Keep Me Safe by Duka Dakarai Read Free Book Online Page A

known Kane to lose his cool and he’s not about to let that happen to his buddy, his boss, now.
     
    “Brains, get your shit together. You and I are going shopping.” Storm grins, folding himself back out of the chair.
     
    Kane snaps up his head. “Shopping? What the fuck……”
     
    Storm halts him before he implodes. “We will be an hour. Max. You always trusted me back in the day, didn’t you? Trust me now. It’s for your benefit, brother.”
     
    Brains searches his face as they climb into the Brabus and pull out of the driveway. “What are you up to, Storm? Pissing off Kane right now is not a good move.”
     
    He laughs confidently. “He’ll thank me later. But right now, he needs to chill out, maybe get laid, and we’re about to make that happen.”
     
     
     
    ***
     
     
     
    The distinctive beep, beep of a text message breaks the silence and tension around the dining table. Storm thumbs the message open, reads it, before tossing it back onto the table. “They will be here in ten minutes.” He announces to Brains.
     
    “Who? What’s going on, Storm?” Kane snaps at his buddy.
     
    Storm leans back into his chair, wipes his mouth slowly with his napkin, and grins. “I’ve called in a favour so we can all have a night off. And you can skin my ass over it later, boss, but right now……you need a beer and maybe some poker.”
     
    I leap out of my chair and wrap my grateful arms around his big neck. “Thank you, Storm. I think we’re all in need of that. Yeah…..fun times!” And I do a little happy jig around the table.
     
    Kane shakes his head, releasing the remains of his scowl, and letting the beginnings of a smile break across his face. “I’m not happy, Storm……I lead this team. But damn, I need a beer. Who is the back-up?”
     
    “ Dixon and his crew. And we only have them for one night. They leave at six am sharp.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
     
     
    Kane takes another slug of his beer and narrows his eyes at me. “There is no such word, Sky. You are just making up words now!”
     
    “Xylem is a word, I swear. It’s the woody parts of a plant.” I giggle, jumping up in search of a dictionary. I sway with the sudden movement and stagger back into my seat.
     
    “Yeah, it’s a word.” Brains slurs through a hiccup. Storm pats her on the back rather too heartily knocking her into the scrabble board. “Hey, watch it, freak. Nearly took me off my chair with that slap …..and spilled my wine. Don’t want me to put you on your ass again, do you, big guy?” She pouts playfully at him.
     
    “No way! You put Storm on his ass? When?” My eyes grow wide, urging her on.
     
    “Day two with the team. He patted my ass so I let him have it with a too sul”
     
    “A what? Too sul….is that a martial art move or something?”
     
    Storm grins, making a playful grab for Brains. “Half pint here is a master in Taekwondo….but she only caught me off guard that one time.”
     
    She bats him away before picking up her scrabble pieces. I count my score for xylem and hand the score pad to Kane. “Your turn, big guy. Unless you want to take a break while I tell Storm and Brains how I nearly beat your ass at Boxing?”
     
    Kane throws me a mock scowl. “You did not beat me at Boxing. You cheated. You distracted me.”
     
    “Now this I have to hear.” Storm lays down his pieces, folds his arms and leans back for the story. Dalton and Brains follow suit. Kane scrapes a hand down through his goatee and smirks.
     
    “Well?” Dalton presses us further. “What’s the story?”
     
    “There’s nothing to tell. We were Boxing, she distracted me and managed to get a uppercut in.” Kane shrugs casually trying to keep a straight face, failing miserably.
     
    Brains arches an eyebrow. “Now tell us your version, Sky.”
     
    “Well…..as you can imagine, my version is slighter longer and more detailed on the account of me being a journalist.” I take