Twist of Fate (Kings of Chaos 6)

“Oh, we’re back to liking me?”

She pinches my arm. “Shut up.” The light-hearted tone assures me she’s not pissed.

“Vicious, but I’m kind of into it.” I wink.

“You would be.” Xi rolls her eyes.

We load up at the market with camera crews nipping at our heels like eager children you’re trying not to stumble over. Being recorded makes my skin crawl. It goes against every rule I’ve lived by. Stay under the radar and as invisible as possible until you need to be seen are the rules of the road. When I ran this by Stone, he was excited. He thought the notoriety would help things when we opened shop.

Another contestant who had the same idea as us cuts Xia off with his cart.

“We got a problem?” I ask.

“What?” he turns to me and his eyes widen. Yeah, it’s different when it’s someone your own size. “No, none at all.”

“I think you were about to offer her an apology.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he mumbles as he hurries off.

“Punk.”

“I don’t need you to fight my battles,” Xi says tersely.

“Need, no. That insinuates weakness. I do it for respect. This is how I take care of what’s mine.”

“Shayne.” Her voice is full of warning.

“Careful, cameras.” I wink as I walk away knowing I have the upper hand. She’ll make me pay for it later when she’s working me to the bone. Glancing over my shoulder, I catch her small smile. Progress.

Chapter Eleven

Xia

Everything aches and my eyes are itchy from the lack of sleep, but my day is only beginning. We’re in the middle of week two, our money is lagging, and I’m not sure where we stand in the race. I rub my forehead where the pressure is threatening to turn into a full-blown headache.

“Sit, have a cup of coffee, and let me and Jas get things ready,” Shayne says.

I tip my head back. “No. I’m not going to let you do all the work.”

Placing his hand on my shoulder, he bends down over me. “You can’t win it all by yourself. Now sit for a minute and get something in your belly.”

I clench my jaw. “Damn you.”

He brushes his lips with mine. My eyes drift close, and I take a moment to settle myself. He’s there at every turn, lending a hand, picking up the slack, or offering support. It’s making it nearly impossible to hold onto my reservations.

“Love you, too.” He kisses my forehead and steps away as Jas appears with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.

“How can we help?” he asks.

I take a long draw from the coffee. “We need a big win today.”

“I think it’s time to pull out the secret weapon.”

“You think? I don’t want to play our hand too soon.”

“Are you two done speaking in code?” Shayne asks.

I snicker.