SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 39
“I’m going to kill you,” I muttered into the phone as I watched Kade move around the kitchen.
“You’re not having fun with your new roommates?” Caleb asked with a chuckle.
“It’s been two weeks,” I snapped. “I can’t believe you left me here. Where are you?”
“Setting things up again. I need a whole new system before I can get back on the web.” He turned serious. “They won’t find us again, Mili.”
“You should have told me what happened. That they found you.”
“I did tell you.”
I ground my teeth. “After you left me.”
“You never would have let me leave without you if you knew they’d found me.”
“I’m fine to leave now.”
“Really? Should I call Gray or Kade to confirm?” he asked.
I scowled. “I don’t need their permission to leave. I can walk out that door whenever the fuck I want.”
“Still using the crutches?”
I glanced at my ankle. I’d been trying to put weight on it, and I was finally able to. But the pain wasn’t gone yet, even though it wouldn’t be much longer until I wasn’t limping anymore. And I was still using the crutches to help it heal faster. My stitches were out, and my stomach was pretty much healed besides a bit of soreness. My bruises were a nasty green and yellow color, but they were getting better too. Another week, and I’d be set to leave.
“We need to find Liam.” I kept my voice low as I looked at Kade. “He’s heading this. If we get rid of him, it all falls apart. He knows how you work, Caleb. He’ll keep trying.”
“Get rid of him?” Caleb questioned. “You think you could kill him if you found him?”
There was no hesitation. “Yes.”
I didn’t want to, but I would. He’d had a chance to stop searching for me, and he didn’t. I wouldn’t go back for anyone, including him.
“Listen, that chip I gave you is so I can get into their computers.” He lowered his voice, even though he was on the phone. “Their security is too hard for me to hack remotely without them realizing someone is spying. But if you put that chip in, then I can access it easily. I just need to know when you’re doing it. I already have their IP address.”
“Why?” I asked, my gut knotting. “You don’t trust them?”
“I think Kade and Gray care for you,” he said slowly. “And that they’d protect you. But their crew is large. And I don’t trust their bosses or anyone else involved. You mentioned they had silent partners, and I think you’re right. I want to find out who they are. Especially with Liam knowing you’re working with someone.”
“I haven’t seen their laptops since being here,” I said under my breath. “They might be in the office downstairs.”
“Figure it out before you leave.”
“Are you just trying to get me to stay here longer?”
“You’re safe there. But no. They know you. And now they know about me. I want as much information on them as possible.”
“Fine. It’ll give me something to do anyway. I’m going fucking crazy just sitting here.”
“Food’s done,” Kade said, eyeing me with a slight frown.
“I’ll call you later. Stay safe, Caleb.”
“See you later, Mili.”
After hanging up, I grabbed the crutches and hopped to the island, sitting on the stool. It had taken days to convince them I could come to the kitchen to eat. They wanted me to stay in bed, like I would break if I walked around.
“Caleb okay?” Kade asked, putting a plate of the most delicious looking enchiladas I’d ever seen. Red sauce covered them with cheese on top. Rice was piled on the side, and he set down a bowl of chips.
“He’s good. Still won’t tell me where he is.”
“Probably so you don’t try to slip out of here in the dead of the night.” He sat down next to me after getting his own plate. “Not that he has to worry. You couldn’t step more than a foot out of this house without someone stopping you.”
I cocked my head. “You think I couldn’t sneak out of here?”
He met my gaze, his lips lifting in a grin. “I dare you to try.”
Challenge straightened my spine, and my gaze wandered to the front door. I doubted I’d be able to leave that way, but I hadn’t explored the rest of the house yet. Because they hadn’t given me a moment alone since I got here.
“You’re going to regret saying that when you wake up one day and find me gone.”
His confidence faltered a fraction before he turned his attention to his food. I did the same, digging into my rice. It was so fucking delicious.
“Where’d you learn to cook?” I asked the question before I thought about it.
“I taught myself.”
“When?”
“When Gray and I took a year off.”
I swallowed my rice before asking, “Took a year off from what?”
“This life.” He pushed his food around the plate. “Vic and Juan wanted to make sure this was what we wanted.”
“They let you choose?” I asked in surprise.
He nodded. “We didn’t even last the entire year before coming back. I’ve been in the crew life since I was thirteen and found out what Juan did. Cars and jobs are what I love.”
“Juan,” I said slowly. “He’s part of your family.”
His eyes narrowed. “How did you find that out?”
