Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right



I pulled Nina into my arms, holding her tight as I scanned the men standing before me.

They didn't attack, just stood there watching. Then I heard hurried footsteps, followed by a panicked voice. "Nina, don't be scared-Mommy's here!"

Cue Sasha's dramatic entrance.

She burst in, ripped Nina from my arms, and shoved me aside like I was the villain in her

soap opera.

Theatrics? Ten out of ten. Sasha deserved an Oscar.

Clutching Nina close, she covered her with kisses and soothing words before whipping around to glare at me. "Keira, I trusted you! I even let Nina be your friend, and this is what

you

do? You used our trust to hurt us!"

"I don't think Keira hurt me," Nina piped up, defending me before I could get a word in.

Sasha's face stiffened for a split second, but she quickly recovered, squeezing Nina tighter and bursting into tears.

The men in black didn't touch me, of course. Why would they? Sasha had hired them for her little performance. Her goal was simple: get Nina back. Now that she had her, there was no need for any

Ore theatrics.

***

Sasha's drama had wrapped up, but for me? This was just the opening act of a much bigger

problem.

Right on cue, Thorsten came looking for me.

"Ms. Kay, I'm sure you know why I've asked to see you," he said, wasting no time.

I met his gaze, my mind replaying Sasha's little stunt. Even the smartest people have their blind spots, and Thorsten? He was the poster child right now. He'd been played by the person sharing his bed.

"You're here to ask why I supposedly kidnapped your daughter?" I said, one eyebrow

raised.

Thorsten hadn't sent anyone to rough me up-he'd simply requested a meeting. Just as Sasha had predicted, his guilt kept him restrained. But he wasn't about to let this go without answers.

"Don't you already know?" I added with a smirk.

His expression was calm but sharp. "You're not the type to hurt a child, not even out of

7/2

revenge. If you were after vengeance, you'd aim higher. This... isn't your style."

For once, the schemer saw a sliver of truth in me.

"You could just tell me your reasons," he offered, his voice level but pointed. "Maybe what you want is something we can negotiate."

Ah, the seasoned player. When the amateurs like Cole fumbled, Thorsten was here to clean up the mess. His so-called reasonableness wasn't compassion-it was strategy. He wanted what they all did: whatever Hayden had left me.

Hayden once told me the item in his urn was just some investigation data. But now I realized the truth-it wasn't just paperwork. It was his shield, his lifeline. And now, mine.

it was

"Since you're being so direct, I'll be honest too. I want Xander back from DracoLux, safe and unharmed," I said, watching Thorsten's eyes narrow slightly.

He was waiting for me to explain, so I did. "You probably already know-I was with Jace for a while, but we broke up. After that, I was with Hayden... until a few months ago, when he... was gone." I paused, letting the weight of those words settle. "Recently, at DracoLux, I met someone named Xander. He reminds me of Hayden. A lot."

I stopped there. Thorsten was smart enough to connect the dots without me spelling it out. Maybe he already knew. Maybe this was just another one of his tests.

"All this... for a male escort?" he asked, his tone laced with skepticism.

What a sly fox. I stuck to my story. “He's not just any male escort. To me, he feels like Hayden come back to life."

Thorsten sighed, his voice tinged with pity. "Keira, you're being foolish."

I stayed silent, letting him think he had the upper hand.

Thorsten shook his head. "You've spent time with Xander, haven't you? You must have noticed how different he is from Hayden. He'll never be the person you're looking for."

I let a flicker of sadness cross my face. "You're right. The person I want isn't coming back. But having someone who reminds me of him... it's a small comfort."