Page 3 of Fast Fury

As soon as the Lexus drove out of sight, she let the blind fall back into place and stepped back from the window. Kai and his team had arrived back in town sometime last night. He needed to know about this, might be able to reassure her that no one was following her.

Her gaze slid to Goliath, drifting without a care in the climate-controlled fishy paradise, his elegant purple fins and tail rippling in the false current along with the fake aquarium plants. “I have to call your dad.”

Digging her cell phone out of her purse, she dialed Kai.

****

“You better bring your A-game tonight, man,” Prentiss said.

Kai Maka grinned at his teammate’s words and kept his phone tucked between his head and shoulder as he carried the bags of groceries into his kitchen. “I always bring my A-game, brother. It’s why I’m reigning champ.” He loved hanging with his FAST Bravo brothers when they had downtime, doing things that had nothing to do with work. They played every bit as hard as they trained and operated, and it was the reason their bond was so tight.

“Wish we could be there to see it in person, but Autumn’s got another decade and then some to go before she can get into a bar.”

“Just tell her Uncle Kai’s got something special planned for her tonight. I’ll have Khan video it and send it to you guys.”

A pause. “You’re keeping it PG, right? She’s only ten.”

“G-rated, I promise.”

“Even better. All right. Can’t wait to see what you come up with. See you Monday.”

“Yeah, man. Later.”

Kai paused to stretch out his sore lower back, a low groan of pleasure/pain spilling from his lips. His body had taken a beating at the training school down south this past week-and-a-half. Damn, and he was starving, too.

Shoving a handful of roasted nuts into his mouth, he tossed the last of the sad-looking produce he’d found wilted at the back of his fridge. He’d only been gone nine days this time on a recent training event, but the berries and lettuce had long since given up the ghost. No time to put something together now. He’d grab something at the bar later.

As he shut the fridge door he thought of Abby, his former neighbor he’d lived across the hall from for the better part of two years. Most times when he’d come home after being on the road he’d find something she’d whipped up in her kitchen sitting in his fridge or freezer, with a little note welcoming him home and saying what it was.

Since he’d moved in here, he’d missed her like crazy. And not just because of her insanely awesome cooking. Ever since that day when she’d witnessed that final bit of drama between him and Shelley in his apartment and afterward pointed out that he’d been enabling a toxic relationship pattern, the way he viewed her had begun to change. He’d already liked her as a person and thought she was cute, but somehow after that day…his feelings for her weren’t neighborly at all anymore.

They texted back and forth and she still looked after Goliath for him when he was away, but it wasn’t the same. He hadn’t seen her since the day he’d moved out of their building, and while he loved his new place, it was a bit lonely without her across the hall.

In so many ways she was a mystery to him. The entire time he’d known her, he’d never seen her with a guy, though he knew she’d dated here and there. She’d hinted that she’d been in a bad relationship before, but it had been a long time ago and Kai would never understand how someone as hot and together as her was still single. Couldn’t be due to lack of male interest. Not with someone like her. Maybe all the guys she’d met since her ex were losers. Or maybe she was super picky since her breakup, and no one had made the cut yet.

Yeah, that had to be it. Made him wonder what it would take to make her cut. And whether or not he might have what it took.

He was in the process of putting boxes of cereal into a cupboard when his cell rang. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Abby’s number on the screen. He could picture her so vividly—her piercing blue eyes and that sassy platinum blond pixie cut. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder. And her firm curves had fit against him perfectly when he’d finally given into temptation and pulled her into that hug the day he’d told her he was moving out.

“Hey, we must have a psychic link. I was just thinking about you,” he said.

“Yeah? Let me see, it’s almost dinnertime. Were you thinking about me, or my lasagna?”

“Both.” It was his favorite dish of hers.

She let out a soft, husky laugh, and heat flared in the pit of his stomach. It had been happening more and more often lately whenever he imagined or heard her voice. If he thought for a moment she was interested in him, he’d jump all over the chance to see where things went between them.

“Well at least you’re honest,” she said.

“Always. So, what’s up? Is Goliath giving you a hard time?”

“No, he’s been a very good boy.” She paused. “When are you taking him home, anyway?”

“I can pick him up this weekend if you want.”

“No, I’ll drop him off one night for you, if you’re okay giving me your new address. I’ve got some mail here for you too.”

Of course he was okay with her having his address. “You’re the best, Ab.”

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