The guy smirks and shrugs his shoulders. “It’s nothing to me, I’ll take two for the price of one.”
He barely completes his sentence before he brings his gun up. As soon as I see the metal of the gun from the streetlight, I draw my gun and when the man is hit, he fires too. I don’t wait, I turn and throw Kinsley to the ground, but I wasn’t quick enough. “Shit!”
It stings like a son of a bitch, but I can’t focus on that now. “Kinsley, are you okay? Talk to me, baby.”
She’s lying underneath me, and I can’t stop myself from running my hands up and down her arms. “Look at me. Are you okay?”
She nods, and I get up, dragging her to her feet. She’s speechless, staring between me and the man that is dead on the concrete. She’s covering her mouth with her hands, no doubt because she wants to scream again.
I draw her against my body, and her teeth start to chatter. I pull out my phone. “Another clean-up. South parking lot. I’m going to the safe house.”
I walk Kinsley around to the passenger seat of the car and put her in the seat. I take her purse off my shoulder and set it in her lap. “Find your keys. I’ll be right back.”
She reaches for me and clutches my hand, shaking her head. “Don’t leave me.”
I know I don’t have time for this, but I squat down next to the car. I put my hand around the base of her neck and hold her. I couldn’t look away if I had to. There’s so many things I have to say to her, things I should have told her a long time ago. But now’s not the time. “I’m never leaving you again, Kins. I’m just going to move the guy so we can back out and then I’ll be right back. Find the keys, okay, honey?”
She nods and finally releases her hold on me. I lean up and kiss her forehead before I stand up and shut her door.
Walking around to the back of the car, I take a picture of the man lying there before I lift him and move him. I don’t even attempt to look for a wallet because I know I’m not going to find any type of identification on him. I program the coordinates into the GPS on my phone, get in, and pull out of the college parking lot.
Kinsley is quiet, and I reach over and put my hand on her knee and squeeze. I’m worried about her. She’s never quiet, not like this, and I know this is a lot to take in.
She doesn’t say a word. She only sighs and leans her head against the back of the seat. I drive to the safe house, and it takes close to thirty-five minutes to get there. Well, Rogue was definitely wrong on the twelve hours before anyone else came. My plan to have her hidden and safe before that time was useless. It was more like eight hours.
I call Riggs. “You find out anything?”
“I hear you’ve run into a snag.”
I grunt. “Yeah, if you want to call it that. Two of them, actually.”
“Clean-up has commenced. They are both already being turned over to the authorities.” It’s scary the things we can do. I just killed two men, and there’s no questions asked. It’s all because I’m part of Ghost. People may not talk about who we are, but they know what we do.
“Great. I need information, Riggs. I need to know why this is happening and how to stop it.” I’m trying to ask without putting it all out there. I chance a look over at Kinsley, and she’s staring blankly out the front windshield.
“I haven’t been able to find anything on the hit. What they think she did, or what she has. Nothing. I can’t even find out who took out the hit. It’s been buried, Stone. Whoever put the hit out doesn’t want it known.”
Shit! “I’m going to send you over images of my two snags. See if you can identify them. I’ll be in touch.”
I hang up the phone as we pull into the driveway, and I compare the address on the mailbox to the address on my phone. I hit the code for the gate and drive through to the opening garage door before I park and get out to help Kinsley. “Let’s go.”
She steps out of the car, her purse still clutched in her hands. “Where are we?”
“Safe house,” I tell her and bring her through the door that leads into the kitchen. I grab a bottle of water and lead her into the living room and set her on the couch. She sits down, and she’s shivering, so I pull a blanket off the back of the couch and throw it over her. I run my hands up and down her arms to try and warm her up. Only now am I able to really look at her. Everything since I ran into the classroom and saw the guy holding the gun on Kinsley has been rushed. She still has the light blue eyes and creamy complexion. She still wears her hair long, and now it makes her look even younger with it up in a high ponytail. She’s curvier now but still beautiful. I would think she’s the same woman that I left three years ago, but the way she tenses in my arms I know it’s a lie. I hurt her, and I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me.