Chapter 10

CHAPTER

TEN

Kai threw Tori on the ground before throwing himself on top of her.

How had these guys found them so quickly?

Bullets shattered the air, and the scent of smoke hung like a cloud around them.

Sirens sounded in the distance. No doubt, the neighbors—at least one of them—had reported the gunfire.

Would the shooters flee?

Kai couldn't be certain.

The men fired off a few more shots.

As they did, a sharp, hot pain sliced through Kai's upper arm.

As he reached for it, the car squealed away.

Most likely, those guys were gone. But he couldn't be certain. There was a chance the assailants would be back.

Either way, he needed to keep Tori safe.

He stood, ignoring the pain in his arm. Whatever had happened, he would be okay. His injury didn't hurt that bad.

The important thing was that he and Tori keep moving.

"This way!" Instead of running in the opposite direction of the car, they ran toward the area where the vehicle had just disappeared.

He liked this situation less and less, especially since this part of the neighborhood was more crowded. People jogged. Moms walked with strollers. A teen scrolled through her phone while walking her golden retriever.

If they'd heard the bullets flying, they must have assumed it was a car backfiring.

This wasn't just about keeping Tori safe. He didn't want any of these innocent bystanders to be hurt either.

They cut onto another street.

"Kai . . . you're bleeding," Tori said behind him.

He figured as much. One of the bullets had most likely skimmed his arm.

"I'm fine," he muttered.

Just as they turned another corner, the black sedan appeared on the street in front of them.

The vehicle would be upon them faster than they could run away.

Kai needed to figure out a plan, and he needed to figure it out now.

Tori saw the car, and all the air left her lungs.

What would they do now?

Just as that thought raced through her mind, another vehicle pulled up beside them.

A familiar SUV.

The window rolled down, and Gage appeared. "Get in. Now."

Kai pulled her inside. Before he even shut the door, Gage hit the accelerator.

"Buckle up. We've got to lose them." Gage gripped the wheel, but he didn't appear unnerved.

Which was the opposite of how Tori felt.

Another tremble raked through her.

Never in her life had she been so terrified.

She thought she could trust Kai and Gage and prayed she wasn't wrong.

She snapped her seatbelt in place as Gage continued to speed through the streets.

Thankfully, he'd managed to get back to the SUV and find them.

She didn't know how Gage knew where to look for them, but she was glad he did.

Tori had no doubt these two men were highly trained—just like Nathan had been.

When they'd been out to dinner together once, a man had tried to snatch her purse. In five seconds flat, Nathan had tripped the man, pinned him on the ground, and called the police.

She'd watched in amazement at his skills. His instincts had been utterly amazing.

But right now, she and Kai still weren't safe.

They had to lose these guys first.

How would they do that? It seemed like this game of chase would never end.

"Hold on!" Just then, Gage jerked the steering wheel so fast that Tori collided into the door.

He pulled into the driveway of a red-brick ranch house.

What was he doing?

He drove all the way up to the side of the house, under a carport, then cut the engine.

"Kai?" Her heart pounded in her ears as doubt filled her.

Was this a setup? Had Tori been wrong to trust him?

"Duck," he muttered.

She did as he instructed.

Kai and Gage also ducked.

Their plan hit her. They were trying to disappear, to blend in with the other cars in the neighborhood. If those gunmen who were following them weren't looking closely, they wouldn't realize that Gage had parked.

It was a brilliant plan, actually. If she weren't in fear for her life, she might just be impressed.

Tori squeezed her eyes closed and prayed that the strategy worked.