Chapter 39: My Hand Slipped
Kai turned to Violet and grabbed her hand. He inspected her with keen eyes, then asked, "Are you okay?"
He didn’t even wait for her to reply before turning back to Dylan.
Dylan had his hand pressed against a vehicle to steady himself. He felt a metallic taste in his mouth and spat to the side.
His eyes widened in horror when he saw that it was red. "What the fuck!" he growled at the intruder.
Kai stood in front of Violet, his broad frame shielding her from view completely.
He was taller and more intimidating than Dylan in every aspect. Seeing him stand protectively in front of Violet, Dylan recoiled slightly, one hand still pressed to his face as he peeled himself off the car.
"Sorry. My hand slipped." Kai glanced at the blood at the corner of Dylan’s mouth. "That was supposed to be your nose. A broken nose would’ve been much easier to explain."
His words only made Dylan grind his teeth. "This has nothing to do with you, get lost." he forced out amidst the pain. "Where are your manners? It’s common decency to mind your own business, were you never taught basic manners?" he questioned, arching his brows.
Kai didn’t respond. He turned to Violet once again. "You sure you’re good? I don’t mind teaching him a lesson on your behalf."
Violet let out a breath and nodded once.
"Then let’s get you out of here."
"Hey! I’m speaking to you, are you deaf or what? I’m having a conversation with her. Why are yo—"
One glare from Kai was all it took to silence him.
"Raise that hand again," Kai said quietly, "and I’ll make sure you don’t use it for a while."
Seeing how protective he was of her, Dylan quickly figured they were together. It couldn’t be random, he must be the one sponsoring her new life, giving her all that confidence.
He was too intimidated to go against the man. "Just you wait, Violet, this is definitely not the end." he thought to himself as he watched their retreating figures.
Violet couldn’t believe that Kai would be the one to help her. How did he know she was there? Was he following her?
He placed a hand on the small of her back as they walked, leading her out of the car park.
Once she was sure they were no longer in Dylan’s line of sight, she moved away from his hold.
They stood under the glow of a streetlamp. "Thank you, for..." She waved her hand vaguely. "That."
"You’re welcome."
"But I could’ve handled it myself."
Kai glanced at the wrist she’d been rubbing.
"I’m sure you could."
Violet looked at him. There was no teasing in his voice. No doubt. He genuinely believed her. "But I’d have done that for anyone."
’Fair,’ she thought, then nodded, her gaze moving behind his shoulder and back to his face.
Had she booked the ride earlier? She couldn’t remember. She glanced at her phone, opening the ride-hailing app.
Kai noticed. He also knew she hadn’t brought her car, he’d been informed the moment she left. His sole purpose for stepping out had been to offer her a ride back home.
"Let me drive you back to the hotel."
"No need, my ride is ten minutes away." she said, without lifting her head.
"There won’t be any cabs around here. It might take an hour for one to arrive."
He was right. The nearest ride was over an hour away. She couldn’t possibly wait that long.
Violet had no choice, so she reluctantly agreed. She exhaled slowly. "Fine."
Kai led her to his SUV, parked some distance away. He sat behind the steering wheel.
She pulled her seatbelt over herself as the car hummed softly to life.
Kai steered with one hand as he pulled the car out of the parking lot. He tapped his fingers on the wheel, humming softly under his breath.
There was a tattoo on his finger, shaped like a ring.
At first, the ride back to the hotel was quiet, both of them occupied with their own thoughts.
After about ten minutes, Kai broke the silence with a question. "What do you plan to do when Leo finds out?"
"That’s none of your business."
"Leo will find out soon, and when he does, simply changing your name and hotel won’t be enough to stop him from finding you."
Violet looked out of the tinted glass. "Then you’ll also be in trouble."
"I’ll take that as you being worried about me."
Violet didn’t respond.
"I can protect you. Let you do whatever you want, safely. We’d make a great team." Kai hadn’t given up trying to convince her.
"My answer is still the same, and I’d appreciate it if you never brought it up again."
Soon, the car pulled up in front of the hotel. Violet put on a baseball cap. "Thank you, but I hope you have a good life, and that we never come into contact again."
"You’re welcome." Kai said, ignoring the other half of her statement. He was certain this wasn’t going to be the last time. In fact, they might meet sooner than she expected.
She’d gotten all the answers she needed, so there was no need to stay in contact with him in any way.
Kai wasn’t the only one watching Violet walk into the hotel. Dylan had followed them and parked his car in a hidden corner.
When Kai pulled out of the lot and drove off, Dylan picked up his phone and placed a call to Harry.
"I’ve found Violet." he reported, before giving Harry the address of where she was staying.
When Violet got back to the suite, she brought out a pen and notebook and wrote down everything she wanted to buy and keep.
After that, she took a quick bath and walked into her closet. She stored the blonde wig and every piece of clothing, every shoe and bag Kierra Adams had used, into her space.
The mattress dipped slightly beneath her as she climbed in. She pulled the duvet over herself, about to sleep, when she heard a sharp ping.
System Notice.
Con Playbook Notification.
New Update: Jill and Jones’ announcement of investors in the development of their ultra-modern city has been moved forward, the new date is 27th August 2109.
When Violet saw this update, she sat up straight. This meant Leo would find out sooner than expected.
Even though she hated it, she had to admit Kai was right. She twisted her lips to the side. She needed to move quickly.
She needed to leave this hotel and relocate somewhere he would never find her.
But where?