Chapter 5

Friday

I had no one to turn to. My last bridge had just been burnt. Last night I had made the decision to leave New York City, to try to lure Don out. But this city was the big leagues. Don wasn't going to leave. He had just sunken his claws in. He'd just send someone after me to kill me. He'd still ruin this city.

I waved my key in front of the scanner and the door clicked open. I stepped into the hotel room. At least I had the money my parents left me. At the rate I was going, I'd never graduate. I'd probably never step foot back on campus. I'd need this money. I sat down on the edge of the bed and collapsed backwards.

For once in my life, I wasn't going to run. I was going to stay and fight. I just had to figure out what was going on. Miles had helped with that. It was everything I thought I knew. Minus the part about him being in love with me too. That had felt like news.

I closed my eyes. I was not going to think about him. I took a deep breath and exhaled. The question was, why would Don make it seem like I died? I knew it was him. Especially since his criminal record had changed too. I bit my lip. Joan had mentioned that their leverage was Eli, Miles, and Kins. But what if she had just thrown some of those names in to get me off their tracks? I knew Eli was bad news. Liza had said that Eli's technology was next level. So if Eli was working for Don, then that meant Don had that technology. Which probably would have allowed him to alter files. Right?

I touched my forehead. That was a leap. Eli might not even be working for him. So who was he working for? Because despite Joan putting him on her list of my friends, there was something seriously wrong with him. The anger in his face. The fire in his touch. I shivered at the thought.

And what about Mr. Crawford? Was he hurt? I had this awful feeling that the blood on my bunny slippers was his. There was no way Mr. Crawford could have been bad. He had gotten me away from Don. He gave me all this money. I sat up in bed.

The money. Couldn't people track that? They could certainly track transactions. Shit. I wasn't safe here. They could find me. I ran to the door and was just about to throw it open when my cell phone bleeped in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked down at the screen.

"Not that way."

It was from V. How could he see me?

"There's a fire escape outside your window. Get to the roof. Now."

This was ridiculous. All of this was completely insane. If I couldn't trust Mr. Crawford, I certainly couldn't trust the vigilante.

A knock on the door made me jump. I looked out the peephole. There were two huge men in suits standing on the other side. Their arms were folded across their chests, making their muscles bulge. They did not look friendly.

I quietly backed away from the door and opened the window. There was a possibility that they were good guys. Maybe the police had decided to listen to me after all. But Detective Lewis hadn't dressed anything like these men. His suit pants were worn whereas these men were sporting suits with crisply ironed lines. And all I could think was that Don wore suits like that.

One of the men banged on the door a little louder.

I closed the window as silently as possible and started sprinting up the rickety fire escape. I tried not to look down. The warm wind made my hair flutter around my face. I heard a clanging noise, but I kept my eyes on the steps in front of me, refusing to look down.

I jumped onto the roof of the building.

The vigilante was standing there, his gloved hands on the ledge. "Shit." He was staring down the fire escape. "They're following you."

"Who is they?"

"We have to go." He turned around and starting sprinting across the roof.

Where the hell was he going? The only way down was the fire escape. I ran after him and watched him leap off the edge of the building. No. No way in hell am I doing that. I stopped at the edge and stared down at him. He was on the top of another building. But it was at last five feet away. I looked down. Shit, I shouldn't have looked down!

"Sadie, you have to jump!"

I shook my head.

"You have to!"

Damn it. I knew I had to. There was no other way. I backed up and started running again. I ran all the way to the edge and skidded to a stop once again. Shit!

"Jump, Sadie!"

"I can't!" I wasn't ready to die. My heart was beating out of my chest. I wasn't him. I couldn't make that jump.

"You can. Remember what I told you? You can do this. You're made of steel."

I was pretty sure I had proven that I wasn't made of steel last night. But his believing in me gave me a surge of confidence.

"I'm right here to catch you if you fall." His voice seemed to echo across the expanse.

I locked eyes with him. He'd catch me. How could I argue with that? I backed up from the ledge again and looked down at my Converses.

I held my breath for one second. If he could do this, so could I.

For two seconds. I was fucking made of steel, damn it!

For three seconds. I ran as fast as I could.

For four seconds. And I jumped into the air. It felt like I was flying. It felt like I was finally living again.

For five seconds. Until I realized I wasn't going to make it. My body slammed again the wall below the rooftop, several feet beneath the ledge. I took in a huge gulp of air as my hands made contact with sleek brick. I screamed at the top of my lungs as I slid down the building, searching for any crevice to lodge my fingertips in.

He promised he'd catch me. He promised! My life was going to end in a blink of an eye.

I felt something hit my back and I ducked my head as I went crashing through an open window in the side of the building.

