23. Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Ashley
A aron and I shove our belongings into two small bags, and we’re on the street walking in a matter of minutes. “What happened back there?” I ask as we cut down a side street.
“Someone had been in our room.”
My heart that’s already racing skips a beat. “How did you know?”
“A glass was moved a few inches.”
A glass was moved a few inches . I don’t even know what to say to that. He notices when a glass is moved? I need to notice when a glass is moved. What kind of life is that to lead? And yet, that has always been his life. I wonder for the first time what that must be like. I wonder if he loves it or hates it. I wonder what he really wanted in life when this all began for him and if this is where he thought he’d end up. By the time we’re on a subway car facing each other, our hands stacked on a pole, legs twined, I’m searching his face. I’m thinking about the way he was hunted by a cartel after taking down someone inside that cartel. He didn’t want this. It came to him. It happened. He accepted it and thrived inside this life. I have two choices: quit or thrive. I’m with him. I’m going to make sure I thrive.
His brow knits and he leans in close. “What are you thinking?”
“That I’m not afraid. I’m angry. I’m challenged. But, I want to survive. I want us to survive.”
Surprise followed by admiration flickers in his eyes. “We’ll do more than survive. We’ll win.”
Win .
It’s a good word. It promises good things. What those good things look like, though, I don’t know. I don’t let my mind define a fantasy world or life. I don’t let my mind ask questions. There’s only one win for me, and that’s with him.
Aaron strokes my hair, his eyes soft. The car halts and we end up alone: the only ones in the train and this is a relief to me. Alone is safe.
“Can we talk?” I whisper.
He gives a negative shake of his head. He doesn’t trust any public location. He’s afraid of being recorded. I don’t see how that’s possible, not if we were targeted. I suppose if there’s an existing device in the car, it could be tapped, and we could be listened in on.
“But we can do this,” he says, and before I know his intent, his hand is on the back of my head, his fingers tangled into my hair, and he’s kissing me. A deep, possessive kiss that still tastes of his anger back there in the bagel shop with Smith and Adam. He didn’t like the way Smith touched me. He didn’t like the way Smith tried to claim me, but it wasn’t how he saw it. Smith couldn’t claim me. I’m already his, and I was from the moment we met. I want him to know this. I want to kiss him deep enough and passionate enough for him to know this, but already his mouth parts from mine.
“Aaron,” I say, grabbing at his shirt.
“Later. Later, we’ll be alone and safe.” He strokes my hair, and then his fingers are laced with mine, bags back in our hands. We exit the car, heading through the subway.
For the next few hours, this continues until we sit down at the back of a diner side by side in a booth, our view of the front door clear. The back door is through a hallway just behind us. Aaron pulls out two MacBooks, giving me one of them.
“Who do you think found us?” I ask, before I ask about our plans for anything going forward.
“It could be Walker checking me out.” He hands me a phone. “Call Smith and find out. Don’t talk to him any longer than two minutes. We’ll call him back once I know what we’re dealing with.”
“What if it wasn’t him?”
“Call him,” he says. “I need to know.”
“What if he lies?” I ask.
“Then he can’t be trusted. We shouldn’t be dealing with him at all.”
I purse my lips and pick up the phone. “I trust him.”
“Then make sure he’s straight with you because I don’t trust him.”
“I know,” I say, and I only grow more determined to prove that’s a wrong decision. We need help. We have help, though Smith admittedly did a crap job of proving that to Aaron today.
I dial Smith. He answers on the first ring. “Ashley?”
“Yes. Did you have someone search our hotel room?”
“What? No. I didn’t know where you were. Shit. You’re in trouble. Get out. We’ll protect you. Come here—”
Aaron takes the phone. “Listen to me. Your people could end up dead, too, if the people after me think you can hurt them. I’m taking us off-grid. You need to stay off-grid as well. I’ll be in touch.” He glances at me. “ We’ll be in touch.” He hangs up and sets the phone down, taking it apart and then submerging it in a glass of water.
“You believe him, right?” I ask. “You know it wasn’t him.”
“I heard the conversation. I believe him, or I wouldn’t have taken the phone.”
“The CIA found us,” I say, my stomach knotting.
“Our enemies found us,” he replies. “Does that mean the CIA? Yet to be determined.”
“Now what?”
“We find an Airbnb and stay there.” He hands me two IDs. “Mr. and Mrs. Samroy. It’s not a common name. Common names get attention. Find a place to stay that takes dogs. We’re going to get a dog. No one expects that. We’ll go to the shelter tomorrow.” He sets one of the phones next to me and slides a piece of paper with the number on it beside me.
“Only if we’re keeping the dog. I’m not adopting one and then deserting it.”
He gives a shake of his head. “We can’t keep the dog.”
“Then we have to pretend to have a dog. I’m not doing that to a dog. End of discussion.”
“Ashley—”
“No. No. No .” I open the computer and start searching for a place. “What flavor? Nice? Elegant? Ghetto?”
“We want a place where neighbors won’t be able to watch us. If possible, something with security.”
“A standalone,” I say. “Got it. Price?”
“Whatever it takes.”
“Isn’t big money attention grabbing?”
“Find options. I’ll decide.”
“All right,” I say, getting to work. I’m efficient. I’m resourceful. Things that were always a value to my boss in my legal profession as was my attention to detail. I type in the search as he powers up as well, and we work side by side. I don’t know what he’s doing. Yes, I do. He’s trying to keep us alive because our future is uncertain. That shakes me a bit, and I press my fingers to my temple. Bad people are after us.
“Hey,” he says, turning to me, taking my face into his big, strong hands. He tilts my gaze to his. “We’re going to win, remember?”
“Yes. I know. I just—I wish I knew how to fight a little bigger and a little better.”
“You’re what makes me fight a little bigger and a little better. A lot fucking better. They aren’t going to end me because I have you. Because I have you to live for now, Ashley, and you have me, which is why I’m going to teach you to be the biggest badass bitch ever.”
I laugh. “The biggest badass bitch?”
“That’s right. You’ll hurt any man who tries to hurt you unless I kill them first, and mark my word, I will kill for you, Ashley.”