Chapter 11

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

Kai froze as he waited.

Those guys should be coming by anytime now.

He hoped this risk paid off. If it didn't, he, Tori, and Gage would be sitting ducks.

He lifted his head just enough to see through the back glass. Thankfully, the vehicle had tinted windows. Anyone driving by shouldn't see them inside.

Mere seconds later, a black sedan zoomed past.

The driver didn't appear to be looking for them in any driveways. They must be assuming Kai, Gage, and Tori were still driving—just as Gage had wagered.

Kai let out a breath.

But it was too soon to relax. Their plan could still backfire.

They waited several more seconds before Gage backed out of the driveway and headed down the road in the opposite direction.

He'd definitely just bought them some time.

"What do we do now?" Tori's voice didn't sound as strong as it had earlier.

This incident had definitely shaken her.

"I reserved a safe house," Gage called over his shoulder.

"You can reserve a safe house?" Confusion marred her voice.

"It's a rental house, but I booked it using a different ID and a prepaid credit card," Gage explained. "No one should be able to trace us there. It will give us a place where we can get our thoughts together—for a little while, at least."

"How far away is it?" Kai asked.

"Only about twenty minutes."

Kai scanned the road behind them again, halfway expecting to see that black sedan appear at any minute.

But he didn't see it.

Maybe they really had lost those guys.

Kai had hoped that after going to Nathan's house they would have more answers.

But instead, he only had more questions and more confirmation of the danger surrounding all of them.

Tori's thoughts raced as they headed down the road away from Nathan's place.

That had been close back there. So close. Too close.

She still wasn't sure they were safe yet.

There was so much she wanted to say, to ask. But her thoughts seemed to clog in her throat. She was still trying to process everything, but it would take a while.

She wanted to know: Who were those men? Why did they want to kill her? How had they even found her? Were these people that Nathan had, at one time, trusted?

The questions jostled around inside her.

Finally, Gage pulled up to the house where they'd be staying.

The place was fairly nondescript and located in the country, down a gravel lane surrounded by a grassy field and only a few trees.

If anyone started their way, Kai or Gage would see them. There was nowhere for a car to hide here.

However, Gage did pull his SUV into the attached garage, then volunteered to check out the house before they all went inside.

As he disappeared through the door, Tori remained in the back seat, a welcome quiet stretching between her and Kai.

The past twenty-four hours had her on edge. She halfway expected more bad things to happen. For trouble to be waiting inside. For her opponents to have anticipated their next move.

"Don't forget to breathe," Kai murmured.

That was when she realized she'd been holding her breath.

She released it with a quick, airy chuckle, embarrassed that Kai had noticed. "Of course."

Gage popped his head out the door and motioned for them to come inside.

Tori and Kai hurried into the small country home. She bypassed the kitchen and dining room and paused in a cozy living room with dark-blue couches and plum-colored accessories.

All the shades were drawn, making her feel more secure.

"Once it gets dark outside, we'll need to keep the lights off unless we're in an interior room with no windows," Gage said as if reading her thoughts.

She knew what he was saying. They needed to keep their presence here a secret for as long as they could. It only made sense.

She glanced at Kai and flinched when she saw the blood staining the sage green fabric of his shirt. A bullet must have skimmed his arm.

Blood in general didn't usually cause a reaction in her. As a nurse, she saw blood all the time.

The reaction was from the reality of everything that had just happened.

The reality of how much danger they were in.

The reality of how close they'd come to being killed.

"Let me check that out." Tori nodded toward his wound.

Kai opened his mouth as if to protest.

She quickly added, "Please. I am a nurse."

Finally, he shut his mouth and nodded.

She searched the bathroom and kitchen cabinets for gloves, but she didn't find any. Instead, she scrubbed her hands and wrists with soap and hot water to cut down on the chance of infection.

Then she motioned for Kai to sit at one of the dining room chairs. He obliged.

"Can I turn on the light above us?" she asked.

"That should be fine," he told her.

She flipped a switch, and a soft glow filled the room.

Then Tori lowered herself into the chair beside Kai and carefully tugged up his sleeve.

The bullet had definitely skimmed his bicep. But the blood had already begun to coagulate.

"Looks like you could use some stitches," she told him.

"Let's skip the stitches and just use some bandages. I'm not afraid of a little scarring." He glanced at his wound as if it weren't a big deal.

No, a person in his position most likely wasn't afraid of blemishes.

Gage strode into the room, a small first aid kit in his hand. "Found this in one of the closets."

Tori thanked him.

He nodded and then continued pacing the house as if on guard.

Did he fear someone had followed them? Probably.

How long would they be safe here?

Tori had no idea. But if she had to guess, not long.

She checked out the contents of the first aid kit. Still no gloves. But she found some antiseptic and began to clean the wound.

Kai didn't flinch, even though Tori knew it had to sting.

After she cleaned the cut, she used some ointment to prevent infection. Then she found some butterfly bandages to put across it.

He remained quiet as she worked, as if contemplating their next moves.

When she finished, she leaned back and let out a breath. "That should be okay for now. But we'll need to keep an eye on it. We can't let the wound get infected."

"Understood." Kai rolled his sleeve down.

She raked a hand through her hair, realizing that bandaging his wound had been a nice distraction.

Now that it was over, she was left with only her thoughts again.

"What now?" she asked.

Kai turned toward her, his expression placid as if this was just another average day. "Right now, I'd like to review all the documents Nathan left for you. I need to see exactly how deeply your brother was into this."

Tori swallowed hard. She knew that was what they needed to do. But another part of her feared what they might find out.

However, she couldn't let that fear stop her from finding answers—because answers just might be the only thing that would ensure their safety. Answers, and God's protection.