I cut the call and wave a taxi over.
Fucking hell.
I’m livid. My hand shakes as I activate the tracker app on my phone while the taxi driver pops the trunk and loads my bag. Did Cas think I’d let her get away? Did she think she could run from me? Not that I blame her for trying. I’m impressed actually. She pulled a bold move. A part of me is proud of her. Admiration heats my chest even as I feel like spanking her tight little ass pink.
The app connects to the chip in her phone as I slide onto the backseat. She deactivated her geotracking, but it doesn’t matter. After a moment, I have an address. I give the driver the name of the hotel and offer to double his fee if he gets me there in an hour instead of the two of traveling time my traffic app indicates. Every minute counts.
While we drive, I send a text with the address of the hotel to Walter, instructing him and his men to take up position at every hotel exit and on every corner of the block. With that done, I have no choice but to wait.
The cops would’ve tracked her. They’re hoping she’ll lead them to me. If they cut a deal like I’m certain they did, they’ll expect her to exchange information for her freedom. Whatever the case, I’m one step ahead of them, and Cas’s free days are over.
At this time of the day, the traffic is heavy. It’s peak hour. Luckily, the driver knows the shortcuts and backroads. We enter Pretoria via Silverton and manage to make it across to the east side in just over an hour.
He drops me at the back of the hotel. The app indicates Cas is in room number twenty-five. I’m curious as to what her plan is, how she thinks she’s going to escape me, but for now, I only focus on getting her out of there without walking into a trap.
Walter lets me know he’s scanned the area, and there are no signs of cops in civilian clothes. I tell him to stay vigilant and make my way inside via the back. No matter how careful I am, I’m taking a risk, but there’s nothing I won’t dare for the sassy girl who stole a six-foot giant’s bike.
It’s a short walk through the lobby to the staircase that takes me to the first floor. The faster I eat up the distance to door number twenty-five, the harder my heart beats in my chest. The closer I get, the more right it feels. After what feels like forever instead of an hour and a few minutes, I’m finally there, facing the door that stands between us.
Crossing this threshold will take us to a whole new level. This time, I’m not stealing a night from Cas’s life. This time, it’s for good. There’s no turning back from this. If I walk through that door, there’s no way I can ever let her go again. The risks are too big. She’s a roadmap to me now and a weapon in the wrong hands. Her testimony will destroy what Leon and I have built. By my own doing, I tied her to me. Because of the choices I made, she’s got none left.
The moment is enormous. I let it sink in. I take a minute to look the ugly facts in the face. It’s heavy, what I’m about to do. Dark. But I don’t feel guilt. Maybe this was always going to happen. Yes. No matter how I look at it, in the dark place where I lock away my desires, there’s always been only one outcome to this game.
Maybe this was meant to be.
Taking the gun from the inside pocket of my jacket, I screw on a silencer. Just as I reach for the handle, the door opens in my face.
Chapter 19
Cas
Frozen in shock, I stare at the image my brain refuses to process—Ian on the threshold with a gun in his hand.
A silencer.
There’s only one reason for a silencer.
Adrenaline explodes in my body and pumps through my veins. A rush of heat runs over my skin and a burning sensation settles on the soles of my feet and my palms.
My brain kicks back into action while we’re both still planted to the spot. Ian’s frozen state has more to do with surprise than shock. The evaluation only lasts a second, but it feels like a moment suspended in time. I take advantage of that second before he comes to his senses.
Gripping the doorframe for balance, I high-kick the gun from his hand. The weapon flies through the air and hits the tiles with a thud, sliding and stopping short of the elevator doors.
He’s caught off guard, his gaze fixed on the gun. It wins me another precious second, long enough to kick him in the balls. Grunting, he cups his groin and stumbles back a step.