No Pain: Book 1

Chapter 27: Najee

"How are you here already?" I ask, still holding Star. I know she wants me to let her go but I don't want to, not yet.

"You left your tracker in, Najee." Keller holds up the mobile tracker with my location on it. "amateur move." Keller smiles at Star. "Hey, girl. Something you wanna tell me?" Keller tilts her head and cocks her hip and Star unlatches her arms from around my neck and presses her hands to my chest.

"Why don't you two come out of there, put some clothes on and tell us what's going on." Keller grabs our towels from the chairs and holds them out. Star pushes away from me and swims toward the stairs. Kader looks at Star as she climbs out of the pool.

"Hey." I snap at him. Kader glances at me, then to Star then back to me and gives me a thumbs up.

"Shut up." I grumble avoiding Kader's eyes as I follow Star out. Keller catches Kader's thumbs up and slugs him so hard he slips and falls into the pool. Kader surfaces coughing up water as Keller drapes a towel over Star's shoulders.

"Missed you, girl." Keller pulls Star into a hug. She pulls away and digs her hand into Star's hair "A little longer than your usual cut, but... you still work it." Keller shakes Star's hair out and steps away to hand me my towel. Keller looks me up and down and smiles. "Yep."

I feel the heat in my cheeks as I use the towel to pat myself dry and cover myself as much as possible. I look at Star wrapped in her towel, I wish I could hide in a towel like that.

"Do I get a towel?" Kader sloshes up onto land. Keller folders her arms and cocks her brow at him.

"Oh no, honey. Not from me." Keller flips her bangs and turns back to Star and me. "Story time then?" she asks.

Star nods "yeah, but we need to be inside for this." Star glances around as if she's just returned from a trip and she's making sure everything is still the same.

"Thanks man." Kader snatches my towel away and pats at his face. I snatch it back and use it cover my shoulders. It doesn't quite get the job done but it's better than nothing.

"You and Star?" Kader asks as we trail behind Star and Keller.

"No, she still has to go." I watch Star walking beside Keller. Keller walks easily, her words come out incoherently and without pause. Star is beaming up at Keller despite the light blush over her cheeks.

"Sure, looked like you and Star." Kader jabs me in the ribs with his elbow. I shove him back, I can feel Thierry inside me but he's not being vocal yet.

"It doesn't matter." I shake the loose water from my hair "once she finds out what I've done, she'll hate me." Guilt is a monster eating me from the inside out "she'll hate me even more now."

"Find out?" Kader's face loses all humor "what do you mean, find out?"

"I mean she's not an idiot and she's been hanging out with my soul reader brother." Thierry is pressing against the barriers of my subconscious but he's not desperate, he's curious. He wants to listen in.

Kader grabs my arm "Star can't find out, Najee." Kader's face has lost all humor.

"You mean I can't tell her." I shrug him off "I don't know how much longer I can lie to her."

"Then don't lie." Kader rushes in front of me. "Just don't say anything." Kader is scared. I think he feels the most guilt. He doesn't think about it because when he does he drowns. Then again, she'll hate him the most when she finds out.

"Why is this a problem now?" Kader throws his hands out "if she were staying you'd keep your mouth shut. You'd never tell her because she's your best friend and her hating you is your worst nightmare."