Page 61 of The Enforcers: KANE

She’d picked up Selina’s trail in the parking lot. From what she said, she had the ability to sense and memorize a person’s energy residue—whatever that meant. It was what she’d been doing in the vault. She could follow it like some kind of mystical scent trail—as long as it was still fresh.

It all sounded like a bunch of airy-fairy bullshit to him. But then, a few hours ago he would have said the same thing about her cloaking ability, until he’d seen it with his own eyes.

He wondered again what kind of animal she was—or had been engineered from. He also wondered if she could shift, or if, like Selina, she only had mental abilities.

Thinking about Rachelle being like Selina sent chills down his spine.

She knew what she was doing, though. Every time the van came to an intersection, she seemed to sense immediately which way to go.

Or she pretended she did.

He hated not feeling like he could trust her. But she’d come back into his life under false pretenses, keeping so many secrets.

And even now, the cynical, paranoid Enforcer part of him wondered if she were somehow in league with Selina, leading them into a trap.

No. He couldn’t believe that. More important, Wolf didn’t believe it. And Kane was starting to realize that Wolf’s hatred of Selina, and Kane’s refusal to listen to him, was the reason he’d been so angry for so long.

Sorry, buddy, he thought tiredly.

Wolf was sulking, though. He wanted to be over there by Rachelle, holding on to her and supporting her. But she had Jesse on one side and Rafe on the other. Israel was driving, and Jace was next to Kane, watching Rachelle with even more suspicion than Kane was.

But he’d been willing to gear up and come out here on her word. And Kane trusted Jace’s instincts more than he trusted his own.

The van slowed again, and Rachelle said, “Left.”

She was pale, and Kane could see how much this was taking out of her. He hoped she was okay. In spite of his anger and his uncertainty, he still felt that urge to protect her.

They continued on for another twenty minutes, turning according to Rachelle’s directions, and then Rachelle suddenly raised her head. Her eyes snapped open. “Here!”

The van slowed, then went on. “What’s he doing?” Rachelle asked. “That’s the place!”

“We don’t want to be obvious,” Rafe said. “Trust us.”

Israel said quietly from the front seat, “Small house, boarded-up windows, no vehicles. Yard overgrown—looks abandoned.”

“Outbuildings?” Jace asked.

“Negative. Woods in the back. Not big enough to be the kind of lab you’re talking about.”

Rachelle leaned forward, touching Jace’s knee. “This is where the trail leads. I’m sure of it.”

“Cash stash?” Rafe suggested.

“Don’t know,” Jace said. “Let’s check it out.”

Israel pulled over, out of sight of the house, and they piled out.

Jace said, “Rafe, Jesse, you go through the woods and come up to the back entrance. The rest of us will take the front.”

Rachelle nodded, and Rafe and Jesse slipped off through the woods to circle around the house. The rest of them walked back, keeping to the edge of the forest, following the line of the road.

Kane caught up with Rachelle. “Are you okay?” he asked her in a low tone. “You look wiped out.”

Her face brightened when he spoke to her. “It’s tiring,” she said. “But I’m okay.”

She gazed up at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything up front. I had obligations to the Agency.” She hesitated. “And I didn’t want them to find out who you were.”

Kane took a deep breath, then another. His Raven had left him, but maybe she’d never stopped caring. She’d been protecting him all these years, hiding his identity from the Agency. Even when they’d pulled her back in, she’d kept him out of it.