Chasing Silver Part 9

"How serious is the wound?" Obviously, it couldn't be too bad if Isaac was hanging out in an alley and indulging in sarcasm, but Isaac also had the tendency to downplay his injuries.

"Through and through. Left shoulder. Hurts like a b.i.t.c.h, though." He chuckled, a dry, wracking sound. "Only thing that makes it better is knowing I hit her, too."

Nathan paused, his shoe hanging off his foot. "Her? Her who? who?"

"Who do you think? Kirsten Henryk."

"Kirsten?"

A tight fist with ice fingers clenched his heart as he began to understand the danger they were in. Dull rage replaced the initial shock. He'd be d.a.m.ned before that b.i.t.c.h got a second shot at Isaac, or within a hundred feet of Remy. Kirsten Henryk had been a vague concern before, but now she was at the top of his list. With a bullet.

"Don't move. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

The bed squeaked as he was pulling on his pants. He looked up in time to see Remy turn a sleepy smile to him. "What's going on?"

"I need to go get Isaac." Nathan b.u.t.toned his pants. "He's been injured ... well, shot."

She sat up, pus.h.i.+ng the blankets away. Swinging her legs around, she grabbed the underwear hanging from the nightstand. "Is he okay? Why isn't he going to the hospital?"

"He's survived worse. And he doesn't like hospitals. But I'll drag him into Emergency if I think he needs to see a doctor." He put a hand on Remy's arm as she moved to stand up. "You're not coming with me."

"What?" Her eyes flashed. "Why the h.e.l.l not?"

"Because the bullet came courtesy of one Kirsten Henryk, and I don't know if she's still in the area." Nathan released her arm and stood, walking over to his gun safe. Winding through the combination, he added, "I want you to be here where it's safe."

The bed squeaked again as she s.h.i.+fted her weight, but a brief glance back showed Remy hadn't risen. She was staring someplace at the wall behind him, her features clouded. "If she can get to Isaac, she can get to anyone," she murmured. "There is no safe safe any more." any more."

"Well, she hasn't gotten to us yet. Look, I'm leaving this out for you." He held up a small handgun before placing it on top of the shelf. "If I don't have to take him back to the hospital, I'll be back within the hour." He walked over to the side of the bed, bending to brush his lips against her forehead. "Just stay right here in bed, yeah? I want to find you where I left you."

Her hand shot out to grab his wrist, keeping him from walking away after he straightened again. When Nathan met her eyes, he hesitated at the choked panic he saw lurking in the dark depths.

"Kirsten's merciless." It was surprising how even her voice was, in spite of the look on her face. "And n.o.body knows her better than I do. I want to go."

"And what if she's waiting for you? All it takes is one bullet, Remy." He gently pulled his wrist from her. "I don't know why she shot Isaac, and he doesn't know where she is now. I'm just going to pick him up. We're not going to look for her or go after her."

"You're making a mistake." But she wasn't moving from the bed, only watching him with those fathomless eyes. He had to turn away and grab his s.h.i.+rt in order to escape the pin of her gaze. "She's not going to give up, you know. And you're as vulnerable to a bullet as I am. More even, because you're not taking her seriously."

Nathan took a deep breath. He knew Remy could be headstrong, but he hadn't expected to be detained by this debate. "If I weren't taking her seriously, I wouldn't have an issue with you tagging along. Most likely, Kirsten doesn't know Isaac has a connection to you. Which means, she doesn't know who I am. She's not after us; she's after you. Do you want to give her more clues about where to find you?" He didn't wait for an answer, tucking in his s.h.i.+rttails. "Now, Isaac is bleeding in some alley, and I don't have the time to stand here and have this argument."

She didn't stop him as he stepped into his shoes. She didn't do anything until he was heading for the door.

"Kirsten doesn't do anything without a reason. And she's not stupid. But you're right. I'm the one she's after. You're just the one in the middle of the line she's going to draw from Isaac to me." Lying back down, Remy rolled over so that her back was to him. "Go help your friend. Try not to get killed."

