Chapter 24
I shoved my elbow back into the ghost’s nose and heard it crack. Then I stomped on his toe and ran like hell.
The chaos of the accident was still drawing everyone’s attention. Aside from the people I shoved out of the way, no one noticed the woman fleeing through the crowd with blood on her coat’s sleeve.
“Was that you, Ramesh?” I asked as I sucked air, preparing my body for escape.
“Yes. I hacked the traffic system and kept that light green to cause an accident. I’ll beg for forgiveness later.”
“Nice one, guy in the chair,” I commended and flew back past the bank. “Now, how the hell do we get out of here?”
“You, turn right at the next intersection. Bray, go left on your street,” Ramesh commanded.
“Wait, you’re not behind me, Bray?” I asked. I held my finger to my earpiece as I looked over my shoulder and kept running. No sign of Bray, but the ghost was plowing up the side walk like a rolling boulder, shoving people out of the way.
“No,” Bray huffed. “Better if we split them up.”
“Where are you?” I swiveled my head again but only saw a blur of stone buildings, street, sidewalk, and faces. I was already a block from the accident, where people weren’t as concerned yet.
“Don’t worry about me,” Bray said. “Ramesh, where are we meeting?”
“You’re both going opposite directions from where you parked, but I don’t think we want to turn this into a car chase through the streets of downtown Houston anyway. Let me get you into a building.”
I had never stopped running. I was dodging people left and right. Bobbing and weaving in and out of pedestrians and intermittently glancing over my shoulder to see the ghost still chasing me.
“Any of these buildings an option?” I said through a tight breath. “It would be nice to lose this guy.”
“Working on it …” Ramesh trailed off.
“Oh, shit,” Bray hissed.
“What happened?” I asked over my thundering heart.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about me.”
“I’m always worried about you, Agent Bray,” I said.
“Katherine—alley up ahead,” Ramesh cut in.
“Is there a fence at the other end of it?” I asked.
“No,” Ramesh said.
“Pity, you should see her jump one,” Bray said with an audible smile.
“Turn right at the next opportunity,” Ramesh instructed.
My feet pounded the pavement. Air moved in and out of my lungs. I saw the gap up ahead: an alley between a law firm and a restaurant. “There better not be anyone waiting down this alley for me, Ramesh,” I said, and closed in on it.
“Satellite says it’s clear. Turn now,” he responded.
“You can see me? You’re not just Google Maps-ing this?”
“Live, in living color.”
“Damn. I’m going to demand my own guy in a chair from here on out.
” I flew around the corner and felt the temperature drop in the shade between the buildings.
A glance over my shoulder said the ghost had fallen behind.
“Oh God, I think this is a seafood restaurant.” I nearly gagged with a hand over my mouth as I ran past a dumpster.
“All-you-can-eat shrimp on Tuesdays,” Ramesh reported. “Now, on the other side, take a left. Two blocks up, you’ll run into the Lancaster Hotel. I’m booking a room for you under Calvin Bray and …”
“Lauren Thomas,” I filled in for him. “It’s the only ID I’ve got.”
“Got it,” he said. “Bray? You still with us.”
The pause that carried over the line made my heart skip a beat.
“Yeah, I’m here. Lancaster Hotel, got it,” Bray said.
“Good. I figure you guys disappear and lay low for tonight, and we’ll work on a way out tomorrow,” Ramesh said.
“Sounds good to me,” I grunted as I broke free of the dim light on the other side of the alley.
“Left,” Ramesh reminded me. “Bray, you keep going straight. That garage would be a shortcut, but I don’t like the look of it. I’ll lose sight of you.”
“It’ll get me off the street faster,” Bray protested.
“I see the hotel,” I reported. “It’s a block away.” I hurried across the street while the WALK sign was on and slowed on the other side. “Any sign of him?” I asked.
“I think you lost him,” Ramesh reported.
“Good.” It would look less suspicious if I didn’t hurtle myself into a hotel, out of breath, and say I was checking in like nothing was amiss.
I forced air in and out of my lungs in a practiced way to help slow my heart rate. I reached the hotel door when I heard a sharp crack in my ear. It stopped me in my tracks.
“What was that?” I asked.
Bray grunted and then there was a muffled sound like his earpiece had fallen out.
“Bray? What’s going on?” I demanded.
“Bray, you there?” Ramesh asked with the same concern. “Damn it, I told you not to go into that garage. I can’t see you.”
My calmed heart picked back up. “Where is he? What happened?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see,” Ramesh said. “Bray? Say something.”
“I’m going back for him,” I said, and turned around.
“No. Go in the hotel right now,” Ramesh commanded. “Your guy is back. He’s a block away. Get inside before he sees you.”
“Shit,” I hissed and yanked the door back open.
