Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 41664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
The faint smell of oil and leather followed me out into the Florida air. It hit thick against my skin, the humidity wrapping around me like a weight.
I could have called Kane from the parking lot. Less than a minute, and he’d step away from the grid sheets and meet me in the small office by the tower. But my mind wasn’t on Kane first. It aimed for her.
There were times you sold yourself the lie that it was purely tactical—check the asset, confirm the status, observe in the wild. This wasn’t that. This was a pull I didn’t want but couldn’t argue with.
I fired up the Harley and took the long way off the compound, a habit as much as anything else—checking mirrors, checking shadows, and making sure no tail got a free ride. Traffic in Crossbend wasn’t heavy, but you learned to see patterns where other people saw color. Nothing popped.
By the time I pulled up to her apartment, the tight coil in my chest hadn’t eased. If anything, it had wound tighter, every muscle ready to snap.
Her apartment sat in a cluster of buildings that tried to look upscale and nearly got there. Cracked stucco, plantings that needed more water than the sprinklers were programmed to offer, and a pool with a CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE sign that had been there too long.
I parked where I could see the approach and the stairwell. A couple of kids dragged scooters across the sidewalk, their laughter high and ricocheting. A woman in scrubs hustled toward a door with grocery bags and a tired smile.
I took the stairs. Concrete under boots, metal rail warm from the day. The corridor on her level was shaded and cooler, with a hint of cleaner that never covered the truth. A window unit somewhere down the row rumbled like it might not make it.
4
LARK
Ikicked the door shut, juggling a take-out container in one hand and my keys in the other. The quiet that settled over my tiny apartment was almost startling after the constant roar of engines and the crackle of radios at the track.
Dropping my stuff onto the counter, I blew out a breath and let the silence soak in. My first day was officially done, and I hadn’t cried, quit, or tripped over myself too badly in front of the drivers.
Except for the blond guy I’d bumped into…and kept replaying in my head way too often when I was supposed to be focused on my new job.
I was still taking today as a win, though.
I padded over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water before snagging my dinner and sinking onto the couch. It was barely more than a loveseat, shoved against the wall across from the television, and there wasn’t room for much more. The place was small, but it was home. At least for now.
Shifting until I found a comfortable spot, I folded my legs under me and twisted the cap off my bottle of water to take a sip. My head still buzzed from the noise and heat of the day, but underneath it all was something I hadn’t felt in a long time—pride.
I’d kept up with the chaos at the track. Handed out credentials, answered questions, and even managed to earn a few smiles from people who didn’t look like they did it often.
Not too bad for my first event.
I opened the takeout and dug into the greasy noodles, savoring every bite as I flipped the TV on for background noise. A rerun of a sitcom I’d seen before played in the background as my mind wandered, chasing the edges of thoughts I usually kept locked down. Fragments from my life before.
The flashes were blurry because I’d trained myself not to dwell on them. The faintest outlines were all I allowed—hazy images of family dinners in the house I grew up in. One I hadn’t seen in two years since starting over meant not looking back.
My stomach twisting, I pushed the container aside and drew my knees against my chest. The hardest part of being in witness protection was not being able to reach out to my parents. I was their only child, and they had no idea where I was or if I was okay. And there was nothing I could do about the pain they must be feeling.
Wrapping my arms around my shins and resting my cheek on top of my knees, I reminded myself that my new life was here now. I just had to keep holding it together until the danger passed, and then I’d finally be able to see them again.
I zoned out in front of the TV until a sharp rap at the door jolted me upright. My stomach tightened. The only people who ever came over were the agents in charge of my protection, and an unexpected visit probably meant bad news.