Page 15 of The Chaos She Brings

“When was the last one?”

Kai looks at me from the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to the road. “A dog walker found parts of a body that had floated back up in the Thames.”

“Oh my god,” I gasp, hand flying to my throat.

“Yeah. Luckily the rest of my trail led them far enough away from us we got away with it still.”

The rest of the journey is quiet; I don’t even try to fill on the silence. Instead, I take the time to admire Kai’s side profile. In the early morning light, his tanned skin looks even darker, and I want to run my hands all over every perfect inch.

How is someone so grouchy wrapped in such a perfect exterior?

By the time we make it back to Kai’s it’s almost four in the morning and I’m exhausted. The events of the past twenty-four hours are finally catching up to me.

“I’ll take you home tomorrow and fit the new carpet,” Kai says as we trudge up the stairs.

“Thank you. You’re a good guy, Kai.”

We stop outside my room, neither of us making any effort to separate.

Tension hangs heavy in the air, a silent acknowledgment of everything we’ve just been through. Kai’s eyes meet mine andfor a moment I swear I see a flicker of something—conflict? Curiosity?

“You didn’t have to help me—with any of this. But you did. And I really appreciate that.”

Kai scrapes his palm over his jaw. “It’s what I do.”

“Still,” I say, not backing down. “You could have said no. I just… thank you.”

“Go to bed, Tess.”

“Goodnight, Kai,” I whisper, stepping closer to him. The exhaustion making me bolder than normal, I press a kiss to his cheek before retreating to my room and slumping against the door.

I don’t know what it is about him, but I want to break down his tough shell and find out who Kai is underneath.

5

Best Weekend Of My Life

Kai to Carina: Does she ever shut up? [delivered]

Tess

“CanwestopbyCarina’s on the way back to mine today?” I ask Kai while munching on some toast in the morning.

He shrugs, not looking up from his phone. “Sure.”

“Is there anything else we need to do other than the carpet?”

He sets the phone down, looking far too casual. “Nope. I scrubbed the CCTV footage from last night, so no one can trace us to the pig farm. Oh, and I also made sure it doesn’t look like your boyfriend was ever at your flat the other night.”

Oh wow. I hadn’t even considered that. “Oh my god, how do I explain hisdisappearance?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve taken care of it. Created a narrative.”

“Fancy sharing?”

Kai sighs, rubbing the back of his neck like he’s already tired of this conversation. “Fine. If you must know, yourboyfriend”—he says the word as if it tastes bad—“had a gambling problem. I’ve planted just enough breadcrumbs to make it look like he skipped town to avoid some very angry debt collectors.”

I pause mid-chew, staring at him. “Gambling problem? He didn’t even play cards.”