Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

30. Fugitive Rush

Chapter 30

Fugitive Rush

T he next hour is filled with butter pecan ice cream and the rustling of documents. It’s long and painful. But Kai wants to find the account number.

He tried to call Rory, but the old man didn’t answer. Considering he should’ve been here tonight at the latest, I’m a little worried about Pop-pop.

Kai leans back in his spot, tension knotting his shoulders. He tosses the empty ice cream container into the bin, watching as it topples over the rim and hits the floor.

“Of course,” he mutters. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m burnt out.”

“Sleep then,” I reply, conscious my tone is colder than I want. “On the sofa…” I make a face when he comes too close to me. “Get a blanket and make it your bed for tonight.”

“Still mad, huh?”

I roll my eyes, and a grimace twists my mouth. Of course!

“All right,” he whispers.

He mutters as he curls up on the sofa, shifting his weight to find a comfortable position. The tension in the room simmers under the surface like a pot about to boil.

I stand by the window, gazing out at the night, dark, except for the occasional flicker of headlights. My mind drifts, wishing for the soothing touch of calm oceans and sandy beaches instead of this tightrope walk around Kai. But there’s no denying the thrill that courses through me.

I feel… anchored. Ready.

Normally, I’d be neck-deep in my anxiety meds or drunk on tequila after the discoveries we made tonight. But I’m not.

I want to talk with Pop-pop, and it’s probably going to be loud. I don’t want Kai in my personal space for now. But other than that, I feel fine.

A romantic part of me thinks Victor knew I’d fall for Kai, and that’s why he put him on my journey. I sniff my imagination away.

Once we reach the old man, we’ll ask for new IDs and the account number. Maybe even a car to travel safely. Kai will grovel his petty lies between my legs, and I’ll be okay again. Right?

The rain stops; the wind calms. The night is quiet.

I close the curtains, shutting out the world outside. The tension in my chest recedes a bit, but enough remains to keep me on edge.

Time for sleep.

My eyes spring open, and I sit up in bed. There is no one beside me.

Right. I made Kai sleep on the sofa.

“Kai?” My voice echoes through the silence, but there is no response. Panic rushes through me as I quickly get out of bed, searching every corner of the room for Kai.

There are no signs of him anywhere, no shoes, no vest.

Is he outside?

A glance at the clock shows 3:09 a.m. I grab a hoodie and head outside. Squinting in the darkness, I spot a figure in the water.

Kai?

As I move closer, I realize it’s a man. The only sound is the gentle waves lapping against the shore. Fear courses through my body, and goosebumps rise on my skin.

The sensation indicates that this man isn’t Kai.

I try to back away, but suddenly, a rough arm wraps around my throat from behind. The man speaks in Japanese and squeezes tighter while shouting to someone else nearby.

Trouble, I was waiting for you; it was too good to be true.

The man in the water laughs and moves closer. A loud bang shatters the silence of the night. The person holding me shoves me to the ground and kicks me in the face before running away with his accomplice. My pain is excruciating; my cheek is bruised, my stomach aches from a punch, and my left thigh feels like it’s on fire from where they stabbed me with something sharp. I hear muffled screams and sounds of a struggle as I lie on the cold sand with my eyes closed.

This is it; this is the end.

Six’s henchmen have finally tracked us down. The sound of fists and bodies colliding echoes in my ears. My mind is foggy as I struggle to regain consciousness on the cold sand.

“Marianne! Get up!”

I come to, rolling on the cool sand with my eyes closed. My right cheek swells from a bruise, my stomach aches from a well-placed hit, and my thigh trembles from pain. I hear muffled screams and a chaotic beat drums in my chest.

My senses become overwhelmed as I struggle to hold on to the last shreds of my willpower. The grunts of exertion resonate around me as if in a distant nightmare.

My curiosity gets the best of me, so I force my eyes open and take in the chaotic scene around me. Kai is engaged in a life-or-death battle with a ninja.

