“I need clothes. And a nap,” Grace said while holding my arm as we strolled toward a high-end shopping center. I was lucky enough to have untraceable cards, but I still pulled enough cash out to be safe. I didn’t trust that these people easily believed that we were dead. We just had to get settled and find a plan. “Be honest, does my hair look terrible?”
Yeah. It did. It was just a collection of knots on top of her head. “Nope. It looks great.”
“Liar.”
“Okay, fine,” I began. “It looks like shit, and there are a couple of birds eyeing you. I bet they’re trying to figure out if your hair could be used as a nest. You also have debris coating every strand. You’re scratched and bruised to hell and desperately need a shower.”
“Damn, Alessandro,” she said while scrunching her eyes and pulling away. “I asked about my hair, you didn’t have to do me dirty with everything else.” She shook her head, then led the way into the store, and within minutes she was already picking through pajama sets and yoga pants. “How long do you think we’re staying?” she asked while chewing on her lip.
“I’m not sure yet. I need to get set up in the hotel and set up a secure IP address and do some digging. We might have to move again. Grab enough clothes to be on the run for a while. Whoever these people are, they don’t want us getting close to Nix and have no problem getting rid of us.”
She nodded and rolled her shoulders back. “Got it. Think we can fit a coffee date in there somewhere? I hear Australian coffee is to die for. Maybe brunch?”
I smiled. “I think we can make that happen.”
“Can we have brunch on the beach?” she pressed with a sly smile.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I replied with a chuckle. I liked putting a smile on Grace’s face. I liked seeing her free of worries and full of excitement.
I stayed nearby as she piled clothes over her slender arm. She didn’t bother trying them on. Grace was definitely ready for a nap. I’d followed her shopping before and knew she was meticulous about clothes and style and fit. Right now she was just grabbing the necessities. Once she was done, I grabbed some options of my own and a carry-on suitcase for us, then picked up some toiletries and a first aid kit. We checked out, loaded the bags into our rolling carry-on, and started heading back toward the hotel.
It wasn’t until we were about half a mile from the Sofitel that I noticed him—a man with a ball cap and sweatshirt was following us. He kept slipping behind buildings to avoid being seen. My muscles went tense, and I considered my options. I didn’t want to tell Grace just yet.
“Little One?” I said in a low voice.
“Yeah?” She was humming to herself, likely trying to stay awake. I just hoped she could pull it together long enough to do what needed to be done.
“Someone is following us,” I said in a low voice. “I need you to grab our suitcase and sprint to the hotel. You have the key, right?” I asked while eyeing her. She stumbled over her feet and nodded. Good. “Once you get there, lock the door. If I’m not there in forty-five minutes, I want you to grab your passport and the money, then grab the first flight out of here. Get cleaned up; you might be on the run for a while. I don’t care where your flight goes. Don’t stop moving until you hear from Gavriel.”
“Alessandro, what are you saying?”
“Run. Run, Grace.”
She paused for a moment to whisper, “I love you,” before gripping the handle of our suitcase and sprinting toward the hotel. I moved immediately, turning around and sprinting after the man following us. My muscles burned from soreness, and I was so tired I felt like passing out. But I kept my eyes locked on my target and moved fast.
Got you, motherfucker.
Chapter Eight
Nix
I shouldn’t have come.
It was hard enough escaping the guards that kept watch over me. This morning, when I saw footage of Alessandro and Grace going through customs, my heart bottomed out. They were being reckless. Alessandro didn’t know how to disappear quite like I did. I watched them when I could, then became anxious when I realized they were shopping just around the corner of where I was being held. It was risky, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the Ringleaders found out that I’d escaped—or found Alessandro and Grace. But I had to warn them.
So I crushed pills in my guard’s drink and slipped out the window when he passed out. I’d been saving this method for a special occasion. I’d never attempted to escape before, so the guards weren’t expecting it. I had to see if Alessandro and Grace were okay. I needed to see that they really were alive, as well as make sure none of the Ringleaders were following them. I should have known Alessandro would catch me stalking after them. The moment Grace sprinted off toward the hotel they were staying in, I spun around and ran the opposite direction. My feet pounded against the pavement. Confused pedestrians filtered out of the way as I dodged and ducked to get away. No, no, no. He couldn’t find me, because then they would find him. I was so fucking stupid.
My breathing became labored as I sprinted across a bridge and through a strip of restaurants with outdoor seating. I knocked over a chair and sent glasses flying when my body collided with a vacant table. People were shouting, and I took a split second to look over my shoulder. Alessandro was gaining on me. And when our eyes met, he stumbled in shock. Fuck.
I pushed harder and turned left down an unpopulated street. At the end was the
