Page 13

When you face death, give the cold bastard my condolences.

Beep…Beep…Beep.

Like a whisper in the distance, the incessant noise slowly grew louder. Khalani felt like someone had drilled a hole in her skull. Her chest clamped down with considerable force as if someone were actively pushing her down on a bed.

That was what she was lying on—a bed.

Her senses slowly returned. She lifted her hand and met resistance. Khalani opened her eyes and saw an incandescent white light hanging overhead, nearly blinding her.

If she was in heaven, she prayed God had pain meds available.

Wincing, she tried to sit up, but exhaustion quickly pulled her back down onto the bed. Thin wires were wrapped around her hands, and a sizable needle was embedded in her vein, secured with white tape. She let out a sound of discomfort, and someone nearby hushed her calmly.

“You’re okay. ”

The voice sounded awfully familiar, but in her current state, she couldn’t recall who it belonged to. She barely remembered her own name. She heard footsteps thudding away, growing fainter and fainter, until Khalani realized she was alone.

Memories gradually returned with each passing second. The snap of a neck when Brock killed the guard, Dana ripping up the picture of her parents, and the hard kick of a boot to the head.

A door closed nearby, and Khalani tensed as another set of footsteps echoed in the background. Two faces appeared around the corner.

Her eyes widened when one of them belonged to Takeshi Steele. Frown lines etched deep into his forehead, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.

The other man was slightly older, with white hair and kind eyes. He wore a white robe, and in contrast to most inhabitants of Braderhelm, he gave her a warm smile. “Hi, Khalani. I’m Dr. Francis. How are you feeling?”

“Where am I?” she croaked out.

Her brows snapped together. Multiple beds like hers were lined up in a row. She appeared to be the only patient. The beds were bright white, and a mix of steel plates and instruments were scattered throughout the room.

“You’re in the medical ward. Generally, I only treat guards but will occasionally check prisoners for signs of infectious disease. You were brought to me this morning due to your injuries. And you’re lucky for it,” Dr. Francis said.

Her forehead crinkled in confusion, and she tried to sit up again, but searing pain stabbed her body like she was being gutted. She groaned and fell back on the pillow.

“Would you like me to lift the bed for you, so you can see better?” Dr. Francis asked.

“Yes, please.”

He pressed a button, and the bed made an audible purr as she shifted upward, half sitting, half laying down. Khalani tried to move her neck to get a better view and noticeably flinched .

“I would try not to move too much. You took quite a beating.” Dr. Francis studied a monitor displaying her vital signs and typed notes on a handheld screen.

“You have several lacerations to your face and suffered a concussion, but there is no bleeding to the brain. With the concussion, you may experience more vomiting, dizziness, and a major headache over the next few days. But with proper rest and time for the nasty cuts and bruises to heal, you’ll be just fine.”

Khalani took time to process his words. “How long have I been out?”

“A day,” Takeshi answered before the doctor could.

Khalani reeled back, and just that slight movement triggered a migraine from hell. Her head throbbed as if someone was pounding her skull with a sledgehammer.

“Any other pain meds you can give her?” Takeshi asked the doctor.

“She has already reached the max we’re allowed to give a Braderhelm prisoner.” Dr. Francis hesitated at the incensed flicker in Takeshi’s eyes.

“Okay.” Dr. Francis swallowed nervously. “Take these.”

He handed Takeshi a bottle of white pills. “There’s about ten extra in the bottle. She can take one or two after she eats. Don’t tell anyone I gave you that,” Dr. Francis told Takeshi, and he nodded solemnly.

“Understood, doctor. Thanks for your help with K—the prisoner.”

Was he about to say her name? She stared pointedly at Takeshi, but he ignored her. Now he chooses to ignore her.

“Of course, Captain.” The doctor turned back to her. “Unfortunately, I can only keep you here another couple of hours before questions arise about a prisoner being here too long.” He sighed, giving her an apologetic look.

“I’ve already told Captain Steele you need to rest. That means no shifts and strict bed rest. Captain Steele or another prisoner will bring you your meals. In two days, I want you to come back here, and I will give the final go-ahead for you to resume your normal duties,” Dr. Francis concluded .

