Shit.
I tensed my legs, ready to run…but it was too late. Kai, Will, and Damon strolled in, immediately slowing when they spotted me. Their eyes locked on mine, and my heart dived into my stomach.
“You okay, Rika?” Kai asked, his gentle eyes from three years now cold and hard.
I swallowed. “I’m fine.”
But his lips tilted in a knowing way. “You don’t look fine.”
He continued to approach me, and I watched as Damon and Will took seats on the couch, relaxing as they hooked their arms around the back. Damon blew out a cloud of smoke, and I recoiled into the railing, suddenly feeling caged.
It had been so long since I’d seen them all together. I wanted to leave.
For some reason, I thought they’d grow apart over the years, but here they were, together as if nothing had changed.
All of them were dressed in black suits, looking like they were heading out for the night, and I tucked my hair behind my ear, trying to find my voice.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all,” I told him, straightening against the railing. “It’s been a long time.”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, it’s been a very long time since that night.”
I blinked, trying to avert my eyes, but there was no point hiding my nervousness. He already knew I was uncomfortable.
“I just needed to speak to Michael,” I said quickly.
He leaned into me, placing both hands on the railing at my sides and called over my head, “Michael! You’ve got a visitor.”
His deep voice sent shivers over my skin. I didn’t have to look behind me to know that Michael had seen me. I heard the basketball dribble to the ground, bouncing against the floor faster and faster until it eventually came to rest, making no more noise.
Kai brought his eyes back to me, his face an inch from mine as he looked down at me.
“I wasn’t aware you all were in Meridian City,” I said, trying to lighten the tense mood.
“Well, as you can imagine,” he said, pushing off the railing and joining his friends on the couches, “We didn’t want a lot of attention or fanfare. We needed some privacy to ease back into things.”
Seemed reasonable. The whole town lamented their arrest and incarceration, and despite the proof of what they’d done, no one hated really them for it. It wasn’t long before their deeds were forgotten and they were sorely missed. By almost everyone.
“Come on. Sit down,” Will pressed. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
Damon tipped his head back, blowing smoke as he let out a dark, quiet laugh, probably remembering his threats to me in the classroom today.
“I’m fine,” I asserted, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Are you sure?” An amused look crossed Will’s face. “Because you’re backing away from us.”
My face fell, and I stopped, realizing I was, indeed, moving away from them. I’d been inching further down the railing toward the wall.
Shit.
Michael climbed the stairs from his basketball court, wiping off his face and chest with a towel. His hair glistened with sweat, and his stomach flexed with his movements. I tightened my arms across my chest.
“What do you want?” he bit out.
Guess his temper hadn’t cooled from the argument at Hunter-Bailey the other day.
I took a deep breath. “I haven’t heard from my mother, and I was wondering if you could give me the number to the satellite phone on board Pithom.”
Michael’s chest still heaved from his workout, and he tossed the towel on a chair as he walked to the kitchen.