Chapter 6

“Are you sure that your window is open?”

I looked over my shoulder at the dark, empty street. “I usually keep it unlocked in the late summer. I like a cool breeze. Are you sure no one is watching?”

Adam glanced around my apartment complex. The cops would be one thing, but the last thing I needed was my neighbor, Mr. Harvey, pointing a shotgun at our asses.

I nervously gripped the edges of the ladder and took a deep breath.

“You’re good. Hurry up and don’t fall.”

I’m not sure whose idea it was that I was the one to go up, but Adam was stronger and could steady the ladder better than I could. I bit my lip, looking up at where the ladder rested against the window.

“Hold it tight, okay? I don’t have nine lives.”

“No, you have eight.” A grin distracted me a moment while his hands worked to steady the ladder.

Halfway up, I realized two things. One: climbing was not a silent feat. Two: flip-flops are not recommended. My toes grappled onto those shoes like grim death. I shot a worried look when Adam’s eyes gave me a reply: you can do this, and hurry your ass up .

I pushed the window up and threw myself inside as fast as I could, my legs still dangling over the ledge.

Jesus, I will never do anything like that again . Just then, one of my flip-flops slid free.

The first thing I noticed was some of my things were gone.

“Max?” I frowned at where his food dish once was.

After a couple of minutes, there was a light tap in the living room and I flipped the lock and pulled the door open.

“Lose this?” he said, dangling my shoe between his fingers. I snatched it and victoriously displayed my ATM card.

“Sweet, now you can buy your own panties.”

“Try to be quiet, I have thin walls.”

Adam was on it. Without a word, he slipped out of his shoes and turned off the light. I watched with amused curiosity as he closed the curtain in the bedroom as if he had done this kind of thing before. The man was a photographer by day and a ninja by night.

“Hey, I’m not Helen Keller—I need some light.”

A soft glow beamed from the connecting bathroom. Adam stopped short in the doorway. “That should give you enough. Hurry up, get whatever you need, and let’s get the hell out of here.”

I brushed past him and as I did, he yanked a stick out of his pocket and cracked it. After a few shakes it released a soft green glow.

“Who are you, an international spy?” I giggled to myself out of earshot range.

I stuffed a few personal things into a small bag and rejoined him in the living room.

“Can you help me get this down the stairs?” I whispered, dragging my white flokati rug behind me.

“Christ, Zoë,” he scolded. “If you take anything personal let it mean something to you. Hurry up; we need to clear outta here.”

I stared at the rug, disappointed. “I took my first steps on this rug.” I sighed, dragging it back into the bedroom. I guess it seemed a silly thing to him but you can’t help what you form attachments to.

When I finished, I followed the glow of green light in my hall that was lingering over one of my picture frames. I stepped beside Adam, who was looking at my former life.

“That’s my mom.” I pointed to an old Polaroid of my mother when she was young, standing behind me as I clutched an orange teddy bear. “And that’s Max, my baby.” My finger brushed over the glass, scratching his imaginary head.

“That’s a big baby,” he said, looking at the picture of Max lounged out in my bathroom sink with his massive jackrabbit legs spilling over the edges.

“And that’s—”

“You”, he whispered.

My ex had taken the picture; I was sitting on my white rug gazing out the window. To anyone else it looked like I was daydreaming, but that was the day I was thinking about getting away from him.

“Yeah. Was.” I cleared my throat.

When memory lane turned into an HOV lane, I made a quick break for the exit, not wanting to get lost in sentimental bullshit when I had a job to do. Adam went into my bedroom while I moved toward the front door.

“I’m heading down; I’ll be in the car.”

I glanced down. “Don’t forget your shoes, they’re by the door.” I could feel his no shit look through two inches of door.

Once in the Rover, I slouched down in my seat and mentally collapsed. The remnants of my life were zipped up in a bag and I knew I was never going back. That chapter was closed, and yet I wasn’t as upset as I should have been. I had a clean slate. My life wasn’t much, but I was still grateful that I had it.

A few minutes later, the rear hatch lifted for a few seconds and then Adam slammed it shut. He hopped in and punched the key in the ignition.

“Anywhere else?”

I opened my eyes and turned to face him. A laugh escaped that reverberated off the walls of the truck and spiraled out of control.