Nathan hesitated for a moment, looking at her back and feeling oddly helpless. He had trusted her to keep her head in a situation far more dangerous than this. She had already saved his life once, and he knew she'd be quick to do it again. But that concern wasn't at the core of the issue. He didn't know all the facts. He didn't know what happened or why. He didn't know if Isaac had hit Kirsten. He didn't even know if Isaac's injury was as minor as he claimed. But Nathan had been trained to go into dangerous situations without all the facts.

Remy was not. And he couldn't let her join him. Not in good conscience.

"We'll be back soon. Then we'll sort out what happened and decide what our next move should be."

He waited for some kind of a response, but when none came, Nathan grabbed his cell and keys and walked out of the room. Part of him expected Remy to follow him to continue the debate. Another part was relieved when she didn't.

The apartment was silent as he locked the door behind him.

She didn't move for long seconds after she heard the lock snick into place. Every inch of her was screaming in fury at Nathan's inflexibility, but she had been able to tell from the firm set of his jaw he wouldn't budge. Arguing was futile. A waste of energy she could direct elsewhere.

Like finding Kirsten.

Pus.h.i.+ng back the blanket, Remy dressed swiftly, ignoring most of her new purchases to slip on jeans and a T-s.h.i.+rt. She would have much preferred leaving in the clothes in which she'd arrived, but those had been torn up by Kirsten's knife. Why Kirsten would go to Isaac for help just to turn on him twenty-four hours later, Remy didn't know, but whatever the reason, it couldn't be good. Nathan was blinding himself to the very real danger she was presenting if he refused to see that. Odds were good Kirsten had found the connection back to Remy, so it was only a matter of time before she showed up on Nathan's doorstep. And what if she found Nathan on his own somewhere? Kirsten would eliminate any obstacle in her path.

How many times was Remy going to have to tell him that?

It didn't matter. She wasn't going to stick around long enough to put Nathan in any more danger. As much as she didn't want to go, she didn't want to see him hurt even more. One bullet. That's all it would take. He'd said so himself.

She took only the essentials. Half of the clothes she had purchased in Santa Monica would be useless if she was on the run, so those got left behind. One of Nathan's s.h.i.+rts found its way into the pack as well as a bar of his soap, but Remy rationalized that as practicality rather than the hungry need to have a piece of him. She took the gun as well. It wasn't her first choice as a weapon, but killing Kirsten would be a h.e.l.l of a lot easier if she could do it from a distance.

When she saw the money on the nightstand, she hesitated. Cash was necessary; there was no getting around that. But she had promised it to Nathan for helping her and the thought of reneging on her word left Remy uneasy. She could always steal more later, after all, whereas he was bound more stringently by the law. In the end, she only took a few bills, but surely, she thought enough for a cheap hotel room and food for the next couple days. Nathan would understand. She hoped.

She was almost out the door when it occurred to her to leave a note. With Kirsten in the forefront of Nathan's thoughts, it was likely he would fear the worst when he got back and found Remy gone. She didn't want that. This was going to be hard enough as it was.

But what to say?

It would kill me to see you get hurt.

The past two days have been amazing, but ... ?

I'm going to miss you. I'm sorry.

Nothing was good enough. It either said too much or not enough. In the end, Remy scrawled the briefest of truths about what she was going to do and prayed Nathan would see the emotion behind the words.

As she hurried down the stairs to the street, her pack slung over her shoulder, she refused to give in to the temptation to turn around and go back. It was better this way. Safer.

She would come back once Kirsten was dead. She only hoped it wouldn't be too late for her and Nathan to pick up where they had left off.

Silence greeted Nathan as he pushed the door open and ushered Isaac inside. Isaac had insisted Nathan drop him off at home, but Nathan had ignored him. Not only did he not want to take any extra time in returning to Remy, he wanted to be sure Isaac was fine. Plus, they did need to have the discussion he had promised Remy they would have.

"I'll get a clean s.h.i.+rt," Nathan said, as Isaac headed straight for the bathroom.

"As long as it's not that awful green one that looks like you shop at Sears." Isaac flicked on the light, stepping inside as the fluorescent flooded into the hall. "I look bad enough as it is."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "You know I keep only the finest designer threads for you, Isaac. Would you like the hand-st.i.tched silk..." His words faded as he entered the empty bedroom. He looked over his shoulder, as if he expected to see Remy standing in the hall behind him, but she wasn't there.

