39. CHAPTER 39

39

JULES

Before I even open my eyes, I know Kai isn’t in the bed with me. The smell of his hair and the heat of that body is missing, immediately putting me in a bad mood. I stretch my arms above my head, and eye the closed bathroom door. He can make it up to me in the shower. This needs to be a new rule, he can’t leave the bed before I wake.

I saunter over to the bathroom naked, and frown when I open the door. The lights are off and no sign of Kai. Alarm bells start ringing, and I switch on the light to see all his toiletries have gone off his vanity. The little fucker. I stomp over to his closet, only to open it up to a bare space, leaving no sign he was ever here. The fucker lied to me. If he thinks he can just walk away over a misunderstanding, then he doesn’t know me at all.

I pull on my pants, grab my phone off the bedside table, and call Kai. No answer. I try again. No answer. I’m fuming, I’m fucking unstable with rage. How dare he ignore me? How dare he leave me? I’ve tried calling him at least fifteen times now, and the frustration of not being able to force him to answer takes over and I throw my phone on the bed and storm out into the hallway. Don't ask me why I checked, but because he stole my car before, I’m pretty sure the shithead did it again. I look down at the bowl on the hallway table.

“Fuck!” I yell. He stole my car.

“Hey, what the hell is with all the noise?” Simon says, looking half asleep as he approaches me.

“Kai has left and stole my fucking car.”

“Left? But why?”

“He heard me and Dima talking yesterday and it was just a big misunderstanding that he thinks I’m lying about.”

“Have you called him?”

I give Simon a droll look.

“What a fucking genius idea…of course I called him.”

“Don’t take it out on me, fuckhead.”

“Can I use your car?”

“Sure. Do you know where he went?”

“I bet he went home to his mom.”

“Make sure to tell Lev or D before you leave. I don't want them breathing down my neck again because of you disappearing.”

I grunt in response and go back to my room to get dressed. I don’t have time to do anything else. I need to see Kai and make him see sense. Before I go to leave, I go back to Kai’s room to fetch my phone and see a missed call from him and a voice message. Just as I’m about to play the message, my phone blares in my hand and I see Jenny’s name on the screen. Almost tempted to ignore it so I can listen to Kai’s message, I answer, not at all prepared for how she sounds on the other end of the phone.

“Hey Jenny,”

“Jules! Oh thank god, Jules…he’s been stabbed, my baby, Jules…” she sobs uncontrollably into the phone and I stiffen.

“Hello, is this Jules?” a man says on the phone, while I can hear Jenny crying in the background and the sound of sirens.

“Who’s this?” I ask.

“Sorry, it’s Tim. Jenny’s friend. Look, we are at the ER. I found Kai today at home; he’d been stabbed. Jules, he’s in a pretty bad way, he’s lost a lot of blood, and they’ve just rushed him to surgery. Jenny needs you here.”

Time freezes, where I’m standing in an open field of nothingness. Like a cool breeze that drifts over me, I become numb. Kai’s been stabbed. Kai. My Kai. I swallow hard and try to focus on moving my body, to answer Tim, but it won’t cooperate.

“Jules? Did you hear me?” Tim says.

“Yes. What's the name of the hospital?”

“Lang Grove Hospital. We’re on the third floor waiting area of the ICU.”

“On my way.”

I turn to see Simon standing at the doorway of Kai’s room.

“Kai’s been stabbed. Gotta get to the hospital.”

“What? Is he okay?”

“No. I need to get there.”

“You can’t drive. Let me call D and I’ll come with you.”

“No.”

“Yes, now get your shit together and meet me out front,” Simon says as he calls Dima on his cell.

As Simon explains to Dima what’s happening, I stare at my phone, pondering whether to listen to Kai’s voicemail. Later. I need to get to him.

“Lev and Ivan are gonna go with you. They're waiting out front.”

“Why do they both need to come? I thought you were coming?”

“Dima needs me here. Besides, I think D is worried you’ll spiral. Thinks you need extra protection from starting shit.”

“Whatever, I just want to get to Kai.”

As I briskly walk to the front door, I hold onto the handle, trying to compose myself. I’m a thread away from snapping. I need to hurt someone, I need to find the fuckers who did this. And most of all, I need Kai alive. Otherwise, I’ll lose myself. I know it.

Walking to the front of the main house, I see Lev, Dima, and Ivan waiting for me, gathered around Lev’s jeep.

“Call me if you need help. Don't go too crazy; you're not protected over there like you are here,” Dima says to me, and I appreciate the gesture. He isn’t an emotional guy, but this is his way of showing support.

“Crazy? You haven’t seen crazy when I find the fuckers.”

“Like I said, call if you need assistance,” he says, before patting me on the back and walking back into the house. Seb is standing at the doorway with Aaron. While Seb looks sad, and conveys it with the small smile he sends my way, Aaron is on the verge of losing his shit. The guy oozes violence when he is like this, cold eyes, tight lips, and his focus one hundred percent on Lev. I bet they had an argument about whether he could come before they came outside. But this is my vengeance. I’ll paint the fucking town red, spread the cunts’ innards across town, all to show you never touch my man and if you do, you will pay in blood and pain of the worst kind.

Just before I get into the car, Seb comes over to me. He doesn’t speak at first, and from the way he rocks on his feet from foot to foot and stairs down at the ground, he’s giving off major nervous vibes.

“What is it, Seb? I don’t have time to hang around.”

“I promised I wouldn’t say anything, but with what’s happened I regret it.”

“Regret what?” I ask, keen to move this conversation along.

“Kai told me a while ago that he had issues with that gang he hung around with. They were angry when he left. Well, more than angry. They said if he went back home they’d hurt him.”

I stiffen. The pure rage that courses through my body has my back stiffen like a shard of ice. He knew.

“And you’re just telling me this now?”

I push Seb in the chest and he stumbles backward as Dima flies over to us, ready to kill.

“Get your fucking hands off him!” Dima yells.

“D, it’s fine.”

“Like hell is it fine,” Dima says.

“No it ain’t fucking fine! You knew the danger he was in and you never told me?” I shout in frustration.

“Jules, last warning,” Dima says, getting in my face.

“Fuck you. Fuck all of you. Such fucking hypocrites. The way you all went off at Kai for Aaron, but Seb does something and suddenly it doesn’t matter.”

Dima grabs me by my coat and pushes me into the side of the car.

“Dima, leave him,” Lev says.

“You’re walking a fine line, Jules. Remember who we are,” Dima snarls at me and with all my strength I push him away from me.

“And you forget who I fucking am. I may not be a psycho like you, but I have no problem killing any fucker in my way when it comes to Kai. I’d gladly slaughter you and everyone else here to keep him safe. So do your fucking worst.”

Dima watches me for a second before Lev grabs my shoulder.

“Get in the damn car, Jules.”

“I’m so sorry, Jules. I care about Kai too. I’d never want to see him hurt. Never,” Seb says as a tear escapes his left eye and Dima pulls him close.

I can’t do this. I’m so close to losing all control right now, so I turn and get into the car. After a few moments Lev gets in, followed by Ivan.

“What’s this?” I ask as Ivan puts a large leather case next to me before getting into the front passenger seat.

“Just something that will help. You’ll see,” Ivan says cryptically. I don’t have time to think about it. Now I just have to sit here and twiddle my thumbs until I get to my Kai.