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)
Unfortunately, there was no point in discussing it at the grocery store. Dev had learned that when it came to his safety, Kai could be incredibly stubborn. He was also likely to do something stupid in the name of it being for Dev’s own good. If things grew any worse, Dev was sure that he’d wake up in Colorado with Jake after being drugged and smuggled off in secret.
And it would be just like Justin and Gabriel to help him.
Dev wanted to be mad at him, but he couldn’t. Kai was doing everything he possibly could to keep him alive, to protect his son.
So, Dev opted to ignore it all for now and pretend that his life was perfectly normal. Kai was simply a guy he was dating. They were picking up groceries. Later that night, they’d have dinner and maybe have sex somewhere interesting before his son returned from camp, making such impulsive acts impossible.
Thankfully, Kai went along with his plan. They strolled through the store, talking about normal things and tossing items into the cart. Dev enjoyed it because it was a new window into Kai. He learned the man’s preferences and wondered at the things he didn’t care for besides pizza.
As they got to the last few aisles, Dev stopped suddenly and swore softly under his breath. Kai as a distraction was proving to be both a good thing and a bad thing. The assassin made it easy to stop thinking about the dark things in their life, but he also made it hard to remember some of the most basic things. Like lasagna noodles.
“What’s wrong?” Kai asked, his hand wrapping around his shoulder.
“I forgot the lasagna noodles. I got the sauce. Forgot the noodles.”
“Would you like me to go get them?”
“Do you mind? It’s just at the other end of the aisle. I need one package of lasagna noodles and a small box of spaghetti noodles. Both are blue boxes.”
Kai leaned in and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Got it. I’ll be right back.”
Dev smiled at that kiss and the warmth in his voice. Maybe this wasn’t destined to last, and they were opposites in too many ways, but he was going to enjoy every freaking second of this while he could.
He glanced down at his phone, double-checking the list he’d made on it. The damn thing didn’t have everything. Without thinking, he pushed the cart around the endcap of the aisle, thoughts swirling around garlic bread and whether he should make a cake or just buy one.
A jolt went through him when a hand settled on his shoulder again. Had he run into someone? It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Ow! What the—” The rest of the question became lodged in his throat when he saw that it was a stranger standing beside him with sandy blond hair who looked to be a bit taller than Kai.
“Alone at last,” the stranger purred in his ear. His pale-green eyes were wide and a little maniacal as he stared at Dev.
Clinging to his shock and outrage, Dev started to twist to face him and shake off his hand, but the stranger tightened his grip on Dev’s shoulder. “Ah-ah-ah,” he warned in a mocking voice. “I wouldn’t. That tiny prick you felt was from a syringe. You move too much, and I might accidentally push the plunger in.”
Dev sucked in a harsh breath and immediately froze. “Who-who are you? What do you want?”
“Come on. Smart guy like you, I’m sure you’ve guessed who I am.”
He was right in a way. There was only one person currently in his life that would walk up and stick him with a syringe filled with an unknown liquid. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest, Dev was sure the stranger could hear it. It took two tries to get the next words out, his throat had become so dry. “You’ve left the bodies for me to find.”
“Bingo.” He leaned in close enough that the tips of their noses bumped. When he backed away again, Dev was hit with the strong scent of a rich, heavy cologne. “I thought it would be a good idea to at least meet the man who was taking everything away from me.” The last sentence he ground between his teeth and the laughter in his eyes turned to ice.
“How? I don’t know you.”
“But I know you. You’re the one he left alive. The one who survived.” He shook his head and made a small tsking noise. “I thought I was the only one who survived. But if I get rid of you, then there’s only me again. Just me.” Venom and pure hate laced every word that left him. Spittle flecked his lips and splattered against Dev’s cheek, but he didn’t move to wipe it away. He couldn’t move without risking a syringe full of something deadly getting pumped into his body.