Page 59 of Deadly Knight

Katya smiles and flicks her hair over her shoulder before she climbs in. The light catches on her expression before she disappears from view.Fuck.I rub at my chest where my heart should be beating. Should be, had she not ripped it out ten years ago on her doorstep.

My phone rings again, pulling my attention away from Caleb, who’s sliding into the driver’s side. It’s Lev.

“Hey—”

He rattles out an address before yelling, “Go!”

There’s only one reason why he’d be directing me somewhere with this kind of urgency, so with a final glance at Katya, I’m forced to trust that Caleb will get her home safely so I can ensure the monsters of her past don’t pop up again.

At some point, my call with Lev disconnects, but it doesn’t matter. With the address, I quickly type it into the GPS and allow the car to direct me to it.

Traffic makes the drive excruciating; other vehicles cutting me off and pedestrians jaywalking have me ready to run them over, consequences be damned. They couldn’t be any worse than my father escaping.

Whenever the cars space far enough apart, I weave in and out of traffic as fast as physically possible, ignoring stop signs and blowing through red lights. Every passing kilometre is one nearer to ending all this. To my father finally getting what’s long owed.

The list of names in my pocket feels heavier with the knowledge that soon, the final one will be crossed off.

It’s over, Papa. I have you.

I’munsure if I want this night to end, and thankfully, Caleb seems to have the same idea because he drives past my building with a sheepish look.

“There’s a park nearby I thought would be nice to walk through,” he explains. “I’m not quite ready to let you go yet. Unless you want me to drop you off?”

I know the one he speaks of, though I’ve never walked through it.

A park at nighttime? That’s something I haven’t prepared for. Considering I never went out past sundown for so long, and now when I do, it’s only to stick to the main and busier roads, with plenty of traffic, streetlights, and other people walking—witnesses in case anything happens.

But a park…with no streetlights and only Caleb by my side. Caleb, whom I’d like to trust utterly and completely, but only knowing him for a short while sends warning flares through my head. One could never know…

Thing is, Iwantto. I want to be normal and go on a nice stroll with a nice man who’s been super polite all evening. Sincethe moment Caleb picked me up, everything with him has been pleasant. It’s been like being with a friend, from the comfortable drive to the restaurant, to the relaxing atmosphere he created. A couple of small brushes or his hand on my lower back has been the entirety of his touching. A perfect gentleman. Nice.

Just nice.

Not explosive. Fiery. Passionate.

Nice might be what I need in life, however.

“It’s fine,” I mumble, but he doesn’t seem to really notice I’ve spoken.

Caleb continues driving for two more blocks until reaching the large expanse of land—well, as large as a park in downtown Toronto can be. He parallel parks using only the palm of his hand on the wheel, which I find entirely too distracting, because the last person I witnessed do that was?—

Nope. Stop. Hecan’tdisrupt tonight.Again. My past will not ruin this possible future, like it has so many instances tonight.

Caleb slips out of his side and comes to mine all before I’m unbuckled. He helps me from the car but releases me once I’m on my feet.

“This way.” He leads me towards the park’s entrance and down the dimly lit path with grass on either side. A few benches are scattered here and there along the path. Birds chirp as they fly between trees, which provide a thick covering from the moonlight. Squirrels and chipmunks scatter when we interrupt their property.

I hesitate at the entrance, chewing on my bottom lip and trying to recall every conversation with Ava I’ve ever had. To just go ahead and do this. It’s a walk; nothing nefarious.

Finally, I step onto the path with him.

“How’d you learn about this place?”

He glances over, a blush rising on his cheeks. “Would you think I’m a creep if I admitted to scouting it out earlier because I suspected dinner would end much too soon?”

“So I haven’t chased you away yet?”

“Far from.” He smiles, his body sidling closer. His arm brushes mine, and my head tips up. Is he going to kiss me? Do I want to kiss him?