Chapter 8

CHAPTER

EIGHT

Kai's jaw tightened. How much should he say?

Last night, after Tori had gone to bed, he'd done a thorough background check on her.

Her story checked out.

She really had been in foster care. Really was related to Nathan. Really was a traveling nurse based out of Florida.

He'd also discovered that she was single with no children. How much of her current lifestyle was because of her background, and how much was simply because she hadn't found the right person?

Or maybe Tori didn't want to marry or have kids. There were myriad reasons someone like her might want to remain unattached.

Just like Kai had his own reasons.

She hadn't given him any cause so far not to trust her. But in his line of work, he had to be careful. Opening up to the wrong person could be deadly—not only for him. He could also put his colleagues at risk—colleagues that were like brothers to him.

"The truth is, I've been asking a lot of questions myself lately," Kai finally said. "What your brother sent you is accurate."

He glanced back in time to see Tori's eyes widen.

"You were a part of the program then?" The words rushed out. "Gage too?"

"Yes," Gage answered.

Kai figured the fewer the details he shared the better. Gage was clearly on the same wave-length.

"Who is Larchmont?" she continued.

"He started as the commander in charge of what was known as Project Elevate," Kai said. "Project Elevate sounds similar to the program your brother went through. When Larchmont retired, he took several of us with him so he could start the Shadow Agency."

"And what is the Shadow Agency?"

"We do jobs that other people can't." Gage continued down the Interstate, zipping past other cars as they settled in for the long trip. "Jobs that require us to slip in and out, almost like ghosts. If we're caught . . . well, the truth is, we don't really exist on paper. The government can claim no association with us if needed."

Tori nodded slowly. "Where exactly can I find this Larchmont guy? I'd really like to talk to him."

"He's everywhere," Kai said.

She tilted her head. "What does that mean?"

"I guess you could say he's a man of mystery," Kai told her. "He's all over the place, and we never really know when he'll show up. He has a home in Wyoming, though I would never go assuming he'd be there."

She paused before asking, "Is what my brother said about Larchmont true? Could he have some knowledge of what's going on?"

Kai clenched his jaw again, unsure how to answer.

Yes, he'd had some suspicions lately. Suspicions he hadn't really pursued.

But since the man had been like a father figure to him, Kai didn't want to betray him unless he was certain the man had done something wrong.

Tori waited for his answer.

Finally, Kai licked his lips and said, "Possibly. We need to dig deeper until we can find answers."

They arrived in Georgia close to dinnertime.

But instead of getting something to eat, Kai wanted to head straight to Nathan's house.

Tori was relieved. She was eager to get there also.

The urgency pressing on her didn't allow room for anything else, only answers.

When she'd first started looking into her brother's death, that feeling wasn't present. But now, it was clear that someone was trying to hurt her—if not kill her—in order to stop her from finding out the truth.

If she didn't move quickly, these people might get their way.

But even when she discovered the truth . . . what would she do then?

She was a traveling nurse. She was powerless to do anything to stop people with the kind of money, resources, and influence involved here.

But she'd figure something out. She had to. For Nathan.

As they headed toward her brother's house, her anxiety grew. She hadn't been there since right after his funeral. She still hadn't decided whether or not to sell it. But she wasn't sure what to do with the place either. It wasn't as if she wanted to move here. But keeping the place up and paying taxes would quickly get old.

They pulled to a stop in front of the small, white house located in an older but neat neighborhood. A pang of grief hit Tori at the sight of it.

Her brother had been so proud when he'd bought this place. He'd even invited her up for the weekend to see it.

Right now, the grass was overgrown, and the flowerbeds needed to be weeded. All things Tori would have to think about later. She wasn't ready to sell it yet. In the meantime, she would need to take care of it.

It was what Nathan would have wanted.

As the SUV rolled to a stop, Kai turned back to her. "You ready for this?"

Tori drew in a deep breath as she tried to calm her racing heart. "As ready as I'll ever be."