Player's Guide To Ever After? (PLAYBOOK #3)

CHAPTER 13: Finally, a cute first date

ODESSA

“You are back!” Saya runs into my arms the moment I walk into her room, “how was Thailand? You look sunburnt or are you finally tan?”

She holds my face to inspect and I laugh.

“Thailand was surprisingly good.” We fall back on her bed when she hugs me again. “But how have you been? You know, alone with the husband for the first time in a while. How was it?”

I was really worried for her but Kade assured that things had changed.

“He was with Wan most of the time but we had sober s*x for the first time and it wasn’t bad just—”

“Hetro?” I have never really seen her with a man before and we have known each other since we were 10years old.

“No, I am bi so sleeping with a man is okay. Not as many orgasms but…” Saya lays back to look at the ceiling, “weird. I think he trying to be nice to me. Maybe we spooked him too much with the Miyo plan.”

I hope so.

“Yoko is your fiancé Saya, you are one fertilized egg away from him being your husband. Don’t you want him to be nice to you?”

There are divorces in the mob but they are rare which means they could be spending an eternity together. Well, till death comes knocking and it is always knocking in our business.

“Yes but it was so unlike him.” She opens her mouth to continue but Kade taps the doorway to interrupt.

“I do not mean to interrupt ladies but V, we need you for a debrief.” He looks at his watch, “Kudo wants us in the rec-room in fifteen minutes.”

“Can I shower first?” Kade and Kudo’s meetings take hours and my brain needs rest from the mob stuff.

“20minutes then” he turns but stops to say. “Oh, Yoko is on his way here. Something about dinner?” He smirks at Saya before walking away.

Pause.

“Dinner?” I question once Kade leaves and finally notice the olive green dress hanging behind her door. “Saya, do you have a date tonight?”

“I told you he was being weird,” she stands to pick up her dress. “Help me get ready?”

I fight the urge to squeal because this is amazing news.

“Yes, of course.” I stand and assess the dress. “But not this one, you wear this to church not on a date.” I check the tag and its blank, “Saya you have a good ass and Yoko needs to see how beautiful you are.”

Their undercover wardrobe has the best clothes in season and she went with something that Miyo probably got her to make her blend in.

“Okay, I know I am not supposed to say this but I really missed you D.” Saya confesses and I can’t help but hug her again. “Too many boys,” she covers up but I know the truth.

Kiyoko actually shows up in dress pants and a pressed dark shirt when I escort Saya downstairs in a timeless black dress. I am so shocked I don’t even notice the flowers until she looks back to show me the bouquet of roses.

“You are late for the debrief.” Kiyoko scolds when I fake swoon just to make her smile.

I know it is arranged and honestly a little forced but they truly make a cute couple once they are next to each other.

“Have fun kids and have her home before midnight Kiyoko.” I tease when he opens the door for her, “oh what the heck. Bring her back as late as you want.”

I tease and only Saya laugh.

“Bye Odessa.” Kiyoko flips me the bird and I walk back in once their car starts

Despite being very late, I still take my shower and change from my traveling clothes before meeting Kade and Kudo in the rec room.

“You are late,” they greet and I drop my towel to show them my wet hair.

“But something tells me it won’t matter” because they already started without me which is why I look over at Kade’s page and open my file.

“As I was saying, the mission was a success and we were able to send the medicine and other medical supplies over to the farm but our Thailand drop is blown.” Wan continues his presentation and I only zone out because he is reading off the file.

They need to do 3more drops and need to find more outlets which means different teams all around Asia.

“Wait, the D.R?” That is where Felix is with the Hidalgos.

“That one is in December, keep up.” Kudo taps the bottom to show me the date. “It is 5months away but are you volunteering?”

Five months?

No, I still can’t be here.

“Never mind, continue.” I tell Wan and he does.

I thought our reunion would be messy considering I am the one who gave him the scar on his eye but retirement has softened old Wan up and changed Kook Academy.

He is, to directly quote him “too old for this shit.”

And since the Choi’s don’t do revenge, everything has been smooth sailing despite my presence. He replaced Miyo on the school administration which would explain why Kiyoko is so defused.

There is no poison fuelling his crazy anymore and the air in Kook Academy is finally clear but no one is naïve enough to believe it will last.

“Odessa? Are you awake?” Someone taps my door so I switch on the light to see the time.

02:14AM

“Who is it?” I reach the side table for my box cutter, it has become a reflex since I a basically sleeping in a jail cell.

“It’s Kudo, are you decent?” The whisper travels through the thick door.

“Are you?” I slip the cutter inside the sleeve of my gown and open the peak hole, “it’s 2am in the morning.”

“I want to show you something.” He lifts a wine bottle. “Come on, before we miss it” he taps the door to urge me and I unlock it.

