Chapter 21 #2
What exactly did Mateo have planned, and why did it sound like whatever it was, there would be no coming back from it?
August 23rd
12:06 A.M.
As much as he wanted this moment to go on forever, it couldn’t.
Sighing, Mateo pressed a little more of his weight into Ally just for a second, one more second where he got to feel his girl, before he pulled out of her and sat up, propping his back against the cold wall of the tiny room, and hauling her into his lap.
“Time to go back to reality, isn’t it?” she asked as she curled herself into his chest. Her hot, wet center was right against him, and he’d love nothing more than to sink himself into her again, spend the night enjoying her gorgeous body, but he didn't have the luxury of time.
If Griffin had told Ally the truth about his plans but instructed her not to share, he probably expected that while she would sooner or later spill all, it wouldn't be tonight. Tonight, she’d just be grateful to have him with her, so she wouldn't even think about telling him what she knew.
Which meant if he was going to make a move, it had to be tonight.
This time around, there were no worries about being selfish, about working for the greater good, or putting his job before the woman he loved.
He didn't care if it was selfish, if it made him like his family, there was no way in hell he was letting his girl sit in this room, alone, day after day, slowly wasting away into nothing.
His girl came first. And he was ashamed that he’d ever considered, much less actually put, anything else before her.
“Yeah, little mouse, time to go back to reality.”
“What’s the plan?”
The plan was crazy, that’s what it was. But it was also the only thing he could think of that would keep her safe indefinitely.
If she agreed to it.
Because she’d be giving up everything to make this happen.
“Azure won't let you go, not ever. You understand that, right?” he asked, trying to keep his words gentle.
There was fear in her eyes, but acceptance as well. “I didn't think they would. I mean, I hoped, but I didn't think it was likely, not after what Griffin told me about only letting you rent me for the night and using me to keep you on a short leash.”
Holding her tighter, because all the ways this could go wrong were running through his mind, he touched his forehead to her temple. “There is a way to get them off your back for good.”
“What?”
“Fake your death.”
Ally jerked back to look at him. “That’s your plan? To fake my death?”
“There was a guy who was working here undercover with me, only I didn't know he was one of the other Prey plants at the time. His name was Nathan, and he fell for one of the women Azure kidnapped. When he realized, he talked with our boss, Falcon, about a way to get her out. Their plan was to fake her death, pretend Nathan lost control and killed her, inject her with a drug that would simulate death, then tag her so that when her body was dumped, Prey would swoop in and rescue her.”
“That’s what you want to do to me?”
“No. Griffin would never buy that I lose control and hurt you.”
“Then what?”
“Then I'm going to break you out of here. When he realizes I'm gone, Griffin will assume that you told me the truth about only letting me rent you, and he’ll send people after us. We’ll fake our deaths in the shootout, and I’ll go down as a lesson as to what happens if you betray Azure.”
“But that would mean you need to fake your death, too,” she said, brows puckering.
“That’s exactly what it means.”
“But you'd have to give up the job you took on to bring Azure down.”
“There are two other undercover operatives still here.”
“But everyone will think you're dead.”
“You're not the only one who doesn’t have any friends, little mouse. I haven’t had contact with my family since I turned eighteen and walked out the door, and I don’t let anyone else get close to me to call them a friend.
Besides, I’ll still be able to keep working for Prey, we’ll just both have new identities and have to move out of the city so we’re not spotted by anyone from Azure. ”
Tears shimmered in her stunningly blue eyes. “You'd really do all that for me? Fake your death? Start over somewhere new?”
“I'd do anything for you,” he said simply. The smile she gave him was pure magic, and he would have loved to soak it in, but they couldn’t waste any more time.
“So, how are we getting out? I assume we can't just walk out the front door.”
“We can't,” he agreed. “But I can.” When her brows furrowed in confusion again, he elaborated. “I’m going to go to the gym, grab a bag of weights, then bring them down here, dump them in the bed, cover them with blankets, and then put you in the bag.”
“How big is this bag?” she asked dubiously.
“Big enough to fit you, although it’s not going to be comfortable. You only need to stay in it until we get to the car.”