Turning on the light, he stepped inside the room to investigate. His first thought was that Kirsten had found her, but there were no signs of a struggle, no blood, nothing to indicate Remy had been removed against her will. He ran his fingers across her pillow. It was still warm. He glanced up and noticed the gun he had left her was missing. A quick perusal of the closet confirmed some of her clothing was missing as well.

"I think you have a problem."

Nathan's head snapped around to see his friend standing in the doorway, his bloodied s.h.i.+rt half-undone. Between his fingers was a torn sheet of paper, a piece of tape stuck to one edge as if it had been pinned to something. "She left you a note."

He was across the room in a flash, s.n.a.t.c.hing it away from Isaac and scanning over its brief contents. Her handwriting was childish, large and bold. It reminded him of somebody else's handwriting, but even in the haste he knew she had written it, the words were all too clear.

I'm sorry, Nate. I can't let her shoot you, too. Like you said, all it takes is one bullet, and then you're dead and it's all my fault. I'll fix it. I promise.

She didn't sign her name. There was only a scrawled R and a scribble he couldn't decipher.

Something inside him snapped. "Well, that's just brilliant, isn't it? She doesn't know Los Angeles at all. She doesn't know anybody anybody in Los Angeles. She wouldn't have the first clue where to find Kirsten. And, oh yeah, Tian got a good look at her face last night. He has half his gang out trolling the city for her right now. Or all of them, if Cesar died." in Los Angeles. She wouldn't have the first clue where to find Kirsten. And, oh yeah, Tian got a good look at her face last night. He has half his gang out trolling the city for her right now. Or all of them, if Cesar died."

The angry rise of Nathan's voice had Isaac holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Don't shoot the messenger, okay? Maybe she's not as helpless as you think. We don't know anything about this girl, remember?"

"I don't don't think she's helpless. I think she's a bit clueless. Look at this." He gestured towards the money on the nightstand. "She took some, but not enough to take care of herself. Where is she going to stay tonight? Where does she even think she's going?" He looked at Isaac. "She's not far. Will you help me find her?" think she's helpless. I think she's a bit clueless. Look at this." He gestured towards the money on the nightstand. "She took some, but not enough to take care of herself. Where is she going to stay tonight? Where does she even think she's going?" He looked at Isaac. "She's not far. Will you help me find her?"

"Of course," came the automatic response. "Whatever you want." But he didn't move out of the doorway.

"Except ... maybe her taking off isn't a bad thing. That Kirsten is bats.h.i.+t crazy. This is your chance to get out while you still can."

"I know. I know I can just let her run, and she can keep running until Kirsten, or Tian, or somebody else catches up with her." Nathan crumpled the note in his fist. "But I won't."

Dark eyes solemn, Isaac nodded as if he hadn't expected anything less. "Let's patch up this hole in my shoulder and I'll pop some painkillers. We'll find her. She doesn't stand a chance with both of us on her tail."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

The night was sticky, the air wet and close without the benefit of rain to take the edge off. Leaning against the pole, Remy peered up and down the deserted street, wondering why in h.e.l.l the city would put a bus stop in a place that never had a bus come by. How did people get around in this town?

She stiffened when she saw the Mustang's lights in the distance, rounding the corner for the parking lot on the other side of Nathan's apartment complex. d.a.m.n it. She had hoped to be long gone by the time he got back. Now she didn't have the luxury of waiting for a bus; she had to get moving if she wanted to make sure he didn't find her.

So distracted by Nathan's Mustang, Remy didn't notice the ma.s.sive, silver Lexus LX until it rolled to a stop beside her. She ignored it and began walking in the opposite direction, head down, but it followed, crawling to match her pace. Finally, at the end of the block, the pa.s.senger window slid down to expose a smiling young man with crooked teeth.

"It looks like you might need a ride," he said, almost pleasantly.

"Looks can be deceiving." Keeping her features placid, Remy didn't stop walking. She s.h.i.+fted the backpack around on her shoulders to make it easier to reach for the gun should the need arise.

"Where are you going, little girl?" a second voice asked. Remy couldn't see his face. "Where's your daddy?"

