Chapter 13

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Kai's muscles tensed as he processed what Tori had just told him. The thought of him having a pacemaker implanted without giving permission or being made aware of the device inside his body left him unsettled.

It wasn't a feeling he experienced often.

He tugged his shirt back on. So did Gage.

"So let's say your theory is correct." He shifted and crossed his arms as he stared at Tori. The pizza was getting cold, but he didn't care. "How would I prove that it's true?"

"You would go in for a test—an X-ray," she explained. "It would show if you had any devices in your body. Is that what you want to do?"

Kai glanced at his colleague. "I don't know about you, but now that the thought is in my head, I have to know."

"If she's right, then what happened to Nathan could happen to us," Gage said. "To any of us. Even Austin, and he's a dad now."

The implications of the situation washed over Kai yet again.

He met Tori's gaze. "Your doctor friend, the one who looked at your brother . . . where is he located?"

"His name is Landon Jean-Pierre, and he's in Atlanta," she told him. "The two of us went to medical school together."

"I didn't think nurses went to medical school." A wrinkle of confusion formed on Kai's brow.

He wanted to trust Tori, but he had to be cautious. He couldn't afford to trust the wrong person, and something about her story didn't add up in his mind.

"We don't." She swallowed hard. "I started medical school with plans of becoming a doctor. But I had to drop out. I became a nurse instead."

Kai nodded slowly. There was more to her story. He was certain of it.

What could have happened to make her quit?

When she didn't explain any further, he didn't ask. Maybe she'd open up later.

"I say we go visit this doctor tomorrow," Kai said. "We need answers. If your brother's medical tests all came back clear, then something is wrong. Someone is lying or covering up something. Your friend might have those answers. Now we need those answers, not only about Nathan but about ourselves too."

"Let's do it." Gage grabbed two pieces of pizza and then pointed down the hallway. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go call Nia and see how she's doing. She had a big meeting today. Don't worry—my phone is new and untraceable."

Nia, Gage's girlfriend, lived and ran a company down in Miami. The two had met a few months ago, and she'd originally been Gage's number one suspect in the murder of his friend. Together, they'd found the real killer, and they'd been seeing each other since then.

Kai was happy for his friend. He'd watched the two of them work things out long-distance. Gage seemed really happy and hopeful about his future with Nia—despite his past.

Would Kai ever get to that point? He wasn't sure.

Tomorrow, Kai hoped to have some answers. But he had to wonder if he became too much of a threat if he might drop over dead at any minute also.

He could try to protect himself from bullets and oncoming cars and all sorts of other dangers.

But if someone had implanted a device in his chest, there was no way he could protect himself from the outcome of that.

In the meantime, he grabbed a piece of pizza also. He'd need food if he wanted to keep his energy up.

Tori knew she should try to sleep.

But she couldn't. Though she was physically tired, her mind still raced.

Kai didn't seem in a hurry to go to bed either. While Gage jumped in the shower, they both glanced at each other while munching on their dinner.

"Did you take off work for a while?" Kai asked.

She nodded. "I took a leave of absence after my brother's death. Then I found the package he left me. I knew I couldn't let that go. I had to find answers before I could even think about going back to my job. So I decided to find you first."

"That's respectable."

"What about you?" She tilted her head. "Did I pull you away from any cases?"

"I'm actually in between assignments right now as I try to get a satellite office in DC established."

"Why you? Why did you get picked to set up this office?" Tori was genuinely curious.

"My boss found that one of my gifts was administration. I agree with that. So I said yes. I thought some stability might be good for me."

"Because you traveled a lot?"

"I went where the job took me." He paused. "Did your brother do the same after he got out of the military? I never asked you what exactly he did for a living."

"He said he worked for a government contractor. But he never really told me specifics, just that he was using the skills he'd learned while in the military. I figured he was doing some kind of security."

"Name of his company?"

"He never said, and I never asked." She frowned. "It didn't seem important."

"What about at the funeral? Didn't he have a boss or coworker who showed up?"

Her frown deepened. "He didn't want a funeral. So I took his ashes and spread them over a mountain. I did get a card from the Blackstone Company, signed by some coworkers. But that's all."

"No records of his paychecks?" Kai asked.

"No. I'm not sure if they paid him in cash or what. But I couldn't find anything. I even tried to connect his health insurance with an employer, but apparently he didn't have health insurance. I found that hard to believe."

"Interesting," Kai murmured. "Anything else?"

She let out a breath. "Nathan did travel quite a bit. Never had any serious relationships. Was more of a lone ranger."

"Sounds about right . . ." A frown tugged at his lips before disappearing.

Tori studied his face, curious about the man in front of her. "What's your background? You know a little about me. I virtually know nothing about you."

He let out a long breath, almost as if he was trying to think of a way to avoid answering her question. But it was just the two of them, no interruptions. He had no excuses.

"I grew up in California," he started. "My mom . . . well, she was a druggie. She died of an overdose when I was eight. I was then sent to live with my dad in Hawaii."

"Hawaii is nice . . ."

"I'm sure it is. Only, he didn't really want me. I didn't understand why, so I made up excuses in my mind—usually blaming it on his work schedule or his new wife being too demanding. Whatever the truth was, he sent me back to California to live with my mother's brother."

"I'm sorry," Tori murmured. "That had to be hard."

His face showed very little emotion. "That didn't really work out either. By that point, I had started to rebel. I acted out in school. Snuck out of the house at night. Did thrill-seeking type of activities. I was tired of being passed around and feeling like a nobody, I guess. By the time I was twelve, my uncle gave up custody, and I went to live in a children's home. Eventually, I was placed with a foster family. Then another and another. I never stayed with any of them for long."

Her heart panged with grief. "I know what that's like."

"As soon as I graduated from high school, I needed something to do, a way to support myself. I was suddenly on my own. So I joined the military."

"It sounds like a tough life, but you've done well for yourself." Tori meant the words.

Kai seemed smart and respectable. He treated people well—if Tori didn't count the first day they'd met when he thought she was an enemy.

"I've always thanked Larchmont for whipping me into shape," Kai said. "Now that's all in question."

Her lips pressed together in a frown. "I can only imagine how difficult that must be."

She wanted to ask more. To reach out and touch him.

But she wasn't sure those things would be wise. They didn't know each other that well. He seemed standoffish. Touching him seemed like it would be crossing a line.

"That woman in the Vietnamese restaurant . . . how did you know her?" The question sounded unimportant, but she was genuinely curious.

"I like to eat there after work sometimes. And since I speak the language, she decided she likes me. Hanh is a nice woman."

His words showed Tori a different side of him . . . a warmer, more personal side.

A side she liked more than the guy who'd manhandled her earlier.

The bathroom door opened, and Gage stepped out, hair wet from his shower. Tori knew the interruption was probably a good thing.

Maybe she and Kai understood each other a little too well.

There weren't many people she could say that about.

And she wasn't sure how it made her feel. Most days she didn't want anyone to understand how much pain she'd felt while growing up.