The tension in the air is palpable, and the atmosphere is charged with raw energy. His movements are fluid and precise, a deadly dance between two skilled combatants. My heart races as Kai dodges and weaves, his muscles flexing beneath his T-shirt with every swift movement. He’s a warrior fighting for his life. And that’s exactly what this is—a fight for survival.

Fear and adrenaline power through my veins as the fight intensifies.

I don’t want to die. “Seven,” I call for him.

He delivers a powerful blow to his opponent in one swift movement, sending him crashing to the ground and screaming at me. Panic distorts his face, and I turn my head to see a man behind me. Everything’s happening in slow motion in my mind.

The man with the injured leg points a gun at me.

A disconnected wire in the innermost depth of my mind reconnects. Determination floods me.

I can’t let this happen without a fight.

I’m done being the victim. “Enough!” I scream.

Everything speeds up.

Kai shouts something at me. All I can make out is the word “car.” He sprints toward it and jumps inside.

I rush into the house and grab our backpacks. Suddenly, a man kicks down the front door. My instincts kick in, and I quickly activate the automatic system. I lock myself in the bathroom with our belongings and stuff a bathmat under the door for extra protection.

My assailant knocks on the door.

I glare at the secret hatch I installed on the floor for quick escapes, its ominous glow taunting me with the reflection of Eric’s hazel eyes. It’s a precaution I never hoped to need. But it’s not Eric who pounds on the bathroom door. Yuzu. It’s much worse.

The hammering on the bathroom door becomes deafening.

“It’s busy.” I giggle.

I crawl through the hatch and escape from the house. Kai is waiting for me in the car, motioning for me to get in as he drives away, leaving behind a trail of flying sand.

I get in the car, and Kai speeds off, leaving behind a trail of flying sand. The tires screech under the insistent support of the man driving.

The life I once experienced is now ruined, shattered by my questionable decisions. I weep, overwhelmed by everything that’s happening.

Kai grips the steering wheel tightly as he speeds up, trying to lose a black SUV tailing us.

“Life is a dangerous sport,” I sing to myself.

“Marianne, I’m sorry. I didn’t know they had found us. Did they hurt you?” Kai asks, his voice laced with concern.

“They burned my thigh,” I reply, pulling up my nightgown to reveal the injury, tears streaming down my cheek.

Kai’s expression shifts from soft and loving to one of pure rage.

“It’s your fault. You’re supposed to keep me safe,” I mutter through clenched teeth.

I’m alive, but not safe, and a strange sense of calm glows inside my stomach. I know what I must do. It’s time for the sweet, innocent Marianne to transform into a fierce, determined one.

Let’s find my inner badass.

We must kill them. My whole body shakes with rage as I struggle to maintain control of my newfound need for survival. The lyrics of “Brother John” sound sickly sweet in my mind.

“I woke up to find my father’s men patrolling the house,” Kai explains. “I tried to surprise them and thought you would be safe.”

But safety is an illusion when you’re involved with someone like him.

“I couldn’t do anything when I saw you being attacked,” he adds, his voice filled with regret.

A gunshot shatters the rear windshield, but Kai is swift in his reaction, swerving to avoid the bullets.

“Give me your gun,” I demand.

“No way,” he replies, narrowing his eyes. “You might shoot me for getting us into this mess.”

“It’s a risk you shall take.”

I take the gun once he hands it over.

Where are the police when you need them?

“Just focus on the road,” I say, trying to keep us calm.

Kai complies with my instructions, but he’s not fully on board. I inspect the contents, deactivate the security measures, and examine his weapon with satisfaction. A sinister grin creeps across my face, and before I can ask, he opens the sunroof.

I’m surprised and amused by my actions. “Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping…” I climb through the opening of the roof. “Brother John, brother John?”

Remember the little metal ducks, Marianne.

I take a deep breath, steadying my arm with my other hand. I exhale slowly. “Murder bells are ringing; murder bells are ringing…”

Bang! I miss my target. Another deep breath.

