Chapter 57

chapter

fifty-seven

When Gage and Nia got back to the hotel, adrenaline continued to pump through them.

He and Nia had managed to do it. They’d lost those gunmen. And they’d found that information in Rob’s apartment.

Maybe they could finally move forward.

And in the process, they could save Nia’s sister.

They stepped into the hotel room, and Gage locked the door behind them. Then he scanned the living room area—just to be on the safe side.

It looked clear.

Austin must have already gone to sleep because he was nowhere to be seen.

Gage turned to Nia. It was only then he realized how close they were standing.

Close enough to see the flecks in her eyes. To see the stray curls bouncing in front of her face. To see the smoothness of her skin .

Gage’s heart lurched into his throat.

Adrenaline?

Maybe. But he knew there was more to it than that.

It had been a long time since Gage had let himself feel anything for a woman. He hadn’t intended on letting himself feel anything for Nia.

But the feelings were there, and they were undeniable.

He was deeply attracted to Nia on more than one level.

As she stared up at him, he couldn’t help but think that she felt the same way.

“We did it.” Satisfaction bubbled in her voice. “We got the information, and we got away from those men.”

“We did. I think we could really be onto something.”

They both paused as their gazes locked.

The next moment, their lips met in an explosive kiss.

They both had too much pent-up energy. Too many adrenaline rushes. Too many brushes with death.

All that emotion all came out in their kiss.

A passionate kiss Gage wished would never end. Even their heartbeats seemed to pound in sync as their lips explored each other’s, as their arms drew each other closer. Warmth spread through him.

Finally, he pulled away.

Even though his lips still felt on fire. Even though heat ran through his veins. Even though his heart pumped out of control.

Nia shared an intimate smile before touching her lips and taking a step back .

“I . . .” Her voice trailed as if she didn’t know what to say.

He understood exactly where she was coming from.

“Maybe we should just go to bed—each to our own beds,” he clarified. “And we can talk about things again in the morning?”

A crinkle of amusement tugged at her lips. “Good idea.”

“If you get any texts or if you need me for anything, I’ll be on the couch.”

“I should be fine. But thanks.”

He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. He felt so discombobulated that he hardly knew what to do with himself.

He paused near the couch and nodded at her. “Good night then.”

Nia nodded back. “Good night.”

Nia wanted to tell Gage that there was no way she would need anything from him tonight.

Because the last thing she needed was to let her guard down and wander out toward him in the living room.

The last thing she needed was another explosive kiss like that.

That had been surprising. And nice. Really nice.

Who was she kidding? It was more than nice.

It was something she wouldn’t forget for a long time . . . if ever .

The kiss had been a nice oasis of delight in the middle of otherwise harrowing circumstances.

A moment of guilt washed through her. This seemed like a poor time to be enjoying herself. Especially considering everything that had happened. Considering Rob. Considering Brittany. Considering Sophia.

Her guilt deepened a moment. Yet she couldn’t seem to keep all her warm and gushing feelings at bay either.

There was something about Gage that was different—different in a very good way.

She slipped into her bedroom, knowing she needed some time by herself to recover from that kiss.

She had no idea what it meant. What her and Gage’s future would look like, especially considering that Gage didn’t even live around here.

She still had so much more she needed to learn about him.

Yet hope persisted. It had sprung up quickly, like a poor rancher discovering a hearty well of oil.

She sat on the edge of the bed. She needed to look through all the information she’d gathered and see what she could figure out. See if she could figure out this cyber key.

The answers were there somewhere.

But the day’s events now messed with her head. Really what she needed even more was to get some rest and to rethink this in the morning.

The countdown was on, and she needed to figure out what she’d tell these guys in order to get her sister back.

She pulled off her shoes, deciding just to sleep in a T-shirt. Then she curled under the covers, determined to get her racing thoughts under control so she could fall asleep.

But before her head even hit the pillow, her phone buzzed.

Something internal told her to ignore it. But she couldn’t. What if it was about her sister?

She glanced at the screen and saw that it was that same unknown number those demands had come from.

But this time, the message was different.

It read:

He’s not who you think he is.

Then a picture was attached. A picture of Gage with his gun to the back of a woman who had tears streaming down her face. The hard look on Gage’s face made him seem like a different person . . . someone evil.