Chapter 2
1385 Words
2
Kira slumped in the passenger seat of her car with her head tucked low. It seemed like Trevor was taking forever inside the convenience store…
The predawn sky was still dark, but the parking lot was fairly well lit. Kira had made Trevor park as far away from the store as possible, where she could shield her appearance from the prying eyes of any other nosy customers.
A white bandage had been wrapped around her head to patch up the area where a bullet had grazed past her skull. She had tidied her long, dark ponytail around it, but she still felt particularly conspicuous. The spattered bloodstains on her jeans and beige Downward Spiral T-shirt didn’t help—although maybe it could pass as part of the design…
Good thing she hadn’t been wearing her favorite Nine Inch Nails shirt for once. At least her zippered hoodie helped to disguise some of the mess. Between her battered appearance and her itchy, unwashed state, she knew she probably looked—and maybe even smelled—like a walking disaster.
And with what she and Trevor had planned next, she wanted to make herself as unremarkable as possible.
She closed her burning, bloodshot eyes with a sigh. She ached all over. Yes, the painkillers the private doctor Trevor had taken her to see helped, but she had been awake for almost twenty-four hours now, and her injured body craved rest. Her ribs and head were both throbbing, and her right leg was still unsteady from where one of the Pale Lady’s men had kicked in her knee.
Still, she was grateful to be alive after what she had gone through at Xavier Waters’ abandoned estate. She didn’t know what Trevor had told the doctor when the two of them had rolled up to his house in a cab in the wee hours of the morning, but she suspected a fair amount of money had been exchanged. Either way, the man hadn’t asked any uncomfortable questions.
Kira had wanted to rush off to Simon Reid’s house directly from the estate to start searching for something that might link the man to the Procurer. She knew Nick would do whatever he could to keep Reid occupied for as long as possible, but she didn’t want to underestimate how difficult her task would be. After all, this was the Procurer they were talking about. The man was an expert at covering his tracks. She hardly expected to find a diary lying under Reid’s pillow, detailing how the Procurer had assumed his identity.
But there had to be something…
Trevor had been the one to insist they seek medical attention first. Kira had tried to argue, but in the end, her body had betrayed her by collapsing, and she had been forced to agree. Logically, she knew seeing the doctor made sense. She needed to be in one piece to keep going. But she couldn’t help but begrudge the time it had taken.
Her head snapped up as she heard the driver’s side door open. She winced in pain.
Trevor slid into the driver’s seat, clutching a pair of shopping bags. His blond, curly hair was uncharacteristically ruffled and his khaki shorts and polo were rumpled. Even though it was still dark, he wore Kira’s aviator sunglasses.
He pulled them down his tanned face to look at himself in the rear-view mirror with a grimace.
“Ugh, I feel like such a douche wearing these,” he said as he probed his swollen left eye.
Kira rolled her eyes at him. “Trevor, you are a douche.”
Trevor clutched his hand to his chest with an expression of mock dismay.
“You know, that’s not the best way to talk to the man who’s watching your back.” Trevor sat up straight and began flexing his chest and arm muscles. He looked down in approval at the way they shifted and bunched beneath the snug fit of his blue polo.
His matching blue eyes met Kira’s. “Besides, I know for a fact I’m not as douchey as I used to be.” He lifted his chin in defiance.
Kira pursed her lips. “True. But you’ve still got a ways to go.”
Trevor snorted. “Good thing I’ve got you around to keep me humble… Are you ready for some breakfast?”
“Is that what took you so long?” Kira demanded with a trace of exasperation. “I only told you to find some latex gloves.”
“Check,” Trevor said as he tossed a box into her lap. “But we can hardly infiltrate the enemy’s lair on an empty stomach.”
A plastic rustle filled the car as he rummaged around in the bags.
“Ah! Here we go. Breakfast of champions.” He thrust a pair of items into Kira’s empty hands.
Kira looked down, her green eyes narrowing. “A protein bar and… Monster Rehab?” The black and yellow energy drink can was cool in her hand. She shot Trevor a dubious look.
“Don’t worry.” Trevor flashed her one of his trademark grins. “There’s more where that came from. I’ve got a whole case of Rehab in here, along with loads of energy bars.”
“Great,” Kira said in a flat voice. Despite her lack of enthusiasm, she found herself cracking open the can of Monster. She had never had one before.
She took a tentative sip. Surprisingly, it was uncarbonated. A mixture of lemonade and iced tea flooded her mouth—not unlike the flavor of an Arnold Palmer.
“Well?” Trevor prompted.
Kira unwrapped the protein bar and took a bite, washing it down with another sip. Her empty stomach gurgled in appreciation. She hated to admit it, but Trevor was right. They would need both caffeine and food if they weren’t going to pass out from exhaustion.
She shrugged. “Not bad.”
“I also got you this.” Trevor pulled something out of the bags with a flourish. He reached over to place it on Kira’s head before she could pull away.
Kira reached up to pull it off with a frown. It was a knockoff LA Lakers ball cap.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Trevor said. “You still look great, but that bandage around your noggin distracts from the rest of your features.”
Kira gave him a flat look. “Thanks.”
She pulled her ponytail through the back of the ball cap and settled it into place over her bandages.
Trevor gave an approving nod. “Much better. Now let’s get going. You have Reid’s address, right?”
Kira nodded as she continued inhaling her protein bar. Nick had given her the address before they had left the estate.
Trevor turned on the car and flipped on the headlights. “You know, I still don’t see why I have to drive your car.”
Taking a cab had been out of the question for the next phase of their investigation. The fewer people who knew where they were going, the better.
Kira gave him a pointed look. “We’re trying to be inconspicuous, remember?” She gestured toward the ball cap on her head.
“So? I wasn’t talking about bringing the Lambo. I’m not a total i***t, you know.” There was a trace of hurt in Trevor’s voice.
“What’s wrong with my car?” Kira demanded.
“Nothing!” Trevor said in a hasty tone. “It’s just so… Boring. And it feels weird to be driving someone else’s car.”
They had both agreed that with the head trauma Kira had acquired, it would be better if Trevor did the driving. Not that Kira needed much convincing. She had never been a fan of driving.
“Trust me, I’m not a fan of it either,” she said. “Do you have any idea how long it’s going to take to get my seat and mirrors back the way I like them? You’re practically sitting in the back seat.” She winced as she heard the trace of a whine in her own voice.
“I’m only sitting in the back seat because you drive a clown car,” Trevor snapped as he pulled out of their parking spot. “Seriously, what kind of car is this? I should have brought my Mercedes. At least then, no one would hear us coming…”
Kira knew Trevor was exaggerating. Her blue, Toyota Corolla ran smoothly, and was both practical and reliable.
But both of them had had a very long night.
“Trevor?” she said, interrupting him mid-tirade.
“Yeah,” he said in an aggressive voice.
“Thank you for breakfast. And the hat.”
Trevor drove for a moment in stunned silence.
“Really?”
“Really.” Actually, she wanted to tell him to shut up and drive, but they still had a long day ahead of them.
And a small part of her was secretly glad to have him there with her, watching her back. She couldn’t imagine doing this on her own.
She firmly told that part of her to mind its own business.
Trevor’s lips stretched in a slow smile. “See? Not so douchey after all.”
“Trevor?” Kira said again before taking another sip of her Monster.
“Hm?” He looked over for a moment to meet her gaze with an inquiring look.
“Don’t push it.”
- Writer
