Chapter 39

CHAPTER

THIRTY-NINE

Kai watched as a shadow stepped into the light.

It was him. The man they'd confronted earlier.

Kai watched with bated breath, halfway expecting more guys to be here.

But he only saw the man they'd arranged the meeting with.

The guy raised his hands as if to show he was unarmed.

Kai's shoulders relaxed—but just slightly.

The man stepped closer before pausing six or so feet away. "You came."

" You came," Gage echoed. "We weren't sure what to think."

"I wanted to talk to you, but I had to make sure I wasn't followed. That's why I'm a little late."

The three of them stood assessing each other.

"My name is Stephen Garner," the man finally said.

Kai and Gage introduced themselves officially also.

Stephen's gaze remained cautious, his shoulders taut, as he stood in front of them. "Tell me what you know."

"Gage and I both went through Project Elevate," Kai started. "We thought our team was the only one, but we've discovered we're not. I believe you went through the program too."

Stephen's eyes widened as if he considered his response. Then he shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do." Kai's voice hardened.

Was this guy starting to play a game now? Why the change of heart?

Kai's guard went up. "We're all in the same boat. The military used us as Frankensteins, experimenting on us to develop the perfect soldier."

Stephen remained quiet.

"You might as well stop denying it." Gage's voice sounded no-nonsense. "You wouldn't have come tonight if something about this didn't ring true."

Kai waited for Stephen to break and admit he knew what was going on.

Kai saw the wheels turning in the man's mind as he tried to process what they were saying. As he tried to determine how to react.

Admitting he knew what Kai and Gage were talking about would open a whole new can of hypothetical worms. There would be no going back.

His life would change.

So would Kai's and Gage's.

"I wasn't aware there were more of us either," Stephen finally confessed.

Kai's lungs loosened at the admission. Maybe they would make some progress. "How many are there that you know of?"

"There were twelve on my team. You?"

"Twelve," Gage said. "When were you recruited?"

"When I was nineteen—fifteen years ago."

Kai's breath caught. Stephen was brought into this program before he was. Kai had only come on board ten years ago.

Maybe Stephen was first generation—or, at least, the generation before Kai and Gage. For all Kai knew, this could have been going on for decades. Nothing felt certain right now.

"Where did you train?" Kai needed more information in order to verify this was all true.

"Michigan. You?"

His jaw tightened when he heard the confirmation. "Same. How long have you been out? Did you leave on your own?"

"They told us the program was shut down, that they lost funding. We'd had a number of issues, including some of our guys acting erratically."

Erratically? He didn't like the sound of that.

"What happened to those guys?" Gage narrowed his eyes as he waited for the answer.

"They mysteriously disappeared. The rest of us were hired as para-military contractors—probably so the government could keep an eye on us."

The details sounded very similar to their own situation, only it had all been lies. So many lies.

What was the truth even?

"Who are you working for now?" Kai asked.

"A man who goes by the name Rafferty. He ran the military program I was a part of and then he recruited us to join him in his new ventures when he became a civilian. That's all I know about him. I've never actually seen him."

Rafferty? Nathan had mentioned him also.

"You've never seen this Rafferty guy?" Kai clarified. "Even though he was in charge of the military program and your current job?"

"He has people doing his work. He never makes appearances in person. I know it sounds weird. Believe me, we all think so also."

Interesting . . .

"Who hired you to follow us?" Gage asked.

His gaze became shadowed. "I was told by my boss that I needed to act as protective detail to Howard Monarch. As perhaps you know also, I wasn't given much of an explanation nor did I expect one. I simply came to do my job."

"You followed us to that apartment complex," Kai said.

"I was told you were part of a possible plot against Mr. Monarch," Stephen explained. "I thought I could question you all, but then I realized that was a bad idea. That's when I left."

"What did your boss tell you about the assignment?" Kai asked.

"I was told he was being pursued by people who wanted to get their hands on the technology he's developed. I assumed that was you two." He paused. "So why are you going after him?"

"We believe he might be connected with the death of Nathan Bristow," Kai stated.

Stephen crossed his arms as if settling in for the rest of the conversation, a healthy dose of wariness in his gaze. "I was told Nathan died of a cardiac arrest."

"That's what we heard as well," Gage said. "But, as we mentioned earlier, we believe there's more to his death than meets the eye."

"I've been suspicious there's been something going on also," Stephen said. "But I've felt powerless to find out answers. Now that I know this . . . what am I supposed to do? What are we supposed to do?"

That was an excellent question.

Tori could hardly sit still. All she could think about was the parking lot meeting. What was being said? Revealed?

There hadn't been any type of physical altercation. The men appeared to be discussing things in a civilized manner. She praised God for that.

Now that she knew it was safe, part of her wanted to get out of the vehicle and join the conversation. After all, Nathan had been her brother, and she'd been the one who'd set this investigation into action.

But she'd promised to stay put so she would—even if her curiosity was killing her.

As she leaned back in her seat, her gaze traveled to the men.

She squinted as she studied the man Kai and Gage met with. When she saw him the first time, she thought he looked familiar.

Was he one of Nathan's coworkers? Could that be right?

The more she thought about it, the more she thought it might be.

She'd seen Nathan talking to a man outside his house one evening. When she'd asked Nathan who, he'd said it was no big deal. That the man was one of his colleagues who had a question.

That had been this man, hadn't it?

She felt certain that was correct.

Her gaze traveled to another building behind the men.

She squinted.

Why had she thought she saw movement there? Was she seeing things?

Then she realized it was most likely the shadow of one of the men standing under the light.

Right? That was what it had to be.

She glanced back at Kai, Gage, and the stranger and saw they were still talking.

But familiar apprehension rose in her.

Her gaze swerved back to the area where she'd thought the shadows had moved.

There it was again. That same movement.

That same bad feeling brewed inside her.

Was it really a shadow? Or was there more to it?

Tori wished she knew. But the building was so far away, and it was so dark. It was almost impossible to know.

She couldn't pull her gaze away now. If Kai and Gage were in trouble, she needed to warn them.

She kept watching, waiting for another sign or a clearer view of what was happening.

She sucked in a breath when she saw more movement.

That was not a shadow from Kai or Gage.

Someone was lurking near the other building.

Someone dressed all in black.

She was certain of it.

Tori needed to warn Kai and Gage—now.