Page 32 of Fast Fury

She had to be careful now. Watch over her shoulder every step along the way. Exhaustion haunted her, ready to take her down the moment her adrenaline levels dropped. She needed to go to a motel and crash, eat something before she planned her next move.

But in the morning, she would figure out a way to kill her new targets. She was going to kill all three of them before they could take any more innocent lives.

Chapter Nine

“Your first night there together, and he takes you to visit hisgrandma?”

Abby laughed at the outrage in Cindy’s voice on the other end of the phone. “She raised him. It was a big deal for him to take me to meet her. The two of them had spent the entire day cooking dinner for me. It was amazing.”

“And?”

“And what?”

Cindy made a frustrated sound. “I could strangle you for torturing me like this. You know exactly what.”

“We’re not in the friend zone anymore, but we haven’t rushed things either.” That was good. It was also playing hell on her self-control. He made her want to dive head first into the deep end and figure the rest out later.

A pause. “I’m really disappointed in you right now.”

Abby bit back a laugh at the disgust in her friend’s voice. “No, it’s a good thing. I’ve had time to think, and we talked about us. We’ve agreed to take things one day at a time and see where things go.” Although it was driving her nuts, waiting to take the next step with him now that she’d decided to go for it.

“You’re insane. You know that? One, for thinking you can fool me into thinking you’re not ga-ga over him, and two, for not jumping on board that train and riding it as far as it’ll take you. Riding ithard, Abs.”

She laughed again. “I love you, Cin. You always look out for my best interest.”

“I do, just like you do for me. And in light of that…just a friendly reminder that he’s on the rebound.”

“I know. But I’ve decided to give us a shot anyhow.”

“I’m proud of you, babe. Really. I know how hard it is to put yourself out there after what you went through with Roger. I can imagine how much tougher it is when it’s a guy you already care about, and he comes with an added risk.”

“Well, I’m a big girl and I’m going into this with eyes wide open.”

“Good for you. So. What did you guys do last night?”

“He met me here for dinner.” At the most romantic restaurant she’d ever been to in her life. Named something she couldn’t pronounce, set on a series of koi ponds, with the rush of a waterfall in the background and lush tropical gardens surrounding it. “We only had an hour together before I had to go to a work mixer.” She hadn’t invited him because things were still new between them and she hadn’t wanted to introduce him to her boss yet. “And I met his cousin briefly too. That was weird, though.”

“Why?”

“He seemed really happy to see Kai when he first walked into the lobby, but when he noticed me, he kind of froze up. He stayed for one drink with us and made some lame excuse about why he couldn’t stay. He was only with us for about twenty minutes, and the whole time there was this awkward tension between them. I thought it was because of me, but Kai said afterward that it wasn’t.”

“Then what was the problem?”

“They had a falling out years ago. Hani got into a bad lifestyle and Kai refused to condone it. This is the first time they’ve seen each other since then, and they’ve got this unspoken don’t ask, don’t tell thing happening.” Kai had been different after Hani left. Quieter, a little distracted, but she’d had to leave for the mixer before they could really talk about it. She could tell the way his cousin had blown off the visit had upset him.

“So nothing happened last night after the cousin left?”

“We didn’t have time,” Abby said with a chuckle. “He left when I had to go to the mixer.” She’d wanted to meet up with him after the mixer, but then thought better of it. Her self-control was already weak where he was concerned.

“And what about tonight?”

“He’s got plans with a bunch of old friends. He hasn’t seen them in a couple years, so I’m doing my own thing.”

Cindy made a frustrated sound. “How many days do you guys have left, then?”

“Three here. But it’s not like we’re up against a deadline or anything. We live in the same city.”

“When he’s in town.”

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