Page 62 of Rival for Rent

The second night was as uneventful as the first, and I came back inside jittery and restless. I’d really hoped we might get a visit. The longer we went without one, the more I started second-guessing my entire plan. If Kai would just let me go to the police…

I was too wired to sleep, so I tried to convince him we could go into the office instead. He shot that down immediately and pushed me into the spare room again.

“The couch in my office sucks,” he said. “And as you’ve pointed out many times before, it’s out of the way. There’s no way for you to sleep on that and still be between me and the door.”

“Then I’ll sleep on the floor between the two.”

“Like a dog?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Be reasonable.”

“I’d still be more useful than Bella.”

“I’ll thank you not to slander my dog,” Kai said with mock primness.

“I like Bella,” I said, holding up a hand. “But it’s not slander if it’s true.”

“And the truth is you’ll sleep better here than in my office. Now go.”

So I lay down again, Bella flopping onto the mattress beside me like a furry heat lamp. My brain wouldn’t shut up. Contingencies, scenarios, threat assessments—I was back in mission mode, body humming with alertness. When I finallyclosed my eyes, it was only light sleep, the kind that didn’t quite rest you, but left you more exhausted when it ended.

Still, I slept until one again, and when I dragged myself up, I was groggy and off-balance. I said hi to Kai and made my way downstairs. I still needed something to do with my hands, so I baked some more. Bella hung out in the kitchen with me while I made bread, blueberry muffins, and a flourless chocolate cake.

Kai came down at the end of the day and stared at the spread like I’d dissected an alien on the counter. “More?”

“If you’d let us go into the office, we’d only have half of this,” I pointed out. “Not so long ago,youwere the one complaining about me keeping you cooped up.”

“And now you know how it feels.” He folded his arms, stubborn. “But you were probably right to do it—just like I’m right to keep us here these past two days.”

“Possibly right,” I said, drumming my fingers on the counter.

“Definitely right,” he said. “I guess all this baking is the price I pay for being so correct.”

“Yeah, your life’s real tough.”

“I know.” He grinned. “And I bear it so well. Never complain at all.”

I snorted and headed back out to the car.

The tension in me hadn’t gone away. If anything, it had sharpened. I tried grounding myself with breathing exercises, but my body was still on high alert. I was ready to jump, to move, to act. It was dangerous, really—this much anticipation clouded judgement, made your reflexes fast but your thinking slow.

Settle in, I told myself.You’re in for another long night.

Except this time, at two a.m., I spotted movement—someone turning onto Kai’s block. A streetlight caught them as they moved. They were far enough away that all I saw at first was dark clothing, but as they got closer, I saw the ski mask covering their face.

Same guy, I guessed—and I was pretty sure itwasa guy now. He had the same build, same height as the figure caught on Kai’s security camera.

He carried a plastic bag, something small and heavy swinging inside. As he neared Kai’s house, he reached into it with a gloved hand.

The rock we’d placed on the front steps made him pause. He looked left and right, then stepped closer. When he bent down to inspect the note, I saw what he’d pulled out of the bag—a dead rat, gripped by the tail.

Gross. But not the point.

This was the moment I’d been waiting for.

I launched out of the car, sprinting across the yard and tackling him before he could react. He managed to twist halfway around as I collided with him, but I took him down hard, rolling him onto his stomach.

I fumbled for the handcuffs in my pocket, doing my best to pin his arms. He fought hard—elbows, knees, even a backward headbutt that rattled my jaw.

He didn’t shout. No cries for help. He probably wanted to stay quiet in the hopes that he could still get away.

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