Page 9 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

Kaylee

Rick fell to the ground in convulsions, and she stared down at him in horror, watching him writhe. Her gaze finally followed the taser wires up to the outstretched arm of her coworker, Gillian, who stood a few feet away, holding the other end of the taser, dressed in black jeans and a hoodie. Her waist-length purple hair was secured in a messy bun, and Kaylee didn’t know why she was so surprised to see her. Gill only lived a few blocks down the road, so it made sense she was already there to cover Kaylee’s shift, but she’d had no idea Gillian carried anything more than a set of keys and a chip on her shoulder.

“Holy shit, Gill! What did you do?” Kaylee knelt and poked Rick’s shoulder. He groaned, a low, guttural sound.

Gill snapped the gum in her mouth, her green eyes wide as her gaze flicked between the taser in her hands and the electrodes attached to Rick’s back. “I got him!”

“Yeah, but …” Kaylee trailed off, panic seizing her chest as the repercussions of this moment sank in. Gill squatted next to Rick and removed the electrodes from his back. Kaylee squirmed, watching Rick’s still frame. Did people normally stay down so long after being tased?

“Who is he?” Gill asked, watching Kaylee rub her wrist. It wasn’t like Rick really hurt her, but she could still feel the warmth of his skin on hers like a brand.

“He’s—” My nemesis? The guy I poisoned? The fed who wants me to risk my life so he can make his career?

Rick groaned again, and she met Gill’s eyes, watching the other woman hold her taser up like she was going to hit him with round two.

“Don’t!” Her voice cracked with panic, and she cleared her throat. “I’ll take it from here. Go inside and don’t say a word about this to anyone. Got it?”

Gill frowned. “You don’t want to call the cops? He was attacking you.”

“He is a cop,” Kaylee murmured, watching Gill’s skin leach color. Gill just tased an FBI agent! Kaylee wasn’t sure what the charges would be, but she could assume there would be a lot from what she’d seen on crime shows. Hopefully, Rick hadn’t seen Gill or heard Kaylee call her by name. She could go inside, as if nothing happened, and Rick would blame Kaylee.

Rick was slowly getting to his knees, holding on all fours and shaking his head. Shit, she should be running. This was exactly the distraction she’d needed to escape!

“He’s— Why— I have so many questions,” Gill says, her gaze flinging from Kaylee to the prone man on the ground.

“And I will answer them all, but right now, I need you to go inside.” Kaylee took off the coat she had grabbed before exiting the coffee shop and flung it over Rick’s head. “Now, now!”

Gill rushed to the back door, fumbling with her keys, while Kaylee took off down the alleyway, hurdling over icy patches covering the pavement. If she hurried, Kaylee might be able to hit home and grab the small bag at the back of her closet before Rick fully recovered.

Pumpkin!

Crap, she’d almost forgotten her guinea pig. She had to take her guinea pig. He wouldn’t understand if she didn’t come back.

“Kaylee!” Rick hollered behind her, and she picked up the pace, glancing back briefly to see him coming down the alleyway—

Her feet were suddenly gliding across a patch of ice she hadn’t clocked, and after a brief struggle to stay on her feet, she flew forward, landing on her stomach. She barely managed to save herself from face-planting, pain bolting up her arms as she caught all her weight on them. She’d almost made it, and now, it was over. Her freedom. Her life. All of it.

Kaylee blinked back tears, trying to clear her vision, but instead, her memories jerked her back to the night that changed everything. She’d spent the week before speaking to her parents, the dean, and her teachers, who all signed off on her leaving school. The night before she planned to head back home, Kaylee had heard Wyatt and Elasia arguing.

“You need to stop, Wyatt! What you’re doing is stupid and dangerous.”

“I’m so close, babe. A few more days, and I’ll have everything I need. Then you and I can go anywhere in the world.”

“Not if you’re dead.” There was a pause before Elasia added, “Let’s leave tonight. You don’t need to go back there. We can take what you have and just be happy.”

“I’ve worked too hard to stop now.”

“Fine, you greedy idiot! But if you walk out that door, don’t come back here.”

The door opened and closed with a bang.

Kaylee left her bedroom to find her friend on the couch, sobbing. “Elasia? What’s wrong?”

She let out a choked, bitter laugh. “Don’t ever fall in love, Kay. It makes you do incredibly stupid things.” She got up from the couch and grabbed her coat off the hook by the door.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“To save the dumb motherfucker.” Elasia stopped suddenly and rushed Kaylee, dragging her into a fierce hug. “If I’m not back in an hour, you get in the car and take off. Get as far away from here as you can and then call the cops, okay?”