Chapter 67 Chapter 67

Chapter 67 Chapter 67
Tito’s POV

Breakfast settled warm in my stomach, though it did very little to settle my nerves. My hands still trembled faintly when I stood from the bed, a phantom trembling my body had picked up over the past week, as if it no longer remembered how to stop bracing for danger.

I breathed out slowly, wiped my palms on my shorts, and told myself I could do this. Kendrick wanted to see me. There was no point delaying the inevitable.

I opened the door and stepped into the hallway, the quiet of the house wrapping around me like a soft blanket I didn’t quite trust yet. Everything smelled faintly of citrus cleaner and fresh bread, probably the leftovers of breakfast being made downstairs.

I followed the scent, my feet growing steadier with each step, until I reached the staircase.

I was halfway down when the front door slammed open. I flinched hard, my hands flying to the railing, my heart leaping painfully against my ribcage.

But then I saw Chloe, wide-eyed and flushed, looking like she’d sprinted across the entire city. Her hair was a tangled mess, her shirt crooked and damp with sweat, and her chest rose and fell in frantic heaves.

Her eyes landed on me. They softened. And without hesitation, she ran.

“Tito,” she sobbed, crashing into me with enough force to rock me backward.

Her arms wrapped around my shoulders so tightly I could barely breathe, but the familiar warmth of her embrace broke something open inside me, something I didn’t realize I’d clenched shut.

“Oh my God—oh my God, I thought you were dead.” Her voice cracked on the word, and I felt my throat tighten, the sting of tears threatening.

“I’m okay,” I whispered, rubbing her back even though my hands were shaking. “I’m fine. I swear I’m fine. Nothing happened. It was just—just an annoying mistake I made.”

Chloe pulled back enough to stare at me, her wet lashes clumping together, her breathing uneven. But then her eyes scanned me frantically, moving from my face, down my neck, across my arms, touching lightly over the bruises mottling my skin. She inspected me like she was looking for holes, knife wounds, bullet wounds—anything that could explain how I disappeared for over a week.

“Tito,” she whispered, her voice small now, fragile. “Did they…did they hurt you? I mean…that way? Did they—”

“No!” The word tore out of me much louder than I intended, echoing off the tall walls of the foyer. Chloe froze, her face crumpling in relief. “No. No, Chloe, God, no. Nothing like that happened. I swear on everything.”

Before either of us could say more, the woman from earlier, the one who helped change me, walked out of the kitchen holding a ladle like it was a scepter. She stopped when she saw us, her expression soft but curious.

“Ah,” she said, glancing between us with a gentle smile. “Is this your friend, Tito?”

“Yes,” I said, wiping at my eyes. “Yeah. This is Chloe.”

The woman nodded, warmth radiating from her like soft sunlight. “Come. You must be tired and hungry. I made plenty of food. You can join us if you like.”

Chloe blinked at her, then at me, and finally nodded, exhausted and grateful. “Thank you…yes, please.”

I squeezed her hand. “I’ll be back in a bit. Just…eat. Rest. I need to talk to Kendrick.”

Chloe nodded, though her eyes followed me with that same worried softness she’d had from the moment she walked in. I forced a reassuring smile, then turned and walked deeper into the house, following the faint sound of water dripping.

The back door was slightly open, letting in a breeze that carried the cool scent of chlorine. I stepped outside and froze.

Kendrick stood by the pool, droplets of water still running down his shoulders. He wore only grey sweats, low on his hips, and he was towel-drying his hair with slow, easy movements.

The sun hit him from the right, casting warm highlights over the damp strands of his hair and turning the silver lining his jaw into something almost hypnotic. His back muscles shifted with every movement, smooth and defined, and when he turned slightly, his silver eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach twist.

My breath caught. Hard.

The stupid image from that night, whether it was a fantasy or reality of him pinning me against the wall, his mouth hungry on mine—flashed through my mind again with humiliating clarity. Heat rushed up my neck, and I scolded myself silently, shoving the thought back into whatever shameful corner it escaped from.

This was not the time. And my brain needed to stop doing that.

“Kendrick,” I said, clearing my throat because it came out too soft at first. “You wanted to talk to me, right? I can half-guess it’s about the Jax thing but really, I’ve learned my lesson and—”

He cut me off with a small shake of his head. “Tito. Chill.” His voice was calm, steady, almost soothing. “I’m not here to lecture you.”

I blinked, surprised. “You’re…not?”

“No,” he said, tossing the towel aside. “I just wanted to explain what happened to Jax’s brother all those years ago. The whole story. You deserve to know it, especially after everything you saw yesterday.”

His gaze softened—not in pity, but in something quieter, deeper. Concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “After seeing that? After…what happened to him?”

The numbness came first, like a dull ringing in my ears. Then the cold settled in my chest, spreading outward until my fingers tingled. Jax’s face flashed in my mind, the surprise in his eyes, the sudden slackness in his body, the sound he made when he fell.

I swallowed, forcing the ice back down. “I’m fine,” I said, though my voice wavered. “Really. Jax got what he deserved. It’s not…not a big deal.”

Kendrick looked at me for a long moment, and I knew he could see through the cracks, the small fracture lines in my calm facade. But he didn’t push. Instead, he stepped forward, closing the distance between us with slow, measured steps, as if giving me time to move away if I needed to.

I didn’t move.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him in a way that felt both protective and grounding. I sank into his chest before I even realized I’d done it, my fingers curling slightly into the warm skin of his back. His body was solid, warm from the sun, and every tight, trembling part of me seemed to loosen at once.

“You’ll be fine,” he murmured into my hair, his voice low and steady. “You’re safe now. You’re home.”

My heart thudded painfully against my ribs, and for a moment it felt like the world was dipping sideways. That was when I realized, belatedly and embarrassingly, that he was completely shirtless. My face heated instantly, and I stiffened a little in his arms.