“Ding… Ding…” This time, I chuckle as the pursuing SUV swerves out of control with a shattered tire. “Slow down, Kai.”

He wisely obeys.

“Dong!”

Bang! My laughter grows louder as the SUV swerves to the side. I am proud of my actions. I’m the one dealing with this mess, the one saving our asses.

I put the gun on the dashboard and retrieved an emergency kit from under my seat.

The look of surprise on Kai’s face is priceless when I open it. “Cutie pie?”

“Yes?” I coo.

“You’re not going to…”

“I’m sick of being mistreated by stupid dickheads,” I whisper, and an evil smirk stretches his lips.

“I love that side of you,” he whispers.

Me too.

Returning to my previous position through the sunroof, we laugh with excitement. It’s time for payback against those who have pushed me to my limit.

I close my eyes in contentment and pull the trigger with a soft laughter. The unmistakable sound of the incandescent emergency weapon pleases me.

Boom!

I’m jerked back in as Kai hits the gas. The sight that greets me is worth it. The luxurious hunting SUV is now engulfed in flames, but the occupants squirm out.

Seven slams on the brakes and stops the car. He gets out, walks to the burning SUV, and grabs the nearest dude.

Then, he pulls him to my car and shoves his face into the driver’s window. “Is he the one who hurt you?”

“Oh, god! Kai, we don’t have time for your possessiveness!”

“Not him, then.” He nods, a manic glint in his eyes. “Gun, please.”

And a smoking hole in the head for henchman number one.

As I think Kai understands the precarity of our situation, I’m surprised to see him get back in the SUV and grab another man.

“The fuck…” I murmur. Hearing about his merciless reputation through the media and witnessing it firsthand are two different things.

He brings me a taller henchman, and I’m so in shock I just shake my head no. Another bullet in the head.

On the third attempt, Kai brings me Yuzu, and I don’t even have to tell him; he knows by the recoil in my muscles.

Kai’s gaze locks onto Yuzu’s, and he wraps his hands around his throat. “Now, apologize to my love.”

Yuzu’s eyes widened, panic setting in as Seven’s grip tightened. His voice comes out in a terrified rasp. “Fuck you...”

Kai growls, his fingers digging deeper into Yuzu’s neck, and he smashes his head against the car door. Then, a manic smile appears on his lips, and he takes Yuzu’s thumb into his mouth, teeth crunching the bones until he rips the digit out and spits it to the ground.

It’s awful… and marvelous.

But Yuzu only wheezes.

Blood trickles from Kai’s mouth, mixing with Yuzu’s whines. I want to feel repulsed, but there’s an undeniable magnetism in his ruthlessness.

“Apologize!” Kai screams into the night.

I wince, but a dark satisfaction swells within me. This nightmare seems endless, but at least we’re taking control now.

Seven spits the blood out and takes another finger from Yuzu’s hand between his teeth. The old man curses in Japanese, softly at first and then louder. And louder. Until he screams.

Ooh, I think Yuzu went too far. Dead man.

Kai loses his psychotic smile and bites his fingers off. And I—crazy me—now know how my boyfriend got that powerful pussy-eating jaw.

“He’s not going to apologize, baby… Just shoot him.”

Kai gaze softens at the nickname, and he glances at me. “You shoot him, yeah?” He tosses me his gun. “Careful, it’s—”

“Hot.” I stare at him. “I know.”

I’m a breath away from asking Kai to make Yuzu move like the metal duck, and a foolish giggle escapes from my mouth. But I let him move Yuzu’s face up, his face receding so he’s not in the way.

Bang!

The recoil from the gunshot sends a jolt through my body, but the sight of Yuzu’s lifeless body crumpling to the ground is cathartic. The right corner of Kai’s mouth twitches as he watches me, evaluating.

“Better now?” I ask.

He wipes blood from his lips with a smirk as he retrieves his gun, still warm from the shot. “Yeah. Only one to go.”

