22. Kieran
22
Kieran
It’s hard to think. I’m like a husk, hollow and empty. But luckily, chopping wood doesn’t require complex brain functions.
I glance at Matt, who’s gone back in. I can see him and Adrian through the window. It looks like they are making food.
I wipe sweat off my forehead. It still throbs in a few places, but it’s bearable. Physical exertion helps. I expected the truth about my parents to hurt, but it still hit me hard. Fortunately, I had my little goblin with me.
God, he was so cute. A ray of sunshine on a shitty rainy day. My skin tingles as the urge to hold him floods me. I want to breathe him in, to be surrounded by his scent and lilting voice as he whispers endearments and assurances in my ear.
He lost his parents the same way I did. His aunt too, and recently. Yet I was the one who needed comforting. He’s tiny and cute, yet he’s so strong. So fearless. He’s my King and I’ll do anything to make him happy and keep him safe.
Quarter of an hour later, I’m done with the wood. Bits of fiery sky reflect off the kitchen window, peeking from behind naked branches and evergreen shrub. I’ve chopped enough logs to last us a couple of days, though I doubt we’ll be staying more than a night. I’m confident we weren’t followed here—I lost our chasers way back and then circled around multiple times—but I’m not willing to risk it. Lack of bugs or tracking devices doesn’t mean the bad guys won’t find us, and the longer we stay here, the greater the chance of that becomes.
My attention veers to the Ford under the gray tarp by the shed. It’s an old-looking vehicle, but as long as it moves, it can get us away from here. I spied some work clothes inside the cabin, which, with some luck, will be enough of a disguise so we don’t get pulled over by the first patrol we pass.
After I give the grounds a quick sweep, I stack a load of logs and bring it inside. The fireplace along the far wall has already been prepared, so it doesn’t take me long to get it going. With the fire crackling in the background, we eat bean chili without rice. Matt brings out some hard candy from one of the drawers and while I’m not as big on dessert as he is, I still pop one of the peach-flavored sweets into my mouth.
“The water is heated by the fire,” Adrian says, opening the old-looking wardrobe that’s watching over the only bed in the cabin. It’s a single and doesn’t look particularly comfy. “I’ll be quick, and so should you, unless you fancy freezing your balls off.”
The man wasn’t joking. I go last and I barely manage to wash the soap off my body before Antarctica rains on me from the showerhead. Matty was quick, taking not even five minutes, but I guess a questionable DIY boiler can only heat so much water. At least I washed the dirt and the long day off. I smell like whatever the soap smelled, but Matt smells like it too—and by extension, like me—so I am not complaining. This whole cabin thing is almost romantic, save for our third wheel and the fact that we are now fugitives on the run.
But, hey. You win some and you lose some.
“I’ll sleep on the couch. You two can take the bed,” Adrian offers, plopping on the faux-leather sectional directly across from us. It serves to separate the space into the living room/kitchen area and the bedroom corner.
I perch my ass on the edge of the bed. It creaks under my weight and the mattress dips. It’s not ideal, but it will do, especially since I’ll be sharing it with Matt. It’s a far-cry from the five-star experience he deserves, but we are in a bit of a pinch at the moment. Once this mess is over, I’ll make it up to him.
Speaking of messes…
“Does that Ford outside run?” I pat the space to the left of me. Matt tosses me and Adrian each a peach candy, and sits on the bed. His warmth soaks into me without us even touching, stirring heat in my gut.
“Yeah. It’s got a full tank, but it will only get us so far before we need to refuel,” Adrian explains with a shrug.
Things happened too fast over the last couple of days. We were supposed to have a week, maybe more, but that got thrown out the window so fast I didn’t even have time to blink. My head is still a mess. I don’t really have a plan. But we need one. We can’t stay here; it’s a matter of time before the CIA stumbles upon this place. We also can’t drive off blindly, without a destination.
Maybe I could call Dan and Jack. My fingers fumble around between the burner phone and the lighter in my pocket. Is that a good idea, though? By now, they would be under surveillance. It’s not safe to get them involved further.
I sigh deeply and rub my eyes. God, I could really go for a smoke, but I promised Matt to quit and, also, I tossed my pack away. The nicotine withdrawal is finally catching up to me, I think. Nerves knot my stomach, and I feel like there are thousands of little ants crawling under my skin. This is really shitty timing, considering we are in a life-or-death situation, and I need to concentrate and think of a way to keep us from kicking the bucket.
