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8
It had been just under two weeks since they’d had their major blow-up. Things were finally settling down for Kiana and Max. They’d been waiting to hear if his nephew would be charged as an adult. It seemed the prosecutor was waiting to see if the young man in the hospital would regain consciousness before deciding. It looked as if the young man was coming around, but it was too soon to tell if he’d make a full recovery.
Max’s nephew had continued telling the same story. He’d been out with a new group of friends. Some guys he’d met a few weeks ago while hanging out. Not his regular crew, but they’d seemed cool. That night, everything had seemed okay for a while. After one of the guys got a phone call, they’d started acting odd.
It was as if they were looking for trouble. They’d talk trash to anyone and everyone, but they seemed to really go after black people, gays, Asians, and basically anyone who didn’t look like them. When they saw that kid walking out of the store, the two guys he was with made a beeline over to him. They were yelling out derogatory words and making monkey sounds. When they began pushing him and punching him, Jeremy had stepped in. Or at least he’d tried to.
He’d yelled for them to stop. Told them it wasn’t worth it. That the guy hadn’t done anything to them. That’s when one of the guys had turned to him, holding a black expandable baton like the ones the police carry around. He’d threatened Jeremy, called him names for trying to protect the other kid. The guy, Pete, had told Jeremy he’d be on the ground next to the victim if he didn’t shut up.
Jeremy kept yelling at them to stop. He approached the other guy, Terry, and pushed him away, causing him to fall onto the ground. That’s when Pete began hitting the black kid with the stick. Terry held a stick to Jeremy’s head, threatening to hit him if Jeremy didn’t watch the beating. So he did. He watched as the stick was brought down on top of the kid over and over again. Jeremy didn’t realize Terry had been filming until he yelled out something about how good it would look on the internet.
After everything was said and done, Kiana believed Jeremy. Remorse and guilt filled every inch of his body as he relayed what had happened. There were times he had to stop due to how emotional he’d become. The video of the event had been confiscated but the sound had been stripped. If Max’s nephew was somehow able to get out of this situation, it would be a long road before it was over.
The young man who was beaten would need years of physical therapy. His family would have medical bills to pay for years to come. He’d essentially have to learn how to live life again. But there was something in the back of her mind that wouldn’t go away. Where did these kids come from? If Jeremy had just met them, why would they commit a crime like that with someone they barely knew? Who was the person who had called Pete before their behavior changed? There was something she was missing.
Clearing those thoughts from her mind, she tried to focus on the here and now. They were spending tonight at Max’s house watching a movie. Well, she was watching a movie. Max was either texting someone, having harsh, whispered phone conversations, or pacing the floor. She was worried about him. These past few days, he’d been on edge. Nico had been around more, and the look on his face told her something was going on. After another muttered curse, she paused the movie.
Standing, she walked over to Max as he stood next to the breakfast bar near the kitchen.
“Talk to me.” She sat on the stool, turning her body toward his. Grabbing his hand, she tugged at him. “I just want to be here for you.” When he smiled down at her, she resisted melting into a puddle. Barely.
“Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about,” he responded. Placing the phone down, he grabbed her face, pulling her closer to him. His tongue slid into her mouth as he kissed her deeply. Wanting to be closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Stepping into the spread of her legs, he pressed his body closer to hers.
Her hands reached up to clasp his arms tightly, her fingers clenching against his biceps, pulling him closer to her. Removing his hands from the counter behind her, he wrapped his strong arms around her. One hand traveled up her back to grab her hair, deepening the kiss and communicating his desire for her.
She could feel his rock-hard erection pressing into her warmth, and she almost lost it right then and there. This man was going to be the death of her. Everything about him made her want him that much more. Since he was so stressed, this was her way of getting him to relax.
Whimpers and moans filled the room. The air was thick with desire and sexual need. The hand that wasn’t holding her hair snaked down her side and grabbed her thigh, just under the curve of her ass, lifting her leg so he could sink even further into the cradle of her body. Desire coursed through her like a freight train.
Breaking the kiss, he whispered softly, “Ki, I need you.” Raw need came through in every word.
“Max, I—”
Just then, they both heard loud knocking on his door. Breaking apart, she noticed Max’s face become hard. Picking up his phone, he growled at what he saw—or didn’t see. “Baby, go get dressed. We need to leave.”
Confused, she didn’t immediately respond to his order. “Leave? Why?”
“Just do as I say. I’ll explain later.”
“No, Max. You’re going to explain now,” she demanded. He wasn’t going to leave her in the dark again. Not today.
“Boss, it’s Nico,” his friend’s voice called through the door.
Kiana saw Max visibly relax. His head dipped slightly, and he turned to face her. “Kiana, I need you to just listen to me. Go get dressed for me. When you come out, we’ll talk.”
“Are you finally going to tell me the truth?” The time for secrets was over.
“I’ll tell you as much as I can.” He grabbed her shoulders, turning her around toward the stairs. Swatting her on the ass, he pressed her to do what he asked. “Go on.”
Looking back at him, she knew something was going on. Pausing on the stairs, she watched him crack and stretch his neck. He walked over to the door, allowing Nico into the house. Nico was turned to the side, talking to one of Max’s other men, his hand braced on his hip. Kiana’s eyes widened as she saw the black shoulder strap under his jacket. A black gun appeared to be stored inside.
Not wanting to get caught spying, she quickly turned and went to change. Whatever was going on, Max wasn’t getting away with keeping her out of it this time. Pulling out her jeans and a pullover shirt, she put on her clothes without much thought to fashion. Grabbing a band, she pulled her hair into a ponytail on top of her head.
Within five minutes, she was walking into the living room where Max and Nico sat. Both men looked pissed.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Might as well jump right into it.
“Hey, Kiana,” Nico called out in a cheery tone. She knew what he was doing, but wasn’t going to fall for it.
