Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

K age

Shit.

I'd scared the fuck out of her but at least she was still breathing.

"Don't. It's going to be fine," I said, trying to have a comforting tone.

Noel's high-pitched scream almost prevented me from taking the knife from her hand before she became a danger to me and to herself. I pushed her inside, immediately closing the door. If she recognized me, it wasn't apparent at first by the way she was now beating her fists against my chest. I was wearing a dark hoodie, which hid my face.

I knew I'd been right to come here, my protective instincts having kicked into high gear. I'd tended to my wound, thankful I'd been right the bullet had grazed the skin, doing nothing more than taking out a chunk. Then I'd grabbed a few things, including some food and liquor, clothes and all the weapons and ammunition I had along with other tools I could use if necessary. The dead fucking bodies would need to wait. I had to get the fuck out of the place and I needed to get Noel to safety.

With Domingo getting away, even though he was injured significantly, I knew it was only a matter of time before reinforcements picked up where he'd left off. He'd obviously convinced Saldono that I really had killed his son. Memories could be persuaded with enough bullshit driven into a man's ears.

"Stop. It's me. It's Kage."

Why did I have a terrible feeling that didn't add to her comfort? After she tried to smack me across the face, I pushed her against the wall, crushing my weight to hers.

"Stop," I growled.

This time she finally listened to me, her breathing slowing after thirty seconds. "Kage. Oh, God. Why are you here? Did you cut my power?"

"No, but I think the storm did. There are two trees down close to your house."

She was blinking nonstop. That much I could see since the flashlight had spun around on the table, the beam now directed at the two of us. "Oh. I… No. I can't believe it."

"Did you see something? Is someone here?"

The fact she was so rattled couldn't have been because of the storm. At least in its entirety.

The way she was now gripping my arms, shivering against me was a reminder that she was still very fragile. I'd sensed she wanted to act tough, as if what she'd endured hadn't bothered her, but I'd seen the cracks in her resolve.

When she didn't answer, I shook her gently. "Noel. Talk to me. Did something happen?"

Her entire body began to crumple, and I pulled her close, keeping my hand against the small of her back. "No. Just the storm. I just…"

She was lying to me. Whatever had occurred must have something to do with her past. However, I couldn't be concerned with that right now. We had much bigger issues to deal with.

"I need you to listen to me. Can you place your trust in me?"

"Why?" she asked, shaking her head as if removing cobwebs.

"Because you're coming with me on a little trip."

I knew it would take a few seconds for what I'd just said to sink in. When it did, she immediately tried to jerk free of my hold all over again. I allowed her, but only so she could slip into the kitchen. After grabbing the flashlight, I followed closely behind.

The moment she tried to grab another knife I easily wrenched it from her hand. "I'm not going anywhere with you." Her hiss was full of venom.

This wasn't going to be easy.

"You need to listen because we don't have much time. Some very bad men think you're my girlfriend."

"Well, you can obviously tell them otherwise. We were just fuck buddies."

"I'm not kidding about this, Noel. And we really don't have time to waste. I'm sorry I got you involved but you need to come with me if you want to continue living. You need to get a few things together but I'm serious about this. Ten minutes. If you don't do what I say, I'll strap you down inside my truck."

Great. I was contemplating adding abduction to my list of crimes. While I knew my harsh words wouldn't bode well for her trusting me, I meant what I'd said. She was coming with me whether she liked it or not.

"I was so wrong about you."

"Yeah, maybe you were. Get going. Now."

"I don't… I don't understand." She hadn't softened but another moment of confusion settled in. I knew enough about PTSD from my days in the military that being shell-shocked out of the blue was possible. I'd just triggered her horrors and her deep emotions. What the fuck was I supposed to do, let her die?

I glanced out the window. "Yeah, I know you don't and at this point, there is no time to explain. I'll get some of Max's things together. I refuse to allow anything to happen to you because of me."

"I can see that's a little too late. What is going on? Who are you?"

"I already told you that. A very bad man. Just go, Noel. Don't fight me on this. Do you have another flashlight? Try and pull yourself together. We can do this."

She remained right where she was, debating what she could do. As she glanced down at Max, I had a sense she was putting a few of the pieces together. I didn't want that to happen just yet. As she took one step toward Max, he closed the distance, nuzzling against her leg but I knew he was staring straight at me.

"You will tell me who the fuck you are," she said.

"Yeah, I will. Eight minutes. Time is ticking." I knew everything about how Rinaldi operated. The man was a creature of habit, which meant the chances he altered those methods was slim to nil. I refused to take risks one way or another.

There was no doubt she wanted to retort but resisted doing so, instead yanking another flashlight from a drawer, tossing it to me while snagging the other. She stopped short, spinning around and pointing the beam right in my eyes. "Who are these bad people? Other than you, of course."

I had a feeling I'd need to hogtie her to get her in the truck if I didn't answer. "Some men I used to work with. Mafia. And they intend on killing both of us."

She slowly lowered the beam without saying anything, the glow allowing me to see the look of horror on her face. If there was a light on, I was certain I'd be able to see how pale her face had become.

Yeah, I'd managed to shock her.

