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Another knock.
Her breath thickened. She tiptoed to the door, her steps heavy and her eyes glazing over with panic.
Kross had called her cell phone. She hadn’t given her number out to anyone, which meant that he was probably watching her, keeping tabs on her.
He could be outside this very minute.
She stopped in the kitchen, eyes skittering over the few utensils she kept in the drawer until she found the sharpest knife.
There was no escape.
Not unless she made one.
Jewel didn’t give herself a moment to think this through. She slid to the door. Her hand was sweaty. She swiped her palm against her pants, keeping the knife limply in her fingers. When she was done, she picked up the knife by the hilt and held it over her head.
Thud. Thud.
The door rattled.
Sweat dripped down her face, coursing the skin from her temple to her cheek. She stared at the rusty doorknob. With tortured breaths, she prepared herself to end it—right here, right now.
“Jewel!” A voice accompanied the pounding.
But it wasn’t Kross’s.
The knife slipped from her unsteady fingers and tumbled to the ground, landing an inch away from her feet. She cried in relief when she heard Finn and scrambled to unlock the door.
Finn stood outside, his hazel eyes thrown into shadows. “I forgot to ask you—”
Jewel burst into tears and jumped at him, winding her arms around his waist. Finn stumbled back, accepting her weight and steadying them both on the porch. She could feel his surprise even though he hadn’t said a word.
Jewel didn’t care.
Her head felt like it was about to explode and she needed something to tether her to sanity, something to hold.
Finn was a man, yes, but he was also the friend who’d saved her from a thief, kept her warm and dry in the pouring rain, and protected her from the tourists who’d crowded the elevator.
She could trust him.
She had to.
“Jewel, what’s going on?” His voice crackled with concern. She felt a gentle push on her shoulder and backed up a step as Finn nudged her away so he could look at her face.
Jewel glanced behind him. The street lay in complete darkness. The marshes shook menacingly in the wind. They were exposed out here embracing for the world, no, for Kross to see.
She dropped her hands and looked up at him. “I need to get out of here.”
“Why?”
“Can you give me a ride?”
“Of course, but Jewel…”
She didn’t wait around to hear what he had to say. Jewel clattered down the stairs. She peered at her surroundings through the corner of her eyes, hissing with each step that she made.
Finn’s giant strides allowed him to catch up with her easily. He snatched her wrist and tugged her toward him. “Explain. Now.”
“I can’t.” She cast her gaze sideways.
