Chapter 34

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR

Tori backed up until her legs hit another car.

She froze, her adrenaline pumping.

She couldn't believe this man was here. That he'd found them.

Now what would happen?

She could hardly breathe as she watched Kai and Gage approach the guy.

What if the man pulled a gun? What if something happened to Kai and Gage?

The man threw the first punch at Gage, who ducked.

The man immediately came at Gage again.

Tori could hardly keep straight who threw punches at the other. The fight was a jumble of bodies, limbs, and fists.

Yet she couldn't look away either.

Dear Lord, please . . . help them.

The men all paused a moment, catching their breath as they stared off at each other.

Then Kai charged toward the man. His shoulder hit the guy's abdomen.

Kai knocked the wind out of the man as they collided with the SUV.

Then he pinned the man in place.

Go, Kai . . .

But it was too early to cheer. Things could still go south.

"Who are you?" Kai demanded, his nostrils flaring.

"It doesn't matter who I am," the man said with a grunt.

"What do you want from us?" Gage crowded the man from the other side.

"You need to back off." Veins bulged at the man's temples.

"And if we don't?" Gage asked.

"Then it's our job to stop you."

Kai held him down with his gaze. "Who do you work for?"

"It's not important."

"I say it is." Kai cocked his head.

Gaining a burst of strength, the man shoved off the SUV and charged at him again.

Tori held her breath as she waited to see what would happen next.

Kai decided to try a different approach.

He nodded at Gage.

Then they both grabbed the man and pinned him again, this time against a concrete pillar.

Had this guy really thought he could take both of them?

The fact was the man had put up a good fight. He was well trained, his techniques similar to those Kai and Gage had been taught. Coincidence?

He was about to find out.

"I don't want to hurt you," Kai told the man through gritted teeth. "I think you and I are on the same team."

"You don't know what you're talking about," he muttered.

"But I do," Kai continued. "You went through Project Elevate, didn't you? Only maybe it was called a different name when you participated in the program."

Something flashed through the man's eyes before quickly disappearing. "I don't know what you're talking about," he repeated.

"Let me guess—you don't have any close family. Maybe you even grew up in foster care. You joined the military right after high school and were chosen for a special program."

The muscles across the man's chest tightened. "You know nothing about me. Nothing !"

"You know it's true," Kai continued. "You thought you and your guys were the only ones out there. You had no idea there were others who'd been trained in the same way. That's what we thought too. Now we know we're like puppets doing someone else's bidding."

The man said nothing.

Maybe Kai was finally getting through to him.

"Did you know there's a pacemaker implanted near your heart?" Kai continued. "That if the person pulling the strings decides to hit a button one day, you'll drop dead? Just like Tori's brother, Nathan?"

The man glanced at Tori. His expression softened a moment. "You're Nathan's sister?"

"I am." She offered a curt nod and no other information.

His eyes widened.

"I thought his death was suspicious." The guy glanced around. "You guys are telling the truth?"

"We are," Kai told him.

The man remained silent a moment before nodding. "We should talk. But not here."

"Why not here?" Kai asked. "Why not now?"

The man glanced around. "In case someone is watching. We're too exposed."

As if perfectly timed, two people exited the stairway and walked to their cars.

Kai released his grip on the man but remained close—just in case.

"Where?" Gage asked.

The man rattled off a location and time.

This could be a trap, Kai realized. Letting this guy go could be a huge mistake.

But Kai thought he saw sincere curiosity in the man's eyes.

Maybe if they could talk, they could make sense of what was going on.

Kai hesitated only another second before stepping back.

He prayed he'd made the right choice.

If not . . . he didn't even want to consider the repercussions.