Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

21. Twists And Thrills

Chapter 21

Twists And Thrills

A heavy silence greets us the second we stride into the lobby to leave the hotel. Kai frowns. And just like that, an odd sensation constricts my ribs, and an uneven pulse buzzes in my temples.

At the cafe on our left, people are having breakfast. But I feel someone watching. A man. Every woman knows that uneasy prickling sensation coming with an unwanted male gaze. My eyes flick to Kai’s, who nods.

He knows.

As soon as we stride outside, a man stands calmly. Brown hair, middle-aged, black T-shirt and khakis.

The summer sun makes Kai squint, holding a forearm up to shield his vision. While he glances around, he sniffs the air like a bloodhound.

Creepy much?

Kai opens my car doors and motions for me to get to his side.

“What?” I whisper.

His stare roams the surrounding trees without stopping to look at me.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” he mutters, his gaze darting from shadow to shadow. Every muscle in his body is taut, ready to spring into action.

A shiver prickles my skin. I step closer to him, seeking the comfort of his presence. His arm curls around me, yanking me against his side. There’s tension in his grip, a controlled violence simmering just beneath the surface.

“Kai,” I mumble, “are we being followed?”

His jaw clenches, and he gives a barely perceptible nod. “Yes.”

Last night, he parked the car in reverse, so close to the brick wall that the trunk can’t open fully. I know why. To hide my license plate.

That means he had doubts yesterday and chose not to tell me.

Maybe it’s a habit.

I glance over my shoulder, trying to spot any threat amid the swaying foliage. Shapes dance, revealing nothing.

“Do you recognize that smell?” Kai asks.

I sniff the air, looking ever so creepy, and catch a waft of oil, gasoline, and dirt. “It smells like an old repair garage.”

Kai tips his head to the side for me to look to the right.

Mm.

There are three cars parked in line with mine, one of which is an old, red Chevrolet Silverado, almost orange because it’s dusty.

“Put some dirt over my plate,” I murmur. “Not all over. Just to hide the first and last digits.”

“Already done.” Kai holds the passenger door for me. “Get in,” he says, his eyes never leaving our surroundings.

I slide into the seat and close the door as he rounds the front of the vehicle with swift, purposeful strides. He disappears from my view for five long seconds before dropping into the driver’s seat with a smirk.

“What did you do?” I narrow my eyes at him.

He starts the engine. “I gave the red pickup a little improvement.”

My car purrs to life. Gravel spits from the tires as he accelerates out of the parking and down the narrow road, each turn taken with calculated precision.

“Do you know who’s following us?”

“Probably some bounty hunters. They’re not very discreet.” He tips his chin at the rearview mirror.

The red pickup is one minivan behind my car.

What to do with them?

Trees blur past us in a green whirlwind, and my mind spins with possibilities.

“How far do you think they’ll follow?” I ask, keeping my voice low for dramatic effect.

I’ve never been followed. Even in his worst days, Eric didn’t stalk me. It’s cool, but I have yet to determine how to deal with it.

“Not far,” Kai replies.

As I glance at Kai, his calm and focused expression tells me this is no big deal.

“I put water in the gas tank.”

My mouth purses.

It took five seconds for him to do that. I’m impressed. “Don’t know much about trucks,” I say.

This time, Ultrasexygerous handled the threat.

“The engine is going to sputter and die in a few miles,” he explains. “They’ll never know why with that prehistoric thing.”

He took care of business.

“Oh.”

I like it.

After five minutes, the pickup following us stalls and parks on the road’s edge.

Kai smirks. “Can you get my bag, cutie?”

An excited giggle fizzles in my chest, and I bite my lip to quash it. I swing over to grab his bag and bring it back to the passenger seat with me.

“Pull on the blue tag in the bottom corner.”

I burst out laughing. “Really? You have a double bottom bag? That’s funny.”

“Why? You have one also?”

My face says it all. “Of course I do.” It’s where I hide my spicy manga books.

During my teenage years, Corey found an explicit romance novel on my bookshelf, and I was mortified. After that, I made sure to keep any suggestive books hidden from view in a double-bottom bag or a hidden ledge inside my night table.

“My smart cutie pie.” He beams at me, and pride fills my chest like nothing else can. “Pull the spare license out and the sticker rolls.”

In tome six of Kiken’s Fantasy, Seito painted the underside of his spaceship blue instead of gray and added some decorative cracks to throw sherif Yoon off his track. He wasn’t able to recognize the arms dealer’s spaceship.

“Ooh, we’re gonna give my car a makeover.” I squeal with happiness.

“We are,” Kai says with a smirk.