“Cruz?” Agent Harris findsme motionless in the service entrance, cradling the Spartan Box. “What happened? Why did you say Liam’s name in there? Is he here?”
“No, I, uh…” I swallow. “I kind of freaked out for a minute.”
“And you decided to escape through a grate in the service entrance?” he asks, doubt evident in his voice.
“Yep. Great way out,” I say, and head the way Liam disappeared. Maybe I can still catch him.
If he needs this box… that means his grandfather gave me away. I close my eyes, terrified over how they got him to confess. It’s all my fault. I can’t turn this over to the Feds; Liam needs it. So why did he run? We could have figured something out together.
I continue down the dark tunnel.
“Is there a reason we couldn’t go out the front door?” Caleb asks, jumping when a rat scurries past him.
“Yes. We’ve put Eve in trouble. I only meant to take what was in the box but I… I got scared. This way it looks like we stole the box, and it keeps her safe until we can get this all settled.”
Caleb doesn’t argue, continuing to follow me.
This ‘great way out’ turns out to be terrible. It drops us in an underground sewage line. I’m too stubborn to admit I’m wrong, and I won’t tell Caleb what really happened. No way will I tell him the reckless way I kissed Liam, like it was going to be our last.
So instead, we trek through years of sludge. I don’t even tease Caleb when he throws up. I feel sick myself—sick with the terrible fear that I just killed Liam’s grandfather.
We made it to the safe house after cleaning off as best we could. The taxi driver charged us triple, but we paid it. The whole way back I hoped Liam would meet us. If he hadn’t run off, we could have made a plan. We could have worked something out together. But Liam has to work alone. Until a week ago, I preferred the same thing, but I no longer want to be the only one on my side. It’s so lonely.
“You owe me big for this,” Caleb grunts, shivering in his underwear as Terry sprays him off in the backyard with a hose. Terry refused to let us inside in our filthy state. I thought he was kidding when he told Caleb to strip, but he was completely serious.
My lips twitch. “I could send your girlfriend a picture.”
“Don’t you dare.” A blast of water slaps Caleb’s chest, and he flinches.
I don’t laugh, because it’s my turn next. Thankfully, when the time comes, Terry and Caleb retreat to the house to allow me privacy.
I’m already numb before the water touches my skin.
The world is all wrong right now. I need to help Liam, but I can’t, and I’m being hunted by men intent on killing me. I can’t help thinking the worst is yet to come.
I strip to my underwear then I spray off my body, grateful for the tall hedges to keep me hidden from the neighbors. I finish and wrap in the towel, heading for the upstairs bathroom since Caleb is in the one downstairs. Cranking the water as hot as it can go, I stand under the scalding stream until my skin is red and raw, and I’m sure the dreadful smell is a thing of the past.
I wrap in a fresh towel and step out of the shower. A shiver runs down my spine as a breeze from the window hits my damp body. I don’t remember leaving that op—
I whip around.
“Liam?” He’s sitting on the vanity, leaning against the mirror, arms folded over his chest, eyes closed like he was enjoying an afternoon nap. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,” he says, eyes still blessedly closed.
“That’s what I wanted to do in the museum. But I meant why are you here, in this bathroom, where I was conveniently showering?”
“That was convenient, wasn’t it?” he asks, his lips curled in a lopsided smile.
“Get out,” I whisper-shout.
“I heard your partner at the museum and didn’t want him to see me. But I need your help.”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you before you ran away.”
“And you’ll always be right.” He lifts a shoulder. “I guess I’m just used to running.”
I get that. But there’s something Idon’tget. “Why don’t you smell like sewage?”
