“No. I didn’t know what the hell we were doing, so I wasn’t going to tell anyone about it.”
The words almost made me wish I took more advantage of one entire night alone with him.
The bike roared down the dead street, aiming right toward us. Aiden moved, pushing me behind him until I couldn’t see anything.
His body tensed, and I could feel his heartbeat hammering through his back as he shielded me. The bike crept closer, its headlights glaring, casting long shadows on the empty street.
“Stay behind me,” he murmured, barely audible over the growl of the engine.
“So you get killed first? Normally I would agree but—”
I could feel the huff of air leave him, but I couldn’t tell if he would be smiling or scowling.
My hand skimmed up his back and wrapped into the leather of his jacket. I peeked around his arm. The figure on the bike lifted a gloved hand, pointing it directly at us, and a chill ran down my spine.
We’d been caught.
And they weren’t letting us go anywhere.
Chapter 9
Shadow
It wasn’t like coming here was a bad idea, necessarily, but I didn’t see the value in it. Orders were orders, though, and mine weren’t up for debate. If they saw a reason for me to be here, I’d find it—or face the consequences of missing it.
There would be a deeper reason I was here tonight. Something he saw that I couldn’t right now. Maybe I would find out one day, or maybe the pieces would fall into place and I would never have a clue.
But that didn’t matter, either.
I looked down at my phone, the bright light making me hiss. I had been hiding in the dark for days. From a blacked-out car to dark buildings and pitch-black alleys, I’d been out of the sun for so long, the light burned.
The girl, Evie, and the guy always with her, Aiden, talked with the man who had pulled up on another bike. I still hadn’t figured out why they had come here. I knew what this building was once upon a time and I knew how much my boss would want to know exactly why they had come here.
I crept closer, taking careful steps as my boots crunched against the loose gravel. The nearby hum of buildings and traffic covered enough of the noise that I could keep getting closer, but I still couldn’t make out the newcomer. I had been briefedendlessly about what I should do and what I should be paying attention to, but everyone failed to mention I would need to learn about ten different motorcycles and how to distinguish them. There were too many sometimes, and even as this new one approached, I knew I wouldn’t be able to recognize which one of them it was.
I knew who they all were, of course, but at night in the dark I couldn’t tell who was on this bike.
As I crept closer, a familiar unease prickled down my spine. The newcomer’s voice was muffled, but I caught snippets, enough to know they were discussing something interesting about the building. I pressed myself against the cold brick wall, ears straining to pick out anything useful.
Evie gestured to the newcomer, her face half illuminated by the dim light of the blue running lights on the bike next to her.
Aiden’s bike.
She looked animated, angry even, while Aiden stood beside her, his gaze sharp, watching the other man with a look that could kill. Aiden was protective of her—I’d noticed it in my days watching them. He always had a way of positioning himself slightly in front of her, as if daring anyone to get too close.
The newcomer shifted, leaning back against his bike casually, though something seemed coiled in the set of his shoulders. I still couldn’t make out any facial features.
I didn’t think he was only here for a friendly chat. I scanned him, trying to figure out which one he was, but with his back to me, it was impossible to tell. I clenched my fists, frustrated at how little I knew about him. This wasn’t about watching anymore. I needed to knowwhythey were here, in this place. If I couldn’t figure it out, there would be consequences.
Suddenly, Evie’s voice spiked, louder than before, and I saw her take a step back. The tension in the air was palpable, and Aiden’s hand drifted to his side, brushing against his jacket in a move that made me freeze. My heart quickened. Was he armed? Did he know I was here, watching them? My pulse thundered in my ears, every instinct telling me to pull back, but I had to know more.
Weapons or not, being found out or not, I had to risk it to find out more.
But I knew Aiden wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I got too close to Evie.
He was violent to people who came too close, and I understood why—orders were orders.
I almost admired him for being so dedicated.
