Simulated: A Calculated Novel by Nova McBee

Author:Nova McBee [McBee, Nova]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781953944535
Publisher: Wise Wolf Books
Published: 2021-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Five

My mind floods with a memory of Kai the day before he flew back to Shanghai. He’d spent the whole day in coveralls, covered in oil, fixing my dad’s car. I loved watching every minute of it. It’s a side of Kai very few people get to see. The boy his father is just now getting acquainted with again.

A smudge of grease was on his face, a satisfied grin on his lips. “Jason, your carburetor is fixed. Feels good to get my hands dirty. What next?”

Dad walked over to him, slapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Kai. I’ll have a list of things for you next time. We’re remodeling the kitchen. I’ll make good use of you.” My dad chuckled.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Kai said. We laughed and talked the rest of the evening.

That night, I’d already fallen asleep, but woke up to the door of my room opening. I almost leaped up, frightened by the unknown intruder, until Kai’s familiar scent hit me: A city boy who smells as fresh and woodsy as a mountaintop.

He crept over to me and I reveled in his smile, the one reserved only for me. This is the Kai only I saw.

My stomach flipped as I squinted and sat up. “Kai? What are you doing? You know my dad’s rules.” My father would flip if he knew Kai was in my bedroom.

“Eh, his rules are in place for something else. I don’t plan on breaking those. I just love watching you sleep.” Kai sat down on my bed, his hand moving over my cheek.

I lay back down, my eyes closed, my head resting on his thigh. “You mean because I finally sleep through the night?”

His fingers moved over my lips, then through my hair. “Yeah. That’s my job now. Making a world where you can sleep every night like this…Safe….and preferably close to me.”

“Do you have to leave in the morning?” I asked, slightly delirious. I snag his hand and pull it close to me.

“If you tell me to stay, I will. I love you, Jo…” The shields of his eyes went down, revealing a pure vulnerability and the deepest part of his heart, where he loves with abandon and holds nothing back.

But I didn’t tell him to stay.

Now images from Noble’s phone contrast with my memory—Kai sitting with an Arabian Sheikh bluffing his way into danger, to keep his promise to make the world a safer place. I ache thinking about it. Which is why I’m taking this risk to tell PSS.

Ms. T and team silently study me. My gut says I can trust them, but it doesn’t stop my heart from hammering.

“Before we left Seattle, I received a phone call regarding Kai, who was also here in Tunisia. I’m restricted from going into too much detail, but Kai doesn’t work for his father’s company,” I explain. Then for the next few minutes I tell my team the bare bones of what Kai does, believing their silence on all things high security will spill over to protect Kai too.

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