I follow Kudo through the dark corridors to a secret passage that leads us outside to a small rose maze garden behind the school.

“We will see better from up there.” He points at an old broken balcony but I still follow him up the ladder.

“Why are we—”

“Sssh.” Kudo puts the bottle between us and points at the centre of the garden to where Saya and Kiyo are sitting. “The fool tripped the alarm coming in, I thought you’d want to see what you did.”

He pops the bottle and takes a long swig.

“Me?”

“Can you believe Kiyoko is 22years old but he has never been on a date till now?” Kudo watches with a proud smile, “he spilled water over her lap just asking her.”

He laughs lightly and I join in because I never thought Kiyoko to be the nervous type. The man has a permanent frown on his face.

“That’s sweet but I still—”

“Saya agreed only if the date would be after you returned. She has been with us for 3 years and this is the first time I have seen her calm.” Kudo looks at me, “we don’t have normal.”

I drink the wine because I feel something I am not supposed to know coming on.

“Ivan told me about your family. How it is a real family that celebrates holidays and Christmas and birthdays. How Vladimir asked him to come back for you and how you all didn’t hesitate to accept him back even after all these years of being apart.”

Now, I know why we needed the alcohol.

“We don’t have that here. This is the longest the 7 of us has been together since as long as I can remember. So to you it might a silly first date but its damn miracle for my brothers, especially for someone like Kiyoko.”

“I guess he is not that bad.”

“No, seriously Odessa. Ever since Miyo left, Saya has been calmer than ever around him. He even changed his shirt 4times because he was so nervous about today, so thank you. You gambled with that plan but it paid off.”

“Why do I feel a but coming?” He is no longer looking at Saya and Kiyoko but at me.

Unlike his brothers, Kudo is very direct with people. You can know all he wants to say with a look straight into his eyes, that is why Ivan gravitated towards him.

“But don’t you ever come between my family again, I mean it Odessa.” Kudo looks dead serious as he adds, “we might not be a traditional family but it is all we have.”

It sounds like a threat which means,

“Kai is coming back sooner than you planned huh?” I shake my head when he offers the bottle.

“Three days’ sooner.” Kudo relaxes as he watches Kiyoko adjusts his blazer on her shoulders.

“I am waving the white flag Kudo.” I mean it. “I will stay away from him.”

Being on a mission again and fighting with Kaizer has made me realize I don’t want to be a part of the mob life again.

I like being vanilla boring and being a normal 21year old which is why I took the days after the mission literally to claim back the life that is quickly slipping away while I am here.

Kudo is right, we are luckily to be a part of the Dominika mob because it offers choice and even though I took it for granted before. Kook Academy has woken me up and has made the life I want clear.

And the life I want is with Liam.

It has nothing to do with guns, fights or missions but us being reckless twenty-something year olds in love.

Dates with your fiancée should not be miracles. Visiting new countries should not just be for missions, crazy woman do not need bruise people for it to be finally seen as a problem.

Thanks to Kade, I am closer than ever to figuring out why Rosanna’s is here and the rest of my time will be focused on doing that.

It is the reason I chose Kade that night of the fight. He is considered a mental tourer because he uses the truth and the only way one can see it, is by a levelled and clear head.

Unlike his brothers, Kade graduated c*m-laude and has had a real taste of the life we all are yearn for.

He understands normal and though he may not want it just yet, he gets it. Once I started being honest, he offered his help on silver platter but like I said, I don’t expect it all to last.

“They are kissing!” I stop myself from squealing because Saya initiated it and Kiyoko waited for her to make the first move.

“Sssh,” Kudo covers my mouth. “For an assassin, you are not really quiet.” He smiles proudly and even pulls out a camera.

“Okay, this is getting creepy.” I take the wine and urge him up, “let’s go helicopter parent. The kids are safe here, let us give them some privacy.”

I climb down first and he follows after taking a few more photos.

“What age did you go on your first real date?” I inquire as we walk back down the dark path we took outside.

“18, it was Ivan’s birthday gift to me. It was really bad but it was a real date.” He chugs the wine, “what about you?”

“I was 19. He took me to eat but I ended up walking in the rain in expensive boots.” I smirk, “we talked all night once we got food and warmth in us.”

My smile drops because I really miss talking to Liam.

“Wow, we are a sad bunch.” Kudo opens the door. “The money makes up for it though.”

“Here-here.” I agree because I am glad I waited for that horrible but amazing first date with Liam.

Since Chase and I have been engaged from the time when we were 16, we never bothered to go out on dates and being in college, boys were the last thing on my mind.

This is why Jessica thinks they came after me so fast but now that things have changed, I long for the simple days where boys were the only problem in my life.