Malakai (Stone Society #13) - Faith Gibson Page 0,4

If you weren’t in the right headspace, you didn’t do as well. Kai missed sitting on the beach as the sun came up, finding his Zen, but Sixx’s house was situated so he could sit outside on the patio and do the same thing.

They walked around the space for an hour, discussing where the main ring would go, where Kai would put the heavy bags, speed balls, and smaller sparring rings. Kai could already smell the sweat and hear the grunts and pounding of flesh striking flesh. For the first time since he left his small island, Kai felt like he had found his true purpose. When Frey and the others moved on, Kai would have his gym – and hopefully his mate – to keep him from feeling lonely. And it wasn’t everyone who would be moving. He had the other Gargoyles, like Lorenzo and Jasper, who were fairly new to the area to spend time with.

“Where do I sign?”

Frey rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s already yours.”

“What?”

“Rafael drew up the paperwork signing the building over to you.” Frey handed him the keys. “Welcome to your new gym.”

“I… that’s…” Kai choked back the emotions threatening to spill forth.

“Rafael doesn’t need the money, and besides, you’re family. You can use the money you would have spent on the building to renovate and purchase your equipment.”

Kai looked around again. His dream was coming true. “Thank you, Brother. And I’ll go see Rafael and thank him personally.”

“Just make sure I get one of the first T-shirts so I can advertise.”

Kai held out his hand, and Frey shook it. He gave one last look around at his future before he took his keys and locked the door behind them.

Chapter Two

“Joselynn, where’s the Parker file?” Presley asked as soon as Josie walked in the door. Her boss didn’t bother with pleasantries. Josie should be used to it, having lived with her sister for twenty years before Presley moved out into her own apartment after graduating college. Presley was their father in every way. She had his take-no-prisoners attitude and went after whatever she wanted. She also got his stature and good looks. Where Presley was easily five-ten without heels, Josie took after their mom’s side of the family, barely hitting five-five. Josie had been called cute her whole life, and she’d come to accept that early on. She also accepted the fact that she wasn’t as smart or as pretty as her older sister.

Also like their mother, Josie was laid-back and took life as it came. She never pursued a man she thought was hot. She’d learned a long time ago the men she went out with would eventually get a look at Presley, and Josie was a forgotten memory.

“Joselynn, did you hear me? I don’t have time for your daydreaming.”

“It’s on your desk.” Josie might not be a much-sought-after attorney like her sister or father, but she was darn good at her job. She had started working at the family firm right out of college, and eight years later, she knew as much about each of the cases as they did. Josie never wanted to go into law, but she hadn’t been given a choice. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She either studied law and joined the family business, or she paid for college herself. Since she didn’t want to be in debt with student loans the rest of her life, she’d done as her father wanted.

“I don’t see it.” Presley muttered something harsh under her breath. Josie was used to that too. To the world, Presley Pierson was fierce in the courtroom and sugary sweet when not. Most of the time it wasn’t an act, except when her attention was focused on Josie. Presley often chose to point out Josie’s shortcomings, and it was something Josie didn’t understand. She was good at her job. Josie spent long hours making sure her father and sister had everything they needed for their cases. She spent far more hours at the office than either of them. Even Naomi, the paralegal for the firm’s other partner, had a life outside Pierson, Pierson & Hobbs. Sterling Hobbs was just as good at winning cases as Josie’s father and sister, but the man had an easy, kind way about him.

Josie set her coffee and purse on her desk before heading into her sister’s office. She walked to the desk, picked up the stack of files, and handed over the third one down. Presley took it without saying