I yank the thread.
The elevator jolts and propels downward, continuing down on its descent to the lobby. “Climb,” I order her.
We reach the roof of the hospital. Once I have London out of the shaft, I dispose of the weapon, and she anxiously watches me hide it behind a skylight.
“I never liked them,” I admit. “No art in shooting someone.”
She starts to retreat. “I’m leaving now, Grayson.”
With a sigh, I glance up into the darkening sky. “What time is it?” When she doesn’t respond, I grasp her arm and wrench off the thousand dollar watch she wears, ignoring her fight as I check the time. Then I flip on the radio, gauging how close the search is to us. “You have less than one minute to make your choice,” I tell her. “In ten minutes, they’ll have downtown secured and blocked off. We’ll then only have twenty minutes tomake it out of the state. So you get one of those minutes, London. Decide.”
She stares up at me, that pretty mouth parted. “You’re giving me a choice?”
“I give everyone a choice. You’ve been making choices since the first day we met.” I offer her my hand. “You can go back, try to insert yourself back into your life of lies, or you can come with me and find out how far the rabbit hole goes to get your answers.”
She shakes her head slowly. “I can’t.”
I breathe deeply. “You can,” I say. “You can do anything you want. And I’ll promise you this, I will let you go afterward.”
She releases a manic laugh. “This is fucking crazy.You’recrazy.”
I touch my chest, stricken. “Is that your professional opinion, doctor?”
Gaze shifting out over the horizon, she crosses her arms. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Even if it means discovering the truth?” I say, and her sharp eyes nail me. “Uncovering everything your father kept from you, that’s what I’m offering, London.”
It’s there in her thoughtful expression, the longing, the desire to unmask those cryptic secrets that have haunted her. She’s terrified. Curiosity alone isn’t enough—to a narcissist like London, this is the promise of her story.Her.her.her.
She grips the strap of her bag. “They’re going to put you to death, and I swear to god, Grayson, I will be there to watch.”
My mouth tips into a smile. I can’t help it, she’s stunning when she’s mad. “I hope you will be,” I say honestly.
She inhales a trembling breath. “What doesa stóirínmean?” she demands to know.
I cross the small distance to her and lick my lips, staring down into her dark gaze as I clear a strand of hair from her eyes. “Come with me, and there will be no secrets between us, love.”
I lift my hand between us.
And she takes it.
I close my fingers around her palm, tenderly grazing my thumb over her scar as I pull her behind me, taking us toward the edge of the building.
Her physical pain will slow us down. I’ve accounted for that, thought about how to get us out of downtown the fastest with the least effort.
The rhythmic chop of helicopter blades grows louder, hovering close.
I let London descend the fire escape first. “Don’t look at the ground,” I instruct her. She curses the whole way down the side of the building, but she makes it.
Police sirens echo off concrete and brick, the hospital nearly barricaded. I grab her wrist and lead her toward a dense copse of trees and bushes, halting just before the highway.
“We have less than a minute to reach the bridge before the dogs pick up our trail.” I scan both lanes, gauging traffic. The darkness will give us some cover, but not for long.
“Grayson, I can’t do this,” she says, panic threading her voice.
I cup her face. “Yes you can, London.”
A tear escapes down her cheek, and I gently brush it away with my thumb. She’s not breaking; her adrenaline is running high. Good. She can use it to help cancel out her pain.