Kai walks peacefully to the last man and shoots him.

We have just successfully eliminated four of the country’s most notorious and powerful men.

And it feels amazing.

Kai is keeping me safe. The safest he can while in this situation, but I’m participating. I have a bit of control. And it’s liberating.

I sink back into the passenger seat, grateful to have survived the close call.

Kai’s eyes flash with a perverse delight. “Time to keep moving.”

He slides into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.

Silence weighs on us.

Kai’s voice breaks as he asks, “Can I fix this? The lie?”

A bitter lump rises in my throat at the thought of hurting him, but I speak with controlled softness. “I don’t know.”

He looks at me sincerely and says, “I need you, love. You’re my guardian angel. Tell me how to fix this, please,” he chokes up.

My heart softens at his words.

His hand reaches for mine, but I deny him. “Not now,” I say. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay,” he murmurs with relief.

We continue driving south on the road, lost in thought.

The car’s headlights carve a path through the darkness, illuminating the winding road ahead.

The landscape outside blurs into an indistinguishable mix of shadows and fleeting lights. My mind whirls with thoughts of what’s next.

In just a few hours, his father will learn we killed his team, and he’ll send the Adashi twins to retrieve us before we can even think about going to the police. A price will be put on our heads, and our situation will become even more dire.

We need to find a way to escape this inevitable fate.

While I stare out the window in a dazed state, Kai looks at me with concern. He knows I need him with this situation because I’m too trusting and inexperienced to handle it on my own. I pick up hitchhikers without thinking twice. But if I fall into the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing, there’s no way I’ll make it out alive. That’s why I need him by my side to protect me.

Or just because I love the man…

A ring buzzes in the car. I press the call button on the console.

“Hey, Care Bear. What’s going on?” Victor’s voice comes through.

“Victor!” I shout at the speaker. “You little shit!”

“Rory!” Kai screams. “Where the fuck are you?”

“Having a pleasant holiday?” Victor asks.

“Next time I see you, bastard, I’m going to cut you up into pieces and make a house of cards with them. Then I’m going to blow on it, and the whole thing will collapse, and I’ll laugh. You’re a dead man. I can’t believe you put me in this situation. I’m going to beat you to death with Alumina Bang Bang!”

“Plenty of threats for such a sweet girl,” Vic says, unfazed.

Fuming with anger, I turn to the console and bite the air. This situation is just too ridiculous.

“I’d be careful if I were you, Rory. She just took out Yuzu,” Kai interjects.

“And Seven... didn’t I tell you to be nice?” Vic’s voice takes on a menacing tone.

“Oh, I was very nice,” Kai groans. “Mostly.”

I stifle a ridiculous snort that surprises everyone.

“We had a deal,” Victor spits.

Oh, really?

“What’s going on between us is none of your damn business, dipshit!” I yell.

“Yuzu was sent by Six to take care of things,” Seven says.

“How did you know I was in my car, Ass-pop?” But I don’t give him the time to answer. “Because you put a tracker under my car, you geriatric fuck!”

“Just a small one,” Victor answers.

“Ha! I’m in a world of trouble, damn it.” I sniff. Everyone takes advantage of me. “Go ahead and be nice, Seven, it doesn’t matter, she has a tracker under her car…”

I let out a bitter laugh before retreating into my thoughts.

“Care Bear?”

Kai sighs. “We lost her.”

Another sigh echoes through the phone line. “Marianne has always been able to see the best in people, even when they can’t see it themselves. She helped me with my addiction. She’s a true gem.”

I thought you were one too. Dickhead.

“But she’s furious now,” Kai adds.

“I have a way out for you, but only if Marianne agrees,” he continues.

“I’m listening.” I sigh, willing to hear him out.

“You can’t come home. Four has already put a price on both of your heads. It’s just waiting on Yuzu’s report.”

“He’s very dead,” Kai says with pride.

