Page 111 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

“Well, that’s the thing with ghosts, I don’t know where he is, only how to contact him.” Kai leans back, eyes clouded in thought. “We can’t step foot in Vancouver. We need to head somewhere they wouldn’t expect.”

I know where.

His chest rises and falls, a subtle shift from agitation to resolve. “I can’t... I won’t have answers for my mother.”

“I’m sorry, baby.”

My fingers brush against his arm, a fleeting connection that anchors us both. He meets my eyes, and a storm of emotions swirls deep within. It’s a moment of raw vulnerability, and I’m drawn to it more than I could ever explain. I understand one’s need to get answers for a blurry past.

“We need to move,” he finally says, his voice steady but tinged with urgency. “Every minute we stay here puts us closer to danger.”

“We can go to my beach house,” I blurt out.

His brows furrow in concentration, and I fight the need to tell him everything concerning the beach house.

I’ll tell him the basics. What and where. But not why.

I close my eyes. “Nobody knows about it. It’s not registered to my everyday name, and I’ve never talked to anybody about it.”

Neither did I talk about the resignation letter floating around in a file hidden in my phone.

“Your family thinks we’re going to Langdon, but it’s in Nay,” he says and exhales. “What about friends?”

I took advice from Arietta’s military background and Victor’s wisdom, but I’ve never told them where or when or how I bought the place.

I shake my head. “I even handle the payments through a third party. It’s completely off the grid.”

Please don’t ask more questions.

Kai scratches his beard with both hands until his fingers thread into his hair. His jaw clenches, then relaxes. “I’ll have Rory meet us there so we can devise a tight plan. We’ll be all right if we keep Yuzu on a fake trail.”

He leans over and quickly kisses my shoulder, an unexpected gesture of tenderness amid the chaos. It sends a warm pulse through my veins.

“Do you trust me?” he asks.

“Of course.”Stupid question.

“Then, we need to pop by my mother’s safehouse in Vancouver.”

“What?”

“I’ll call Rory from there and then dump my phone. Everyone has to believe I’m in Vancouver for this plan to work. I’ll ditch my phone and get another one to the next step.”

“If we pass the house, they’ll see you.”

“And that’s why I’ll be in the trunk.”

I hate to admit it makes sense. A mom’s car with a giant stuffed bear and baby-on-board sticker won’t attract attention.

I sigh and look at Kai through my lashes. “We’ll unlock the back seat in the two-third section so you can be comfortable, but as soon as we hit the city, you close it. And it’s only, and I mean only, a pass by.”

“Deal. You need a wig, though.”

I gasp in delight. “I want to be a blonde!”

Kai’s expression sours. “Does a short dark gray one work for you?”

Of course, he has a wig in his bag. “Do you have fake tattoos and makeup, also?” I mock him.

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