When she backed away, I was certain she was going to attempt to flee to her car, so I walked to the door. As I watched her head down the hall, I breathed a sigh of relief. But time was of the essence. I knew where she kept so many of Max's things, including food and his monthly pills. I grabbed a couple of bags, filling as many as possible, heading out to my truck and dumping them inside onto the back floor.

Once I returned, I heard a sound and rushed down the hallway to her office.

"Zoe. Pick up. Please pick up. Zoe. I need help."

Taking two long strides, I had to pry her phone from her hand. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not going with you. I can't. I have a life here. I have my work, my house. My dog. You can't take that away from me." She tried to punch me, but I easily grabbed her arm.

"If this Zoe contacts the police, they won't be able to help you. Trust me. They might even die in the process."

"And you can help me?"

"Yeah, I will. But you have to follow my rules."

She huffed. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Maybe so but I refuse to allow an innocent woman to die."

"You are fucking insane! Get away from me."

I was at my wits' end and overreacted, wrapping my hand around her long, lovely neck. I shoved her against the edge of her desk, doing my best not to smash her phone. "You don't seem to get it. So I'll tell you this. I had no intention of interfering with your life again. It's not in your best interest, but I was given no choice. See, I had a small army of visitors arrive at my nice, cozy cabin. Their mission? It wasn't to kill me right on the spot but to force me to watch as they tortured you. Now, do you understand that I am not fucking around or lying to you?"

Her eyes were definitely open wide.

Seeing her in her sexy little PJs, I was already rock hard, which was about as inappropriate as could be but she had that kind of effect on me. "While I adore the way you're dressed, you might want to change. Where we're going is a little rough around the edges." I finally let her go, taking a step back.

That allowed her to crack her hand across my face.

"How dare you put me in this position. You have no idea what I've been through or how difficult it was putting my life back together. I will hate you until the end of time. Get my laptop and the power cord."

She stormed away from me, heading into the bedroom. Exhaling, I shoved the phone into my pocket, grabbing her computer. Maybe that would keep her calm.

Sadly, until I eradicated the enemy, which would take a little while, she would become my permanent guest.

Whether or not she agreed no longer mattered.

Mistakes.

Hell, yeah, I'd made my share in my life, but this had to be one of the biggest.

"Get in," I told her, waiting as Max jumped in first. It had taken way too fucking long inside her house, and it felt as if a bomb was ticking down extra fast.

Noel obeyed, the dome light allowing me to fully see the extent of her anger and hatred. It was better for her to hate me. That might keep her alive. After slamming her door, I raced to the other side of the truck. By this point the rain was coming down sideways.

As soon as I started the engine, my gut told me to get the hell out of Dodge quickly. I threw the gear into reverse, driving way too fast in my effort to get out of her neighborhood as quickly as possible.

"Put your seatbelt on," I told her.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Why do I have a feeling that doesn't exist?"

She could have a good point. "Seatbelt. Things could get dicey."

I was all the way down the street when I noticed headlights in the opposite direction. While there were very few homes on the street, that didn't preclude that one of the neighbors was coming home from an evening out. However, I refused to be a fool, turning down a side street and cruising just far enough down the road I could still see clearly in the rearview mirror. I cut the lights but not the engine after pulling against the curb. Given the single streetlight, I had a clear shot of the make and model of the vehicle.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if we were found." My gut told me I'd been right. Not a moment too soon. How the fuck had I been this stupid?

She turned around facing the back window just in time to see a darker SUV driving by.

"One of your neighbors?" Maybe I was hoping since they were one of the most popular vehicles in the United States.

"I don't think so but I'm not close with either of them," she answered but I heard a tremor in her voice. "I keep to myself. Remember?"

"Yeah, I got it." I continued watching. When another vehicle of the same type rolled down the street at a higher rate of speed, I was now certain we'd made it out just in time. "Do you know how to get out of here from this street?" The bad feeling remained swelling in my stomach.

"Of course. Why?"

"Because, darlin'. In about one minute they're going to realize you left hastily, which means they will be on the hunt."

She was visibly trembling, now holding her arms. "This is insane. Go down the road to the second left. From there take your first right and you'll get to a major road."

"Good girl." I didn't waste any time, exceeding the speed limit as I made it out of the neighborhood without being seen.

The roads were a shit show all the way around. It was as if Mother Nature was pissed off at something.

Thankfully, the truck maneuvered over fallen debris with ease but the drive itself was still tense. I continually looked into the rearview mirror, certain we were being followed. I didn't feel even somewhat secure until we'd gotten on the highway. That allowed me to push the limit, keeping my speed high.

Now she remained quiet, doing nothing more than stroking Max's head. He'd poked it between us from the backseat. I could feel his hot breath and it bothered me on so many levels. I was placing his life in danger too. Just like I had years before.

"What happened to those men who broke into your house?"

I twisted my hand around the steering wheel, not enjoying the thought of answering her. "They've been disposed of."

Her look was instantaneous, but this time not filled with horror, more like dazzled amusement her life had taken such a turn after everything she'd been through. I wanted to tell her I knew what she'd endured but until I had her safe and secure, I couldn't trust she wouldn't continue doing everything in her power to get away from me.

