Chapter 9

CHAPTER

NINE

Kai and Gage had decided that Gage would remain at the door while Kai went inside Nathan's place with Tori.

Kai hadn't seen anyone following them on the way here. That meant no one should know where they were. Still, they needed to take every precaution possible, especially since they didn't know what or who they were up against. Larchmont? Maybe. Or it could be an enemy they didn't even know existed?

Tori unlocked the door, and they stepped inside.

A tidy house stared back at them, one with hardwood floors, beige furniture, and a black entertainment center with an oversized TV.

Standard bachelor pad—except for how clean it was. He wondered if Tori had cleaned it or if Nathan was always this organized.

If Nathan had gone through the same training as Kai, then Kai would guess this place was always this clean.

Kai quickly scanned the rooms and noticed the lack of personal decorations. Was that because Nathan was a typical guy who didn't care about decorating? Or was it because, as part of Project Elevate, they'd learned to keep things as impersonal as possible?

There were no pictures. No mementos from trips. No trophies from childhood or from community softball teams. Not even any mugs from their favorite coffeehouses.

The lack of anything personal was in preparation for always being ready. If an enemy was looking for them, they shouldn't leave anything behind that could indicate who they were or where they might be. There would be no trail of their favorite places.

When there wasn't much evidence, things were easier to erase and disappear.

Kai himself had just rented an apartment in DC. The District of Columbia wasn't his top choice of places to live, but Larchmont needed someone to act as a point man for the region. Kai had been tasked with the job.

He'd gone from one lonely existence to another. He told himself it was better that way. But this move had felt tough, further cementing his future.

His next-door neighbors were a family with two small children. As he listened to them—the walls were thinner than he would have liked—he often felt a twinge of regret. Maybe even jealousy.

Tori stepped farther inside, running her hand across the kitchen counter with a far-off expression on her face. Then she paused near a bookshelf, her back toward him.

Was she looking for something among the books there?

He stepped closer to see for himself.

When he did, he noticed the moisture glimmering in her gaze.

Compassion clutched his heart.

Kai hadn't even thought about how hard this visit might be on her. Nathan had only been dead for a couple of weeks. Her grief was still fresh.

He reached for her shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sorry . . ."

She didn't make any eye contact as she nodded. "I hoped for more time with him, you know? I wanted the two of us to be able to hang out more. I imagined us having families of our own one day and going on vacation together. Spending holidays crammed into this small house but loving every minute of being together. I always thought that it would happen one day . . . but sometimes one day never comes."

Kai felt an unusual well of emotions. He longed for the same things. Except he always pushed down those desires and reminded himself that those things weren't his lot in life.

He didn't say anything, though. He let her finish instead.

"I figured it was okay to be single as long as I had people in my life—as long as I had family. Then I wouldn't be so alone." Tori's voice cracked. "Yet here I am . . ."

A lump formed in Kai's throat, but he swallowed it. He understood those sentiments all too well. He'd been thinking entirely too much about his past and his future lately.

Maybe it was his age. He'd recently turned thirty. Sometimes, he just wanted to put down roots.

"I get that," he finally said. He squeezed her shoulder again before dropping his hand. "I would love to be able to stand here with you longer and reminisce. But we should probably look for anything you might have missed."

"Of course."

She began rifling through the bookshelves. While she did that, Kai looked through the kitchen cabinets and drawers.

Nothing caught his eye.

If Nathan had been with Project Elevate, he would have known not to keep anything at home. Kai wasn't sure what he expected to find here. But they at least had to check it out, just in case.

"I'll search his bedroom," Tori said.

Kai followed her down the hallway and into the bedroom. While she looked in his dresser, he searched under the bed and in the vents.

Still nothing.

Had they come all this way for no reason?

"Guys," Gage called from the doorway. "The same car has driven by twice. I don't like it."

Kai's shoulders tightened. "We need to get out of here."

"Already?" Tori's voice lilted with fear. "Do you think those guys found us?"

"Doesn't matter," Kai grabbed her arm. "We can't take the chance."

A tremble rushed through Tori.

Could those men be here? The ones who'd followed her yesterday?

Or maybe there was a whole network of other people. She really knew so little about what was going on.

"Come on." Kai pulled her toward the door.

She could hardly catch her breath as she anticipated what might happen next.

"We get to the car, and you stay low, understand?" Kai rushed.

"Understood." But her voice sounded shaky.

Gage pulled out his gun as they stepped onto the porch. He held up a hand, indicating they should stay back.

Then, still scanning the street, he stepped from the porch toward the car.

Before he cleared the steps, a black sedan squealed to a stop in front of them.

Bullets flew through the air.

"Watch out!" Kai instinctively shielded Tori with his own body as they dove back inside.

"Get out of here!" Gage yelled from his position behind a brick column on the porch.

More gunshots sounded.

Tori's heart stuttered in her ears. Was Gage okay?

Kai didn't stop to find out. He helped her to her feet and then pulled her toward the back of the house.

"But Gage . . ." Tori murmured, worried about the man.

"He knows how to take care of himself," Kai yelled. "He'll catch up."

Before she could argue anymore, they flew out the back door and across the lawn.

"Remember when I helped you scale that fence yesterday?" Kai called over his shoulder.

"Can't forget it."

"Good. Because we're going to do it again. Keep your eyes open for any dogs."

"What?" Tori asked breathlessly.

Before she could think about it more, Kai boosted her over the fence. She landed with a roll on the grass on the other side. Thankfully, this fence was shorter than the one yesterday. Still, her hip ached when she'd hit the ground, a reminder of yesterday's mishaps.

Heart pounding in her ears, she glanced around.

She didn't see any dogs, only a swing set and a cute but empty brick patio.

Kai landed with a steady thump on the grass beside her. "We've got to keep moving. We have no time to waste."

He grabbed her hand again, and they cut through the backyard and out the gate.

When they reached the street, they didn't slow down or even attempt to look casual, despite the fact people were outside. One man was jogging. Another worked on his lawn.

Kai cut through the yard across the street and into another backyard.

They ran so fast and so far that Tori didn't even know where they were or where they were going. She simply held onto Kai and followed to his instructions.

He seemed to know what he was doing—much more than Tori would know to do in a situation like this.

By the time they stopped on a sidewalk, she had to pause for a moment. She bent forward, hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath.

"You good?" Kai observed her, hardly winded at all.

"I think so." She said the words through raspy breaths. "What about Gage?"

"He'll catch up with us." As Kai looked in the distance, his eyes widened.

She swerved her neck around to see what he was looking at—even though she was fairly certain she already knew.

It was the black sedan. Again.

Despite their desperation to get away, those gunmen had found them.