“If you agree to help us, we can offer you safe passage to the United States and something else for Marianne,” Victor chimes in.

“Help?” I snort, suspecting the fake grandpa’s motives. The last hours have shown I know nothing about him.

“Who exactly is ‘us’?” Seven asks suspiciously.

“Just some connections I have, you know,” Victor replies.

“No, I don’t!” I yell, frustrated and confused at being dragged into this mess without any knowledge or consent.

“I have my ways,” Victor tries to explain himself.

“Of course you do,” I mutter sarcastically.

A deep exhale from Victor fills the speakers with static noise. “I pulled some strings and called in a few favors. I have access to black market resources, Marianne. Making people disappear used to be my specialty, and I was damn good at it,” he finally reveals.

“Victor Salem, master of criminal security,” Kai adds mockingly. “But you got my mom killed.” This time, he’s serious. “Didn’t you?”

“She… Leila didn’t want to risk Six being angry at you, Seven. She and her lover took all the heat from his anger... I didn’t fuck up. Leila decided not to go through, but Six already knew.”

“She sacrificed herself for me?”

“Yes,” Victor confirms.

A real mom.

“And I was buried alive in a swamp for my involvement,” Victor continues. “I got out and started drinking… because I felt guilty… but now, I’ll fix it all. I just need you to participate, Seven.”

Somehow, I can imagine Victor digging his way out with his bare hands.

“Am I not supposed to have an account?” Kai asks quickly.

“Oh, Seven… Only if you play your cards right.”

“Pop-pop, why? I mean, what the fuck?” This whole situation has gone too far. “Care to explain all this criminal talk to the non-criminal woman in the car, Victor?”

“Seven has to make a trade,” Victor says nonchalantly.

“A trade?” I shout into the phone. “Extorsion!” My brow furrows as I sigh heavily. “You’re the one who fucked his mom’s escape, and now, you want him to give you something in exchange for his life? Pop-pop, that’s not okay!” We’re far from the “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” kind of deal.

Kai rubs his cheek. “He wants information on the Kwunaru empire,” he says as if it’s so clear. “To take it down.”

“Are you a cop?” I ask, and damn, I don’t want Victor to be a cop.

But Victor laughs. “Of course not. More like a rebel.”

“Then, what kind of information do you need?” I ask him, my eyes wide.

Victor’s voice rumbles through the line so murky I don’t recognize him. “Names, places, dates...”

A deadly silence follows, and I realize Pop-pop wants Kai to give up everything he knows.

Well, fuck.

“I’m listening,” the evil made-up grandpa says.

“We need time to think about it,” Kai finally says.

Victor laughs. “You don’t have a lot of time, Seven.”

“Fuck off, Victor!” I scream.

“Jeez, Seven, what did you do to my sweet Marianne?”

“Things we don’t talk about with a man your age,” Kai boasts.

“Bye.” I hang up and take a steadying breath, trying to calm down as I look at Kai’s profile in the rearview mirror. “Looks like we’re in the thick of things now.”

“Don’t worry,” he assures me, taking my hand again. “We’ll figure this out together. But first, we need to find a place to lie low for tonight, and then we’ll decide our next move.”

Don’t worry? “Bug off, Hiroshi, the seventh in a long line of asswipes. Worry is my middle name.”

Kai chuckles and presses down on the accelerator, jerking the car forward. The lights of the city become a blur as we rush past them, leaving our old lives behind. We are no longer just nurses and criminals but fugitives trying to escape from the grasp of the law.

Oh, Seito, it was meant to be.

Kai clasps my hand again, his fingers cold yet comforting. “We’re in this together,” he begins, his voice steady and strong. “You’ll let me make it up to you, right?”

I gasp, taken aback by his question. A thousand emotions surge within me—surprise, joy, fear. But above all else, there’s relief. Relief because despite everything that’s going wrong in our world right now - despite the danger and the desperate circumstances—this feels incredibly right.

“I’ll find something. But first, let’s get that car in Eugene.”