Aggro - CoraLee June Page 0,73

decided to do it. He was probably happy that Kai was sitting in a cell.

Me: Do you know why Kai was arrested?

The chat bubble immediately appeared. It danced along the screen, as if Chase was typing and deleting in frantic response.

Chase: I got called in earlier. They wanted to know if Violet had any more journals lying around the house. BTW—I’m still pissed you didn’t tell me about that. They asked about my face again. They probably want to see if I got a few punches in, too.

Fuck. Fuck! I immediately started typing.

Me: Are you pressing charges?

Chase: No. I’m not my fucking father, Breezy Baby. I don’t settle everything with a lawsuit.

Chase: *Breeze

I smiled a little. At least some of our previous conversation stuck. He’d corrected himself about my name. It was a start.

Me: If you hear anything, can you let me know? I know you don’t like Kai, but I really think you should work together.

Chase never responded. I spent my evening pacing the floors and wondering what the police could possibly want with Kai. It probably looked bad that he beat the shit out of Chase. I just had to hope they released him soon. I wanted to storm down to the police station, but I knew that wouldn’t do any good. There wasn’t much I could do, even though I was buzzing with anxiety. I prayed Kai would call soon.

Kai: I’m home.

The second I got that text, I shot out of bed, quickly typing my response. It was early Friday morning, and even though I knew I should go to school, I quickly got ready for the day and rode my bike to Kai’s place instead. Mom and Dad would probably be pissed that I was skipping again, but I had to know. Knowledge was like a drug, and I was addicted to answers.

Kai was sitting outside on a lawn chair when I pulled up. He was smoking a cigarette and staring at the ocean, his expression full of exhaustion. He was wearing his work outfit, as if the police had plucked him from his job last night. He had the sleeves rolled up, and the black tattoos on his forearms peeked out. When my bike came to a stop, I got off and jogged over to him. “Kai?” I asked. “Fuck, I was so worried.”

He took a slow drag of his cigarette, and when he exhaled, the smoke flowed around him, filling the air with the smell of tobacco. His eyes brightened a bit at the sight of me. I was sure I looked a distraught mess. My hair was a mess, and sweat clung to my scalp as I calmed my breathing from the hurried bike ride I’d just finished. I could feel the early morning sun blistering my bare shoulders.

“Little Whisper, were you worried about me?” he asked in a teasing voice. I was beginning to really like that nickname for me.

“What happened? People are saying you were arrested?” I looked around for another seat but settled for standing near him. Kai took his time responding to me, making a show of putting out his cigarette before wrapping his hands around my waist and pulling me onto his lap. At first, I felt rigid with tension, but the relief I felt at seeing him made me melt into the hard planes of his body.

“They just had a few questions. The ambiguity of Violet’s journals coupled with Chase’s black eye made them want more details about our relationship. We ended up coming to an agreement of sorts…”

“An agreement?”

Kai held me closer. I breathed in the scent of salt and tobacco on his skin. “They agree that Lex’s involvement is questionable. A couple more people came forward saying they saw Violet chatting with him around town. They want me to be an informant for them to build a case against him.”

I shot up from his lap. “What?” I asked, my voice shaky. “How?”

“I think Lex is the father. I saw them together a few times, and he took a particular interest in Violet that never really made sense. It’s the only explanation. Violet didn’t talk to anyone else. Yeah, she was a major flirt, but he was the only consistent presence. She even defended him to me. Lex has proven his violent tendencies, and I want to get to the bottom of this. My forced loyalty isn’t to Lex anymore. Ma might have wanted us to live happily ever after, but he abused my grief and