t play his game. It’s no coincidence that his dick inflated like the damn Hindenburg at your reaction. He enjoys torturing people.”

Kai was right, but I growled at the beast.

“Jack,” Kai spat the name with fresh contempt. “If you keep this up, I’m gonna forget about our deal.”

Kai pulled on my arm. I eased down on the arm of his chair, mostly because I didn’t want Kai to hurt himself to keep me sane. I really did wanna murder the despicable merc.

“You say you know where Affie was located when you came after Cece.” Kai lowered his chin and stared at the mercenary. “How did you get that information in the first place?”

“Li gave me a choice of assignments.” Levine’s gaze shifted to me.

“The information we had on Aphrodite Astor was patchy. It looked as if she was moving around a lot. It was gonna take some work to pin her down. But the intel we had on Cersi was more concrete. I like to succeed on my missions, so I came after her. Now that I know she’s a diamond in the rough, I’m glad I did. ”

Kai glanced at me. I took a deep breath and set aside the snide remark about to leap out of my mouth.

Calm the hell down, Astor. Focus on finding out where Affie is.

I narrowed my eyes at the pervert. Brown little speckles appeared like little poop pebbles against his revolting aura. He was telling the truth.

I pushed out the words through my teeth. “Where. Is. My sister.”

“I’ll tell you what I know, Empress of Wrath,” Levine said. “ After you feed me some food.”

I curled my lip at the fucker. “That’s a no, you son of a bitch.”

“You wouldn’t mind if I licked your fingers, would you?” Levine’s smirk slimed me. “You may actually enjoy it. If not a lick, give me a whiff. In exchange for a whiff of your scent, I’ll whisper your sister’s last known whereabouts in your ear.”

For a moment, I considered it. I really did. Then Kai intervened.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Jack .” His voice rang cool and hard as steel. “How about you talk, and I don’t kill you?”

“You can’t kill me,” the arrogant piece of shit retorted. “We have a deal, and you gave me your word. You’re not gonna murder me in cold blood. You’re not that kind of asshole.”

Kai tilted his head. “How do you figure that?”

“You’re a fool.” The merc widened his smirk. “But you’re also a righteous fool.”

“Appearances can be deceiving.” Kai feigned a benign smile, but I saw the threat in his eyes. “People can change on a dime, especially when they’re pissed off.”

“Does that mean no food for me?” Dickface looked at me and pretended to pout. “No coffee, either?”

“You want coffee in exchange for intel on Affie’s last whereabouts?” It was my turn to stare down at the fucker. “Sure, I’ll get you coffee.”

Kai said nothing as I leaped from the chair, stomped to the kitchen, and poured a third cup of coffee.

“Milk and sugar,” the merc added. “Pretty please?”

I glowered across the room. God, how I hated the merc.

What the hell. For Affie, I’d bring Anusface coffee.

The men were silent as I poured the black liquid into a mug and splashed a ton of milk into the cup.

The cold milk hit the hot coffee, killing the steam.

I tilted the dish and dumped half the sugar bowl into the mug. Yeah. Levine was in for a treat.

I marched across the room again.

“Cece, wait.” I paused, and Kai aimed his gun at Levine. “If you so much as touch a hair on her head, you’re gone.”

“How the fuck can I touch her when I’m packaged like a rack of lamb?” When Kai skewered him with a glare, Levine sighed. “Fine, no moving, no touching.”

I knelt next to him and held up the cup of coffee. “Tell me first.”

“Come closer.” He taunted me.

I leaned the side of my face into his mouth and held my breath, not wanting to inhale the foul air he exhaled. He smelled like moldy carpet and wet dog. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air like the predator he was, lengthening the moment, extending my anguish, reveling in it.

“Enough.” I pressed my fork against his neck and pushed the words through my clenched teeth. “Tell. Me. Now.”

“She was last spotted at…” He whispered two words in my ear.

I drew back and frowned. “Where the hell is that?”

He knocked his head, reminding me to lean into his whisper.

He murmured the words slowly. The seconds stretched into centuries.

His eyes glowed, and his lips smacked in a way I found obscene.

His breaths grew full and heavy, a match to his erection.

With each word, he forced me to lean closer.

I felt more than saw the tendrils of his aura expanding like cold and clammy tentacles, reaching out, curling around me, wafting with the putrid scent of death and decay.

I fought the nausea, leaned back, and studied the man’s rotten energy once more. He was telling the truth. I now knew where to start looking for Affie. But could I get to her before Li found her?

I straightened on my feet.

“My coffee?” His saccharine-sweet voice contradicted the command that hardened his stare.

“Of course.” I flashed him a benign smile. “Here you go.”

With a flick of my wrist, I tipped the mug and dumped the coffee over his head.

Kai was by my side even before Levine could react.

“Fuck!” the man raged, trying to kick my shins, even though I sidestepped his clumsy attempts easily. “Bitch! What did you do?”

“You wanted coffee?” I taunted the merc with my best smirk. “I gave it to you.”

“You burned me!” he accused.

“Oh, poor baby.” I feigned a sad face. “With all that cold milk, it wasn’t even hot anymore. Sticky? Maybe.” I looked at Kai. “I can’t take any more of this stinking asshole.”

Kai bobbed his head. He understood I needed to get my hands on the box the merc had tried to find at Astor House.

I was about to go find the box when the screens on Kai’s navigation center went ballistic.

Red frames flashed around the monitors, and several alarms blared.

My heart shot up to my throat and got wedged there.

“What’s happening?” I asked over the ruckus.

Kai stalked to his navigation station and hit the keys with lithe, fast fingers. He met my eyes. The grim expression carving the frown on his face was all I needed to know. “We’ve got incoming.”