The Devil Inside (21 page)

“Because it’s you, stupid.” I kneel down in front of Kaito, putting one hand to his cheek. It’s cool to the touch. “We can talk about this later. After you’ve seen a doctor. I know what you’ve done, and I know that makes you kind of a bad guy, but I still want to be with you. Maybe that says something about me, but I don’t care. Isn’t that enough for you?”

He blinks, staring at me as if I’m speaking a foreign language. “Are you sure?”

“You think I would have bothered to memorize every inch of your damn tattoos if I wasn’t sure? It took me hours to get the details right on those koi you have on your arms.”

Kaito glances up at the painting again. “That’s the one I paid for, then?”

“Yes it is. But I’m keeping it for now.”
 

“I don’t enjoy what I do, Adele. I need to think of a way out of this mess. And I have many enemies. You know it’s not going to be easy, being with me.”

I shrug. “Nothing in life is meant to be easy.” I move closer, daring to lean in and kiss him on the lips. “Sorry. I know it’s not the best time. Couldn’t help it. By the way, your people on the other side of the Pacific seem to like what I do. I have galleries in Tokyo enquiring about an exhibition. I’ll need a guide, you know, someone who knows the local area.”

“I’m a wanted man in Japan, Adele.”
 

“Then you’ll have to figure out a disguise.”

Kaito stares at me as if I’m mad, then reaches out to pull me in for a kiss, deeper, longer, his mouth hot and wanting. I lose myself in his embrace, savoring his taste and the feel of his strong hands entwined in my hair. “Sorry,” he murmurs, as he pulls away gently, tenderly. “Couldn’t help it.”

And in that instant, as I face Kaito, seeing the wonder reveal itself in his expression, before it’s quickly hidden, I know that everything is going to work out fine.

I don’t know how I know that, but I do.
 

He’s a walking contradiction, a dangerous man, a lonely human being.
 

I’m impulsive, and sometimes, I can be foolish and naive. Now I understand why he tried to push me away.

We’re like oil and water.
 

But when I’m with Kaito, everything feels right. I feel as if the rest of the fucked up world and all its problems just melts away, and he and I are the last two human beings on Earth.

So let me take a leap of faith now and trust my instincts.

Because even the worst devils were angels, once upon a time.