All Chapters of KANE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 24

"This is bullshit!"The voice cut through the noise just as Kane stepped out of McLauren's office, irritation already sitting heavy on his shoulders. The meeting had dragged longer than it should have. Too many words. Too much circling.But it was done.He was done.With this place.With this life.Or at least... he was supposed to be.The shout came again, sharper this time, pulling his attention downward toward the main floor.Kane's eyes narrowed slightly.Flora.Mona's old roommate.She stood near the entrance to the lower level, her hands flying as she argued with one of the guards, her voice loud enough to turn heads.He moved toward her without hesitation.Flora turned, spotting him instantly.Relief flooded her face."Thank God you're here," she said, grabbing his arm like she needed him to anchor her. "These fucking idiots are accusing Mona of stealing money."Everything inside Kane went still.For half a second.Then it dropped.Hard.His heart slammed against his ribs, his

Mona let out a long breath as she dropped the paintbrush back into the bucket, the soft clink echoing in the quiet apartment. "Finally," she murmured, stepping back. The walls looked different now. Cleaner. Brighter. For a moment, she just stood there, hands on her hips, taking it all in. A small smile tugged at her lips despite the ache in her arms. She did that. On her own. Her thoughts drifted, uninvited, back to earlier. To Kane. To the way she had practically begged him to drop her off. He hadn't liked it. She could see it in his face, hear it in his voice when he told her she should just stay with him for the day. But he didn't understand. He didn't have to think about rent expiring. About losing a place because you couldn't afford to keep it. About how quickly things could fall apart. Mona shook her head slightly, pushing the thought away. One thing at a time. She was doing this. Fixing things. Moving forward. A faint sound pulled her attention toward the d