It felt like all the wind was knocked out of me when something heavy landed on top of me. The familiar sweet scent of his cologne filled my nose. He caught me. Kind of. Barely.

"Were you trying to get me killed?!" I yelled.

"I'm not the one trying to kill you."

"You're fucking crazy!"

He put his hand over my mouth. "Jesus, just be quiet for one second," he hissed. He sat up but he was still on top of me, straddling me, holding me in place. He looked around the apartment.

Get off me! My heart was beating out of my chest. Tears started to prickle in my eyes. I couldn't move. Stop touching me! I tried to scream against his hand, but it came out as a muffled sob.

He immediately looked down at me when he heard the noise. There was concern in those eyes.

He wasn't Don. He wasn't trying to hurt me. He had just saved me. But I couldn't seem to stop the feeling of my heart beating out of my chest. And I couldn't seem to stop seething. He pulled his hand away from my mouth.

"Don't you ever touch me like that again," I said and shoved him hard.

He stood up and took a step back from me.

"Don't you dare put your hands over my mouth." I stood up and shoved him again.

"Sadie, I just needed to make sure we were alone. I needed to make sure we were safe."

And I slapped him. The sound echoed around the abandoned apartment. And as soon as it seemed to stop reverberating through me, I lunged at him. Like a wild banshee. Only...not. Not at all. Because as soon as my hands made contact with his strong shoulders, I was kissing him. He immediately groaned into my mouth.

I grabbed the front of his hoodie and deepened the kiss.

His lips seemed hungry and carnal. His tongue made my head spin.

"Am I permitted to touch you here?" His breath was hot in my ear as he shoved my workout shorts down my legs.

God, yes. My fingers dug into the back of his hoodie.

"What about here?"

I felt the leather of his gloves brush between my thighs. I whimpered.

"Because I think you love when I touch you. You're soaked."

I hated how cocky he was. But I loved it too. "Tell me your name."

He shook his head.

"Let me see your face."

He silently shook his head again.

God, he was infuriating. "Then just fuck me already."

He grabbed my hips and sunk himself deep inside of me.

Yes. I tilted my head back, exposing my neck to him. I didn't even try to see him this time. I just let him consume me. He trailed light, feathery kisses down my throat. It didn't make it constrict. It made it feel like I could breathe again. Take away my pain.

It was like he could inhale my darkness. And with each thrust I felt lighter. I climbed higher.

"Let go, Sadie," he whispered against my ear.

And I did. I fell. Harder than last time. Farther. But the warmth that filled into me felt even better than the fall. And for just one moment, one speck of time, I was completely whole. I was Summer Brooks again. I closed my eyes.

"You're toxic," I whispered against his lips. I didn't mean for it to, but it sounded like a confession. Almost like I hadn't meant to say it out loud. But I had meant it in a good way. He took away everything bad and put it on himself. He was saving me.

"I know." His lips brushed against mine. "Does that scare you?"

I opened my eyes and looked into his brown ones. "I'm not scared of you."

"You should be. I almost got you killed, remember?"

I laughed.

He immediately groaned. "Fuck that feels good." He kissed me again, softly this time, as he pulled out of me and set me down on my feet.

"You caught me."

"I told you that I would. I'm true to my word."

I suddenly felt so exposed. He never let me see him, but he always seemed to get all my clothing off me. I grabbed my shorts and pulled them back up.

"Are you true to yours?"

 I looked back up at him. "Yes."

He shook his head and took a step toward me. "You tried to leave." His voice sounded hurt.

"What?"

"You promised me that you wouldn't leave the city. And you got a bus ticket anyway."

"I was trying to protect you."

"No, you were trying to get yourself killed."

"Don't pretend to be in my head when you're not."

"But I am in there." He leaned down until his masked forehead was resting against mine. "Aren't I? You're certainly stuck in mine."

I swallowed hard as he took a step back from me.

"Now, I either need you to go home, or go to Liza's."

Home? "I thought you wanted me to stay."

He stared at me for a moment. "Of course I do."

I wasn't sure why he seemed confused by my statement. "Then I'll go to Liza's."

He slipped a folded piece of paper into my hand. "Her address is on that paper. Tell her I asked for her to help you."

"But can't I stay with you?"

"I already gave you your two options. Liza will help you. And ask her to check your wrist."

"My wrist is fine." It was my side that was sore. I slammed against it pretty hard when I jumped straight into a brick wall.

He ran his thumb along my bottom lip. "Do you trust me?"

Not really. Instead, I found myself nodding my head.

"Good. Now, I have something I need to take care of."

"But I have a million questions. Last night..." I let my voice trail off as he walked over to the window, clearly ignoring me. "Are you at least going to tell me who those guys were?"

"I'm still working on all the answers." He stepped onto the windowsill and leapt out into the night.

I ran to the windowsill and peered down below. But he was gone.