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)
Fuck. He needed to get back to Dev. He would have heard the shots and would be worried.
That was a novel idea. Someone worried about him. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time someone had cared if he returned alive.
Shoving into a sitting position, Kai reached for a nearby tree to help him to his feet. This was going to hurt like hell, but he needed to get to the house. Before he could get completely up, a colorful folded piece of paper caught his attention. He scooted across the dirt until he could reach it.
Unfolding it, he found that the paper was actually a glossy trifold brochure for a summer camp. Jake’s summer camp.
Fuck. The killer had intentionally dropped this brochure as he escaped. The move was perfectly calculated to get them to react. Proof that he knew exactly where Jake Relic was located.
Kai gritted his teeth and pushed to his feet, wadding the paper up in his fist. He limped as quickly as his wounded knee would allow him toward the house, pain shooting all through his damn leg. This was nothing that ice and rest couldn’t fix, but he couldn’t have either of those right now.
Palming his phone, he checked his cell reception and whispered a grateful prayer as he immediately called Gabriel.
“What do you have?” Gabriel immediately inquired. This was why he’d called Gabriel first. Justin would have started with jokes, and Kai didn’t have time for that nonsense.
“Do you have Jake in sight?” he demanded between clenched teeth as he hobbled along.
“Justin does. He checked in a few minutes ago. We’ve had no problems.”
“Had a run-in with the killer. He dropped a brochure for Jake’s camp. He knows where Jake is.”
“Where are you? Did you get a good look at him? Recognize him? Are you okay? You sound hurt.”
“Didn’t recognize him, but he seemed familiar. He wore a mask. He’s at least six-four or six-five, broad shoulders, right-handed.” Kai stopped walking and licked his bloody lip as he turned over the fight in his head. Had it been luck that the bastard had hit his weak knee, or had he known about it? Knee injuries were common among people and a good way to stop an opponent, but was there more to it?
Kai shook his head. No, this bastard knew him.
“Kai?”
“We’re in Reno. At Mother’s.”
Gabriel swore softly, slipping into Russian for a moment, which was very interesting. Gabriel didn’t slip up. Maybe his time with Justin was making him soft, or at least a little less cautious. He didn’t know the Reaper’s background, but Kai had always suspected the assassin was Russian.
“Find out anything helpful?”
“Not really. Just that you, me, and Justin are on everyone’s shit list for stealing the good contracts.”
Gabriel made a dismissive noise. He’d not expected the assassin to care. “What’s the plan? Do you want us to bring Jake home?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if this was a threat or merely a warning. I need to talk to Devlin.” Kai paused and released a loud breath. He looked around at the quiet woods, taking in the vibrant green and warm browns. The world felt so very far away from him, and yet he knew death was waiting in the wings for its cue. “I can’t just make sweeping commands about the man’s life. He needs to be free to make his own decisions about what’s right for him and his son.”
“Yes, but you’re the one who knows this world. Our place is open to you if you need it. We’ll be standing by.”
“Thanks. I’ll text or call with an update as to our next step.”
“Got it.” Gabriel hung up and Kai smiled. Things were easier with Gabriel. Clean and straightforward. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t come to appreciate Justin’s goofiness. Not to mention the man’s ruthlessness when it came to protecting what he saw as his. Gabriel was definitely his, but Kai was relieved to know that the lunatic saw Jake and Devlin in that select group of people worthy of his protection.
Tucking his phone away, Kai resumed his painful walk to the house. He now had to figure out how to tell Devlin that the killer knew where Jake was located.
Dev stood impatiently on the deck beside Mother, searching for a sign of Kai. The moment the assassin had slipped outside, Mother had grabbed Dev and pulled him off to this secret room filled with monitors and computers. They’d quickly located Kai and the shooter on the screens, watching as they stalked each other and traded shots.
Unfortunately, they left the view of the cameras too soon, leaving Dev desperate to know what was happening. With a great deal of reluctance, Mother allowed him out of the room, and they waited for Kai on the deck, her shotgun held at the ready.