Dalliance - Z.M. (An Exquisites Original Story)

34; Fire & Desire

Chapter 34

"I need you inspired, I need you excited, I don't wanna fight it."

(Raine's POV)

"I don't understand," Kai repeats again, leaning forward in his seat. "Our father is a drug lord?"

Sighing, I nod, waiting for him to register this information whatever way he sees fit. Just like I was initially, he is confused and trying to make sense of everything I just told him. I wasn't sure when to tell him, but I forced myself to the next time I got him alone. If I didn't tell him the truth, then that would make me no better than Zayn.

"And we have a sister?" Kai asks again, his eyebrows furrowed as he looks at me. All of this seems so far fetched to him because he has not been exposed to this life, and I'm not planning on letting him now. The only reason I'm telling him this is because I have to. He is going to have to stay out of this for as long as he can.

"Yes," I say carefully, hoping he understands. "And she is actively trying to kill me. So, that's why I dropped out of school."

"Wait," he says, lifting a hand. "What about me? Is anybody trying to kill me?"

With a smirk, I shrug. "Not that I know of. I guess father dearest has a favorite."

His face is completely serious, so incredibly serious that I have to wipe the smirk off mine.

"You think this shit is funny, Raine?" He deadpans, tilting his head. "You're fucking telling me you're caught up in all of this shit and you didn't bother to tell me."

"I am telling you."

"No," he clenches his jaw, shaking his head. "It was Zayn, wasn't it? He got you mixed up into this."

"No," I lie immediately. "They tracked me down on their own."

He eyes me suspiciously, but I keep a straight face. There is no way I'm telling him Zayn was stalking me for years, especially because he will blame himself for bringing Zayn into our lives in the first place, but also because I don't want to be the one in charge of destroying their friendship.

All I told Kai is that I'm caught up in a gang that I can't get out of who told me that our father is a drug lord and we have a secret sister we never knew about. That's the extent of what he knows right now, and that is all he is going to know until he needs to know more.

"Does mom know?" He asks.

Swallowing hard, I say, "how can she not know that she had three kids?"

Again, Kai just stares at me seriously. Being such a mama's boy, I know he doesn't want to believe that our mom could keep something so huge from us. He would have tried to make excuses for her if it was something significantly smaller.

"Did you talk to her about it?"

"Yeah," I sigh. "The day after I found out. She told me it's all true."

He looks visibly hurt, and I know that he doesn't know how to react. But I also know that there is nothing else he can do to convince himself it isn't a big deal, because it is. I have been carrying this weight on my shoulders for the better part of a month now and I felt sick. At least now I can share it with someone.

"What about Zayn?" He asks, curious. "I know he was a part of some shit like this before. He had to have gotten you caught up in this somehow."

"He's been trying to get me out," I tell Kai, which is true. The part I'm leaving out is that he's only doing it because he feels guilty, but he doesn't need to know that.