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He finally moves his eyes to me.
He looks tired like he hasn’t slept the entire night. His eyes hold many things and a few things I didn’t expect to see in him, like regret.
“Kai allowed Cardenas’ proposal to go through so you have more freedom.”
He pauses.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, is it?” I say.
“No.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say quietly.
He laughs dismissively.
“You don’t believe me?” I ask.
“I do. But there’s more to it. He wanted to make things more difficult for us.”
“Us?”
“Francisco and I.”
I think about it for a second and realize it sounds like Kai. It’s like he’s introduced us to a more complex game.
Maybe his emotions had played a role, and Cardenas was an accident, but maybe this development would’ve happened anyway.
“Is that why you’re mad?”
“No. Kai and I got into an argument last night.”
“Let me guess. He asked you to leave.”
“No. He said we were free to stay.”
“You left,” I say in a different voice. “Why did you leave?”
He looks at me. Really looks at me, observing my concerned expression.
“Kai stepped out because he saw something in that room.”
“I know what he saw…” I murmur. “And I know how I felt with you and Francisco.”
He nods.
“He was jealous as fuck. Not of Cardenas. But us. But see… The whole story with Cardenas seemed so twisted. At first, I thought he was jealous of him, and I couldn’t understand why he was tense when he knew what would happen. And then I realized it was his way of screwing things up for us by bringing him in and giving you his money.”
“I’m not in because of the money,” I say, not peeling my eyes away from him.
He searches my eyes, and his gaze softens.
He believes me. I know he does. I feel his heart.
He also knows how volatile these things are, and Kai changing the rules all the time only makes our little victories insignificant.
He does it out of self-preservation, I guess. And maybe because he can’t help himself.
“But…” I say. “I still want my money. All of it. I won’t leave anything on the table. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.”