I grinned, raising an eyebrow. “I wasn’t completely sure until you just said that.”
A muscle in his jaw clenched. “No one is supposed to know that.”
“I guess you’ll have to trust me not to say anything.” I patted his cheek, and he caught my wrist.
“You should be nicer to the person who feeds you,” he murmured.
“How about I just leave, and then you don’t have to worry about feeding me?”
His phone went off, breaking the growing tension. He let go of my wrist to check the notification, and he slid off the stool. I watched, frowning when he slipped on a hoodie.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“On a quick job with Gray.”
My heart skipped, and I bit the inside of my cheek. It had been nearly three weeks since I’d been behind the wheel of a car, and I fucking missed it. I knew I had to cool it on jobs with Liam out there, but a small, easy job wouldn’t hurt. I jumped off the stool, wincing when I put a bit of weight on my ankle. Kade was almost to the front door, and I grabbed the crutch to go after him.
“Wait. Take me with you.”
He spun around, his eyebrow raised. “Go finish your food.”
“I can go,” I snapped. “I’ll stay in the car.”
He grabbed his keys off the hook. “No.”
“Kade,” I growled. “Do not lock me in here.”
“Why don’t you go call Caleb back so you can finish your whispered conversation?”
I moved closer. “Don’t change the subject.”
“We’ll be back later.”
“You leave me alone, and I’ll break the door down.”
He chuckled. “Good luck.”
A tingle ran down my spine, and I lifted my chin, smiling wickedly. “Fine. Go. I’ll have fun here.”
He paused, gripping the keys tighter in his hand. “Stay out of my bedroom.”
“Sure, Kade.”
His eyes flashed with warning. “Careful, Mili. You don’t want to disrupt this peace we’ve got going on.”
“Oh, I think I do,” I purred, teetering on one crutch to run a hand down his chest. “Or you can just take me with you.”
The keys clanged to the floor when he snatched my wrist again. “You mess with anything in here while I’m gone and next time, I’ll tie you to my bed when I leave.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I fucking would.” He brushed his lips against my cheek. “And maybe if you’re a good girl, I’ll even make it enjoyable for you. You seemed to love it the last time I tied your hands.”
Heat pooled in my lower stomach even as my anger grew. “You’d try to tie me down when I’m hurt?”
“Don’t play that card. Another week, and you’ll be good. You think I haven’t noticed that you’re gaining strength every day?”
I licked my lips. “If you’re going to tie me down, better do it before these crutches disappear. Or you might wake up one morning cuffed to your own bed.”
“Go sit back down and eat,” he said, pulling away from me. “I’m going to be late.”
With that, he slipped out the door, and I heard him lock it. I scowled, gripping the crutches and going to the door. The handle twisted but didn’t open. I banged on it, realizing immediately that it wasn’t a regular door. It had some type of metal in it. Opening it would require a lot of hardware that I didn’t have. My curiosity grew as I gazed around the apartment. This was the first time they’d left me alone.
I immediately went for the hallway since I’d spent most of my time in the kitchen and living room. I passed the bathroom, stopping at the next door. It opened easily, and I stood in the doorway, knowing this was Gray’s room. It smelled of leather, and his jacket was thrown on a small chair in the corner. His bed was against the back wall and had a metal headboard with horizontal bars. The side walls were lined with more movies than he had in the living room. There were also a bunch of records, which I guessed were probably the classic rock he loved so much. The walls were the same gray as the rest of the house, and I moved toward the large window. It was a straight drop down with nothing to climb. Another way I couldn’t leave if I needed to. A smaller door led to a small bathroom with a stand-up shower.
I froze, spying his laptop on his nightstand. I could get the chip and call Caleb right now. I stared at it for a full minute before leaving the room. If they left me alone this time, they’d do it again. I didn’t have to do it right away. Going farther down the hall, I stopped at what I guessed was Kade’s room, but the door was locked. If I could find something small enough, I could pick the lock. At the end of the hall was one more door, and this one held my interest. Because there was a keypad on the lock. I ran my fingertips over it, wondering what they were hiding. Weapons, maybe. But I had guessed those were downstairs, not up here where they didn’t do business.
I hurried back to the kitchen, wanting to finish my food before it got cold. The info Caleb wanted could wait. My ankle wasn’t even better yet; I still had time. Once I was feeling better, I’d get Caleb what he wanted and leave. It needed to be soon because I was getting comfortable here. Too comfortable. It was starting to feel like home.
The problem was, it wasn’t the house making me feel that way.