Page 99

She’s sitting on the ground near the stairs, head resting on the wall, eyes closed. Dark lashes brush against the pale skin of her cheeks, and her chest is rising and falling steadily. How long was I in my apartment?

Unsure what else to do, I clear my throat.

Her eyes fly open, and she jumps to her feet, gaze glassy and confused.

“Are you okay?” I ask. She doesn’t look drunk or like she’s on anything. But what if there does end up being an issue? What if there’s something seriously wrong?

“I am. Sorry again. I haven’t slept well in a little while, and I think it’s catching up to me.”

“How long has it been?”

“Huh?”

“Since you slept.”

“Uh, I don’t know. A few days, maybe? I’ll be fine tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

I start to open the door, then pause. “Look, do you want me to call someone? The police, maybe? I don’t want to press, but⁠—”

“No. No police. I’m fine. I just need sleep. I can go—” She starts to turn away.

“No, it’s fine. I just needed to ask. Come on.” After unlocking the door, I push it open and flip on the light. This place is even simpler than mine, with only a queen-sized bed and a love seat. There’s no TV, though there is a bookcase with some old books in the corner.

After setting the stack of stuff on the counter, I hold out the keys. “There are some cups in the cabinet for water, and I brought you a fresh towel, some spare clothes, and toiletries.”

She steps forward, eyeing the keys like they’re going to bite off her hand, but before I toss them on the counter, she takes them from me, the tips of her delicate fingers brushing mine.

I stiffen, the contact jolting me in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I’m just really tired. That’s all.

“Thanks for this.”

“Yeah. I’m just across the hall if there’s an emergency, and I will be setting the alarm for the building. You’re safe here, but please don’t try to leave without letting me know first so I can disarm it. Otherwise, it’ll be good and loud, and the police will show up.”

The corners of her lips tilt just slightly in a subtle smile. “That would be a way to wake up.”

“Something like that.” I run a hand over the back of my neck. “Uh, yeah. So let me know if you need anything⁠—”

“Sadie,” she interrupts.

“Sadie,” I repeat. “I’m Maverick.”

“Well, thank you for this, Maverick. I really appreciate it. It’s been a while since I felt safe enough to rest.” Her eyes fill, so I turn away.

Crying, I can absolutely not do. “Yeah. Let me know if you need anything. You’re safe here, so get some sleep.” I shut the door behind me, waiting just a moment until I hear the lock engage.

Then, I head back over into my apartment and lock up.

As I lean back against the door, trying to process exactly what happened tonight, I understand one thing with absolute certainty.

Tomorrow, I need to get Sadie on her way so that whatever trouble she’s running from doesn’t make its way to my doorstep.

SADIE

As soon as the door is closed, I flip the lock, then turn to look for something I can use to block the door. The apartment is quaint, but there’s a single round table with two chairs between the bed and the kitchen.

Rushing over, I grab a chair, then prop it beneath the door handle so that no one can open the door. At least not without alerting me. Step one done, now I need to look for a secondary escape route.