Cool, floral-scented air greeted me on the other side.
The fresh cleanse made me realize I’d broken a sweat in my escape.
I walked to the registration counter as casually as I could, all the while wanting to scream into my earpiece.
But I needed to get inside behind a locked door as soon as I could.
“Hi, checking in for Thomas?” I said to the smiling clerk.
“Sure thing, Ms. Thomas,” she said and tapped her keyboard. “I see we have you with us for one night, and you’ve already paid in full. Will you need help with your—?” She cut off when she noticed I had no luggage.
“I travel light,” I said with a tight smile, telling her not to ask anything more.
“Of course,” she said with her pearly teeth still showing. “You’ll be in room 1447. Wi-Fi is in the room info packet, and breakfast is served from six thirty to ten. Please call down if you need anything.” She slid two keycards across the desk. “All I need is a signature.”
“Thank you.” I swiped the cards to stash in my pocket and scribbled something remotely resembling Lauren Thomas on the electronic pad.
“Enjoy your stay,” the clerk said.
I tightly smiled and quickly turned away. “Fourteenth floor is a long way to run for an escape, Ramesh,” I muttered.
“You’ll take what I can give you on short notice.”
“At least you didn’t pick the hotel that started this all. Where’s Bray?”
“You’re listening to the same channel I am. He’s gone dark.”
I cursed again and hit the elevator call button. The elegant lobby blurred around me. All I could think of was getting into my room and throwing the dead bolt. Maybe sitting on the bed with my gun pointed at the door. “Bray, answer us, damn it.”
“I have eyes on the garage he must have cut through, but he hasn’t come out the side he should have,” Ramesh said.
The elevator arrived, and I climbed in. My jaw was so tight, I was grinding my teeth to dust. I couldn’t bear the thought of him bleeding out in a parking garage because of me. “How far is that from where I am?” I asked.
“Four blocks. At a run, he should be there in five minutes, tops.”
“Well, if he’s not here in ten, I’m going to look for him.”
“I have to advise against that.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not the best rule follower.”
“He mentioned that about you.”
The elevator arrived on my floor, and I stepped out into the hall. “God damn it, Bray. Had to be a hero.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Ramesh said.
“He didn’t sound fine. That sounded like a gunshot.”
“He’s taken a few of those before.”
“Is that supposed to be comforting?” I gaped at what he’d said while I swiped my keycard at my door.
“Sorry. I’m just saying, he’ll pull through.”
“He better.”
I entered my room to the same smell that had filled the lobby: fresh florals. Curtains at the far end framed a view of the surrounding buildings in the fading light. I immediately walked to the minibar and uncapped the bottle of water sitting there.
“How long has it been?” I asked when I finished gulping.
“Two minutes,” Ramesh reported.
“Any sign of him?”
“Not yet.”
I paced to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water at the sink. I pawed at my hair, which had gotten tangled and mussed in my escape. A flush still colored my cheeks. My reflection looked both bursting with life and a hundred years old, and that was exactly how I felt.
I walked back to the bedroom and untucked the gun from my waistband. I set it on the TV stand and then sunk onto the bed. The downy fluff cradled me like a hug. I would have flopped back and relaxed if my entire body wasn’t screaming with angst over what was happening to Bray.
“How long now?” I asked Ramesh.
“Six minutes.”
“This isn’t good.”
“It’s not bad yet, either. Give him time,” Ramesh said.
“He’s had plenty of time. Can you see his phone signal?”
“That’s dark too.”
I swallowed the curse stinging my tongue and lay back on the bed. How did this happen? How did the people chasing me end up catching him? Behind my closed eyes, all I could see was the ghost pointing a gun at Bray and pulling the trigger.
“No,” I said and sat up sharply.
“No?” Ramesh asked. “No what?”
I pushed up from the bed and marched to the window. The city crawled below, a grid of lights and dark spaces. He was down there somewhere, and I was going to find him.
“No, I’m not waiting anymore,” I said. “I’m going to find him.”
“Erin, you can’t. You have to stay where you are. He told me to make sure you’re safe above all else.” He dispensed with my code name, making this sound much more serious.
“I’m sure he did, but he doesn’t get to die for me. No one else does.”
“Erin, please—”
“I’m sorry, Ramesh. I’ll go dark if you don’t want to help, but it will be better if you do.” I shoved my gun back in my pants and headed for the door.
“Erin!” Ramesh protested right as I wrenched it open to someone standing on the other side.
Bray, bruised and bloodied, leaned on the doorframe. My heart shot to the moon at the sight of him. He held up a finger like he was going to lecture me. “Don’t go trying to be a hero. I’ve already got that locked down.” Then he tumbled through the doorway and nearly collapsed in my arms.