His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror for the fifth time in as many minutes. He couldn’t stop looking back at Kiki. There was an impulsive need to make sure that she was really there—safe.
She slept curled beneath a faded quilt, her cheek pressed against its soft fabric. Her hoodie had slipped slightly, revealing a few wild strands of dark hair and the delicate line of her jaw. She looked so damn peaceful.
It was hard to believe she held such incredible power within her petite body. If he hadn’t seen her in action—and felt her power in his own mind—he might have questioned his sanity.
His fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel. She still didn’t trust him. Could he blame her?
I wouldn’t trust anyone if I were in her position,he acknowledged silently.
Nearly four hours of driving hadn’t quieted the storm in his chest. She called her talent ‘gifts’. Her mother’s word, apparently—like it was some kind of blessing.
He’d seen others with unusual talent. A few weeks earlier, he had attended a concert by the legendary singer, Idella, that had left him mesmerized.
There were literally hundreds, if not thousands, of incredibly talented people throughout history. Hell, he’d even met soldiers who seemed to have an uncanny ability to smell danger before it struck.
But nothing close to Kiki.
She was something else entirely. She didn’t just feel what was coming—she saw it, with terrifying precision.
As his mind ran through who could be behind The Founders, one name snagged his attention—over and over: Cosmos Raines.
Cosmos had haunted the edges of Nikos’s world for years. He’d met him at high-security symposiums, international tech summits, and elite fundraising galas. Always in the background. Brilliant. Quiet. Dangerous in the way men like him could be—you never see them coming until they’ve struck.
“Cosmos Raines,” he murmured aloud.
Markos shifted beside him, his voice rough from fatigue. “What about him?”
“You ever wonder if he’s part of The Founders?”
Markos snorted. “Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if heisthe Founder.”
Nikos’s breath hissed out at the thought. “He’s got the money. The reach. The tech. Everything lines up.”
Markos leaned his head against the window. “He’s also funded a shitload of charitable foundations. Met the guy maybe a dozen times.Yeah, he’s intense in a nerdy way, but I never got the impression he’d hurt someone. Of course, hedoesinvent a lot of weird shit.”
“CRI is involved in a ton of government security and research projects. Someone like Kiki and her friend would match what CRI is interested in—not to mention there isn’t a country in the world that wouldn’t love control over what they can do,” Nikos said quietly. “Raines may contribute to a lot of good causes, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a psychopath.”
A heavy silence, thick with unspoken words, fell as they both became lost in thought. Nikos kept his gaze on the road as he took the last bend.
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life Kiki and her friend must have had. What had The Founders done to her and Brie?
He knew he would protect her. Fiercely. Desperately. Yet he also wondered what the cost would be. If the people after her got what they wanted, it wouldn’t just be her life in danger. Anyone near her—his family, his friends—would also be in danger.
He glanced at the mirror again. Kiki sighed and rolled in her sleep. Her dark lashes fluttered, and the corner of her mouth twitched as if she was dreaming. He dragged his gaze back to the road.
The forest pressed in tighter, fog coiling like warning smoke. It almost felt like something was coming. He felt it in his gut.
We just need to be ready when it arrives.
He leaned forward over the steering wheel as the trees parted, revealing a wide, shimmering lake wrapped in fog and early morning light. Angel’s cabin stood on a small bluff overlooking the water—two stories of clean lines and warm cedar, with a wraparound porch and glass windows that reflected the first rays of morning like molten gold.
He glanced at the rearview mirror again when he heard Kiki stir in the back. She stretched and rubbed her eyes, blinking sleepily—then met his gaze in themirror.
He smiled. He couldn’t help it. She looked so damn cute and cuddly. All he wanted to do was crawl back there with her and wrap his arms around her.
What the hell, Nikos? Since when do you think of women as cute and cuddly?he thought with disbelief, still looking at her.
Her return smile was slow, sleepy… and vulnerable.
