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Luca leans forward, pressing his lips onto mine. My tears wet our lips, but the warmth of his soothes all the heartache I feel inside. He pulls away, taking me in one last time.
"Stay out of trouble, red." He winks with a small smile. The door closes, and I watch him run away, fading into the darkness.
The man in the front seat gestures for me to stay quiet by placing a finger over his lips. I look outside the window. Nothing but bushes and darkness surround us. We sit in silence and wait.
A million chaotic thoughts rush through my mind. How long has he been planning this? Did what we shared last night change something in him? Where do I go from here? Who is this man glaring at me through the rear-view mirror? Like a self-fuelled turbine, the questions create more questions. They spin and turn in my mind, making me dizzy. I push past the bile rising in my stomach, closing my eyes and concentrating on my breathing. My heart is thumping so hard in my chest I feel like it will burst.
After the longest wait of my life, the man gets a message on his phone and immediately starts the car. The headlights illuminate the bushes surrounding us, then the warehouse and the road that lead us here. The ringing in my ears is slowly starting to fade, sounding more like tiny crickets singing. My hands still shake, and my heart still races alarmingly. The danger is still very present.
"My name is Elijah." The driver finally speaks to me once we are back onto the open road. "I am Nicolai's friend. You can trust me."
I raise a brow at his image in the rear-view mirror. "Excuse me if I am rude, but I don't trust anyone. Not even Luca."
"Wise woman." His eyes crease as he smiles.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe," he immediately answers.
"How long will I be there?"
"As long as it takes."
I cock my head to the side, giving him a confused look. "What takes?"
"You are on a need-to-know basis. Let's leave it at that."
"Ha," I mock a laugh, shaking my head. "God, you're just like him."
"Who?"
Rolling my eyes, I answer him with a thick attitude, "Luca."
He chuckles.
"What's so funny?"
He laughs again, and it irritates me because nothing about this situation is funny. "I certainly can see now what has him so infatuated with you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He answers quickly, no thought needed, "It means that I couldn’t understand what could possibly be so special about a woman that Luca would sacrifice his life for. But now that I have met you, I understand his motives."
"I hope you're not trying to hit on me." I narrow my eyes at his reflection.
He laughs. "I wouldn't dare, sweetheart. I wouldn't dare."
I don't want to admit it, but Elijah seems like a pretty cool guy. Built like a weapon, he is intimidating to look at, but something about him has me feeling calm in his presence. I know that if a man like Luca trusts him with not only my life but his, then he must be a solid ally.
The remainder of the car ride is quiet. I massage my throbbing temples, trying to soothe the pain. My eyes grow heavy. I am so physically, emotionally drained. The past few weeks are taking a toll on my resilience.
Finally, we pull into an underground car garage on the outskirts of Brooklyn. It's a dangerous part of the city. One my parents always taught us kids growing up to steer clear of.
"I thought you said you were taking me to a safe place?" I question Elijah as he pulls the car up into a secluded area of the garage. He switches the engine off and tosses me a black hoodie.
"Put this on, cover your head."
"What?" I pick up the oversized hoodie. "Why?"
