“Aside from keeping you busy and all that, he asked—pleaded—that I take care of you, whatever happens.”
“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Kaj snapped. “Fuck it. I don’t have time for this.” He strode toward his bedroom, put on a pair of cargo pants and a T-shirt, and walked out again.
“Where are you going?” Mads followed him to the foyer.
“I’m going to get Noah back,” he said while putting on his boots.
“But—”
He knew what Mads was going to say. This man had witnessed the lowest of lows in his life. He knew how completely and utterly broken he’d been; he had helped him pick up the pieces. So, of course, he was aware and worried of how everything related to Jesper affected him. But Kaj didn’t have time to stop and think about himself. He needed to get Noah back. Confronting Jesper wouldn’t do them any good if they expected the police to charge him with stalking and whatever else they could pin on him.
“I’ll be fine.”
Kaj grabbed his motorcycle jacket and helmet and left.
Kaj had never ridden as fast in his life.
Copenhagen to Hillerød was at least forty minutes, yet he’d cut the time considerably, pushing his bike past the limits of safety. The entire trip, his pulse roared louder than the engine. Every turn, every second wasted, felt like sand slipping through his fingers. Smoke in the air.
Slowing down as he entered the city, Kaj zigzagged through the streets, following the GPS directions. His hands were shaking, knuckles aching from how hard he gripped the bars. He wasn’t even sure he was breathing properly as a torrent of images cramped his mind.
Jesper. Jesper and those messages. Jesper and his taunting threats. Jesper, whose entire existence was poison on Kaj’s tongue.
When the house finally came into view, Kaj’s stomach twisted.
Years after Nik had died, Katja sold the house where Kaj had grown up. Of course, she’d needed his signature to do so because, legally, he was partly the owner, too. But the process occurred mainly through lawyers, so Kaj hadn’t faced this side of reality until now, when he was standing outside of this tiny countryside house that his stepmother had passed down to her son.
As Kaj parked beside what he supposed was Jesper’s car, he ripped off his helmet, leaving it over his bike seat, and ran toward the main door.
Xander and Aksel were probably on their way—he’d called them a little after hitting the highway—but he couldn’t wait for them to arrive. Jesper was a monster, and after the constant nasty messages he’d been sending to Noah, Kaj didn’t know what he was capable of anymore.
Without removing his gloves, Kaj tried to open the door, but it was locked.
He rounded the house, and after making sure no neighbors were watching, he vaulted the fence. Backyard door—locked.
Shit.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Kaj scanned the windows. He’d expected mayhem, but no noises were coming from inside the house. Literally all he could hear was the birds chirping.
Kaj pulled off his right glove with his teeth and took the phone out of his pocket. He opened the notes app where he’d typed down the address and checked the one he’d put into the GPS. It was the same. Unless he’d written it all wrong from the start, he was at the right place.
Trying to calm down, he took a deep breath and walked back toward his motorcycle. He wasn’t sure what he intended to do coming here. He hadn’t seen Jesper in forever, what if he froze?
But then, he saw an open window on the side of the house.
Kaj stopped dead in his tracks and bit the inside of his cheek as he hesitated. This wouldn’t be driving over the speed limit, this would be breaking and entering.
Fuck it.
Climbing through the window, Kaj found himself in a bedroom. Either Jesper had become a really tidy person, or this wasn’t where he slept. The bed was made, and there weren’t plants, frames on the walls, or any other decorative items. Though there was a visible layer of dust on the chest of drawers. Maybe he didn’t live here and Mikkel had gotten it all wrong?
Quietly, without touching anything, Kaj walked out of the room and toward the front door. After unlatching it, he took off his other glove and shoved it into his jacket pocket with its partner. He was sending the guys a text, letting them know they could easily walk into the house, when a deep, muffled screech resonated in the space.
Kaj froze.
The hairs of his nape stood, and every organ in his body turned to stone.
The basement.
