Page 152 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

Kai gaze softens at the nickname, and he glances at me. “You shoot him, yeah?” He tosses me his gun. “Careful, it’s—”

“Hot.” I stare at him. “I know.”

I’m a breath away from asking Kai to make Yuzu move like the metal duck, and a foolish giggle escapes from my mouth. But I let him move Yuzu’s face up, his face receding so he’s not in the way.

Bang!

The recoil from the gunshot sends a jolt through my body, but the sight of Yuzu’s lifeless body crumpling to the ground is cathartic. The right corner of Kai’s mouth twitches as he watches me, evaluating.

“Better now?” I ask.

He wipes blood from his lips with a smirk as he retrieves his gun, still warm from the shot. “Yeah. Only one to go.”

Kai walks peacefully to the last man and shoots him.

We have just successfully eliminated four of the country’s most notorious and powerful men.

And it feels amazing.

Kai is keeping me safe. The safest he can while in this situation, but I’m participating. I have a bit of control. And it’s liberating.

I sink back into the passenger seat, grateful to have survived the close call.

Kai’s eyes flash with a perverse delight. “Time to keep moving.”

He slides into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.

Silence weighs on us.

Kai’s voice breaks as he asks, “Can I fix this? The lie?”

A bitter lump rises in my throat at the thought of hurting him, but I speak with controlled softness. “I don’t know.”

He looks at me sincerely and says, “I need you, love. You’re my guardian angel. Tell me how to fix this, please,” he chokes up.

My heart softens at his words.

His hand reaches for mine, but I deny him. “Not now,” I say. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay,” he murmurs with relief.

We continue driving south on the road, lost in thought.

The car’s headlights carve a path through the darkness, illuminating the winding road ahead.

The landscape outside blurs into an indistinguishable mix of shadows and fleeting lights. My mind whirls with thoughts of what’s next.

In just a few hours, his father will learn we killed his team, and he’ll send the Adashi twins to retrieve us before we can even think about going to the police. A price will be put on our heads, and our situation will become even more dire.

We need to find a way to escape this inevitable fate.

While I stare out the window in a dazed state, Kai looks at me with concern. He knows I need him with this situation because I’m too trusting and inexperienced to handle it on my own. I pick up hitchhikers without thinking twice. But if I fall into the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing, there’s no way I’ll make it out alive. That’s why I need him by my side to protect me.

Or just because I love the man…

A ring buzzes in the car. I press the call button on the console.

“Hey, Care Bear. What’s going on?” Victor’s voice comes through.

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