She wasn’t particularly thrilled to be stuck in her cell all day, but it could be worse. She could be dead.

“Thank you, doctor.” She tried to smile but gave up when her cheek muscles hurt from the motion.

Dr. Francis nodded gently and left the room, leaving her and Takeshi. Alone.

Weeks of silence had thickened the air between them, and the room was charged with a static unease that seeped into her skin. His face remained an impenetrable mask, betraying nothing of what lay beneath.

Khalani sank deeper into the bed, wanting to vanish into the thin mattress.

“Be honest with me.” She sighed. “How bad do I look?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“No, I want you to lie. Yes, the truth.”

Takeshi sat in a black chair across from the bed, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “You’ve looked better. A lot better. You actually look like shit,” he added.

Sparing feelings wasn’t part of his dazzling personality, but she found his honesty hilarious in that moment. A pained chuckle escaped her. For the first time, Khalani didn’t detest his vexing presence.

His stern expression didn’t shift, and her laughter slowly faded. “What happened after I got knocked out?”

“I allowed two of the male prisoners you frequently speak with to carry you back to your cell. This morning, you didn’t wake up for your morning shift. When I checked inside your cell, I noticed you threw up several times and were in and out of consciousness.” The steely shift in his gaze made her pulse quicken. “I made the decision to carry you here.”

Her mouth popped open. She had no memory of him carrying her. Of all people, she expected him to leave her.

“Why?” she whispered.

His eyes darted away, and the silence thickened, like a violent current threatening to tear them apart. Takeshi’s cold voice sliced through the air .

“It would be inconvenient for a new prisoner to die on my block. And more paperwork.”

She blinked at his cruel words, and her mouth snapped shut. That’s all she was. An inconvenience. But she couldn’t expect any more from him. He already did more than necessary by taking her there. She should be thankful.

But why did his words hurt so much?

She cleared her throat. “Well, um, thanks anyway. I don’t wanna inconvenience you further, so you don’t have to stay. Not that you need my permission.”

His lips set in a harsh line, and she was taken aback by the aggressiveness bleeding from him. Like he was mentally dissecting her into pieces.

“What the hell were you thinking?” He didn’t raise his voice. He spoke slowly and calmly, and somehow, that was worse.

“What?”

“Why did you agree to fight in the pit?”

Khalani swallowed hard as the memory of Dana ripping her heart returned. “I didn’t have a choice.”

Takeshi leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Wrong. She baited you, and you fell for it.”

Khalani breathed heavily. “If you only knew what I felt when she tore that picture. What it meant to me,” her voice cracked.

Takeshi said nothing, his gaze fixed on her as she teetered on the edge of falling apart once more.

“If someone humiliated you and obliterated the only object you had left of your family, what would you do?” she asked him.

“I would destroy them.”

“Then you should know why.”

She wanted Takeshi to agree with her, however stupid that notion was. She wanted someone, anyone, to listen .

“We are not the same.” He trapped her beneath his relentless stare. “When I enter fights, Kanes, I end them. Did you think you would win? ”

Khalani hesitated. She wasn’t thinking about winning. All she wanted was to hurt Dana the same way she’d been hurt. Even if it killed her.

He saw the answer in her eyes.

“My point exactly.” He leaned back. “You are careless with your life. If you didn’t let emotions cloud your judgment, you wouldn’t be lying here.”

She stared at the opaque white covers, wishing to disappear into their depths. She couldn’t look at him anymore because he was right. Takeshi saw too much. Exposed her deepest flaws as if her mind was a script.

She was careless with her life because, in her mind, it didn’t matter anyway. Everything was already lost. She was close to taking matters into her own hands and ending it in Braderhelm. Many times.

But something always stopped her.

A small but persistent voice. And the more she talked with Winnie, the louder it became. As if the echoes of the many who’d died before her shouted their dissent in bombastic fashion.

Telling her to wake up.

Wake up.

“Kanes?” Takeshi asked softly, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yeah?”

His magnetic eyes captured hers, and she was lost in a sea of black. She felt the weight of his ire, the air around him charged with an almost palpable heat. But there was a subtle shift in his gaze as he studied her. “For what it’s worth, even though I think what you did was stupid, you showed courage down there.”

