"He should stay," I said. "Whatever. It doesn't really . . ." I got to my feet. "It doesn't matter. You guys decide. Just call me when it's time to go."
I made it as far as the door before I regretted it. If I wanted to be mature, running out of a room really wasn't the way to do it. But the alternative was to stay and put on a game face when it was obvious I was hurt. No, better to shore up my dignity and leave before I made things any more awkward.
I kept going, calm and purposeful . . . until I made it to the hall and heard the patter of Paige's pumps behind me, and ducked around the first corner, escaping before she could catch up.
I tried to make up for the maturity lapse by not running off and sulking. I called Sean and told him we were coming, then gathered the files I'd been reading and found a place to continue going through them until Benicio called to say the car was ready to take us to the airport. Paige texted right after, with the same message, only asking me to meet her in Lucas's office and we'd walk down together. I replied saying I had to grab some stuff and I'd meet Lucas at the car.
I was in the parking garage, when footsteps echoed around me.
"Shouldn't you have an escort?"
I turned as Adam walked over. I nodded toward the idling SUV, where Troy stood at the driver's door, waiting.
"Don't worry," I said. "I've learned my lesson."
"I didn't mean--"
"You did, and you're right." I hefted my bag onto my shoulder. "I went through more of those files you gave Clay. They're upstairs, with my notes on top. No references to Giles or Althea, but I found some that could be Severin and Sierra. I also pulled everything on Balaam."
"I'll get someone to grab them. I'm going with you."
"Where's your overnight bag?"
"At my hotel. We can swing by."
I shook my head.
"I want to go," he said. "It sounds like an adventure and you know--"
"It's been almost two hours. If you really wanted to go, you'd have gotten your bag already."
"I--"
"You feel bad because I was obviously upset when you backed out over breakfast. You want to offer to come along, but you're hoping I'll turn you down, because you don't really want to work with me right now. You've had enough of that, and I don't blame you."
"It's not--"
"Yes, it is. I wouldn't come back to Miami. I kept stalling when it wasn't safe for me to be out there, and you had to stick around to watch my back. I knew you'd stay, and I took advantage of that. I treated you badly. I'm not going to apologize because that won't mean anything. You'll accept it, and I'll say, 'Whew, glad that's over,' and go right back to treating you like shit."
He sighed. "You don't treat me like shit, Savannah."
"Maybe, but I didn't treat you well either. You said I was scared to tell Paige and Lucas about my spells. That I was scared of how they'd treat me, which is the same reason I haven't moved out. You're right. I am afraid if I leave, things will change, and I'm afraid if I'm not a spellcaster, things will change. Yes, I'm scared of losing them, but--" I looked into his eyes. "They aren't the only ones I'm scared of losing."
I didn't wait to see his reaction. I didn't dare. I hurried to the car. Troy opened the door. He didn't say anything, but I knew he'd heard the whole conversation. He murmured something I didn't catch, something reassuring, as I slid in.
When I looked through the dark-tinted glass, Adam was just standing there. He shifted. Shoved his hands in his pockets. Took one out again almost immediately, rubbed his mouth, then shook his head and walked away.
"Please tell me you aren't going to cry, Savannah," said a voice from the other side of the backseat.
I jumped and looked over to see a familiar figure nestled in the shadows.
"Paige was right," she said. "You are taking this spell nonsense hard. I'm surprised. I didn't think you cracked that easily."
"Go to hell, Cassandra."
Her perfectly tweezed brows arched. "Did you just tell me to 'go to hell'?"
"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood, okay?"