AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We need to get out of here,” he warned, pulling her backward.
“But—”
“We’ll call the ambulance on the way to town,” he promised.
“There’s no need for an ambulance.” A voiced drifted through the air before a shadow appeared from behind the building. “I made sure he’s dead.”
Kaden hissed in shock, narrowing his eyes as he tried to peer through the darkness. The form was small enough to be a woman. Or maybe a teenager. It was impossible to say for sure. Why the hell wouldn’t they step into the light from the window?
Thankfully, Lia knew her neighbors well enough to guess the identity even in the darkness.
“Jolene,” she muttered.
Kaden made a strangled sound, the air squeezed from his lungs as the woman stepped forward, and he could see the cloud of blond hair and the face that might have belonged to an angel. He could also see the handgun she was pointing at his heart.
“It’s too cold to chat out here,” Jolene said, despite the fact that she was wearing a heavy parka and knee-high boots. “Let’s go inside.”
“Actually, we were just on our way—” Lia started to protest, only to snap her lips shut when the gun swung in her direction.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist.”
Kaden stepped to place himself in front of Lia. He didn’t even consider trying to rush the woman. This wasn’t a movie, where a villain could shoot a hundred times without hitting a damned thing. Jolene held the weapon as if she knew exactly what she was doing. Not to mention that he wasn’t about to put Lia in the line of fire.
As if sensing his sizzling concern, Lia grasped his hand to give his fingers a reassuring squeeze.
She might be scared, but she wasn’t going to panic.
Together, they climbed the rickety steps, and Kaden pushed against the door. It swung inward with a loud creak that made him wince. The grating sound was a reminder they were in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. Just as the sight of the dead man lying in the middle of the floor was a bleak reminder not to underestimate the woman who was closing the door behind them.
Steering Lia away from the body, he was caught off guard when she abruptly released a loud sob and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
“Kaden!”
Unnerved by her unexpected burst of emotion, he held her tight against his body. But the storm of tears he was expecting never came; instead, she pressed her lips against his ear.
“There’s a gun under the suitcase on the bed,” she whispered so softly he had to struggle to catch the words.
Kaden stiffened, glancing over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was an open suitcase on the lower bunk, filled with clothes and stacks of money that had spilled onto the filthy mattress. And peeking from beneath the case was the unmistakable muzzle of a handgun.
“I see it,” he whispered back.
“Keep her distracted and I’ll get it.”
“Lia . . .”
“Trust me,” she chided.
He did. Completely and utterly.
“The good Lord didn’t intend for us to be pawing each other in public,” Jolene’s sharp voice intruded into their private discussion.
Kaden sucked in a deep breath, using the skills he’d developed as a stuntman to calm his shredded nerves. A clear mind and steady composure were the only way to look death in the face.
Untangling himself from Lia’s arms, he slowly turned to face Jolene. She had moved to stand by the fire, as if trying to absorb the warmth. Despite the bright flames, the room was as cold as an icebox.
Pretending a nonchalance he was far from feeling, Kaden strolled to stand next to the body. As he hoped, Jolene’s wary gaze was locked on him. She considered him the threat, not Lia.
A mistake.
