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I got into the driver’s seat and looked at her. The gun I gave her was still in her hand and beads of sweat formed on her eyebrows.
“Did you run into anyone?” I asked her.
She shook her head, her face pale. “No,” she said softly. “No one. I think they were all in the club. Did you?”
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “Two guys. They’re dead. And we need to get the fuck out of here.”
Chapter Eight: Sofia
Bythetimewegot back to HQ, I should’ve probably felt a little better. My adrenaline was spiked, I was still thinking about the men who had tried to kill us and the tension in my head was becoming an unmistakable headache.
“Listen, Sof,” Grayson said as he killed the ignition and turned to look at me. “Back there, we got lucky. But...”
I shook my head. “What if they were just waiting for us? What if there are people out there with guns who are just waiting to kill both of us?”
As soon as I said it, I realized it sounded ridiculous. There were people out there who were trying to kill us. We all had bounties on our heads.
Grayson’s expression darkened for a second, then he looked at me with a practiced smile. “Well, we’re always going to protect you. But whoever is after you is getting angry they haven’t been able to get you yet. The bounty on you doubled.”
I looked at him and shook my head as the weight of his words settled between us. I knew people were looking for me, but the fact was that the Blades had managed to protect me until now. We’d gone out to the city once--to one of the properties they owned--and that was enough for someone to attack us.
“And Sam?” I asked.
“Your brother is fine, Sofia,” Grayson said. “If he wasn’t, we would have heard something by now.”
“But...” I tried to reply, but I stopped myself. I knew they were doing their best, I knew I should trust them. Grayson had just saved my life after all. But if Sam wasn’t around, if I couldn’t see him, then it felt like my worst fears were about to turn into reality.
More than anything, I needed to make sure that my baby brother was safe.
“Grayson, I...”
“Hey.” He put a hand over mine. “Listen, you need to stay calm. We do this a lot. Every single one of us is alive, right?”
I nodded, my mouth dry. “Right.”
“Our location was posted online, though,” he said. “This Olivier woman is a huge liability. A bounty mixed with a stalker is a recipe for disaster.”
I rubbed my temple. “Can I see Sam?”
“Yes, but not here,” Grayson said. “That’s Teo’s decision, really. If he says no, tell me. I’ll convince him.”
I smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, Grayson.”
“Of course,” he replied. He got out of the car to go around and open the door for me. When he bent down toward me, his green eyes shone in the sunlight streaming. His hair was messy every which way from where he had run his fingers through it at some point and he smelled like me. “Let’s get some food in you. You’ll feel better when you eat.”
I grabbed his hand, his calloused fingers closing over mine. By then, I should’ve been used to my new home. The brutalist concrete building that I had first been dragged to after being found at Neon was where I slept, ate, spend most of my days.
But it was a gilded cage.
It always had been.
Grayson had his hand on the small of my back as we walked toward the entrance of the building. He was on high alert.
“Grayson,” I said, slowing my pace to turn and look at him. “Maybe I can leave. I mean...if whoever is behind all this is also the one threatening my brother’s safety, then maybe we can use me as bait?”
He shook his head and pinned me with his dark gaze. “Not a chance, Sof. Listen, they only want you alive.”
That wasn’t what I had expected to hear. “What?”
