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)
Kai wanted nothing more than to join him in sleep, but the haunting scent in the backyard drew him out of the bed. If he wanted to have another night like this ever again, he had to do everything within his power to keep Dev safe. And right now, he needed information.
Grabbing his phone off the charger, Kai slipped into the master bath. He left the door slightly ajar so he could clearly see Dev asleep in the bed. Until he knew the truth, he couldn’t let Dev out of his sight for a second.
Luckily, they’d gone to bed early. It was only ten in the evening when he dialed Justin’s number, though he was surprised when a sleepy-sounding Gabriel answered the phone.
“What’s wrong?” Gabriel immediately demanded.
“We’re safe,” Kai murmured, not wanting to wake Dev. “How are things there?”
“Good. Jake has developed a new love of archery. I wish Dev luck with that one,” Gabriel replied dryly.
Kai smiled at the idea of Dev worrying about Jake’s safety with a bow and arrow. And then Dev endlessly driving Jake to archery competitions. But his brain quickly returned to the reason for his call in the first place. He had to keep Dev safe if he was going to ever see his son grow up and do amazing things.
“Is Justin around? I need him to dig into something for me if possible.”
“Yes. He’s just getting out of the shower.”
In a previous conversation, Gabriel had explained that they’d rented a cabin in the woods near Jake’s campgrounds. They’d installed secret cameras in and around Jake’s cabin for nighttime surveillance. During the day, they were usually hidden around the camp. Kai was tempted to pull them off Jake to help protect Dev, but he knew Dev would never be able to sleep at night if there was even the slightest chance that this lunatic could get to his son.
While it might not be the greatest accommodations, at least they weren’t camping out in the woods for two weeks. They had a roof over their head and apparently a place to at least shower.
“Hey, Casper!” Justin’s playful voice filled his ear and Kai couldn’t stop the roll of his eyes. “How are things going with Dev?”
“Dev is fine. He’s safe.”
Justin made a scoffing noise, and it sounded like even Gabriel snorted. “That’s not what I meant at all and you know it. Seriously, how are things going with him? Have you figured out how to win an engineer’s heart yet? It’s got to be more than buying him books and new gadgets.”
He was not talking about this. They did not need to know about things between him and Dev. How had they even guessed in the first place? Had Dev said something to them? Had he indicated that he was interested in Kai before he arrived on Dev’s doorstep?
Kai shook his head. No. This was not the reason he called.
“I think I have a potential lead on the killer,” Kai whispered. Both Gabriel and Justin instantly fell silent. “His name is Elijah Newman. An assassin. In the past he’s worked under the names of Anthony Fox and Eli Burns. He used Craig Stevens for a handler, but it’s my understanding that he’s dead now.”
“Craig Stevens is dead. Marilyn forwarded me the news report,” Justin confirmed, mentioning the handler that Justin had used for years and Kai was now using. “She wanted me to confirm that you didn’t do it.”
“I didn’t,” Kai grumbled, though he’d been sorely tempted to take the bastard out after what had happened with Dev. He would have never forgiven himself if he’d killed Dev.
“I’m sure you can understand her concern. Any handler would be nervous if an assassin has a history of going after his previous handlers,” Gabriel added calmly.
“And I’m sure she understands that she has nothing to worry about so long as she doesn’t cross the line.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’ve got nothing to worry about with Marilyn,” Justin replied. “Back to Elijah Newman. What can you tell me? Why is he at the top of our list now? I can dig around and see if Marilyn can pull any of his old contracts, but anything you can tell me would be helpful.”
Kai shoved a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face as he leaned against the edge of the sink. There was so much he didn’t want to talk about when it came to Elijah. He was still praying that he was wrong. It meant that they were at square one with who was behind the three dead bodies, but that almost felt better than the alternative.
“I can’t go into too much detail now. I just need you to confirm whether he’s alive and if there’s any proof that he’s in this region of the world.”
“Wait, you don’t even know if he’s alive?” Justin demanded.