I let Nunes disappear before I left. Unfortunately, I had another delivery to make. Even though I disliked it, I had to tread carefully around Rowan, maintain things as natural as possible. I read the delivery address once more and drove off into the night.
A tattooed man stood by the doorway blocking the entrance.
“You Rowan’s boy?”
“Yeah.”
He looked me up and down before stepping aside, letting me in.
“Go straight.” He pointed to a hallway. “The last door. He’s expecting you.” Tattooed flopped onto a couch, joining a few other men playing video games. The volume was high and all of them were focused on the screen. None acknowledged my presence.
Every part of the house reeked of marijuana and a thick coat of smoke was still present. I followed the path instructed towards the end of the corridor and banged on the last door.
“Come in,” a deep male voice, that I assumed belonged to Kai, answered.
I’d never met Kai before, but Rowan warned that I should keep my eyes open. That was the rule anyway. Always keep your eyes open. At the first sign that he was trying to pull a fast one on me, I’d leave. However, the men on the couch had me worried. If things went south, the odds wouldn’t be in my favor.
“Kai,” I called, walking into the room.
I glanced around at the mess that surrounded him. Empty beer bottles, takeout boxes and a whole lot of shit were dispersed. And the awful pong nearly had me gagging with disgust.
“You got my stuff?” he questioned.
“You got my money?”
Kai closed the distance between us. When he was in front of me, I noticed his bloodshot eyes and how dilated his pupils were. His shirt and jeans seemed like he had been rolling around in the dirt. Fuck! Rowan sent me to a junkie.
Scrunching my nose, I cursed under my breath. “I changed my mind. Call Rowan and have someone else drop by.”
“Nah, man.” He sniffed, scratching the side of his head. “I got money. You think I don’t got money?”
I crossed my hands over my chest, legs slightly parted. “Fine then, show me the cash.”
He moved around the room searching for money I was almost sure he didn’t have. My gut was troubled and my instincts told me to flee.
“I’m out, dude.”
“You ain’t going nowhere,” Kai said, gliding his eyes to the right. I followed his gaze. He wanted to reach for a gun that was on a table two feet away from him.
If he reached it, chances were I’d have to give up my stash or worst case scenario he’d pull the trigger. As high as he was, anything was possible.
Without giving it another thought, I leaped over him. Taking us both tumbling to the ground. I smashed my right fist into his throat. His hands instinctively reached for my neck but his grip was weak. I shoved my fist into his chest, repeatedly, until he let go of my neck.
Kai wiggled beneath me attempting to be free. I slammed my knees into his thigh, preventing him from getting away. Both my hands found his throat. I squeezed—hard—with every ounce of strength in me.
His face turned scarlet, swelling from the pressure against his throat. I lifted his neck slightly, bringing up his head and smashed his skull on the ground. He passed out.
I stood, breathing hard, fixed my hair and clothes while fighting to control my ragged breathing. Swallowing, I moved towards the door and pressed my ear against it. I could hear the game noises and buoyant voices coming from the other side.
Having calmed down, I opened the door, peeked out but saw no one. I took a cautious step out, squared my shoulder and strode to the main living area.
Tattooed guy cocked his head to look at me but said nothing then returned his focus to the screen. The second I was out of the house, I rushed to my car and raced down the street.
Once I was far enough from Kai’s residence, I called Rowan. He answered almost immediately.
“You made the delivery?”
“The fuck man? You sent me to a junkie with no money who nearly shot me.” My pulse thudded, adrenaline cruising through me. “You want to get me killed?”
“Shit,” he said. “I was told Kai was secure.”
“Well, whoever told you that wanted to fuck with you.”
“Are you okay?”
I was stunned by his question and frowned as if he could see me. “Like you care.”
“I might not care, but you can’t get hurt. I need you alive. The fucker who vouched for Kai will get what’s coming to him.”
The line went dead.
Chapter Eleven
Christina
All the color drain from my face, and I swear I couldn’t breathe as Ezra sauntered into the office. I forced myself to expel the trapped air when he sat across from me, offering a lame explanation for his absence that morning.
How was it possible I sent him those texts instead of my friends?
We were gathered having lunch and I did my best to stick to the salad I’d packed from home, all the while, resisting the whiff of pizza misting up the air, and the burger Sienna was eating.
“Frank,” Sienna called. “How did you propose? We never got the story.”
“How does anyone propose?” Frank shrugged. “I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me.”
Stacie sucked on her lips and kept her face tilted down, failing to hide the grin on her face. Clearly, there was more to the story, however, I don’t think they were willing to share.
“Didn’t you get nervous?” Sienna continued. “I mean, it’s not easy putting all those feelings into words.”
“Why not?” Frank scrunched his shoulders. “Look them in the eye and say: ‘I want you. Do you want me too?’ Simple as that.”
“I get nervous and the words get stuck.” Sienna placed her hands over her belly. “I stutter and get butterflies in my stomach.”
“Digest them,” I said ironically. Everyone laughed except Sienna.
Without drawing attention, Stacie placed a slice of her pizza on a plate and slid it in my direction. It was one slice. I could do it. Taking the first juicy bite, I wondered if food was this good for everyone or to me exclusively.
Ezra was watching me eat, I sensed his eyes on me. I glanced up through my lashes and he didn’t look away. He was staring with a weird look on his face. I knew it had to do with the texts, and, even more, I wondered what he thought of them.
“What?” I mouthed.
He shook his head as if saying, “nothing.” But he still didn’t look away. Instead, he smiled and my brows pulled together. I dropped the pizza unable to continue eating.
His hair was a little rough today like he left in a hurry. A few strands poked out of the bun. His white shirt that concealed a work of art beneath it had the first two buttons undone, showing a bit of flesh and his collarbone. There were also fresh nail marks around his neck. I figured it was a woman who left them there. Maybe that’s why he left so quickly yesterday.
“Stop ogling,” I said, kicking his foot under the table. “It’s uncomfortable.”
“I’m just trying to figure something out.”
“What?”
“Did you mean them?”