CHAPTER 5: RIVAL GANG THREAT

A week passed in relative silence. Leo still avoided Kai, but he didn’t yell at him anymore. He’d even started leaving a cup of coffee on the kitchen counter for Kai in the morning - not saying anything, just putting it there and walking away.

Kai had found a routine. He’d wake up, drink his coffee, then walk to the small café he’d discovered a few days earlier - The Rainy Day Café, with its blue walls and cozy chairs. The barista, Sam, was nice - they’d talk while Sam made coffee, and Kai would tell him about his life (leaving out the mafia and marriage parts, of course).

One afternoon, Kai was walking back to the penthouse from the café when he heard a loud bang. He froze, looking around. It sounded like a gunshot. Then another bang, and people started screaming, running in all directions.

Kai’s heart raced. He looked down the street and saw two cars pulled over, their doors open. Men in black clothes were shooting at each other - one group wearing red bandanas, the other wearing black. Vasquezes and Rothwells, he realized. A turf war.

He turned and ran, trying to get away. But one of the Vasquez men saw him, pointing a gun. “Hey! You’re Rothwell’s omega!” he yelled. “Get him!”

Kai ran faster, his legs burning. He turned down an alley, hoping to lose him. But the man was right behind him, his footsteps getting closer. Kai looked around, trying to find a place to hide. There was a door at the end of the alley - locked. He was trapped.

The man walked up to him, pointing the gun at his head. “Leo Rothwell took our territory,” he said, his voice cold. “Now we’re taking something of his.”

Kai closed his eyes, waiting for the shot. But it never came. Instead, he heard a loud crash, and the man fell to the ground. Kai opened his eyes and saw Leo standing there, holding a metal pipe, his face red with fury.

“Touch him again and I’ll kill you,” Leo growled, kicking the gun out of the man’s hand.

Two more Rothwell men ran down the alley, grabbing the Vasquez man and dragging him away. Leo turned to Kai, his eyes scanning his body. “Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice tight with worry.

Kai shook his head, his legs giving out. Leo caught him, holding him up. “I… I’m okay,” he whispered.

Leo picked him up in his arms, carrying him out of the alley. “Let’s get you home,” he said.

Kai wrapped his arms around Leo’s neck, burying his face in his chest. He could feel the beat of his heart, strong and steady. It made him feel safe - safer than he’d felt in a long time.

They got back to the penthouse, and Leo carried Kai to the living room, setting him down on the couch. “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll get you some water.”

He came back a minute later with a glass of water, sitting down beside Kai. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” he asked again.

“I’m sure,” Kai said. “Thank you. For saving me.”

Leo nodded, looking away. “It’s not because I care about you,” he said, his voice flat. “It’s because you’re carrying my child. The Vasquezes can’t hurt you - not if they want to live.”

Kai’s heart sank. Of course. It was just business. Again. But he didn’t say anything. He just drank his water, trying to ignore the disappointment in his chest.

Leo sat beside him for a few minutes, not saying anything. Then he stood up. “I have to go,” he said. “We need to deal with the Vasquezes. Don’t leave the penthouse. Lock the doors. I’ll be back later.”

He walked to the door, then stopped. “Kai?” he said, turning around.

Kai looked at him. “Yes?”

“Be careful,” he said. Then he was gone.

Kai sat on the couch, looking out the window. He knew Leo had only saved him because of the baby. But for a few minutes, in his arms, he’d let himself hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, there was more to him than hatred.

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