24. Kazi

Chapter 24

Kazi

K azi was still leaning against a pillar in the hotel when his phone began to ring. He cast a glance around looking for Mateo. The man was still off somewhere letting off some steam.

He pulled the phone out.

Yara.

Fucking finally.

Answering it, he didn’t even have time to get a word in.

“I fucked up,” Yara whispered softly into the phone.

It was nearing 4AM.

What has happened? Is she okay?

He knew better than to hammer her with questions, so he remained silent willing her to continue.

“I’m coming down to the lobby. We need to leave. I need to call Izzy.”

Kazi could hear the panic in her voice, but he kept his cool. “I’m here. I’ll have a car ready. We can’t go to our apartment because there was a bed bug outbreak. I found a replacement.” He decided it was best to rip that bandage off now. While the clean up crew had done what was needed to cover up Mateo’s indiscretions, their bed still needed to be fully replaced.

And the smell of bleach?

That wouldn’t dissipate too soon either.

Yara was so wrapped up in whatever was going on she didn’t even question him. “Okay, I’m getting in the elevator. ”

The call cut off.

Kazi finally moved from his position where he had stayed stock-still for the last several hours. The employees here watched him with suspicious eyes, but he ignored it. He confirmed the car was still ready and marched his way to the elevator.

He couldn’t keep playing this game with Yara.

Mateo might be ridiculous, but he was also right.

Kazi wasn’t making any headway in his passive approach.

Kazi knew what she had done. He had been worried she would for years, but he thought he had more time. Thought the stalker would keep her from following through.

The elevator opened to Yara. A hickey shined on her neck, her hair was a disheveled mess, and she was wearing a practically see-through dress.

He quickly shed his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders, before lifting her bridal style.

“I fucked up.” Yara didn’t fight him, instead her arms wrapped around his neck as he walked them through the lobby.

“Are you okay?” Kazi’s blood was pounding through his veins.

He wasn’t opposed to murder if a man had hurt his Yara.

His Yara.

Yara’s bright eyes found his, they were glassy. “I made a mistake. I met with a man. I didn’t use our typical background process. I thought I had it handled, but Kazi–” She let out a sob as he finally made it out of the hotel.

Kazi felt the weight of eyes on the back of his head, but he ignored it, sliding into the waiting car and pulling Yara gently with him. Keeping her in his lap.

She wouldn’t be leaving his sight again for the foreseeable future.

“What happened?” Kazi’s voice was gruff. “What did you do Miss Yara? ”

She pushed her face into the crook of his neck, breathing him in and out. “I met a man. I had a wonderful night, but Kazi…” Yara sniffled. “He’s… he’s…”

He grabbed Yara’s shoulders, shaking her. “Fuck, Yara. Spit it out! You’re scaring me!”

He saw the driver shift, and he clocked that he didn’t recognize the man. It wasn’t their typical driver. Before he could follow down that line of thought, Yara distracted him entirely.

She leaned forward until her lips were touching his ear. “It was Izzy’s dad. Her dead dad.”

Kazi dropped his hold on Yara, falling back into the seat.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

All thoughts of the driver were extinguished. He couldn’t tell Emilio. “Does he know?”

Yara shifted over into her own seat, leaning against Kazi. “Know that he just fucked his long-lost daughter’s best friend? Filled her with his cum?” She laughed caustically.

Kazi’s fists clenched in jealousy. He willed himself to calm down; he couldn’t lose his cool, he needed to be here for Yara.

“No, I ran away like the coward I am. And besides that, I don’t believe in coincidences, how did he find me? End up in my radar?”

Yara’s words echoed around Kazi’s mind, but he didn’t have too long to process them.

“Why are we where Mateo’s been staying?” Yara’s voice was saturated in uneasiness.

Kazi shifted his attention out the window to the fortress Mateo decided to rent when he heard of Yara’s stalker. Where he had attempted to force them both to move to .

The driver made it through the gated entrance before the man of the hour made his appearance.

“Why is Mateo covered in blood?”

Sure enough, the psychopath himself was walking towards the car. Knife in one hand, blood covering the other. Mateo had been blood-free in the hotel after his run in with Liam, while they searched for Yara. The clean up team had already been dispatched to cover up his first mess.

Apparently Mateo had no qualms with leaving a trail of destruction all over this city.

Perhaps Kazi should have called first, but he hadn’t known Mateo was actually going to go after the CEO of the tracking company.

Kazi would just have to call the family again to sort through all of this.

Fuck .