Page 33 of Being Bold
That kiss had left her aching in more ways than one. It also left her with more questions than answers. What had Bo been through to think he was undeserving of her? If she asked him, would he even give her an answer?
Doubtful.
“Ugh,” she huffed and shifted in the passenger seat. Now was the worst time to start falling for someone, especially someone who wasn’t interested in her, but no matter how much she might wish it, the heart didn’t abide by logic. No pro-con list would stop it from stuttering whenever he came near.
A frown tugged at her lips. Maybe she was just lonely. She’d been so busy helping her dad the last two years that she’d barely dated. And Bo was nothing like the men she was typically drawn to. She’d always gone for the light-hearted artsy type while Bo . . .
Bo was like a wounded bear—big and grumpy.
She had to tread carefully, or she’d spook him into charging away. And right now, she needed his help more than she needed him to kiss her.
Somehow, they had to get rid of Mr. Dao if she was ever going to be safe. When they recovered the information Yumi downloaded, they could turn it over to the authorities and put him behind bars. She hoped.
Headlights flashed in her direction, and she instinctively ducked below the dash. Her heartbeat sped up as she crouched, waiting for the lights to disappear. When they did, she took a deep breath and sat back up, searching for the car that had driven by. A black SUV pulled into a parking spot two rows in front of her.
Her body vibrated with nerves even as she told herself it was probably someone who lived in her complex. The building with her apartment held twelve units, six per side, with two on eachfloor spread over three floors connected across a breezeway with dual outside staircases. She hadn’t met all her neighbors yet, with her weird hours and only living in the building for a few months. This vehicle could easily be someone she didn’t know.
They’re just your neighbors.
Despite trying to calm herself, she gasped when the SUV’s doors opened and four men in dark suits climbed out.
Those guys don’t look like they live here.
She squinted as if that would help her see them better, where they huddled in front of the car. Even though she couldn’t hear their conversation, the intent was clear. A short, stocky one seemed to be in charge as he signaled for them to split up. Two suits headed toward the left-side units, while the leader and the remaining guy headed for the building on the right.
Selene gulped. Her apartment was on the top floor of the right side. She had to warn Bo and Yumi. She feared for both their lives. The thought of either one getting hurt made her heart heavy with dread.
Without another thought, she exited Bo’s pickup. Due to her intense focus, her body was oblivious to the cold. Her breaths puffed out in a frosty cloud as she headed toward the service elevator. As far as she knew, it was only used for moving furniture to the upper floors. She’d been given a code to use when she moved in.
Praying the manager hadn’t changed it yet, she crept around the building to the side facing the woods. Tall trees surrounded the complex as if the developer had cleared only what he’d needed to build and left the rest wild.
Avoiding the light cast by the lampposts around the parking lot, she stuck to the shadows. She didn’t know if that was necessary, but it seemed like something Bo would’ve told her to do. When she reached the elevator, she punched the code into the panel and begged it to work.
With a ding, the lift opened. She released her breath in relief and stepped inside.
Now what, Selene?
Her breathing accelerated as she thought about how crazy what she was doing was. What if those men worked for Mr. Dao? What if they saw her? What if she didn’t make it to Bo and Yumi first?
She didn’t have a weapon—again. Regretting not asking to keep Bo’s knife, she flinched when the doors slid open onto her floor.
This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy.
The words sounded in her head in a staccato rhythm that matched her pulse as she exited the elevator, entering a short hallway connected to the breezeway. Footsteps on the metal stairs echoed off the concrete floor between the buildings, alerting her to the fact the men were still searching.
She turned the corner and dashed down the hall to her apartment with no time to lose. When no one shouted at her to stop, she turned her doorknob and slipped inside.
They hadn’t turned the lights on.
Not seeing anyone in the moonlight streaming in from her living room window, she whispered, “Yumi? Bo?”
If they were lucky, the men would first check the apartment next door. But she couldn’t count on that. The four suits had separated, so she assumed they didn’t know which unit was hers. With adrenaline tripping through her veins, she crept down the hallway, past her tiny kitchen, past the laundry room, calling out again in whispers, “Yumi? Bo?”
Where are they?
By the time she reached her bedroom, she’d begun to wonder if they’d already gotten the chip and left. Frowning at the slightly ajar door, she pushed it all the way open.
When she would’ve stepped inside, rough hands grabbed her from behind. One covered her mouth, muffling her shriek. Fear spiked, sending tremors through her limbs as someone jerked her backward.
