Page 39 of Hiding In the Dark (The Righteous 4)
‘Packages are safe’ was all it said, but he knew it was Wolf.
Kes stuffed the phone into the back pocket of his jeans and kept walking. If there had only been one kid in the place then he would’ve had enough resources set up here in Cali to take them, but because of the number of kids he had to find care for them. Their families, if they had any, would be reached out to, and if not, then safe and stable homes would be found. One thing was certain, he didn’t trust the fucking government to do its job right. Jaded after what happened in the Sandbox…maybe, but anyone would be. Other than Trev and Arek, the only people he trusted were Morry, Dean, and Wolf. Wolf had set up a network across the states to extract children from dangerous situations. The group would look out for them until a stable home was located or they were smuggled back into the countries they came from. Many of the children didn’t chose to come to the US and their loved ones had no idea where they were. Parents woke every day to find their children gone, and the local police didn’t have the resources to hunt them across the world.
Zumi had slept all the way back to their camp after they made arrangements for the girls and got them to the meetup location. As the girls walked up the stairs of the bus Zumi had given them a wide reassuring smile and waved—it was the happiest he’d seen her in a long time. She said she felt good helping and was excited to start training. Kes still didn’t know if the whole thing was a good idea, but the kid was different—she was like talking to a pint-sized fifty-year old. She was an old soul and half the time he didn’t know who was looking out for who. Most of the time she was a hell of a lot smarter and more mature than he was. She’d been a huge help, especially in talking to those that looked at him with the same fear as they had their captors. Zumi’d shocked him further when she started speaking Spanish to a pair of girls that didn’t speak English. He had no idea where she learned it.Freaking smarty pants.
He was turning the corner to Ashley’s apartment’s back alley when his phone rang, vibrating inside his jeans. Pulling it out again, he sighed as he read the caller ID.
“Hey, Trev.”
“I didn’t expect you to answer. I was planning on leaving a message.”
“I can hang up and you can call back if you want?” He teased and smirked as Trev snorted on the other end of the line. It was fun teasing Trev. He’d always been good to him, and as much as he tried to resist it, he liked the man as much as he respected him.
“No, this is better. Now you can’t say you didn’t get the message.”
“Oh, this isn’t sounding good.”
“Relax, soldier. I want to invite you to my wedding.” Kes pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it like he couldn’t have heard right. “Yes, I’m serious.”
“It’s seriously creepy when you do that, Trev.”
A deep chuckle sounded on the other end of the line. “I just know you. And yes, I want you to be there. It would mean a great deal to me to have you stand in as a groomsman.”
He didn’t know what to say. “Trev, I don’t know. I mean, that’s a big deal.”
“It is, and I want you there. Please don’t deny me this small ask.”
Kes licked his lips. “Is this an order?” he asked, smirking.
“If it must become one, I’m not above resorting to such tactics.”
Kes looked up to the dark night and the glittering stars. “Yes, I accept, but don’t expect me not to make a scene, and I don’t do speeches.”
Trev laughed. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Have a good evening stalking whoever is in your sights.” The line went dead, and Kes looked around the dark alley like he was going to find Trev hiding behind a dumpster.
“Shit, what did I just agree to?” he mumbled as he looked up at Ashley’s apartment building and to her floor.
This was playing a dangerous game. He didn’t have a strong will where Ashley was concerned, and even though he should leave her the fuck alone, he couldn’t do it. The dumpster was still in the same spot, and with a burst of speed, he was able to jump up and land on the lid with a soft thump. The old metal creaked underfoot as he stood, and he wondered if he was going to end up inside the fucking thing one of these nights when the lid folded in on itself.
Scaling the fire escape fast enough to make Spiderman jealous, he peeked through the window into the dark apartment. As he checked the time his watch glowed, reading ten o’clock. He was surprised she was asleep already, but then again, maybe she wasn’t home.
Grabbing the window, he gave it the good old twist and shimmied the thing loose from the bottom. Like the other nights he’d done this, he slipped in like a shadow and squatted on the kitchen floor as he listened. Not hearing anything, he stood and made his way along the hallway toward her bedroom.
The small night light provided just enough of a glow that he caught a shadow heading out of her room. He dove into the spare room but didn’t have enough time to hide behind the door before the sound of Ashley’s feet on the un-carpeted hallway made it clear she was too close for him to try. He laid his back against the wall on the same side of the room and moved as far away as possible. His heart was pounding hard as he heard her pass the door and pause.
“Hello?” Her sweet voice called out as if sensing him. His blood warmed with the thought—he wanted her to feel him, alright. He had to give his head a physical shake as the image of spreading her wide as he pounded home ran wild through his mind.
He swallowed hard as every part of his body flexed and drew up hard with just that one word. It was a good thing she’d never realized the power she had over him.
As the sound of her feet continued on, he jumped into action and darted out of her spare bedroom. The sound of her moving around the kitchen and running water had him stupidly heading in her direction rather than the hiding spot in her closet.
What the fuck are you doing, you idiot?
Although the question swirled around in his brain, he couldn’t help himself as he peeked around the corner and watched her get a glass of water. Fuck, she was sexy. She was wearing a tank top and these tiny little shorts that barely covered her delicious ass. He licked his lips as he watched the material move as she did, teasing him and inviting him to touch. The heat was like a flash throughout his body, and the regular freezing cold showers of the Sandbox suddenly sounded appealing.
Oh, shit.
He watched with dread as Ashley’s eyes landed on the window that he’d left slightly open to make a quick exit, and her whole body stilled, glass halfway to her mouth.
