I knew what would happen. If I killed him, he’d said I would die too. That meant I would have to do this, then bolt.

I probably wouldn’t make it, but I had to try. I would never get this chance again. I knew that with certainty. It was now or never.

I raised the knife—

—and his eyes opened.

I launched forward at the same time he shot upright. He caught me in the air. The knife flew out of my hand, and he rolled us so I was beneath him. I tried to fight, kicking at him, but he only shifted so his entire body was on top of me.

I tried to punch him; he grabbed my arms and slammed them down on the bed.

Every inch of him was plastered against me.

The whole thing happened in less than three seconds, and not a word was spoken between us.

His eyes were heated and angry, his jaw clenched. A vein stuck out in his neck. His eyebrows pulled together, and a buzz sounded at the door.

He cursed under his breath, jumping off the bed in one lithe movement. He pointed at me as he left the bedroom. “Stay.”

A moment later, he opened the apartment door. He had a brief conversation before the door shut again, and the lights in the apartment came on. He strode back into the bedroom. I hadn’t moved, and he glared at me a second.

“Get up. Get dressed. We’re leaving.”

There should’ve been a knot in my throat. But there wasn’t anything, just acceptance. My body was heated, my breathing shallow and fast.

I sat up. “Are you going to kill me?”

He snorted, pulling clothes out of his dresser. “Don’t tempt me.” His eyes raked over me. “Your Network called. They found Brooke.”

Brooke? No.

There was no way they could work that fast, even if there were two Blades. It was a trap. It had to be, but I didn’t say anything. This could be my opening. If I didn’t kill Kai, I could escape. I just had to be ready.

“Riley.”

Why did he have to sound so tired?

“Get dressed.”

He left. I heard the apartment door open, close, and lock a moment later.

The knife seemed to mock me where it lay on the floor. Ignoring it, I stood and dressed.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Did you get in trouble last night?”

Tanner sidled up next to me as we waited on the front steps of the compound mansion. He looked toward Kai and the guards, who were chatting down on the driveway. It was early, around six-thirty, and a cool breeze shifted around us, along with a bit of fog. It gave an eerie feel to the atmosphere.

Which I wasn’t feeling. Because I was pissed.

I was mad I hadn’t made my move in the first place, instead of sleeping next to Kai. And I was mad that when I had made it, I’d failed. Somehow I was even mad that I’d made the move at all. Nothing made me happy this morning.

And I was still kidnapped. That put a damper on things too.

I scowled at Tanner. “Do not start.”

He bit back a laugh, jostling his shoulder with mine as I heard a groan behind us. Jonah came to stand on the other side of his brother, rubbing his hands together. He dropped the same EMT-like bag he’d had yesterday at his feet before reaching inside his jacket to adjust something. Then he hooked his bag back over his shoulder.

Both Tanner and I watched him.

Jonah looked over, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re going with us?” Tanner asked.

Jonah shrugged, holding back a yawn. “I figured I could get a ride. Kai just wanted me to come check on her.” He nodded to me. “And she looks good, so I have another rotation I want to finish before the weekend.”

Tanner looked at the sky before smiling wide and thumping his brother on the back. “Jonah’s in his second year of residency. He’s got what? How many years left before you’re a real surgeon?”

Jonah grimaced. “Five, you asshole. And I’m a surgeon now.”

“You know what I mean.” Tanner laughed, drawing the attention of a few of the guards and Kai, who were still talking on the driveway.

I hadn’t been ostracized or told to stand here by myself, but it must have looked like I was being punished, which Tanner had picked up on. It was probably me—I did feel like a child being disciplined. It was stupid. And irrational.

But mixed with the weirdness I was feeling about my failed attempt to kill Kai—regretting it and not at the same time—I was certifiably messed up. That was me.

I scowled because I hated feeling this way.

All my life, I’d known what I wanted. I was clear on my path.

Before Hillcrest, my sole purpose had been to avoid my father and tend to my mother. When I went to Hillcrest, my mission had been to learn, to have fun with Brooke, and to stay at Hillcrest as much as possible (even over the extended holidays). Then after Hillcrest, my goal had been to survive. That was it.

Everything changed when the 411 Network approached me.

After that, my purpose became being the best Hider operative I could be. That meant finishing my education, training, and accepting the post they assigned me to. My mother was in love with another man. They’d had another child and a second not long after that, and she was fulfilling her goal of just living. That was a big middle finger to Bruce Bello, though he didn’t know.

One day, I hoped to share the news with him that he’d failed in killing us. I included myself in that because I knew it would’ve happened one day if I’d stayed around. It’d been inevitable. A man like that never changed.