Adam had shoved the glow stick in his pocket, causing his entire crotch to radiate like a nuclear meltdown. I was hysterical for a minute or two before I could breathe again.

“My stomach hurts,” I said, wiping a tear. “That’s money.” I groaned, letting out a few stray laughs. It was the first time I really let down my guard with Adam and he was thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. His eyes squinted from a broad grin and he winked at me.

“Kryptonite, sweetheart.” He tossed the stick in the back and the engine growled as the car pulled out.

“Wait!” I hissed.

Adam reacted, slamming the brakes as I flew forward. He threw his arm out protectively, despite the fact I was buckled up.

Between two buildings, someone was watching us, and this time I saw him. He stepped into the dark shadows and that prickly feeling surfaced. Somehow—I felt him. Now I knew that he was not just a phantom memory chasing me in my dreams and that terrified me.

When I lost consciousness during the attack, I never knew what happened to the man. With that uncertainty there was always an underlying fear that he was behind every door, every dark shadow, and in my head. He became my boogeyman. What if he found me? He couldn’t possibly know what I look like now, but what if…

Adam threw the car in park and sprang into action, hitting the pavement in a full run.

“Adam, wait!” But it was too late.

My hands started shaking as he charged between the buildings and vanished from sight. The car was quiet except for the sound of my stampeding heartbeat. Minutes passed.

I popped open the door and I took a few cautious steps toward the corridor, but as I neared the curb I had second thoughts.

Just as I turned on my heel, I was grabbed by an arm. I spun around to face Adam.

“What are you doing out of the ca—”

I slapped him. The sound cut through the air and marked him with my anger in red splotches that formed on his cheek.

“Don’t you ever leave me alone like that again! You can’t just run off; what if something happened?”

Adam paled. It didn’t occur to me how those words might affect him, but I wasn’t thinking rationally. He attempted to pull me against him but I recoiled, trembling all over. It wasn’t just me, but what if something happened to him ?

“Adam Razor… if I don’t live and fucking breathe.”

We simultaneously turned to the right and emerging from a black Jeep Commander was a brute of a man—thick and stocky in build, wearing a black beanie hat and a tight, white, long-sleeved shirt that looked like buttercream icing over his body-builder frame. His inquisitive eyes glowed from the illumination of the cigarette burning at the end. He pulled in a long drag, eating up the time as the paper crackled.

“Knox… you’re a little off the map, aren’t you?”

“Likewise, brother.” The cigarette was tossed to the asphalt and crushed beneath sizable laced-up boots as he blew out the smoke. I didn’t like the way he glared at me, so I stepped closer to Adam. Knox folded his arms, pushing out those boulders he called muscles.

“Go wait in the car.”

Adam didn’t wait for an argument but escorted me to the car and slammed the door. I watched the two men lock arms and I cracked the manual window just a little so I could eavesdrop.

“I told you I’m out,” Adam stated factually.

“Which brings me back to my previous question—what brings you out here? It’s a pretty big mother of a fucking coincidence.” His muscled arm stretched out over the car door and I didn’t see him blink once. Intimidation oozed out of his pores as if it were part of his DNA makeup.

“This is my life, Knox. Deal.”

“Sure you don’t want to tell me something? Last chance, because I’ll find out.”

Adam’s stance widened. “I’m squeaky clean, as you’ll see. No one sent you to find me?”

“Hell no, we got bigger fish in the frying pan.” Knox lowered the tip of his hat so his eyes were hidden. I remained quiet, knowing any sound I made would alert them that I could hear what they were saying.

“Pretty girl.” His eyes skated to the car and Adam turned to check on me. “She yours?”

“She’s a friend; I’m helping her out.”

Knox rubbed his hand against his chin, pulling in his lower lip. “Do me a favor and cook up that big juicy steak you’re going to put over your cheek when you get home, brother. I like it well-done. Looks like you’re the one that needs the help.”

Adam softly chuckled and his hand touched the back of his neck. It was his thing, one of those gestures that was intrinsically Adam. “Sounds to me like you haven’t found that someone special.”

Knox sounded like a distant motor when he laughed and he tilted his wide chin up with a smirk. “I like my women naked with their legs wrapped around my neck—now that’s special.” I almost shuddered at the visual. His smile spread tight across those steel jaws. “Relationships are for pussies, I think we’ve established that.”