And I simply refused to allow her to face additional shit.

When she burst into laughter, I had a feeling she was close to becoming hysterical. I wouldn't blame her but at this point, I needed us both keeping a cool head.

"A book in the making."

Huffing, I checked the rearview mirror again. "My life isn't that interesting."

"Oh, I beg to differ. Where are we going? I deserve to know."

"My grandfather has a cabin in the mountains no one knows about. We're going there."

"A cabin in the mountains," she repeated.

"Yep."

"So you really do have a grandfather."

I laughed. "I said I was a bad guy, but what I told you while spending time at your house wasn't a lie."

"Were you there spying on me? Are you some kind of… copycat killer?"

Of course, I knew exactly what she was getting at. Something had happened prior to my arrival. "What? I'm nobody's anything except a man given a raw deal because I trusted the wrong people at a time I was still suffering."

"What were you suffering from?"

That I definitely wasn't ready to share with anyone. Even my prison shrink had been forced to pry it out of me, although she'd known the moment she'd stepped inside the cage. "Just shit like everyone has in their life. Why don't you relax, even close your eyes if you can. It's going to take about an hour to get there."

"Relax? Around you? Not a chance at this point. You lied to me one way or the other. I can't let that go."

I couldn't blame her. That was for certain. What I needed to do was concentrate on getting us there in one piece, not coddling her.

Damn it. If only this once, I'd followed the rules.

I guessed this fell under too little too late.

A few seconds later, I glanced into the rearview mirror again and immediately tensed. "Ah, fuck." At least two vehicles were headed toward us at an excessive rate of speed.

"What's wrong?"

"We got some shit. You're going to listen to me. Crawl into the backseat with Max. Both of you need to stay down."

"What is going on?" Noel insisted, straining to see what I was seeing.

"Goddamn it, Noel. Just fucking do as I say. Now."

I didn't need to be staring at her directly to know she was fuming, her mouth open in a proposed retort, but thankfully, she obeyed my command, easily crawling into the backseat.

As soon as both she and Max were secured lying down, I stepped on the accelerator.

All I heard from her was a single shudder. I kept switching from the rearview mirror to the road, hoping what I was seeing was a mistake. It wasn't. How the fuck had they found us?

My heart racing, I thought about other ways to get where we needed to be. There were several ways of getting up the mountain, some more treacherous than others. But I couldn't lead the bastards in the direction, or we'd be shit out of luck.

"Hold on, baby girl. This could get messy." After making a plan of action, I kept the accelerator pressed down, swerving around one vehicle then another. I wasn't surprised they were doing damn good in keeping up with me.

"Kage," she said once as I almost hit the Jersey wall, fighting to keep the truck on the road. I'd purchased the one with the largest engine, figuring at some point I'd need the power. I'd just had no idea how soon.

The fuckers driving were skilled, but not as much as I was. I had to get off this road or I'd be boxed in. Somehow there had to be a way.

A part of me wanted to reach for my weapon, but I couldn't drive and shoot at the same time. Plus, the last thing I wanted to do was to scare either one of my passengers.

At least any more than was happening.

I flew around a slight bend and something caught my eye.

A state trooper.

Fuck.

I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, which caused Noel to jerk up. "What's happening?"

"A whole fuck load of trouble." But with any luck, I could spin this load of shit into sunshine. Something else my mother used to say. Sneering, I reached back and was able to touch her face. The electric pulses drilling through me were too much like firecrackers, just another reminder of what I couldn't have. "Please stay down."

"Okay."

God, her voice sounded so small.

I refused to back down and neither did the two fuckheads following us. Within a couple of minutes, another state trooper appeared. They were gaining ground on the mysterious followers. I watched the action intently until I noticed what might be my single chance at getting the hell out of here. Swerving across three lanes of traffic, I hit the exit ramp going eighty, forced almost instantly to press my foot down on the brakes.

Fortunately, my steel baby responded the way I wanted and I was lucky enough the light at the bottom of the exit ramp was green. Making a turn swiftly, I controlled my speeding, refusing to attract any additional attention. This road was parallel to the highway, which allowed me to catch sight of the very moment one of the SUVs made a critical error, spinning out of control before smashing into the Jersey wall at a high rate of speed.

"Shit," I mused and kept driving, not shocked when a sudden fireball appeared in the sky. I had a feeling the assholes had an arsenal with them.

I noticed that once again Noel had disobeyed me, her eyes remaining on the fireball as long as possible.

Until I finally redirected my travel plans, taking the backroads instead.

"What is happening?" she asked a few minutes later.

I had no good answer for her. "A possible war." As I glanced into the rearview mirror, I passed a brightly lit gas station, which allowed me to see her eyes. For those couple of seconds, we were on the same plane, one of uncertainty fused with the crazy thought that we each needed the other.

How bizarre after all I'd been through in my life.

They were coming after us and it would seem nothing would stop them. I only prayed to some god from some land I'd just caught a break.

Kill or be killed.

That had been my motto in prison. Maybe that's exactly what I needed to remember from here on out.