Chapter 14
Ifollow her from the cafe. It’s one of the few places she regularly visits, though she never shows up at the same time of day or sits at the same table.
I stay just far enough away to go unnoticed, but not so far that I might lose her.
Eris walks as if she’s trained herself not to look over her shoulder. She isn’t scared, just uber aware of her surroundings. It’s the quiet kind of alertness that’s cultivated from living in Crimson Bay. But also the kind that builds when someone won’t stop lingering in your shadow.
She pauses at every crosswalk. Studies reflections in the glass. Measures her steps so she doesn’t get too close to the people around her. She’s not paranoid… She’s paying attention.
Smart girl.
Her phone stays in her hand like a weapon. I don’t need to guess what thread is open on the screen. She’s been on the app all day.
I stay across the street, far enough behind that I don’t have to turn my head and make it obvious I’m looking. I’m just another stranger in the crowd to everyone else.
She turns down her street, and I’m pretty sure I see him before she does.
Two cars down from the front entrance of her building with his engine running…
His hands fidget as they rest on the steering wheel, twisting a ring on his finger like it’s got all his attention until he sees her.
I can’t see very far beyond that, but I bet he’s in the same expensive black jacket as before.
Daniel.
This fucking bastard.
He doesn’t open his door or roll down his window or call out to her. He just sits there, watching her walk home. Observing the way she keeps her shoulders squared, even when she glances around like she feels him behind her.
He’s learning her patterns.
He’s dangerous, but it has the potential to get so much worse because we can’t get close enough to block him yet.
I slip into the mouth of the alley, phone already in hand.
“She’s almost at her building,” I murmur. “And he’s back. Same jacket too.”
“I don’t give a fuck about what he’s wearing.” Silas’s voice crackles through the speaker against my ear, calm and precise, like a surgeon with a scalpel. “Plate?”
“Obscured,” I reply. “I’ll get a better angle next time. If I try now, one of them will see me, and we’re not ready for that, right?”
I swear I hear his teeth grind. “You’re that close?”
“Close enough.”
Across the street, Eris swipes her key fob against the pad beside the door and pushes it open with her forearm.
She doesn’t look back.
But I see it anyway… The tension in her taut muscles, the slight pause before she steps inside, discrete as she glances over her shoulder. It’s the tether between instinct and composure, pulling tight enough to vibrate visibly.
She’s adapting.
This is what survival looks like when you refuse to run.
I like that about her.
But then again, I like a lot of things about her.
And that keeps my thoughts occupied as I walk back to the loft. Surprisingly, we’re only about six blocks from her swanky apartment complex. She’s downtown, and we’re on the edge of the warehouse district.
By the time I get home, the interior lights are off, letting the sun illuminate the open living area. Silas has ordered some mystery takeout for lunch, leaving me an unopened box on the table. Computer fans hum, creating an ambient background noise.
Jace is already near the door, black duffel slung over his shoulder, posture coiled tight. He still hasn’t slept, too wired and restless.
“You’re going?” I ask.
He nods. “She needs the cameras.”
“She won’t like it.”
“She doesn’t have to.” His tone is more resigned than defensive.
It’s a double-edged sword for him; he wants to see her again, but not like this. He’s going to take whatever crumbs he can get, though.
Silas doesn’t glance up from his screen. “Just install them. Get in, get out.”
“She’ll recognize me,” Jace mutters. “Eventually.”
“She doesn’t want to recognize the AI you,” I say, not exactly trying to be helpful. “But she’ll recognize the man from the one-night stand. The one who slept with her and didn’t bother texting afterward.”
That pulls two sets of furious gazes in my direction.
I shrug, resting against the edge of the counter. “She’s scared. That makes it easier, sure. But she’s already leaning toward us, even if she doesn’t know it. So maybe… We can all try not to fuck it up.”
I don’t mean fear the way Silas or Jace hear it. It’s not panic. It’s the awareness of a cornered animal deciding which way to strike. She’s too sharp not to notice the pattern, but she’s also not ready to stop it either.
I hand Jace a folded ID badge with a fake logo. The credentials are fake too, not that it matters since she knows his real name. But it’s definitely real access to her building, enough that no one will question him walking through all the floors and locked doors.
He takes it without a word, sliding it into his jacket pocket.
Silas finally looks up, gracing us with his undivided attention. “Are you sure about this?”
“No,” I say. “But she’s already ours. We’re just catching up to what that means.”
Jace rolls his eyes at me as he answers Silas. “I’m sure. I’ll be back in a bit.”
He pushes the door open, bright afternoon light spilling in, sharp and unfiltered.
The door closes too loudly, the sound punctuating the feeling hanging in the air like a live wire we’ve all learned to avoid.
But we can’t avoid this one anymore…
None of us wants to, either.