Zara nodded. "Yeah, I didn't know what else to do."
"No," she said, "that was perfect. I've had my ass kicked a few times. Remember, I used to be the dorky guy in school. Kinda know all about how to take a punch."
"Fucking assholes," Braden grumbled. "No one hits my girl and gets away with it."
Chance just grabbed his hand. "You need ice on those, big guy."
Then Braden did the last thing Zara ever would've expected. He turned to Chance, grabbed the man by the throat, and leaned in to kiss him. Zara gasped. Rhaven shoved both of her bruised and bloodied hands over her mouth. Amy just shook her head, but Chance leaned into it.
This wasn't a fake kiss. It wasn't a peck. Nope, their mouths moved and Zara was completely convinced that there was some tongue involved before Braden pulled back to press his brow against Chance's.
"I see you, Chance. I saw you taking care of me and my girl."
Chance let out a heavy sigh. "I was supposed to talk to Rhaven about us."
"Braden beat you to it," Rhaven promised. "And it's ok, I can share my boyfriend with you. I mean, that's got to be hard to explain, but we're fine, Chance."
"Keep her," Chance told Braden. "If you don't, I might."
Rhaven just moved toward Zara to drop an arm across her shoulders. "It's ok, I'm enjoying the girl time."
Mark wagged his finger between them. "I'm ok with that happening. I mean, um..." He looked at Amy. "And now I'm in shit, right?"
"No," she promised. "And you are a huge step up from Drake. But that little comment means you have to help me get some ice for them. Rhaven's definitely going to have a black eye."
"Yeah," Chance agreed. "Least it's your color."
"Least it's just a black eye," Braden corrected.
"Least we stopped the fires," Rhaven told them. "Guys, the banner? It said make 'their' world burn. They meant ours. They hit the Clairmont, which is where we hold the expo, and they tried to burn the warehouse. How the fuck did they even get in?"
"I backed up the cameras," Dez yelled from the back of the room, proving she was listening in. "We'll figure it out tomorrow. For tonight? The whiskey's on my desk, and I'll pull out the good stuff when it's just us and the FBI."
Rhaven just ducked her head and laughed. "There's something so wrong about that."
"And yet so right," Zara said, "but I kinda want to see those two kiss again."
To her surprise, they did. Even better, they weren't even ashamed of it. It seemed that KoG couldn't even kill the mood at Deviant. Talk about failing with their big attack. If anything, they'd just made Deviant Games even more determined, and Zara could see it on all of their faces - even through the growing bruises.
Chapter 21
It was just before ten the next morning when Adam pulled his car into the parking lot of the Deviant Games headquarters. Kate had heard about the building from almost everyone, and yet none of their descriptions did it justice. The thing was like a small commune in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. It had clearly been updated, yet the architecture were from some post-industrial time.
The drive continued around the building to the back, but Adam aimed for an empty spot at the front marked for visitors. The main entrance, however, was blocked off with caution tape, and a piece of paper was taped to the door that didn't have cracked glass. It pointed to the side. Kate turned, looking for how they were supposed to get in.
"What the fuck happened?" Adam breathed, staring at the destroyed glass.
"I think we're about to find out," she said, climbing out of the car. "Pretty sure the way in is over here."
Adam joined her on the sidewalk, caught her hand, and they walked together to a metal door at the side. Another sign had been posted there that pointed to a button. Obediently, he pressed it, and a doorbell sound came from the other side. A few seconds later, the door clicked and then cracked open.
"Can I help you?" a lean man asked.
"I'm supposed to meet with Chance," Adam explained.
From the back, someone else called out, "Let him in! That's the hotel guy."
The young man stepped back and simultaneously pushed the door open. "Sorry. The main door took a beating last night. Come in, and ignore our mess."