Matt leans his head on my shoulder and gently pats my thigh. The contact overwhelms my senses, shocking me momentarily. I forget about everything else, focusing entirely and only on him, on how deliberately his fingers stroke my leg. Then I melt, all the tension leaving my body. He smells mine. He treats me like I’m his. He reads me like he’s known me for years, like I am an open book that he can’t get enough of.
It’s truly delightful.
I nuzzle his hair and kiss the tip of his ear. We got this. We’ll be fine. I just need to figure out how, but, either way, we won’t give up without a fight.
“I think we need to leave the country,” Matt says matter-of-factly, tracing an indistinguishable pattern on my thigh.
Uncertainty spears through me. He is right. But where would we even go? Adrian said the US government wasn’t the only player. There are others. So first, we’d need to work out which countries are safe.
“Adrian, do you know which governments are involved?”
He raises his shoulders and drapes his arms over the couch’s backrest where he’s sitting. “Not really. But…”
Matt perks up. “But?”
“There were some issues with the Crew’s operation in East Asia, a couple months back. They made a deal with some local gang, but got screwed over. One of the higher-ups almost got caught, too.”
East Asia? My hand halts in the middle of stroking Matt’s silky hair. Hope blooms in my chest. Like China, Japan, Korea?
“Ki?” Matt pulls away and peeks up at me, eyebrows pinched together.
“You don’t happen to know which Asian gang it was? Or where they are based?” I ask, my heart beating quicker than just moments ago.
Adrian squints, his mind going somewhere else for a few moments. “I don’t really remember the name, no. But I’m pretty sure they were based in Japan.”
My stomach swoops, riding the roller coaster of its life . My head suddenly buzzes with possibilities.
“It wasn’t the Akiyama Group, by any chance?” I ask carefully.
Adrian claps his hands. “That’s it! The Crew’s leadership was mad, I’m telling you. They’d been planning that shit for months and then bam ! It all fell apart. I don’t know the details, but the bosses outright gave up on that part of the world. For now, at least. So maybe we could go there?”
Well, fuck me.
I’m transported back to London, to that bar on that day when I had the worst PTSD episode in years. The training week with the MI6 guys had been a nightmare, too. I really needed some way to let off the accumulated stress and being stuck inside the venue with dozens of sweaty people just wasn’t cutting it.
So, I’d gotten a refill from the bartender and gone out back with my drink. I’d just lit up a cigarette, when the Asian dude smoking across from me got jumped by five guys out of nowhere. Suffice to say, I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“ Shit .”
I rush for the backpack we left on one of the chairs, turning the laptop on in record time. I copied everything from the cloud onto it and I’m pretty sure his number is there, too.
Fuck, where is it? My fingers fly across the keyboard. This might just work. It has to. It’s our fucking golden ticket to salvation.
“Ki, what are you doing?” Matt asks warily, hovering behind me. He places one hand on my shoulder, but keeps the contact light. Unintrusive. Inquisitive, but not demanding.
God, maybe I really am crazy because I think I already love this man.
I shiver in pleasure as goosebumps cover every inch of my skin. A second later, I find what I’m looking for. There it fucking is. Grinning like an idiot, I pull out the phone from my pocket, swivel around on the creaky chair, smooch Matt on the cheek and key in the number. He and Adrian eye me with suspicion, like I’ve gone mad. I half-agree with them—it certainly feels that way.
“You okay, man?” Adrian asks, crossing his legs as he gets more comfortable on the couch.
I shush him with my finger as the first beep rings in my ear. Flailing his arms in surrender, he goes quiet. The second beep sounds. Then the third. And the fourth and the fifth.
Did I get the number wrong?
But we texted a couple of times… So that can’t be it.
I try to call the number two more times with no luck. I can’t sit still after that. This has to work. It’s our only chance. But the one person who can potentially save us from this mess is not picking up. I glare at the clock above the cabin’s front door. Tick-tock, tick-tock . What time is it over in Japan, anyway? Maybe he’s sleeping and has his phone off.
I take a calming breath. Yeah, that has to be the reason. I’ll just try again in the morning.
“Ki, what’s going on?” Matt asks, clasping my arm.
I kiss his nose. “I might have an idea. But I’ll go for a walk first. You go to bed.”
“But—”
I press my finger to his lush lips. “Once we leave here, I don’t know when we’ll get another chance to sleep in a bed. Make the most of it. I’ll be back in twenty.”