Kiaransalee Scott's car sped down the country road in the black of the October night. Her headlights were off, for she did not need them, she knew the road well.
She was on the run.
She stared out of the windshield as if in a daze, her dark green eyes not blinking. Yet her mind was racing. How many times, she could not count, in the past had she been forced to run? Not from the police. NEVER from the police; in fact, she had once, a lifetime ago, worked with the police. That was the past that so often came back to haunt her, and would force her to run.
But this time.. this time had taken such a twist that, even in the years she'd worked as a professional assassin, a career she had given up fifteen years ago, she did not know what to do now. Always before she had been able to come up with an answer for any situation, because she could close off personal feelings. But now, personal feeling were what it was all about. She had found them to be her weakness. She had no battle plan, no knowledge of how to fight them, and the only answer to them was to run.
Since she had abandoned being an assassin, she had moved from town to town, staying in one place until a hint of her past became known to someone, and again she would have to move on. Even though she was no longer a professional killer, she could not afford for anyone to find out about what she used to do. It was still dangerous. It would always be dangerous. And most people would not like the idea of an ex-assassin living in their town. Kia still kept up with all of her training, although until recently, she had not used it.
When Inspector O'Shay had come to her and told her about the situation regarding her friend, she had not a moment's doubt about agreeing to help. She was living in the quiet little coastal town of Bayport, and had been there for about five years, the longest she had ever managed to stay in one place. Everyone in the little town knew her and loved her. They thought she was a quiet, intellectual writer, living in the little white house on the cliff overlooking the ocean. They knew nothing of her past. Todd was the only person who might even have had a hint, since he had been her best friend since she'd moved to the town. But she took great care to ensure he knew nothing solid. They were very close as friends. There was nothing romantic between them, and Kia had never entertained such thoughts, at least not until about a year ago, when in the middle of a night, a terrible and wonderful dream had jolted her from sleep and she had realized the truth of her feelings.
Knowing the truth brought her only despair. Part of her old life, of being an assassin, still lived within her, even though she had given up the life. Back in those days, she had never allowed anyone to get close to her, and she had never allowed her feelings to get out of control for anyone, as a result of which, to this day she had had only one intimate relationship, which had occurred before she'd begun her murderous career. Since that long ago day, Kia had walked alone, able to make friends, but keep them at a distance.
Often she would feel regret, and she had felt that constantly since having that dream, its sharp stabbing pain wracking her anytime she laid eyes on Todd. Why she could not brush the feelings aside as she had always done, she did not know, and she had started to avoid Todd.
Inspector O'Shay had known of her back when she worked for the police and the FBI, and he had kept track of her through her wanderings since she'd left the job. He had come to her four months ago and told her that Todd was in danger. He had a brother, Eric, who was heavily involved in drugs, and he owed money to a large drug gang ring who had already managed to kill quite a few people, and had given the police the slip. Eric had managed to disappear somehow, and the gang had decided to go after him.. through his brother, Todd.
It was familiar territory to Kia. She had dealt with drug rings many times in her old career. Regardless of what the public thought, the police generally preferred these gangs and their leaders to be caught dead. They always got out of jail too quickly and would return to their old habits of dealing and killing and destroying lives. Kia never had a second's hesitation about agreeing to help O'Shay eliminate the gang, because they were going after Todd.
She had quietly put her old talents, and a few new ones, to work, and behind the back of everyone in town, including Todd, she tracked down and killed all but one of the seven gang members. The leader eluded her for a little longer.
Kia clenched her hands on the steering wheel as the memories of that night flooded her mind. She had caught the leader in Todd's house, barely in time to stop him from torturing Todd, who was already tied up. As always she had been masked, but in the scuffle she'd been in with the gang leader, he had pulled her ski mask off her face, just before she delivered a crushing blow to the back of his skull with the butt of her gun, dropping him to the floor, and had looked up from the limp body to meet Todd's shocked blue gaze.
How she managed not to break down from the emotions that surged through her at his gaze she never knew. She had cut his bonds, told him to flee, and had fled herself.
She knew she had not killed the gang leader, but she had assumed the police would reach the house in time. But they had not. He was gone by the time O'Shay got there.
She had quickly prepared to leave town, but O'Shay had caught up to her first and told her the situation had changed. He wanted both her and Todd to go into hiding, since her cover was now blown. But there was no way Kia was going to face Todd again, not loving him as she did, and he now knowing she was a monster. She told O'Shay to get Todd into hiding, but she would take care of herself. O'Shay had tried to force her, which of course had not worked; Kia easily gave the inspector the slip and ran.
But someone was on her trail. She knew that. She had seen the tail a couple of times in her mirror on the long ride since leaving town. Both times she had lost it, but that meant nothing; it could pick her trail up again.
She had hundreds of old hideouts from her old life, which no one knew about except Todd, and he knew them as "vacation spots." And he didn't know all of them. She would hide until she knew O'Shay had gotten Todd safely hidden, and then she would finish the job.
And then she would leave again, she suddenly realized, and was shocked at the intense, painful wave of feeling that rushed through her at the thought. She almost choked, gripping the wheel hard, and only with great effort, managed to collect herself. She would finish this, she would move on, and she would never see Todd again. In time, it would not hurt so much.
Had she known who was really on her tail, the pain would have transformed into real panic.
Todd watched the tail lights of Kia's car, far in the distance, careful not to follow close enough to make her suspicious. He knew where she was going, thanks to O'Shay managing to hack into Kia's computer at her house, finding her hideout locations.
After Kia gave the inspector the slip, O'Shay had found Todd and had sat him down for a very long talk, which Todd would never forget. By the end of it, Todd knew about Kia's life as a professional assassin. And he knew it was her who had kept him and his brother alive.
Since Kia had moved to Bayport, Todd had enjoyed her friendship immensely. Kia was a good friend, with a good sense of humor, and seemed to know so many things. She and Todd went to the town picnics and gatherings together when he did not have a date. She went alone when he did have one, because she did not date. With her dark green eyes, small, slender figure, and tailbone length cinnamon colored hair, there were many guys in town who pushed to date her, but she turned them all down with good natured grace.
Todd himself had never asked to date her; she was a friend. He felt dating would ruin that. But oddly enough, while he never thought of starting anything romantic with her, he started dating a lot less the more he got to know Kia. His girlfriends did not like the time he spent with her, and the good times they had, and he was more than happy to stop dating someone to keep Kia in his life.
When all the trouble had started, O'Shay had told Todd they had someone working to get the gang arrested or eliminated, of course not telling him who. But until the leader broke into his house and tied him up, he'd never seen this undercover agent, until a black clothed, masked figure crashed through his living room window and attacked the gang leader. When the mask came off and he saw her face, and then saw her crush the man's skull with the butt of a semi automatic, Todd's heart had fallen into his stomach, and had stayed there.
After Kia ran, and the inspector found Todd, O'Shay told him everything, and had stunned Todd by asking him to go after Kia.
"The police won't be able to catch her," he had said. "She's the best assassin in the business, even now, and she knows every trick there is to know. But you know her more personally. You might be able to pin her down and keep her in hiding with you. If you don't, this gang leader is likely to find her and kill her."