“You have a car parked here?”
“No, but I’ll take one of Azure’s, then dump it and change to another one. As soon as we get in it, I can use a phone to call Prey.” When he said it out loud, it all sounded so simple, but so many things could go wrong. Too many. Enough that he didn't want to dwell on them.
“Okay,” she said, offering him the precious gift of her trust.
“I love you, little mouse, and I will get you out of here. I swear it. I won't let you down again.”
“You’ll get us both out,” she corrected, and he just smiled and dropped a kiss to her lips before lifting her off his lap and setting her on her feet.
“Get dressed. It won't take me long to go to the gym and come back to get you.”
They dressed in silence, and when he was ready, he paused to kiss her one last time before punching in the code and walking out the door.
The gym was on this level, so he strolled down to it, grateful that the building was quiet.
Inside, he grabbed a duffel bag and began to fill it with a few weights.
This plan was flimsy at best, but what else did he have?
“Didn't get enough in the ring?” a voice snickered from behind him, and Mateo turned to find Josh standing in the gym’s doorway.
“Griffin shifted me to boxing, need to get in shape,” he muttered in return, throwing in a few more weights before zipping up the duffle bag.
“Can't believe you threw away a good thing here for a woman.” Josh sneered. He was the youngest of the Azure team, and the newest member. Prone to making mistakes and being sloppy with his work and his attitude.
“They shouldn’t have gone after her, she was mine, and you know I don’t share,” he said, hefting the heavy bag onto his shoulder.
“Where are you going with those?”
“Home,” he said simply.
Without another word, he strode out of the gym, his bruised and battered body protesting carrying the heavy weights, but he didn't care. In a few minutes, he was going to be driving out of here with his girl, and that was all that mattered.
Feeling Josh’s eyes on him as he strolled out, Mateo had to force himself not to run. Something felt off, but he didn't have the luxury of time to figure out what might be making him feel uneasy about the brief interaction with Josh.
Punching in the code to Ally’s room, he found her waiting for him. She’d pulled the covers back on the bed, ready for them to put the weights in.
“Hurry,” he urged as he knelt and unzipped the bag.
“Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
Together, they carried the weights to the bed. Well, he carried ninety percent of them, but Ally helped. Then they tucked the blanket up so that it kind of looked like a person was under it if you only glanced quickly.
Then Ally scrunched her body into the fetal position inside the duffel bag, and he zippered her up. There were things he wanted to say, assurances he wanted to give, but the unease was growing, and he just wanted to get the hell out of here.
Once again hefting up the bag, he headed out into the hall.
There might not be cameras in Ally’s room, but there were out here, so he knew he would have been spotted going back into her room and then leaving again almost immediately.
All he could do was hope that if anyone was watching the camera feeds, they would just assume he was telling her goodbye before leaving.
No one stopped him as he walked into the garage and snagged the first set of keys his fingers brushed against. Muscles screaming in protest at carrying Ally’s weight in this awkward position, Mateo just gritted his teeth and headed for the SUV.
After unlocking it, he set the bag on the front passenger seat and quickly rounded the car, jumping in the driver’s seat and turning on the engine. “Stay in there until we’re on the street,” he warned her as he threw the car in reverse and began to drive out of the large garage.
“Is anyone coming?” Ally asked, voice muffled from inside the bag.
“No.” But a not yet hovered at the back of his mind.
This felt too easy, and he kept glancing all around him, expecting someone to jump out at any second.
But no one did.
When they were two streets away, he told Ally she could climb out, and she awkwardly managed to do so while he kept driving.
They made it across town to where he’d parked a getaway vehicle in the event that he’d ever need one.
Not that he could have envisioned escaping with the woman he loved when he first parked it here.
It wasn't until they were both in the new vehicle, with him holding a phone to his ear, listening to the dial tone as he waited for Falcon to pick up, that he spotted it. A black car following too closely behind them. He couldn’t see the driver’s shadowed face, but he didn't need to. He’d memorized all of Azure’s license plate numbers, and the car after them belonged to the people they were running from.