She was, Gabriel divulged, happy that Kai was at least young and good-looking.

I let my eyes drift closed for a moment. Kai won’t go through with it. That was one thing that I was confident hadn’t changed. His integrity. The Nikova princess, who pouts if she has to suffer a sneeze, would annoy him to no end.

I smiled to myself. There was no way he’d endure her.

“You know, if you need me,” David said, and I opened my eyes, meeting his in the mirror, “—anytime—I’ll be there.”

I wanted to give him a nod. I’d worked hard to get the notice and respect I now had in Gabriel’s house. I hated being sent off like I was expendable. But my shoulders relaxed a little, knowing I wasn’t really doing this alone. They were still there for me.

He blew out smoke, shaking his head as if thinking out loud. “I don’t like this guy.”

I kept my smirk to myself. “What kind of guys do you like?”

Lev started laughing under his breath, his eyes still closed, and I glanced up, seeing David shoot me a bemused middle finger in the rearview mirror.

I looked back up at the house. The shades on the windows were so cheap. I could tell from here. The outside paint was worn away, and the bricks were chipped in so many places. I hoped the inside was better. It would take a shit-ton of guys to get this place in shape in two weeks.

“Damon was fucked up,” David went on, “but he never hid it, either. This guy…” He looked over through the passenger side window to the house. “I don’t know.”

He laid his head back on the headrest, and while my heart warmed that he was actually worried about me being left with Kai, I didn’t want him to be. I wanted to keep the power I had and earn more. It didn’t help if the guys I worked with tried to help me traverse every damn puddle just so my petticoats didn’t get muddy. I could handle Kai Mori.

“He’s too controlled,” David said. “People who are wound that tight are unpredictable.”

I tucked my phone inside my ski vest and pulled down the sleeves of my sweatshirt.

“Don’t worry about her,” Lev said, eyes still closed. “In two weeks, he’ll have his pretty little bride to play with.”

And I couldn’t help it. My lips twisted in a little snarl before I quickly hid it away again.

Yeah, he’ll have her, won’t he? And an image of them came to me, alone in that house, looking at each other, bumping into each other, connecting and shit…I sat up and threw off my seatbelt.

“If Gabriel wanted you guys to think, he would’ve put you in charge,” I mumbled. “I’ll be back.”

Fat raindrops pummeled the cap on my head, and I squinted through the downpour, stuffing my gloved fingers in my pockets and running up the cement slab stairs.

I rang the doorbell.

This place was a dump. Dingy-looking, overgrown and neglected landscaping, and a filthy porch, strewn with newspapers, empty flower pots, and dead leaves. Why did he live here? I’m sure he could’ve moved into Delcour—Michael Crist’s high-rise, luxury apartment building on the other side of the river—for free. Erika Fane and Will Grayson lived there, so why did Kai choose to stay so far away, here, and without his friends?

Of course, I knew where he lived when he bought this place a year ago, but it didn’t occur to me to be bothered by it then.

Now, since I had to ready this pit for a wife, I was starting to realize how much work needed to be done.

I hit the doorbell again, growing aggravated. Where the hell was he?

I pounded on the screen door, the old wood hitting the frame with each knock. “Hello,” I called out, more like a demand than a question.

Peering through the window to my right, I could make out a dusty floor and a small, overturned table, the rest hidden from view by the yellowing plastic shade hanging by one corner over the window.

Suspicion crept in as I stood up straight again.

This didn’t feel right. No one lived here.

I never got the impression Kai Mori needed a palace to be content, but he was definitely the sort of man who took pride in himself and anything that belonged to him. He took care of his shit, and this place was not taken care of.

I glanced up to the top of the hill, to my right, seeing a big, gray stone house. A little small to be considered a mansion, but it was damn close. It was surrounded by a tall, black gate, and it was Kai’s only neighbor. I should’ve researched who lived there. Made sure they weren’t nosey.

Casting a quick glance back at the car, I couldn’t see Lev through the tinted windows in the back, but I could see David in the front, watching me.

Fuck it. Turning back around, I swung open the screen door and twisted the knob, finding it unlocked. I pushed the door open and hesitantly took a step inside, my gaze shifting left to right as I took in the inside of Kai Mori’s house.

Gray light hit the floors, streaming through filthy windows while shadows of raindrops danced across the dingy wood. Dust-covered sheets lay over objects which looked like chairs and tables and one couch.

Leaving the door open, I walked slowly into the living room, taking in the fireplace with its soot-stained brick and a pile of charcoaled kindling before heading to the kitchen and taking in the 50’s refrigerator and stove, as well as the ancient linoleum and retro-pink countertops.

I choked out a laugh. Jesus. Who was he kidding? This wasn’t his house. No fucking way.

Charging back through the foyer, I climbed the stairs, taking two at a time and walked into two bedrooms and a bathroom, none of which looked lived in. There was no food, no used dishes, no tooth brushes, no laundry, no TV, no lamps...

Until I walked down the hall, entering the last room, and looked around. I stopped, instantly seeing a bed. The only room with one.

There were sheets on the bed, and it was perfectly made. Was I supposed to believe he just slept here then?

“Hello!” I called out again.

But I heard nothing but the sound of rain outside.

Walking out of the room, I entered the hallway and threw open some closet doors, checking every nook and cranny. The shelves were empty, not even containing bath towels.

What’s with the mystery here, Kai? “Hello!” I bellowed.

I closed the last door and turned, suddenly seeing him standing right in front of me.

I gasped, my heart stopping so hard it hurt. “Shit!” I burst out, breathing fast as he just stood there. “Where the hell did you come from?”

He stood in the hallway, wearing jeans and an expensive-looking, black pullover, partially unzipped to reveal the white T-shirt underneath.

He jerked his head behind him, his perfectly styled hair not moving. “The bedroom.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “I was just in there,” I told him. “And you weren’t.”

There was a bed and candles and a dresser and nothing else. Where was he? Hiding in the closet?

I realized I was breathing hard, so I forced myself to calm down.

“I rang the doorbell and called out. It was like no one was here,” I said.

But he ignored me, looking bored as he asked, “Did you bring the blueprints, keys, and codes like I asked?”

His stern expression looked impatient. Okay, fine. I’ll have to get in here and dig around soon, anyway, so I could wait to be nosy.

“In the car,” I answered curtly.

He nodded and walked for the stairs, taking them down and knowing I would follow.

We stepped out onto the porch, and his gaze instantly found David and Lev sitting in the SUV, waiting.

Kai turned his dark eyes on me. “You’re with me now. Tell them to beat it.”

I hooded my eyes in aggravation. But I turned around and headed down the steps, toward the car, while he walked for the side of the house toward his.

David rolled down the passenger side window.

“Go back to Thunder Bay,” I told him, reaching in and gathering the files for The Pope and the roll of blueprints off the seat. “I’ll see you tonight.”

He thinned his eyes, looking uneasy.

“It’s fine,” I assured him, starting to walk away. “Finish the collections, don’t forget the inventories for Weisz’s and Brother’s, and make sure Ilia got the kennels done.” I glanced at the time on the dash. “And remember, De Soto’s coming in at three. Make sure a car picks him up.”