She looks at me. Those observant eyes that miss nothing.
“Be careful,” she says quietly.
“Always am.”
“Liar.” But she’s smiling. “You’re reckless and we both know it.”
“Only with things that matter.”
I kiss her. Soft. Lingering. The kind of kiss that promises more.
“Tonight,” I say against her lips.
“Tonight.”
I make myself leave. Step out into the morning sun. Take the stairs.
The parking lot is quiet. Early enough that most people haven’t left for work yet.
I’m halfway to my car when something prickles at the back of my neck. That instinct that’s kept me alive this long. The feeling of being watched.
I scan the lot. Casual. Don’t want to look like I’m looking.
Nothing obvious. A few cars. Someone loading groceries into a sedan a few rows over. Normal morning stuff.
But the feeling doesn’t go away.
I get in my car. Check the mirrors.
Nothing.
Probably paranoid. Probably just the stress of the Sal situation making me jumpy.
I pull out of the lot. Take a circuitous route, doubling back twice, watching for tails.
Nothing.
By the time I’m on the highway, the feeling has faded. Replaced by something else.
The memory of her in my shirt. Her laugh in the kitchen. The way she said I could get used to this like it was the simplest thing in the world.
I could get used to it too. I want to get used to it.
For the first time in my life, I want a future. A real one. With her.
I’ll figure out the rest. Handle Sal. Keep her safe. Find a way to make this work.
Because she’s worth it. She’s worth everything.
I’ll lie. I’ll kill. I’ll burn this whole city down before I let anyone take her from me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
SAUL
I keep a list.
Forty-four names now. Forty-four people I’ve helped disappear into new lives.
