I lean back, so I can respond under my breath. The speaker of the presentation drones on, and if anyone notices that I’m not paying attention anymore, they don’t dare point it out.
“Where?”
“He didn’t check in to say, but they’re tracking him.” He holds his phone out for me to see the screen, and I watch a small red dot–my men–slowly travel toward an area of the city that Tommy should have no business going to. Not anymore.
“Should they intercept?”
I think it over. “No. I’ll get him.”
Standing gets everyone’s attention, but I simply nod at them and make my way to the door. Without a hitch, the meeting continues, because I don’t actually need to be here. I just sign the paychecks and put my name on the building. This is a legitimate business, so it has momentum even when I’m gone. A CEO is a lot less important than some people think.
“When did he leave?” I ask once we’re out in the hall.
“About twenty minutes ago. Our team waited to report until they could confirm he wasn’t just getting some exercise.”
“Next time, I want to know immediately.”
Yosef nods somberly. He does efficient work, because my driver is waiting on us by the time we get downstairs and out of the lobby. I climb into the back of the car, and I’m startled to realize my heart is picking up speed. As we drive away from my building, I feel…
I feel…
Like we can’t get there fast enough. Like I should’ve been told sooner that he was out on his own. Like my ears are already tuned to listen to his voice, like my eyes are already waiting to rest on his face.
Impatient. I’m feeling impatient.
I’m not usually impatient. I lean my head back against the car seat and let myself reflect on that, and what it might mean.
Due to the distance of my office from Kira’s apartment, and the amount of traffic blocking our way, we don’t catch up to him until nearly an hour has passed since he left Kira’s place. Hedidn’t take the subway, and according to the staff tailing him, he stopped at a pawn shop.
After he left the shop, one of my staff remained behind and confirmed that he sold something of his, not of Kira’s, so he wasn’t stealing from her or from me.
I can’t explain how that makes me feel, if anything at all. I can’t describe what happened to my mental and physical state when they told me he went into a pawn shop and sold something, and the way I sat frozen until I got word that he was selling something he was allowed to sell. I can’t describe it; none of it makes any sense.
It doesn’t matter, anyway. I needed to make sure he wasn’t stealing, and he wasn’t. That’s all there is to it. No feelings necessary.
But I can’t ignore the fact that, by the time we catch up to him and I finally lay eyes on him, I’m tense and on edge and I want to see himnow.
And then I do.
We’re practically out of the city proper, in an older area with smaller, uniform homes built cheaply and fast, decades ago. Overgrown grass peeks in the patches of tiny yards, rusted chain links line the sidewalk, and graffiti marks every available surface, including crooked street signs.
He’s walking with his head down, his hood up despite the warm, bright sunny weather. Hands in his pockets. A defensive, casual walk for someone used to a rough side of town. We pull up beside him and he flinches away from the curb, one ear listening for trouble coming from behind. I roll my window down and he does a double take, the cracked and broken sidewalk under him crunching as he stumbles to a stop.
“Young-gi?!” His mouth drops open. “What the fuck are you doing?!”
He suspiciously scans his surroundings for an ambush and his hands leave his pockets in case he needs to defend himself. I take that all in, because it says a lot about him, and wait. He narrows his eyes at me once he realizes I’m not here to attack him.
“Did you follow me? Are you having me tailed?”
“Get in, I’ll give you a ride.”That’s not what I came here to say. I’m supposed to chastise him for jeopardizing the cover story I crafted of his fake life, and for possibly making himself a target of any Vandmorsons who might already be watching Kira’s place for him. I’msupposedto tell him to get in, and then take him straight back to Kira’s secure apartment. But that’s not what I do.
“A ride? You had me followed, and then came out here to chase me down… to offer me a ride to where I’m already going?”
He’s feeling bratty today.Is that… cute? I think it might be.
But I don’t like repeating myself, he should know this by now. I raise an eyebrow at him. “The door is unlocked.”
“I don’t want a ride.”
