Chapter 18

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

They wasted no time going to the apartment building Daniel told them about.

Tori was glad they were continuing to move forward, but she had to wonder what the odds were they would find this guy here.

Especially if he was the one who'd killed Landon.

Then again, that theory might be a stretch. Just because Alfie had befriended Landon at the golf course didn't mean Alfie had ultimately killed the doctor. Tori needed to be more open-minded, she supposed.

Still, this guy was their best bet for finding answers right now and, as far as she was concerned, her number one suspect.

Because if the wrong people discovered that Nathan had been seen by Dr. Jean-Pierre, they might have sent someone to get close to her friend in order to find out what he knew.

Then they might have finished him off.

Tori's gut clenched at the thought. She hated the very idea of that happening so much. Hated that Landon had died.

But now she was more determined than ever to find answers.

They pulled up to the apartment complex and found a parking space facing Building 4C. The place was nice and well- kept, with white and black siding, a grassy lawn, and a sprawling lake in the center of all the buildings.

"So what's our plan?" Tori leaned forward between the two front seats. "Do we knock on doors? Do we wait? And if we do see this Alfie guy, what do we even say?"

"First, I'd like to see if this guy is here," Kai said, his voice confident. "To keep an eye on him for a while before questioning him. So right now, we're playing it by ear."

She glanced behind her, tension creeping up her spine. "You haven't seen anyone following us today?"

"I've been keeping my eyes open," Gage said. "No one yet. But if someone did kill the doctor, there's a good chance they were watching his house, waiting for when his body was discovered. We definitely need to be on guard."

That made perfect sense to her. She shivered at the thought.

"Larchmont called." Gage leaned back in his seat, his jaw twitching with unspoken words.

"When?" Tension rang through Kai's voice.

"While you guys were checking out the golf course."

"What did he say?" Kai's words were markedly more clipped. "Did he sound suspicious?"

"I wouldn't say he sounded suspicious," Gage said. "You know he always likes to check on us. But he also always seems to know everything that's going on. It wouldn't surprise me if he knew the two of us are together with Tori down here in Georgia. It wouldn't even surprise me if he knows what we're doing."

"Do you think he planted bugs somewhere? Or trackers?" Tori asked. "Is that how he knows?"

"It's hard to say." Kai shrugged. "I don't know."

Tori's throat tightened. "But if Larchmont is one of the bad guys, and he knows where you are and what you're doing, then . . ."

"Then it could mean trouble," Kai finished. "But I'm not a hundred percent convinced yet that Larchmont is one of the bad guys. Still, I want to be very cautious whenever we speak with him."

Her thoughts continued to race. "You guys trusted this Larchmont guy, right? Do you really think he could betray you like this?"

Kai and Gage exchanged a look, and she knew the answer.

Betrayal was a definite possibility.

And betrayal was a terrible thing to experience. The closer you were to the person who stabbed you in the back, the worse it felt.

She knew that firsthand.

"Larchmont is a very complicated guy," Kai finally explained. "Powerful, wealthy. A bit of a mystery. For the longest time, he's been almost like a father figure to all of us. But he definitely has secrets."

"The question is, what kind of secrets?" Gage added.

Tori didn't like the sound of any of this.

It sounded almost like a game—an entirely dangerous one.

One she never signed up to participate in.

The threesome had been sitting in the parking lot for just over an hour. They'd tried to research Alfie by plugging in his address and name, but nothing had popped up.

Finally, their patience paid off.

A man who fit Alfie's description parked in one of the spaces, clicked the key fob to lock his silver Toyota Highlander, and then started toward Building 4C.

Kai sat up straighter as he watched.

"What do we do?" Tori followed the man with her gaze. Then she raised her phone and snapped a picture of him. "Just for good measure."

Kai had already thought everything through. "I'm going to go to the door and see if he'll talk to me. Meanwhile, Gage will go to the back of the building in case the man decides to run. We need you to stay in the car."

"But—" she started to interject.

"We don't know what kind of guy we are dealing with." Kai's voice turned stern. He needed to drive home how important this was. "He could be dangerous. A killer. The last thing we want to do is to put you in the line of fire."

"But—"

"Gage and I are trained operatives," Kai continued. "We know how to handle situations like this. Do you?"

Tori opened her mouth as if to argue, then shut it again. Instead, she nodded. "It makes sense. I'll stay here."

"Perfect. Lock the doors. If anyone approaches you, lie on the horn and we'll be here. Understand?"

"Understood," she muttered.

She sounded compliant, and Kai prayed she'd truly do what she'd promised. She seemed like someone who was trustworthy and honest.

Once Alfie disappeared inside his apartment, Kai and Gage climbed out. Just as they'd discussed, Gage started toward the back of the building. Even though Alfie's apartment was on the second floor, each unit had a balcony—and someone skilled enough could scale it and run.

Kai had seen it happen before.

He calmly walked up the stairs and paused in front of the door Alfie had entered. He lifted a quick prayer before ringing the doorbell.

He waited but heard nothing on the other side.

He continued to wait.

After several minutes, he bypassed the doorbell and rammed his fist against the door instead. "Alfie, I know you're in there. We need to talk."

Still nothing. Not even any signs of movement inside.

If this guy thought he could hide out and pretend not to be home then he was in for a surprise.

Kai would give the man one more chance before breaking the door down.

He rang the doorbell and pounded on the door this time. "Open the door. I'm not going away."

This time, movement sounded inside.

A footfall.

But still, no one answered the door.

Just as Kai braced himself to burst inside, a yell sounded out back.

That was Gage, wasn't it?

They had a runner.

Kai rushed down the steps to help his friend.

They couldn't let this guy get away . . . especially not if he had the answers they needed.