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)
Given the killer’s need to make Kai realize his mistake for choosing Dev over him, it was unlikely that Elijah would simply break in and put a couple of bullets in Dev’s head. No, he would want Dev to suffer for taking Kai. The perfect payback for spurning Elijah.
At least, that was what Kai was hoping.
The key was that Dev could not leave the house with Elijah. Keeping him in the house as long as possible gave them the upper hand.
Kai jumped into the rental car and sped off along the quiet residential street. Twilight was settling over the town. The streetlights were flicking on, and the sun had just sunk below the horizon. The shadows were growing longer and deeper. It helped Elijah stay hidden from sight, but the darkness would also help Kai sneak into the house.
Taking a sharp right, Kai headed away from the cute homes and nicely manicured lawns and toward downtown Seattle. He kept one eye on the rearview mirror for any sign that someone was following him. There was no one, but he had to keep going for a little bit longer. Every inch, every second away from Dev was like someone tearing a strip of flesh from his body. His soul screamed for him to turn around and rush to his side.
But he couldn’t. Elijah had to believe they’d had a fight. He had to believe that Kai had left, providing him with an opening to make a move against Dev.
With his heart pounding and throat dry, Kai finally turned toward the residential area, but he remained a good distance away. He instead opted for the park where Dev had discovered the body while jogging. It was a few blocks away from Dev’s house and gave him several options when it came to approaching covertly.
Turning off the engine, Kai popped open the glove compartment and grabbed the spare magazine he’d left in there. Before he and Dev had sat down to dinner and their “fight,” Kai had holstered his gun and placed several knives on his body. He’d left Dev prepared as well, with a loaded gun, but Kai wasn’t sure if he’d actually be able to pull the trigger when the time came. If he was lucky, he’d arrive in time and Dev wouldn’t need to shoot Elijah.
Kai checked the mirrors and looked around the car one last time. He grabbed his cell phone and found a message from Dev waiting for him.
Doors locked. I’ve gone to bed.
While they had gotten Dev a new phone when they returned to Seattle, Kai wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Elijah hadn’t managed to clone his old phone. If the killer was monitoring Dev’s messages, this looked like a simple check-in with Kai, reassuring him that while still pissed, he was taking smart precautions. It was also a sign that all was still going according to their plan.
After Kai’s explosive exit, Dev was supposed to check the front and back doors, set the alarm, and retreat to the master bedroom. If Elijah was determined to drag Dev out of the house, it was the room farthest from all the exits. Kai needed him to milk every second possible. Dev had to stay in the house.
Shoving away all his fears about Dev and not reaching him in time, Kai turned his thoughts to simply reaching the house as quickly as possible without being seen. One of the first things his adopted father had taught him was that emotions would get him killed if he allowed them to come between him and a job. Right now, the job was keeping Dev alive and killing Elijah.
He wove down one block after another. The streets and yards were largely empty, while homes were ablaze with lights as people finished dinner and gathered around the TV for a few hours before going to bed.
At one dark house, he ducked across the yard and over the short fence into the stranger’s backyard. He swiftly crept along under the large old trees toward the stark-white privacy fence. He crouched deep in the shadows and sat listening for a couple of minutes. Crickets chirped and a few frogs added to the nightly chorus. In the distance, he could hear the soft hum of tires of asphalt. No one was close by.
Grabbing the edge of the fence, Kai deftly hauled himself up and over it, landing quietly in the rear of Dev’s yard. He stopped, kneeling in the shadows, searching the area to see if anyone had seen him, but nothing moved. He glanced over at the neighbors on either side of Dev’s house. It was just lucky that Dev’s house was set a little farther away from the street than the rest of the houses. The result was a partially obstructed view of the back of the house.