Page 122 of Restitution

“I just turned eighteen. There are five of us here from the same camp – same age. He saved us all. Him and Barry. But we aren’t allowed to fight until we’ve had more training.” He taps his gun. “This is for show. I’m only to use it if absolutely necessary.”

I smile at him, and he visibly relaxes.

Even when going through hell, he still tried to help others. Could I love Kade Mitchell more?

For it being the middle of the night, the manor is quite busy. Preparations are being made for the arrival of Base and his army. Aria has been on a roll with her workers, setting up all the spare rooms, even now, with Ewan handing out food to the crowd at the gate. Some of them are in tents, some sleeping in their cars, but loads of them are drinking around a huge fire and playing music.

Kade is grateful, but I know having to ensure the safety of them all is coming with a lot of extra stress.

Social media has been terrifying. My followers have risen, messages have been flooding my inbox and reporters have reached out to do exclusive interviews withthe love of Kade Mitchell’s life.

He laughed at that one.

I turned my notifications off last night, and the thought of looking again now makes my stomach twist.

But on the plus side, the outpouring of love and support for Kade has been insane. Everyone knows his story; everyone knows what he went through and what he did, yet they stand by him. They understand why he killed Archie and the countless others. They want Bernadette to be next, and even set up another petitionfor him to live-stream her death as well.

The world loves Kade.

Maybe that’s why the police still haven’t forced their way through the blockade.

Base’s wedding has also been all over the news. He’s yet another victim of Bernadette and the underworld’s abuse, and his family isn’t the slightest bit happy.

Luciella is nervous to see him, and as much as she held in her tears when she learned Base is now married, I can tell it’s ripping her apart. Between that, and losing Jason and her father, I’m not quite sure how much more my best friend can take before she flips. She holds a lot in and can sometimes seem emotionless, but she really does have a heart of gold.

One that’s slowly shattering.

We discover Kade is working out, and as the young man walks me to the basement, he tells me he’ll stand at the top of the steps and stay on guard.

“Change” by Deftones plays from the home gym, only growing louder the closer I get. The corridor is barely lit, but I have no idea where the light is, and I can hear metal clanking from his weights.

The basement is huge. It spans nearly the entire length of the manor. I pass by a wine cellar, the walk-in freezer that makes me shiver at the thought of Archie’s remains stored inside and the studio.

To the left of the studio, one of the doors is ajar, a beam of light illuminating the dust in the corridor. I push open the door, and the intense drum and guitars fill my ears, metal banging on metal as Kade lies on a weight bench, pushing a bar above his chest.

Freezing in the doorway, I openly gawk at my boyfriend as if I’ve never checked him out before.

His muscles tense up with each rep, sweat glistening on his skin, his hair wet. The tattoos and scars make him look terrifying as he clanks down the bar and sits up, intense blue eyes clashing with mine in the mirror.

His face is red from exercising, and I drag my gaze from his face, all the way down his body. He’s been working hard the last few weeks and is already building his muscles.

He only has shorts on.

I gulp. “You weren’t there when I woke up.” I hug myself. “I got worried.”

He wipes his face and hair with a towel and tosses it aside then turns the music low. “I had a meeting and needed to clear my head after it.” He’s breathless, his voice strained from his workout. “I should have told you.”

Going by how swollen his muscles are, he’s been working out for hours.

“It’s fine. I’m just paranoid these days.” I drop my hands to my sides. “Are you okay?”

Apart from the murmur of the music, there’s a long silence. Kade flattens his lips, elbows on his knees as he looks for his words. “I don’t know how to answer that, in all honesty.”

I close the door behind me and walk to him, and when I stop near him, he takes my hand and pulls me closer, so I’m standing between his legs. My hands rest on his shoulders, and I massage the tension away with my fingers and give him a warm smile.

He looks up at me, sweat coating his face, his dark brows and long lashes making his eyes more defined.

My fingers slide up and brush through his wet hair. “What’s going on in here?” I ask, tapping his temple. “Tell me, so you aren’tdoing this alone.”