Page 115 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

“If you were in a book, you’d burn the pages to ashes with your ultrasexygerousness,” I argue. “And I would read you until my fingers hurt.”

Shit. Why don’t I scream “I love you” while I’m at it?

“Aren’t you a freaky cutie pie now?” he coos.

Oh, god…“I didn’t mean it like that…” But there’s no words, really. I wouldreadhim so hard.

I grip the steering wheel tighter as I make a right turn, my nipples reacting to the simple thought of Kai calling me freaky.

“We’ll explore that later,” he whispers and closes the back seat panel hiding him.

I drive in the city, cursing against red lights and slow cars. It’s normal. I’m not harboring a wanted criminal.

Another right turn on Bridge Lane, and I start scanning the addresses.

Tension in the car builds despite our earlier playful banter.

One-ninety.

Vancouver’s bustling streets whiz by, but they feel distant as if I’m navigating through a dream.

Three-nineteen.

A flash of movement catches my eye. My breath hitches. I slow and respect speed limits, blending in with the urban jungle around us.

Five-twenty-two.

A glint of sunlight catches the rearview mirror, blinding me for a second.

“Oh, the rascal,” I murmur, squinting through the windshield. “You can play, but you can’t hide.”

A light gray SUV is parked in front of six-sixteen. I smirk to myself.

“Did you know police-issued SUVs don’t have top rails?” I ask to the void. “Because I do.”

Thank you, true crime podcasts.

A pedestrian walks out from a somber alley. My pulse quickens. That man doesn’t belong here, but nobody seems to notice.

He has Asian features and moves like liquid danger. A drop of ink fallen into a tranquil glass of water. The man isn’t walking; he’s spreading. Gliding.

An icicle forms in my stomach. His piercing black gaze ignites a bottomless fear in me. Every glance is calculated. Every breath is deliberate.

It’s a Kwunaru member for sure. A bad one. Yuzu?

My heart dashes, every instinct screaming to bolt, but my foot won’t cooperate and crush the accelerator. The man approaches.

He stops a few feet away from the car, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

My pulse thunders in my ears. I hold his gaze.

His smile widens, but it only amplifies the freezing fear in my veins.

Hold it.

My eyes flick onto the door’s lock for a fraction of a second.

Locked.

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