Emil followed me to the bus stop.

“Have a good day at school, okay?”

“Okay!” Kimmy chimed, giving me a quick little kiss. She was just about to get on the bus when she doubled back and hugged Emil with a fierce tightness.

He messed up her hair affectionately.

Kimmy giggled and scampered off.

Together, we watched the bus drive away.

“She’s a good kid,” Emil commented.

“Yeah, she is,” I said with a smile. With that, I turned on my heels, heading for the car. “I hope you’re ready.”

“I guess. What choice do I have?”

I smirked. “Evita sent me the details of the mission this morning. We’re headed for the Industrial Zone. Rumor has it that a lot of those buildings are being used to move merchandise.”

“So you want me to bust some of my old friends?” Emil asked, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

“Essentially.”

“And why do you think I would just betray all my contacts like that?”

“Because you did it once before.”

“True. But, that only means I’ve probably lost my respect. Word travels fast among thugs, you know.”

I looked over at him before turning on the engine and driving off. “Well, I guess we’re about to find out.”

* * *

The industrial zone hummed with the sound of heavy machinery. The large stone-faced buildings were decorated with boarded-up windows. Occasionally, a shadow would pass across the pane before disappearing.

Emil walked by my side, his hands in his pockets, a nonchalant expression on his face.

“We are looking for a pair,” I explained. “Mavis and Roxanne. Do you know them?”

“Nope.”

I looked at him suspiciously. He had answered that question much too quickly. “Really?”

“Yep.”

“Why do I have the feeling that you’re lying to me?”

“Because I am.”

I ground my teeth in frustration. “Do you really have to make this difficult?”

“Of course,” he said with a grin. “VanGuard is making me their prisoner. I have no idea why they think I would help so willingly.”

“Because if you don’t, we’ll send you to prison. And I doubt you want to go back there. A little rat like you? They’d eat you alive.”

He laughed. “I think I can hold my own.”

“Is that why I had you handcuffed to my bed last night?”

“I allowed that to happen.”

“Sure.” I rolled my eyes. “You keep telling yourself that.”

“And you keep telling yourself that you didn’t just tie me to your bed last night because you thought it was sexy.”

I stopped dead in my tracks and snorted. “Sexy? What are you – insane?”

He turned, looking me straight in the eye. “Then tell me it’s not true.”

As he held my gaze, I felt my heart quicken and my palms become sweaty. I couldn’t deny how unbelievably attractive this man was or that I hadn’t fantasized about what it would feel like to have our bodies pressed together. I bit the inside of my lip, trying to keep my thoughts under control. “It’s not true,” I said, my voice much more confident than I felt.

He stared at me a moment longer. “Alright.” He shrugged and kept walking as if it didn’t matter.

What?

I tilted my head in confusion. Why hadn’t he reacted? Wasn’t he disappointed?

“You coming? Or you enjoying the view?” he asked with a grin, looking over his shoulder.

“You’re the worst, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” His grin deepened.

“Does everything have to be a joke to you?” I jogged to catch up with him. “Because this is serious.”

“I am serious.”

I glared at him. “Emil.”

“Cassandra.”

Unable to stand the banter any longer, I stopped talking, my arms crossed over my chest and my lips pressed together.

We kept walking, navigating the abandoned sidewalks. So far, we had yet to see another living soul. It was eerie how lifeless this place was. It was definitely giving me the creeps. I shivered.

“Cold?” Emil asked.

“No.”

Nonetheless, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

I was just about to give it back when his musky smell wrapped around me like a blanket. I breathed it in and smiled ever so slightly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emil smile too.

“So, are you actually taking me where we need to go, or are we just walking in circles?”

“What do you think?” he asked.

I sighed. “We’re walking in circles, aren’t we?”

“Well, maybe if you do me a little favor, I’ll change my mind. I don’t work for free, you know.”

“What do you want?” I asked, exasperated.

Suddenly, he had me pushed against the wall, our hips locked together and our chests pinned. My eyes widened, looking up at him. My heart pounded as his lips got closer and closer to mine.

He had his hand on my cheek, his thumb caressing my skin and his eyes holding me in a trance. “Just one little kiss should satisfy me… for now.”

My lungs burned. I had forgotten how to breathe; my mind was too focused on how close our bodies were. I could feel the heat radiating from his hips, and I wanted nothing more than to let go of my inhibitions and follow the burning desire inside my heart.

But instead, I pushed him away, my temper flaring. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I was about to walk away when he grabbed my wrist and reeled me back, his arms wrapped around my waist.

“Stop pretending, Cassandra,” he whispered in my ear. “You want this just as much as I do. I don’t know why you keep lying to yourself.”

I jabbed my elbow into his side. He let go. Furious, I marched away, too caught up in the moment to pay attention to my surroundings. Quickly, I crossed the street, retracing our steps and heading for the car. It was obvious that this wasn’t going to work out. Emil just didn’t want to cooperate.

But before I could reach the other side, I heard the sound of squelching tires against the asphalt. Looking up, my eyes nearly bugged out of my head.

I froze.