Kade (NSC Industries) by D H Sidebottom

me?”
    He looked like a deer caught in the headlights with my
question but he shook his head rapidly and stormed from the room.
    “I think you need to get laid!” I shouted after him but I
stared at the door with utter puzzlement at his complete attitude switch with
the mention of Mason. A thought occurred to me and I groaned as the truth of
his situation hit me like a wrecking ball. He was in love with Ava Fox.
    “Holy shit, bad choice” I offered to the door, knowing he
wasn’t there or couldn’t hear me. Even I knew Ava would never leave Mason and I
shook my head at Kade’s poor choice of woman to fall in love with.
    The tightness in my gut was nothing, it wasn’t jealousy.
It was just this damn bug and I knew it was the illness that was causing the
slight ache in my chest too.
     

Chapter Nine
Kade
    I didn’t see much of Grace over the next couple of days.
She had recovered from her illness and I had thought it wise to stay out of her
way. She either wound me up with her feisty back chat or I just wanted to slam
her over the kitchen table, tilt her arse towards me and fuck the living
daylights out of her… hard!
    And the last thing I needed was her questions about Mason
and Ava. Her eyes already saw so much and I didn’t want her probing
interrogations and glances.
    But after two days, holed up in my room I was going
crazy. Fair enough it was a lovely room; in fact I would go as far as
describing it as an epic room. It had all the mod cons, including a huge walk
in shower in the en-suite and the bed, shit the bed was bigger than bloody
Canada but there was only so much conversation you could hold with yourself and
I wondered if Grace would be up for a trip out somewhere.
     
    The house was quiet as I wandered slowly down the stairs.
It was early afternoon and I knew at least Grace would be about although I
wasn’t sure about Mona. There was an odd character. She really didn’t like me,
it was like she could read my thoughts and if I’m honest, the erotic visions of
Grace that were in my head, I wouldn’t like me either.
     
    The walls of the two staircases that led to the entrance
hall were adorned with family photos, lots of them, mainly in chronological
order and of various sizes. I stopped dead as I passed one in particular; back
shuffling a little until I was in line with it. I studied it and tried to
figure out what it was that had caught my attention. A young Grace, I’d
estimate around four or five, was stood smiling happily as a couple I presumed
to be her parents were stood behind with their arms around them, but what
grabbed my attention was the other guy, I’d say roughly late teens or early
twenties. Grace was smiling up at him with eyes full of adoration as he smiled
lovingly back down at her, his almost silver eyes happy and bright.
    She had mentioned her younger brother Marcus a couple of
times over the last few days, but not this guy and I made a mental note to
remember to ask her about him as I carried on making my way to the kitchen.
    It was empty in here too and I sighed, getting almost
desperate for some adult conversation. I helped myself to an apple out of the
fruit bowl then my gaze landed on the door at the back of the kitchen where
Grace seemed to disappear through frequently. Maybe she was in there.
    I wasn’t sure if I was allowed in but I didn’t give her the
chance to refuse me access by knocking so I just walked in.
    Holy hell.
     
    Grace was sat at a desk as a cluster of screens filled
one wall. Her fingers were rapidly tapping away at a keyboard and I frowned
when I realised she hadn’t heard me enter.
    Each screen on the wall showed various rooms in the house
and what looked like the grounds from every angle possible, but what caught my
attention was the bank statement that popped up on the screen in front of her on
the desk, her complete concentration focused on the numbers reeling upwards as
she scanned it with narrow eyes. It was badly overdrawn by thousands and