30. Loose Ends Tied Up

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"We tried to reach you as soon as we saw the facial recognition report," Kit says. "But neither of you would pick up, so that's why I tried LINE."

Sunlight pours through the windows of the front room in Bel's house, where the three of them are sitting. Kam and Bel have mugs of chilled Crio Bru, and Kit has a Strawberry Frappuccino, which he bought on the way over. Kit refuses to be converted to brewed cacao just yet.

"How did you know I would answer?" Bel understands now that Kit asking for his LINE wasn't just a random request. Kit had been worried that something might happen, and when he'd seen Kit's LINE saying "it's Gulf", Bel knew that Kit had been right.

"I knew you would answer," Kit says. "But I didn't expect your answer to be asking for my email address."

Actually, that hadn't been the weirdest part for Kit. The weirdest part had been when Nina had seen the LINE message and known exactly what Bel meant by Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. After they'd got an email with a recording of Gulf's confession, Em called Talay and told them Bel and Kam were at the dealership.

People had started showing up about ten minutes after Silo shot Gulf, and Bel had announced that the USB was blank. Not just people in police uniforms but in suits and ties, firing question after question at both Kam and Bel until Silo had barked that they'd said enough. The last things they'd seen when Kit bundled them into the car were the Gorilla in handcuffs and a sheet being dropped over Gulf's body.

"What's going to happen to the Gorilla?" Bel asks.

"That's something you don't need to know." Kit makes a face. "I'll tell you this, though. His name was one one of those files, so that should give you an idea of how dangerous he is."

"I got a pretty good idea when he kicked my ribs in." Kam says.

"You shouldn't have fought him in the first place," Kit snaps.

"My boyfriend asked me to." Kam slings an arm around Bel's shoulders, and Kit cocks an eyebrow.

"And you'll do whatever he asks?"

Kam grins. "What do you think?"

"Unless it's weird," Bel clarifies.

Silo and Kit had been right to insist that Bel and Kam go to the hospital. Besides the various minor cuts and bruises, at least two of Kam's ribs were very much broken and another one was cracked thanks to the Gorilla's massive feet. Bel had a concussion thanks to Gulf's fists, and the stitches in his side had to be redone. Neither Bel nor Kam wanted to ask Em what strings she pulled to get them out of the hospital sooner than any of the other medical staff wanted, but she had, and that was fine by them.

"Is that the only reason you're here?" Bel's second question sounds a little more impatient. "Or did you want something else?"

"Your boyfriend's a little twitchy, Kam." Kit's eyebrow is cocked. "Did I interrupt Something?"

Kam flips his brother the bird. Kam has also moved into Bel's bedroom, but due to their injuries they haven't been doing much in there other than actually sleeping.

That didn't mean, however, they hadn't been doing Other Things.

Other Things that had been interrupted when Kit showed up.

"You've got the same look on your face that Kam gets when he really wants something." Bel leans forward. "So what do you want?"

"I guess you two have been taking advantage of your Paid Time Off, huh?" Kit copies Bel's posture, so they're almost nose to nose. "Maybe Em sent me to make sure you took the pain meds and antibiotics like you're supposed to."

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