Page 24 of The Chaos She Brings

She studies me for a moment, then goes back to drying. “Okay.”

Um. What?

“Okay?”

“Yep. If that’s how you feel, then okay. Let’s not make things weird.” She doesn’t look at me as she speaks.

“Well. Good.”

Why is her easy acceptance so painful?

“It’s not that I don’t find you attractive. I do—fuck, I really do.”Am I rambling?“I just… I don’t do relationships. And you just got out of one. Sort of. It’s too messy.”

Christ. Shut up.

I take the opportunity to step away, to put distance between us before I do something stupid—again.

“Thanks for dinner,” I say, my voice quieter now, more controlled. “Get some rest. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

“Night, Kai.”

I don’t reply, just turn on my heel and bolt up the stairs like my ass is on fire.

7

I’m Just Not A Complete Dick

Kai to Enzo: You alive? [delivered]

Kai

Backinmyoffice,I boot up my computer and pull up the profile of Mikhail Petrov.

Russian Mafia involvement is bad. Way above my level of expertise. I need intel—someone who knows how these people operate.

Enzo Russo.

Ruthless, terrifying, and Carina’s closest friend. He’s the underboss of the Italian Mafia in New York, and if anyone has insight into Petrov, it’s him.

I don’t hesitate to call. He answers on the firstring.

“Kai,” he says, his tone amused. “This is a surprise.”

“Hey, man. Sorry for the random call. You busy?”

There’s a scuffle in the background, shouting, and then a gunshot.

“Nah, I’ve got time. What’s up?”

I blink. “Where are you?”

“Some club. Don’t worry about it. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Right… Well, what do you know about the Russian Mafia?”

He spits out a string of Italian, his disgust practically dripping through the phone. “Non parlarmi di quegli stronzi.1” He’s not a fan, clearly. “Why are you asking?”

“Because they broke into the flat of… a friend of Carina’s. I want to know why.”