Page 30 of Us Defiant Few
Her body locked in place, afraid to even move.
“You were in the cell with me. You tried giving me food. Khalani,” he breathed, savoring her name on his tongue. “That’s what you said your name was.”
“Yes.” Her shoulders sagged, realizing he was only talking about what had happened a few days ago.
“But everything else is a blur,” he hissed, pure malice overshadowing his expression as he gritted his teeth. “Other than last week, I can’t remember the past three years of my life.”
Sensing his rising emotion, she cautiously placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He stiffened but didn’t move.
It was progress, but Takeshi refused to look at her, as if her face truly did cut him deep inside.
“It’s okay,” she whispered for both of them.
“It’s not fucking okay.”
“You’re right.” She gave in to the sad truth. “It’s not fucking okay. You don’t have all of your memories, but you’re still here. You’re Takeshi Steele. The man who criminals fear, the one no one wants to fight, and the man who”—I love—Khalani swallowed the words before they slipped out.
“The man who never quits. If you don’t get your memories back, it’s not the end of everything,” she continued, ignoring her screaming heart. “You can create new ones. Better ones.”
Words have power, and if her actions couldn’t make a difference, she’d write a thousand-page story detailing the wonders of him.
Takeshi stayed quiet.
He didn’t smile, didn’t even come close to smiling.
But some of the shadows in his eyes receded. He no longer looked at the wall like he wanted the stone to bury him alive. He stared ahead like he was considering carving a new path.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but Jericho’s loud voice spoke behind her.
“Your five minutes are up.”
Khalani’s lips formed a grim line.
She didn’t want to leave. She would’ve gladly sat with Takeshi for days if it helped him find his missing pieces.
But she wasn’t strong enough to fight Jericho, and she needed the Aces on their side. Khalani shifted to stand, but Takeshi gripped her wrist.
It was the first time he’d touched her out of his own free will.
“I’m sorry,” he quickly said.
“For what?”
“For what I did back in the cell.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not,” he argued. “I might not remember much, but I wouldn’t have killed you.”
He frowned as if that realization startled even him.
The corner of her lips pulled up in a sad smile, but Jericho spoke again.
“It’s time to go.”
Takeshi’s expression shifted into a snarl as he glanced at the guard, like he was one breath away from committing murder.
She stood, not wanting to cause any more trouble. “Trust me, you don’t have to worry about me. It’s not the first time you’ve threatened my life,” she remarked in amusement, remembering the countless times Takeshi said he was going to kill her in Braderhelm.