“Still the same old whore you always were, Knox.” Adam’s tone warmed and despite their banter, I could see they were friends.

“It isn’t the same. You should see the mindfuck they paired me up with.”

I turned in irritation as a small Chevy sputtered out of its parking space. The engine drowned out the conversation at the most critical point. Once the car narrowly missed losing its transmission turning the corner, their voices drifted back.

“Got to fucking love it.” They laughed in unison and I turned my mouth, thinking that this wasn’t the type of friend I imagined Adam pairing up with. But then, there was a lot about Adam I didn’t understand.

“Is this a job, anything I need a heads-up on?”

“Sorry, brother, you know the rules. Let’s just say this is my R&R. It’s never too late to come back.”

“You know where I stand on this, Knox. There’s no going back. I already got them on my ass. I’ve worked hard to make a life here and stay under the radar. You need to open your eyes to what’s going on.”

“My eyes are wide fucking open. The elusive Trinity files were hacked. Yeah, that’s right. My partner is a royal dick but his skills are impeccable. What I saw would pop your cork, and it sheds a little light on some of the jobs we did.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind hacking into that database? I hope your twisted buddy knows how to cover his tracks, or you’ll end up out here with me.”

Knox looked around, unimpressed. “Yeah, this blows.”

“This doesn’t seem like standard—” When the voices abruptly cut off, my eyes lifted from the floor of the car. Busted. I cringed as their gaze splintered me.

Knox reached into the Jeep and pulled out a cigarette, cupping his hand around the end as a flame poked out of a polished silver lighter. The metal clinked and it was tucked safely in his back pocket. The cigarette, on the other hand, stood no chance against his long, life-sucking drags. Knox threw a heavy hand over Adam’s shoulder and gave it a firm shake.

“You’re a jackass for not calling. My proctologist keeps in better touch than you do.”

“You know me, never been one for postcards.”

Knox threw another glance in my direction. “To be continued.”

“Knox.” Adam inclined his head. “I was wrong; we were wrong.” He glanced over his shoulder at me but this time I didn’t break eye contact.

On the drive back, I was running on empty and Adam gave me a look as if he were daring me to ask who that was. So I decided to rest my eyes and think about Max for a little while.

I stirred when I felt someone hooking their arms beneath my legs; I wanted to open my eyes but I drifted back to sleep.

That is until I was thumped in the head by something solid. My cheek was pressed against a cold wooden door.

Adam was struggling to turn the key in the lock while carrying me.

I stiffened my back so that he would drop me. Honestly, I wasn’t used to being carried around like that.

“Wait, put me down.”

“Shhh, go back to sleep, hon.”

The key turned and Adam cradled me tighter.

Through tangled lashes I saw his handsome face, that soft ruffled hair and brows that dipped low like a shadow. It felt good to be held. Adam made me feel safe, something no man had ever done.

There was a glimmer of fire in those bottomless eyes. “Woman, don’t you move a single muscle.”

“What about my hands?” I mumbled as my eyes closed.

“I guess you’ll have to keep your hands to yourself. Think you can manage?”

Versus the alternative of electrocuting my best friend? You bet.

My head lolled back on his broad shoulder until I felt the cool press of the comforter beneath my body. I was floating on a cloud. The flip-flops were removed from my feet one at a time and something exquisitely soft brushed across my legs.

Warm breath tickled my face and the bed depressed in two spots. But it wasn’t breath, it was the wind. I was standing on the shore on a moonlit night. The wind called so very close to my ear, but the water was warm and inviting as I moved forward.

“You awake?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I’m going to let you sleep tonight.”

“Mmm.”

“You hear me?”

I grunted. The wind was noisy and needed to put a sock in it. I just wanted the silent waters.

“Tomorrow you’re telling me everything. All of this secrecy ends. It’s time that you learn to trust me, Zoë. Can you do that?”

My body slipped deeper into the dark and inviting waters, feeling the warmth run up my legs and smother me.

“Zoë?”

Waves were lapping over my mouth, brushing my lips with promises. I could feel Adam all around me.

“Did you hear me? Tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I promised and completely submersed into the darkness.