Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“Stop!” Dev snapped, holding both hands up in front of him as if he were a police officer directing traffic. “What the hell are you talking about? We can’t leave now. What about what Mother said? This asshole will go underground.”
“I’ll find him. I just need to know that you’re safe. Justin and Gabriel will be able to manage that on their own turf.”
When Dev didn’t move in the right direction, Kai snatched up the bag Dev dropped in the living room and started up the stairs. He’d only seen glimpses of this cold, hard side of Kai, but this still felt different. The killer had Kai rattled, and he wasn’t thinking clearly.
Growling to himself, Dev stomped up the stairs after the man. By the time he reached the master bedroom, Kai had tossed the bag onto the bed and had his cell phone pressed to his ear.
“We’re back,” Kai snapped in a cold voice. “I need you—”
Dev rushed forward and plucked the phone out of Kai’s hand from behind. He quickly backpedaled out of Kai’s reach. “Never mind. We’re all good here. Call you soon!” Dev said to what sounded like Justin’s confused voice before ending the call. Dev tossed the phone on top of the bed and smiled smugly up at Kai.
The assassin looked pissed. A flush darkened his cheeks, and his eyes were wide. Good chance no one had ever stood up to Kai quite like this in a long time.
“What the hell are you doing? You called me here to keep you safe. That’s what I’m doing,” Kai snarled.
“We also agreed in Reno that the best choice was to stay here so we can catch this asshole.”
“That was before Portland! Everything changed in Portland.”
“Did it?”
For a moment, Kai just stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. Dev couldn’t really blame him. The first shock of seeing that twisted menagerie of his life had made him sick. But after a night of sleeping wrapped tightly in Kai’s arms, Dev could see it all from a little more distance.
Very slowly, Dev reached out and caught both of Kai’s fists in his and gently massaged them, trying to get them to loosen. They did but only to tightly clutch to Dev’s fingers. Sort of an improvement.
“You have to stop thinking about this being linked to me. Step back and think about it scientifically. Remove me from the equation.”
“I-I can’t.” Kai shook his head, the lines in his brow and around his mouth digging deep furrows. “I can’t. I’ve always been able to detach myself from my work. From the death. Not this time. This isn’t work.” Kai lifted his dark eyes to meet Dev’s, and something fractured in his heart. “I can’t lose you. I can’t let him touch you.”
Dev stretched and pressed kisses to Kai’s chin and jaw, moving slowly to his lips. “You’re not. Nothing is going to happen to me. You’re going to keep me safe. I know it.”
“You don’t. You know firsthand how quickly death happens. What if I can’t save you?”
“You will. I believe in you, baby,” he whispered in Kai’s ear. “Adam happened suddenly. We didn’t have proper warning. There were threats, but not even the police took them seriously. This is different. We know more this time. You will keep me safe.”
Kai pressed his forehead to Dev’s and closed his eyes. He drew in a ragged, shuddering breath and slowly released it again. “Dev, you are everything good in my life. Even if I never see you again, I need to know that you are safe and happy in this world.”
“I am,” he whispered. “You are not going to lose me.” He leaned forward and stole another soft, sweet kiss. “After losing Adam, I never thought my heart would beat again. You changed that. I’m not letting that go without a fight.”
“But it would be suicide if you stay. We’re not giving up if I send you and Jake to Colorado,” Kai argued.
Dev swallowed back a frustrated sound. He understood this, though he didn’t exactly expect it from Kai. The man was always cool and detached from the world, as if nothing could touch him. It was quite the wake-up call to realize that he’d managed to actually touch Kai deep enough that he was shaken to his very core.
“What did Portland show us?” Dev demanded in a firm, no-nonsense voice.
“He’s killed again.”
“While more brutal, it’s the same thing we’ve seen two other times,” Dev countered quickly before Kai could disappear down a list of things.
“He’s fixated on you.”
Dev nodded. “Not exactly news. The other two bodies were dumped at my feet, not yours. He’s also fixated on you. He’s not working through the contracts of other assassins, just you.”
“He wants you dead, Dev,” Kai stated in a choked voice.
Dev had to clear his voice twice in order to get his words out. That was a little harder to detach from. “Yes. Yes, but do you think that the threat extends to Jake?”