She had to fight not to roll her eyes. Idiotic pick-up lines will never change. Idiotic pick-up lines will never change.

Before she responded, the Lexus sped up enough to pull ahead of her, the back door popping open and three more men pouring out of the seat. The closest grabbed at her backpack, but the moment her foot came up to try and defend herself, he yanked and pulled her off-balance, causing the pack to slip from her shoulder and land on the ground between them.

Another grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arm around her throat. "I believe I asked you a question. Where is he?"

Her first thought was, that was a real question? that was a real question?

The second was, f.u.c.k, he's strong. f.u.c.k, he's strong.

The Lexus pulled up to the curb, the engine quieting as the two remaining men in the car emerged. Remy's eyes widened when she recognized the pa.s.senger, and for the first time, fear began to seep into her muscles.

It was the muscleman who'd accompanied Tian at Rojo the night before. The one who had been tailing him before Cesar had shown up and interrupted.

Deliberately, Remy relaxed her body, knowing that tensing would only make the situation worse. "My old man's been dead for years. You're welcome to go talk to him, but it'd be a pretty one-sided conversation."

The muscle nodded towards the car. "Get her inside."

The man holding her didn't move. "Tian made it pretty clear he wanted Nathan, not his little s.l.u.t."

The muscle narrowed his eyes. "Put her in the f.u.c.king truck and shut your f.u.c.king mouth. He may want to f.u.c.k over Pierce, but I think this one will keep him satisfied for a few days."

Their disagreement was the distraction she'd been looking for. Slamming her elbow backward, Remy hooked her foot around her captor's ankle, snapping it forward to make him pitch back. His arm loosened enough for her to wrench free, but she had only taken a few running steps before someone else tackled her to the sidewalk.

Her head cracked against the concrete. For seconds afterward, stars danced in front of Remy's eyes. It didn't take much longer than that for her to realize two of the stars were the approaching headlights of Nathan's Mustang.

"Hey, look who it is," the muscle said from behind her, his voice gruff with excitement. "Let's give him a proper welcome."

The man on top of her hadn't moved, his weight crus.h.i.+ng her against the sidewalk. Though she couldn't turn her head, she heard the distinctive clicks of a handful of guns being c.o.c.ked, and she knew Nathan must have seen them all, but the Mustang didn't veer or slow.

There were two rapid gunshots, but Remy didn't know where they were coming from. After a moment, something sickeningly hot landed in a fat drop on the top of her head. The man slumped on top of her, suddenly much heavier. Horrified, she shoved the body away, noticing a perfect round hole in the top of his head.

"Get down," a familiar voice shouted, and then everything happened very fast.

Remy had lived with violence for far too long to ignore orders from a trusted source.

Diving back to the ground, she rolled away from the street, using the dead body of the man who'd been pinning her as cover. Only when she was tucked behind it did she dare to see what was going on. Her blood froze at the tableau.

The Mustang was parked to a stop half-on the sidewalk, the dead body of the young man who had first offered a ride crushed beneath its tires. Isaac stood behind his open door, using it as a s.h.i.+eld as he trained his gun on the men remaining, while Nathan stood over the p.r.o.ne form of Tian's muscleman. Blood was filling the cracks of the walk.

The three men on their feet moved fast, ducking into the still-running Lexus. The tires squealed as the driver floored it, sending a cloud of burning rubber and exhaust into their faces. Isaac fired after them, but the SUV didn't slow. Remy wanted to shout at Nathan to get down, they could still be armed, but she didn't speak, he didn't move, and n.o.body fired again.

"Did you get the plates?" Nathan asked over his shoulder as the taillights disappeared into the night.

"Got em."

Nathan turned back to her, his face marked with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Her hand rose to her head, feeling gingerly for any signs of blood. All she encountered was the rather large knot where she'd smacked against the sidewalk. "Yeah."

"You better call this in," Nathan said to Isaac as he holstered his gun. "I'll take her upstairs."

Remy was frowning as she pushed herself upward, ignoring the wave of dizziness. "I'm not going back, Nate. I can't."

"Why not?"

She stared at him. He had asked that with a straight face.