The Devil Inside Read Online Free Page A

else.
    Self-preservation tells me to quit this job now. I have enough money saved to live off for a few months. Maybe it’s time to take a chance and go full-time with my art, see if I can survive.  
    Tonight has shaken me more than I care to admit.
    Kaito tries to reassure me. “I’ll make sure they won’t bother you again, Adele. Forget this ever happened.” He raises an eyebrow in an ironic way. “And please, keep this quiet.”
    “I’m not about to go running to the cops,” I assure him. “But how can I forget it? They said they worked for Lucini. Do you know what that means? They’re mafia, Kaito.” I shake my head. Kaito’s only one man. Even if he knows how to kick ass, you don’t go against the mob. I don’t know what he did to those two thugs, but if he didn’t kill them, they’ll be back. And they’ll be pissed.
    Kaito doesn’t even blink. “The owners will fix things.” He seems so certain of himself. It’s bordering on naive.  
    I shake my head in frustration. “It’s the freaking mob we’re talking about, Kaito. They’re not so easy to shake off.”
    A small, enigmatic smile curves his lips. “Don’t let it bother you, Adele. Nothing has to change because of this. You can’t run away because of one bad night.”
    His last statement digs little claws into me. I hate to admit it, but he’s hit a sensitive spot. I have a habit of disappearing when things get rough. Call it a preservation instinct. Years of living with my family taught me all about self-preservation. The way Kaito seems to be able to read me is a bit unnerving. My irritation starts to rise.
    He’s found the stubborn streak in me that rears its head every now and then. “I didn’t say I was planning to quit,” I snap. “Stores around here get held up all the time. If I quit every time this kind of thing happened, I’d be out of a job.”
    “That’s true.” Something like approval gleams in Kaito’s eyes. His lips quirk, as if he’s amused. The goddamn nerve.
    But then the expression is gone, and I’m left wondering. The man is so damn inscrutable. It’s infuriating.
    “Thanks for the concern, but I don’t need it. I’m not going anywhere. I need to go and close out the till.” I take my empty mug and brush past him, feeling his dark eyes on me.  
    “The money’s all there. Need help?”
    “Nope.” I exit the kitchen, not looking back. I’m confused. Underneath Kaito’s polite act is something unpredictable, something scary. Rei was right. He’s not what he seems to be. I should stay the hell away from him. I don’t want to uncover that darkness. But there’s also this flutter of excitement I’m finding harder and harder to ignore.  
    The attraction hasn’t died. It’s grown even stronger. This could be a problem.  
    I shake my head. This beautiful, scary, walking contradiction called Kaito is someone I should definitely keep at arm’s length from now on.

Kaito

    I offer Adele a lift as we leave Fat Dragon. She refuses, shaking her head. She tells me she’ll doesn’t live far from here, and she’ll be fine. There’s a trace of fear in her eyes.  
    I’ve scared her. Shit.
    I don’t like the idea of Adele walking home on her own after what happened in the restaurant, but I know those men aren’t going to bother her tonight. Not after what I did to them. They’ve probably gone to the ER to try and get shithead’s finger sewn back on.
    Nothing I can say will get her into the car with me, so I let it be. I don’t want her think any worse of me than what she already does.
    We say a terse goodbye and I get into my white Toyota and drive through the streets of West LA until I find myself downtown, in Little Tokyo. Everything about me in America is nondescript, even my car.
    I find this place bizarre. It’s a transplanted piece of Japan that’s mutated into something strange yet familiar. The hotels and restaurants are full of middle-aged Japanese businessmen, seeking home comforts in