Page 63 of Severance

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Kai walks across the balcony and sits down on the chair beside me as he stares out at the ocean with a content smile. His hair is slightly longer and tousled from the ocean air. His naturally tan skin is darker from the hours spent shirtless and under the sun.

Life in the Keys has been kind to both of us, mentally and physically.

“What’s on your mind,bambolina?” Kai asks as he turns to face me. His soft, brown eyes are warm as they caress mine.

Standing up, I smile down at him as I move in front of him. Kai wraps his arms around me as I sit down on his lap.

“This is nice,” I say quietly, resting my head on his bare chest.

Too nice.

Kai lightly kisses the top of my head before resting his chin on it. “Get used to it,bambolina. This is our forever.”

With his arms wrapped around me loosely, we sit quietly, listening to the waves crashing on the shore as the sun sets in the distance. Kai lifts me to my feet as he slowly stands up. A fire dances in his eyes as he stares down at me with a smile playing on his lips.

Grabbing my hand, Kai pulls me inside with him into the kitchen. Spinning me around, he wraps his hands around the backs of my thighs and lifts me onto the counter.

With his hands on my knees, he parts my legs and moves between them as I wrap my arms around the back of his neck. Gripping my thighs, Kai’s fingertips dig into my skin as he dips his head down to mine.

His lips are but a breath away when the sound of his phone interrupts us.

Resting his forehead on mine, Kai lets out a frustrated breath. “Fuck,” he mutters and reaches for his phone on the counter beside me.

His brow furrows as he looks at the screen and slides his finger across, answering the call.

“Hello?”

Kai takes a step back, just out of my reach as he stares down at the floor. A few moments pass as he listens intently and his body suddenly grows rigid.

“Anthony,” he barks at the phone. “Spit it the fuck out.”

His worrisome eyes flash to mine as his expression becomes troubled. Sitting in silence, I tuck my hands under my thighs as I watch Kai. Tightening his grip on his phone, his knuckles turn white as he listens to Anthony on the other end.

Closing his eyes, Kai takes a deep breath and swallows hard before looking back at me.

“So, what happens next?” His voice is soft as he speaks. “What do you need from us?”

Silence fills the room again as Kai stares at me, but he’s not here, not mentally. His eyes are glazed as Anthony continues to talk and he nods absentmindedly. A million questions run through my mind, but Kai’s last question drowns them all out.

The ground falls out from underneath me.

What does Anthony need from us?

A few minutes pass, although it feels like hours, before Kai is hanging up the phone. Setting it down on the counter, his eyes meet mine as he lets out a sigh of relief.

“What’s going on?” My voice shakes as I drop down onto my feet.

Kai steps in front of me and gently brushes a stray curl from my face. “Mia is sick,” he says quietly. “She has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant, but they are hopeful that Bonnie or Paul are a match.”

Leukemia.

Cancer.

The fucking devil.

“Will she be okay, then? If they’re a match?”