I just stood there and gaped at her.
She put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to stare at me or are you going to go after him? Like I said, fate changes. Just because he knows how he will die, doesn’t mean it can’t still change. But it won’t unless you get your ass in gear and move.”
Gloria was right. Of course she was. Adam hadn’t accepted that I’d die from getting hit by the bus. He’d changed my fate. And I could change fate for him as well.
I turned away from her and something caught my eye. A painting on her wall. A painting I’d done of two lovers only a couple of weeks ago after a vivid dream I’d had.
I’d called itDestiny Awaits.
“You’re an excellent artist,” Gloria said. “I paid seventy-five grand for that little piece. It’s filled with the fire and passion I want to see from you right now.”
“Thanks, Gloria.”
“You’re welcome. Now move it. There’s no time to waste.”
The seer gave damn good advice.
Without another word spoken I ran from the apartment, headed down the elevator and emerged on to the sidewalk out front. I couldn’t see Adam anywhere.
Fate.
If I was meant to stop this, I’d know what direction to go in. I’d pick one and it would lead me to him. Hesitating only a moment longer, I turned left and hurried along the sidewalk. After a minute, I took off my heels, threw them to the side and ran along in my bare feet until I finally heard something.
“Stupid,” a voice said. “You are so fucking stupid, Adam. For a woman? You’d ruin your entire life for some meaningless woman?”
“Just shoot me and get it over with, Harris,” Adam replied. “I know you want to.”
“Your uncle would be disappointed in you. Always so perfect in his eyes.”
“What the hell do you care?”
“What do I care? That nepotism earned you the perks I should be getting. It’s not fair.”
I flattened my back against the side of the building and sneaked a peek into the alleyway.
“Tell me where she is,” Harris said.
“Where who is?”
“Your little artist bitch from the past. Despite our quarrel right now, this can still be fixed. I just need to put a bullet between her eyes and everything’s the way it should be.”
“And if I don’t tell you a damn thing?”
“Then that’s going to be a problem.”
“Did you look in the Books beyond Sophie’s listing today?” Adam asked. “Did you look at the Book for here? Right now, twenty years later to the day from when she was supposed to die?”
“Why would I bother with that?” Harris asked.
“Because,” I said, stepping out from the shadows, “it has your name listed.”
He shifted the gun to point it in my direction.
Adam turned to stare at me with shock. Did he really think I was going to stay out of this just because he’d planted me in that safe house in the sky like Rapunzel?
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“And yet here I am. The walking dead.”
