Page 36 of Shadow Operative

Gage hadn’t recognized the guy—but the man certainly seemed to know who they were. He was targeting them.

But why? There were too many possibilities.

Nia looked over at him as she gripped the edge of the door. “What is this about?”

“I’m not sure.” He pulled his gaze away from her and peered out the back window again.

“What aren’t you telling me?” she rushed.

Based on the tone of her voice, she didn’t trust him.

He looked back at her, the truck bouncing them both. “What aren’tyoutellingme?”

The two of them stared off.

Finally, Gage licked his lips. “Whatever is going on, we need to stick together. That guy was shooting at both of us, and he’s not done yet.”

Nia went pale at his words, and she gripped the shelf beside her. “So what do we need to do next?”

That was an excellent question. It wasn’t safe to go back to her apartment.

“We need to find somewhere safe to lie low for a while,” he muttered. “I’m not sure where yet.”

Peering out the back, Gage spotted the gunman again. The man ran along the sidewalk after them, appearing ready to shoot at any minute.

Then the truck turned.

They were out of the direct line of fire. For now.

Gage grabbed his phone.

If anyone could help, it was Alan Larchmont, his boss at the Shadow Agency. The man had endless resources, and strategy seemed to come second nature to him.

The two chatted several minutes. When he ended the call, Nia stared at him. A sheen of distrust filled her gaze, and her shoulders looked tighter than they had before.

“Who were you talking to?” Her words sounded clipped as she asked the question.

“My boss.” He slid the phone back into his pocket and peered behind them again.

No sign of the guy.

“At the computer repair company?” She said the words slowly, skeptically.

“He’s going to help find us a place to hide out. He’s resourceful.”

Nia eyed him another moment before asking, “Okay . . . so what did this resourceful boss recommend we do?”

If Gage really was stuck with Nia for a while, he needed to make the best of things. He needed to use the time to his advantage. Needed to find out answers.

That meant instead of getting rid of her, he needed to get to know her. Needed to find out what she knew. Needed to get her to trust him.

Finally, Gage locked gazes with her and said, “We’re going to track down a killer.”

The truck stopped at a red light, and Nia’s heart pounded harder.

Would the gunman catch up?

Before she could think about it too much, Gage grabbed Nia’s hand. “We gotta go!”

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