Page 109 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

“Fuck…”

His jaw clenches and releases, tension rolling in waves off his broad shoulders. “Change of plans,” he says, urgency sharpening his voice into a blade.

I swallow and blink slowly. “What’s going on?”

Kai lets out a sigh that could turn into a hurricane. Fingers drumming on the center console, he glances at me, but it’s cold and devoid of the affection I’ve grown accustomed to in the span of a few days.

“My contact informed me that Six’s right-hand man hasn’t been seen since last night, two a.m.”

“Okay,” I whisper. “You’ll have to elaborate.”

“Fucking Christ!” He slams on the passenger seat. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

His outbursts send ripples of fear through me, but his next words are calm, measured. “Kwunaru bounty hunters are searching Vancouver’s safehouse as we speak.”

I glance at him, this enigma of a man who oscillates between caring lover and hardened criminal.

The silence stretches between us, fraught and fragile. I ache to touch him, to bridge the gap with something other than fear. I reach out tentatively, my fingertips brushing the tense line of his jaw. He flinches, not from the touch, but from the danger it represents. His eyes cut to mine, a warning in their depths.

“Don’t,” he whispers, the softness of his voice belying the steel in his eyes. “Not now.”

Ouch.

I pull back, stung by the rejection, wrapping my arm around myself. Out the window, the city blurs, buildings and lives passing by in a dizzying whirl.

“We have to lose the signal. Go park in there,” he says as he points out an underground garage.

I swerve the car into the tight space, tires squealing against the concrete.

And down we go.

What signal?

My thoughts are a tangled mess of emotions and unanswered questions.

And down again.

I park in a shadowed corner, kill the engine, and Kai sweeps the area with hawk-like vigilance. He doesn’t move to get out or acknowledge me for a solid minute. His fingers drum a staccato rhythm on his thighs, a silent soundtrack to our precarious situation.

But out of nowhere, his hand finds the back of my neck—firm yet gentle. “Listen to me.” His eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that roots me to the spot, heart pounding against the confines of my chest. “We’re in deep shit. If Yuzu left the home grounds, it means Six is suspicious about me going rogue, and he won’t hesitate to tie up loose ends.”

I nod, trying to swallow the lump in my throat, the significance of his words sinking in like lead through water.

“Are you sure he left? I mean, he could be still sleeping.”

Kai frowns, and his cheek twitches before he releases my neck. “Goddamn, Marianne.”

I shrug, and he shakes his head, his tongue darting to wet his lower lip. And then, a chuckle breaks out of him. It brings a smile to my face.

“Do they know about me?” I ask.

“No.” His answer is genuine, but an undertone makes me wary.

“What is it you’re not telling me?”

He looks like he might argue for a moment, but then he shakes his head and lets out a sigh that feels more like resignation than relief. He runs a hand through his messy hair and finally meets my gaze, the steel in his eyes softening.

“Yuzu doesn’t leave the family compound without orders.” He runs his tongue over his teeth, resulting in a frustrated sound that makes me tick. “Which means Six has already pieced together that something’s off. He knows someone on my side is helping, and he won’t stop until he finds out who and eliminates the threat.”

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