Chapter 29

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

When Tori awoke the next morning, she forced herself to get out of bed, take a shower, and get dressed.

Her thoughts lingered on her conversation last night with Kai. His walls had gone up with so much force she'd nearly been knocked off her feet.

What had changed to cause that reaction? Had she said something that upset him?

She wasn't sure. But she'd been thinking about their talk all night, letting herself be bothered by it.

By the time she wandered into the living room, Kai was already drinking some coffee and studying Nathan's notes again.

He murmured good morning to her before excusing himself to get ready. Was he avoiding her? That was definitely how it seemed.

She grabbed a cup and put a pod into the Keurig so she could have some coffee also. Then she waited for it to brew, trying not to think too much about Kai's standoffishness.

Logically, she knew it was better if they kept their distance. The last thing she needed to think about at a time like this was romance. The truth was that falling in love hadn't been anything she'd intended on thinking about.

She hadn't expected to have feelings for Kai. They'd surprised her just as much as they might surprise anyone.

For a brief moment yesterday, she'd thought he shared those feelings. But apparently, she'd been wrong.

Perhaps she'd misinterpreted adrenaline and danger for chemistry.

Either way, Tori couldn't deny being disappointed.

But that didn't matter. Right now, she needed to concentrate on survival.

Where did they even go from here in order to find answers?

They had men chasing them. Pacemakers that could kill both Kai and Gage instantly. Many valid questions they still needed answers to.

How would they find those answers?

Off the top of her head, there were two things she wanted to do. The first was talking to the coroner. The second was figuring out who Howard Monarch was.

"You guys . . ." Gage hurried into the living area. "I've got bad news."

She grabbed her cup of coffee, now finished brewing, and turned toward him. "What's going on?"

"Where's Kai?" Gage looked around. "He needs to hear this."

"He's in the bathroom. What's happening?"

He held up his phone where three grainy photos had been posted. "We're wanted for a break-in at the doctor's office . . . and murder."

"What?" Tori darted to her feet. "We didn't kill anyone!"

"I know." Gage slowly shook his head, his jaw tightening. "But that's not what the evidence shows."

Kai appeared from the bathroom, his face freshly shaven and clean clothes on. "What happened?"

"Someone managed to get pictures of us last night when we broke into the doctor's office." Gage paced. "The people chasing us must have had someone hiding in the bushes, waiting for us and taking photos so they could set us up. We're also wanted for murder."

Kai froze. "Who's dead?"

"Dr. Landon Jean-Pierre." Gage shook his head, still pacing. "The police were able to access the security camera footage from outside the doctor's house. It shows the three of us were there the night he was killed."

"But we weren't there!" Tori's voice rose with exclamation. "How is that possible?"

"When someone is good with technology, anything is possible." Kai rubbed his jaw before moving his hand to his neck. "Now we're going to be on everyone's radar. This is going to make finding answers a thousand times harder."

"But now we need to find answers more than ever." Tori's head still spun at the thought of it. She closed her eyes and threw her head back.

"Yes, we do—unless we want to go to jail."

Tori opened her eyes and slowly lowered her head until her gaze met Kai's. "So we either go to jail or these guys kill us first."

Kai nodded slowly, a grim expression on his face. "We need to figure out what to do. Now."

Kai's determination to find answers grew with every passing moment.

Whoever was behind this would not get away with it. He promised himself that.

He pulled his hat down low as he, Gage, and Tori headed down the road.

Gage had gone to the store again and bought hats, sunglasses, etc.—typical disguises—for everyone so they could change their appearance.

They couldn't risk being caught.

That meant they couldn't stay at this motel again. Even though only Gage had checked them in last night, there was still a chance someone might recognize them. News that they were wanted would soon begin to spread, and more people would notice them.

Another agent, Trevor McGrath, had driven down from Ohio, where he'd just finished an assignment, so they could exchange vehicles.

Everything equaled one big mess.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled to a stop in front of Thomas Morris's brick, colonial-style home. He was the medical examiner who'd handled Nathan's death.

They needed to talk to him and see what they could find out.

Kai glanced at her in the back seat. "You ready?"

Tori nodded, apprehension in her gaze. "Yes, I am."

It was Saturday, so they were counting on the man being home.

They were just far enough away from the city that people in this area might not have seen the Atlanta news and wouldn't recognize their faces. That was Kai's hope, at least.

As per usual, Gage would wait in the car. Having all three of them go to the door would appear too intimidating and likely cause Dr. Morris to shut down.

Kai prayed this worked, and they were able to find some answers. The sooner they knew the truth, the quicker he could put distance between himself and Tori.

Was that what he wanted to do?

No.

But it was what he needed to do—for both their sakes.

Being around her was so hard when all he wanted to do was finish their conversation from last night. He should explain to her why he needed to keep his distance, how it was ultimately in her best interest. But he hadn't found the right time yet.

With Tori beside him, he rang the doorbell.

Kai stole a glance at her as they waited. She still looked apprehensive. But he couldn't blame her for that. This was a lot—even for him.

"You've got this," he murmured.

She nodded stiffly. "I hope so."

The door opened, and Dr. Morris stood there, staring at them with a wary look in his eyes.

"Sir," Kai started. "Sorry to drop by unannounced, but we were hoping to have a moment of your time."

Then he waited for the man's response.