#Chapter 71: Second Attack

Kadeem So much for winning her over. Kadeem’s hands balled into fists, white-knuckled and trembling. He watched as Ardal sped away, his rage boiling over like a cauldron set to stew. The urge to smash something consumed him, but he resisted. Instead, he withdrew his phone with a quivering hand and changed that stupid Bon Jovi ringtone. But his thoughts lingered on her safety as he scanned through his phone settings, feeling anxious about his own failures. How was it that he always managed to mangle things between them so horribly? In the past, they had been in tune with one another and willing to trust. Things had once been so easy. But now she was distant and defensive, flighty and unforgiving. A guilty knot grew tightly in Kadeem's throat for he knew that he was the cause of these changes - he'd changed her forevermore. He thought back to that kiss, the feel of her lips burning against his own, and the lingering memory only made things worse. Warmth spread ac