I’m hesitant to take it. “Is there a tracker on it?”
“There was. I got it out and tossed it while we were on the plane.” He shoots me a smirk, and I can’t help but smile. Even through all this stress, he still finds a way to put me at ease.
“Order whatever—Chinese, pizza, Thai. I don’t care. I just don’t do sushi.” He makes a stink face, and I laugh.
“It’s a little early for lunch. How can you not like sushi? It’s some of the best stuff in the world,” I gush.
His eyes shoot up. “Raw fish? That’s some of the best stuff in the world? You’re crazy, girl. I always knew you were a little different, but I didn’t think you’d have bad taste in food.”
He’s teasing me, and I love it. It feels so… normal. It’s exactly what I need.
“I’m not different! You’re the different one. Sushi is as mainstream now as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There are very few people who don’t eat it.”
“Well, I still don’t like it.” He sticks his tongue out at me and chuckles as he shakes his head. He stands and walks into the other room, starting up a quiet conversation with Dylan.
I open the web browser and search for pizza places. I doubt it will be as good as a Chicago deep dish, but I can dream. There are a few places close by with decent ratings, so I pull up a website to look at the menu. I have no idea what type of pizza Grayson likes. Climbing off the bed, I walk into the living room. His head is in his hands, and the muscles in his back are tensed. I can almost smell his fear permeating the air.If he’s this worried, I should be terrified.
He’s talking so quiet, it’s hard to hear, but I’m able to make out the last thing he says. “You need to get us out of here, Winston.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Grayson
“Grayson?” she asks. I didn’t even hear her come up behind me; she was so quiet.
I snap my head up, looking at her, and offer a small smile. It’s supposed to be reassuring, but I’m sure I just look scared. “Winston, call me as soon as you have an update.” I end the call.
Her breathing accelerates, and her eyes water with unshed tears. “What’s wrong?” Her voice shakes as she speaks.
I don’t want to tell her. I don’t want her worrying any more than she has to. The signs of panic are settling in. I stand directly in front of her, hold her face between my hands, and kiss her. It’s not hard, it’s not fast; it’s perfect. She wraps her small hands around my forearms and melts into the kiss. I want to stay here—always. I want life to be this simple; just the two of us. No worries, no place to be, just enjoying the moment.
I pull back and look into her eyes. Her chin quivers as she holds back tears.
“He’s found me, hasn’t he?”
I nod. “They know we’re in New York. It’s just a matter of time before this address gets discovered. Winston said this place has a panic room; we can use that if we need to. However, he told me no one should be able to bust down the front door, aside from a rocket launcher.”
A message comes in from Dylan.God, I hope this is good news.
Dylan:Your cover’s blown. Grayson Bowers is now up on the Ever After site, and there’s a large bounty for your capture.
“Fuck.” We’re sitting ducks here. At least I don’t have to wear fake glasses anymore. I toss them on the side table, forgetting they were still on.
“He knows you’re not Chase, doesn’t he?” Her voice cracks, and the tears fall.
“Yeah, baby. He knows.” I kiss the top of her head and pull her into my embrace. Her body trembles in fear. I hate what he’s done to her. I hate the fear that’s rolling off her. I want to kill him for how he’s broken her.
She pushes back, out of my arms, and wraps her own around her. Her eyes are cold, and her words come out strong. “I’m not worth all this. I don’t want you getting hurt, or killed, trying to protect me.”
“Bullshit!” She jumps with the volume of my voice and blinks at me. “You’reexactlywho I’ve been waiting for, and youareworth it. No one’s felt as right as you feel, and I’ll be damned if I lose you right after making you mine,” I growl.
She shakes her head and keeps me at arm’s length. “No, I’m not worth it. He’ll stop at nothing to bring me back. He doesn’t care who he hurts or what laws he breaks.” Her eyes widen. “Can you have someone check on Allie and my parents? Maybe get them a stationed cop or something?”
“I don’t think he would do anything to them. He doesn’t want to cause a scene. He put me up on the site because there are a lot of people that would love to get their hands on me for what I’ve done to them. It’s an easy way to get powerful people with bad intentions looking for us.” Her stomach grumbles. “We need to get some food if we are going to be holed up in this place for a while. Did you find something you want? I can run out to get it for us.”
“I don’t want you going out there. We can get it delivered.”
“No.” My voice is stern. “We aren’t going to be opening this door for anyone. I’ll get it and bring it back for us.”
