Chapter 16

chapter

sixteen

Gage was careful to keep a hand on Nia as they headed down the city street in the back of the delivery truck. Plastic pallets filled with loaves of bread set on portable shelves surrounded them, along with the scent of yeast.

There was still a possibility this guy could catch them.

Gage hadn’t recognized the guy—but the man certainly seemed to know who they were. He was targeting them.

But why? There were too many possibilities.

Nia looked over at him as she gripped the edge of the door. “What is this about?”

“I’m not sure.” He pulled his gaze away from her and peered out the back window again.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she rushed.

Based on the tone of her voice, she didn’t trust him .

He looked back at her, the truck bouncing them both. “What aren’t you telling me ?”

The two of them stared off.

Finally, Gage licked his lips. “Whatever is going on, we need to stick together. That guy was shooting at both of us, and he’s not done yet.”

Nia went pale at his words, and she gripped the shelf beside her. “So what do we need to do next?”

That was an excellent question. It wasn’t safe to go back to her apartment.

“We need to find somewhere safe to lie low for a while,” he muttered. “I’m not sure where yet.”

Peering out the back, Gage spotted the gunman again. The man ran along the sidewalk after them, appearing ready to shoot at any minute.

Then the truck turned.

They were out of the direct line of fire. For now.

Gage grabbed his phone.

If anyone could help, it was Alan Larchmont, his boss at the Shadow Agency. The man had endless resources, and strategy seemed to come second nature to him.

The two chatted several minutes. When he ended the call, Nia stared at him. A sheen of distrust filled her gaze, and her shoulders looked tighter than they had before.

“Who were you talking to?” Her words sounded clipped as she asked the question.

“My boss.” He slid the phone back into his pocket and peered behind them again.

No sign of the guy .

“At the computer repair company?” She said the words slowly, skeptically.

“He’s going to help find us a place to hide out. He’s resourceful.”

Nia eyed him another moment before asking, “Okay . . . so what did this resourceful boss recommend we do?”

If Gage really was stuck with Nia for a while, he needed to make the best of things. He needed to use the time to his advantage. Needed to find out answers.

That meant instead of getting rid of her, he needed to get to know her. Needed to find out what she knew. Needed to get her to trust him.

Finally, Gage locked gazes with her and said, “We’re going to track down a killer.”

The truck stopped at a red light, and Nia’s heart pounded harder.

Would the gunman catch up?

Before she could think about it too much, Gage grabbed Nia’s hand. “We gotta go!”

He pulled her off and their feet hit the pavement with a thud.

She glanced around.

No signs of danger.

Not yet.

They’d probably gone four city blocks in the truck, so maybe they’d lost him—at least, for a while.

Gage kept a grip on her hand—purely for practical reasons no doubt—and led her quickly across the street. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

They stepped into the Royal Oasis, one of the swanky hotels in the area. From what Nia heard, the rooms at this place cost more than a thousand per night.

Despite that, Gage strode to the front desk, acting as if he stayed in places like this often. “I should have a reservation for Henry Grimshaw.”

A reservation? Whose name had he just given?

Nia glanced behind her, her back muscles tight. She halfway expected the gunman to burst into the hotel and follow them.

But so far, so good.

The clerk checked his computer before smiling at Gage. “Of course, Mr. Grimshaw.” He slid a key card across the counter. “Here you go. Take the elevator to the eighth floor. Your room should be ready.”

Nia had a million questions. But she didn’t voice any out loud until she and Gage were on the elevator alone.

“How did you get this reservation so quickly?” she rushed. “Or is this where you were planning on staying while you were in town? Whose name are you using?”

“My boss set this up for me,” Gage said. “Like I said, he’s resourceful. We need to go someplace safe where no one can track either of us. That means we can’t use our real names.”

That nauseous feeling roiled in her gut again. What exactly was going on here? Nia had so many questions. Yet she didn’t even know where to start or what to ask. Not really .

She’d never been in a situation even remotely like this in all her thirty-two years.

They reached the eighth floor surprisingly fast.

Before stepping out of the elevator, Gage checked the hallway. Then they started toward the room. He slipped the card into the lock, listened as it buzzed, and a moment later, they were inside.

Nia took a moment to appreciate the beautiful suite. One that looked fit for royalty with its exquisite living room area that featured a creamy couch and chairs, luscious ivory curtains, and numerous glass-topped tables. Three doors lined the walls in the distance, probably bedrooms and a bathroom.

But she didn’t have a chance to appreciate the space very long.

Gage grabbed a chair and leaned it against the door. He then secured all the locks.

Nia knew what that meant.

That meant there was still a chance this gunman could find them.

Her throat went dry at the thought.

As soon as he’d secured the door, Gage scurried around the rest of the suite and checked out every nook and cranny.

Nia stood against the wall and watched, unsure what else to do.

She wanted to trust Gage.

But she didn’t know if that was wise. She still had questions.

Things didn’t make sense .

Finally, he motioned to her. “Let’s sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”

Nia nodded and forced herself to walk farther into the space. Gage grabbed some water and snacks from the kitchenette on the way past.

Good. She was thirsty and hadn’t even realized it until now.

The two of them headed toward the living room. Gage placed the drinks and snacks on the coffee table and motioned to her to take one. Nia grabbed a water, twisted the top off, and took a long sip.

Before lowering himself to the couch, Gage stripped off his outer shirt and tossed it on a chair. He glanced at his forearm where a trickle of blood ran down it.

Somewhere along the way, he’d cut himself.

“You okay?” Nia asked.

He nodded. “It’s not deep. I just need to clean it in a moment.”

Nia sat on the loveseat perpendicular to him, still shivering from the adrenaline rush.

He raked a hand through his wavy hair, leaving it on end.

Gage was shaken by all this, too, wasn’t he?

As he shifted again, his shirt sleeve rose.

A tattoo high on his bicep came into sight.

The same tattoo she’d seen on the man in Rob’s apartment after he died.

The blood drained from her face.

Gage did have secrets. Big secrets .

He’d already known Rob was dead when he showed up at her place.

He’d already been inside the apartment. Seen the body.

And he’d been leading her on, making her believe he was clueless.

The truth was . . . he was the dangerous one here.

Had he killed Rob and set it up to look like she’d done it? Then maybe he’d left for some reason and come back only to find her gone.

Had he only kept her alive today because he needed something from her?

But the texts. She’d gotten one while Gage was with her . . .

Maybe Gage was working with someone. His supposed boss? Was this all a setup?

Nia’s heart thumped in her ears.

At the first opportunity, she needed to lose him.

Her life might depend on it.