The compliment startled her, and she straightened.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “Not necessarily weak. Just irrational, illogical, and ill-tempered.”

She rolled her eyes. “And you only annoy me when you’re breathing, really.”

The corner of his lip lifted, and she gasped. “I didn’t know the Captain of Braderhelm was capable of smiling. ”

“Looking at your face in this state has improved my sense of humor.”

Takeshi’s grim expression returned, but for a moment, the hostility in the air eased as if a strange peace resided in their mutual disdain for one another. After a few seconds in comfortable silence, his calm demeanor dissipated. Takeshi’s forehead creased as he stared at her.

“I should get going.” He stood, his expression hardening and his voice devoid of warmth. His energy grew distant, as if he were a thousand miles away instead of just a few feet.

Khalani frowned as he adjusted the weapons around his waist.

It was like Captain Steele and Takeshi were two different people, one ready to inflict pain and the other a quiet mystery. But both were trained killers, able to dominate every opponent.

Her eyes flared, an idea setting in. “Can I ask you something?”

Takeshi was immediately suspicious. “What?”

“Everyone saw me lose that fight. Some people—certainly Dana—will think I’m an easy target now, right?”

He paused. “Possibly.”

“I want to be prepared to face anything and not find myself back here again.”

She had been tossed, flung through the air, and pummeled into submission so often that torment became the only constant in her life. She clung to the pain, holding it close until it became a part of her identity. Khalani was so damaged that she mistrusted those who didn’t hurt her. But a shift was occurring. The deep-seated anger was evolving, urging her to regain control and fight back.

Takeshi’s jaw tightened as he gave her a cool glare. Probably because he realized where she was heading with this.

She didn’t want to ask for his help—never imagined she’d be in that position—but Khalani took a deep breath and plunged into unknown territory.

“Can you train me how to fight? At least how to defend myself?”

“No,” Takeshi answered, walking away.

She tried to sit up more but grimaced as her body refused. “ Wait. Please…”

He paused, hands fisted at his sides.

“I would be a good student. Can you at least give me a chance?”

Takeshi let out a sharp breath and turned back to her. “I’ll let the inappropriate question slide because of your concussion. You’re clearly confused about our dynamics. I’m not here to save you. If you tried something stupid against me, I would be forced to kill you.”

“I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”

He didn’t look convinced and eyed the door as if he were about to bolt.

“If anyone asks, this would be you ensuring your prisoner stays in line and doesn’t have to waste any more prison resources or your time by going to the medical ward again.”

She was pretty proud of herself for pulling that reasoning out of nowhere.

He opened his mouth to undoubtedly rebut her again, but she interrupted him, needing to strike while the iron was hot. “And if Guard Barron tries retaliating against me, I need some training to defend myself.”

“He was already warned.” Takeshi’s jaw clenched. “I can assure you that’s not going to happen.”

“But if he doesn’t listen, he’ll kill me.”

“What makes you think it’s my job to care?”

Her mouth snapped shut. His words cut her like a fiery poison. Stupid. What she needed to master was the art of staying silent.

“Fine. I understand. Sorry I asked.” Khalani tried to mask the pain in her voice as she settled back into the bed. She resigned herself to her grim fate and waited for him to leave. But he didn’t.

Takeshi didn’t blink or back away. He kept his dark gaze fixed on her as if she were under a microscope, revealing no hint of his inner thoughts.

If her mind was an open book, Takeshi’s was a locked vault at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded by sharks.

“ Fine ,” Takeshi growled, squaring his chest. “This is your funeral, Kanes. Once you receive the go-ahead from the doc, we will start.” He scowled, clearly unhappy with the situation.

She straightened, eyes widening in surprise, but she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. “Okay. I’ll be ready.”

“And what happens if you try anything stupid during training?” A promise of danger simmered beneath his rigid expression.

“You’ll kill me. I understand,” Khalani repeated, trying to downplay her anticipation.

“For your sake, you better.”

“Captain Steele?” she called out before he could leave.

“What?”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t.” He swiveled his head, the black current in his eyes deepening. “Don’t say thank you until after I’m through with you. Only then will you mean it.”