Chapter Twenty-Five
PRI
A few short blocks later, Adrian leads me into the subway tunnel and we disappear beneath the protection of the concrete structure. Once there, though, there’s little time to revel in any relief that shelter offers as we rush down the stairs and Adrian bypasses the need to buy passes. We reach the security gate and he lifts me over the top and then side hurdles it himself. Grabbing my hand again, we run for the stairs. The train is already loaded, the buzzer warning of the doors closing, but Adrian guides me inside anyway, catching the doors as they try to shut on us.
The car is empty and Adrian grabs a pole and pulls me in front of it on the opposite side, cupping my head and bringing our foreheads together. “I should never have let you make that walk alone.”
Because he needs to protect me from all the demons and monsters, including himself. I shove away that emotionally packed premise and pull back to ask him the obvious question. “What went wrong?”
“It’s not what went wrong. It’s what went right. We’re still alive. And that says a lot when you’re defending a hit placed on the dark web, you’re dealing with expert hackers, trackers, and killers.”
“And yet we hid in plain sight. We shouldn’t have gone to the hotel.”
“Wrong. We needed to fish out a problem and we damn sure didn’t want to lead anyone to my apartment.”
There’s logic there, I think, perhaps flawed logic, but for now, I focus on the future. “How do we know they won’t find us now or once we get there?”
“No one will find my apartment. We just need to make sure we’re not followed.” The car halts and he kisses me, and then once again captures my hand. “Hold on tight. It’s going to be a long few hours.”
And then we’re moving again, exiting the car, hurrying toward the train just across from us, going back in the direction we just came from.
Two hours later, we’ve not only changed trains six times, we’ve walked at least a few miles in between train stations before reentering the subway to start all over again. When I’m sure we’re about to call this done and go to his place, he leads me into a pizza joint inside the subway tunnels. “Let’s grab some food and do some people watching.”
“Are you sure we should be eating right now?”
“Now is the perfect time,” he assures me, pulling me in front of him at the counter, the press of his big body behind me almost sweet enough for me to forget we’re being hunted. My nostrils flare with the scent of pizza cooking and I order a slice of cheese. Adrian orders two pepperoni. With our food in hand, Adrian directs me to a small table with a view of the restaurant, and the people walking past the window in the tunnels. We sit side by side and my stomach groans with the need for food.
I pick up my slice and take a bite. Adrian does the same, his gaze on the space before us. His phone buzzes with a text. I watch him remove his phone from his pocket and type one word: Clear.
“Blake,” he informs me without me asking. “The headset isn’t working in the tunnel. That’s why we’ve been on silent.”
His phone buzzes with another message. He reads it and then shows it to me. That’s Adam. The message reads simply: Clear.
“Is he still shadowing us?” I ask.
“He’s somewhere close,” he confirms, and while I’m comforted by this idea, I’m aware that he doesn’t appear near at all. Which means someone else could pull off that same magical feat.
Perhaps Michael could pull off that magical feat, and so I dare ask, “And Savage? Do we have any idea where he is right now?”
He arches a brow at me. “You mean, where is Michael?”
“I looked into that man’s eyes. He’s a killer.”
“So is Savage. And Savage is dealing with him. And no, you and I don’t want to know any details. Michael won’t be a problem again. That’s enough.” His eyes meet mine. “Some things are just better left alone.”
In other words, he has no intention of ever trusting me enough to tell me about his brother. He will never really be mine. He will always find a way to hate himself enough to leave me. Because leaving me is saving me.
***
Adrian and I don’t speak for the rest of the meal.
The restaurant is empty and yet he watches the empty seats and the tunnel. I watch the restaurant and the tunnel. When it’s time to leave, I point to the bathroom. “Can I go?”
“I’ll go with you.”
He grabs our trash and dumps it, and then follows me to the bathrooms. Once we’re there, he says, “Me first. I want to be sure I have eyes on the room when you’re inside.” He opens the unisex door. “Stand in the doorway with it cracked. Watch for trouble.”