Page 82 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

“He was my literature tutor,” Kai admits. “I determined with the last letter I read there might be a safe house in Vancouver. Maybe I can find answers there.”

My breathing accelerates. “I need therapy.” I squeal.

And a pill.

He must be angry.

My fingers clutch the steering wheel, but I wiggle them loose when my grip hurts. I need an escape. “I’m hungry. Can we stop for something to eat? Maybe I’ll take a pill and—”

“I’m not angry, and I won’t hit you. Take a deep breath, Marianne.”

My lungs protest at first, but after a few rounds of focused breathing with Kai, my heartbeat slows down to a normal rhythm. “You’re not mad? Really?” I blurt.

But his large hand slides in between my legs, and he caresses the jiggly softness of my inner thigh. “I’m impressed at how you connect the dots,” he breathes before his mouth finds my bare shoulder.

“Do you know how many thriller novels and true crime podcasts I’ve consumed?”

“A fair amount, I’m sure.” He smirks. “I guess that’s where your fascination for villains comes from.”

My nervous giggle fills the car as Kai’s lips form a full-on sexy grin. His hand slides higher, creeping closer to the wetness between my legs.

“Kai!”

“Oh, I guessed right, huh?” His deep voice teases as his fingertips graze me through my shorts.

“It’s more of a controlled interest, really.”

“Lies,” he hums against my skin, and I shiver despite myself.

“Can we go back to you, telling me why you’re traveling to Vancouver?”

Kai leans in his seat, satisfaction glazing his eyes, and nods.

“After learning my parents’ story, I wondered what my worth as a man was. I asked myself if I could live without the backing of an army. If I could be something else.”

“And?”

“It’s not very fruitful. I’ve been on vacation three times. The first time, my father thought I wanted to escape, and he had me followed. When I returned, he scolded me with a three-hour reading on a Kwunaru’s obligations to him. Before diving into that life, I told him I wanted to see something else. He was furious. The second time, I met a girl.”

He’s hesitant to continue, but I urge him on with a nod.

What happened to the girl?

“But Six threatened to leak the picture you have on your phone to rival gangs, and I had to return home to handle that.”

Who released the picture, then?

“Most of the time, I find a bit of mind peace when I’m far enough. But when I come back, every bad part of me comes to life and suffocates all the others.”

What about the girl?

“A few months ago, I met a guy who wasn’t supposed to be, you know, alive, and he advised me the beach was the perfect place to unwind and maybe find my true path.”

Sounds familiar.

“For some reason, I trusted him.” Kai snorts.

“What about the girl you mentioned?”

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