“ANY NEWS?” I ASKED. We’d been tracking Jerome for days now, but he hadn’t gone to any unusual places that couldn’t be monitored through the traffic cameras. Hell, he hadn’t even gone to the Spiders’ area, although he probably had messengers who he could send to the Spiders so he wouldn’t even need to visit them or see them in person. But we hadn’t seen Walter anywhere either, and Theo didn’t think Walter would meet with Jerome in a public place. Not that Jerome went out that much at all.

“No,” Theo said, briefly looking up from his computer. I took a seat next to him and eyed him for a moment. Ever since that night when we’d planted the tracker, we hadn’t spoken about what had happened between us, not even a word. Theo had been doing everything to avoid me at first, so I’d decided it was better not to bring up the subject just yet. I only hoped Ingrid’s ghost wouldn’t stay between us forever, if that was what bothered him most and prevented him from giving us a real chance.

“What if he figured out about the tracker and he sent one of his men to carry it around to fool us?” That was always a possibility, especially since we’d had to improvise.

“I don’t think so. He wouldn’t bother with that.”

Yeah, Theo was probably right about that. “Then we have to keep watching him. But what if he no longer has reasons to meet with Walter? What if they’re communicating in a different way? Jerome could send a messenger or something.”

“Walter would never rely on messengers. He won’t make any deals or arrangements without meeting his new partner in person. He wouldn’t trust some guy, even if the guy worked for Jerome and was his most trusted man.” His fingers moved over the keyboard, and the only thing I could think about was how wonderful they’d felt inside me. He must’ve felt my stare because he glanced at me and curled his fingers.

I pulled out my phone. “I can contact Vix to see if the Cobras found anything, but they probably would’ve already told me if they had.”

Theo rose to his feet. “Can you watch this?” He nodded toward the computer. “I’m going to grab us something to eat. How does pizza sound?”

“Perfect. I want extra cheese.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

I focused on the screen as he headed out. Jerome’s tracker was currently located at his home, and I wondered if he might’ve gone out without his lucky jacket. For all we knew, he could have a different jacket for his gang business, although I figured he’d need the lucky one more when it came to that, so maybe he simply hadn’t had a reason or time to meet with Walter. And who knew what Walter was up to?

What if he was closing in on my location? Theo was always careful when he went out to get us food or anything else we needed, and I didn’t think anyone had seen us going in and out of here, but what if Walter knew exactly where we were and was waiting for an opportunity to strike?

I typed a quick text to Vix, but it turned out she didn’t have any news either. It was as if Walter had disappeared, but the Cobras doubted he’d left the city. Walter might be aware that Theo was protecting me, and although he didn’t know the nature of my relationship with Theo, he probably assumed he’d have to go through Theo first if he wanted to get to me. I glanced at the time on the screen of my phone.

Theo had been out for over ten minutes, and my stomach was already fluttering with anxiety. What if Walter had been waiting for him out there and planned to use him to open the door to this room?

I took a deep breath. No, I couldn’t let my thoughts go there. Besides, Theo could take care of himself. A few centuries had passed by—okay, I was overreacting—but when the door behind me finally clicked open, I almost jumped up and went for a gun. Theo had gotten a bit more relaxed around me, or he worried something might happen to him out there, so he’d left a few guns lying around. I preferred to believe that it was because he trusted me more and not because he believed he might not return.

A wave of relief surged through me when I saw him enter. And even better, he was holding a pizza box. Who could resist a man who brought you a pizza?

“Missed me?” He flashed me a smile, and I made my way toward him.

“Totally.” I snatched the pizza box out of his hands and opened it. “Mmm. That smells like heaven.”

“Not sure heaven smells like pizza, but...” He grabbed a slice.

I took a big bite of my slice and closed my eyes for a moment. “Heaven,” I mumbled.

“Did Jerome go anywhere?” he asked, looking toward the computer.

“Nope.” I devoured another slice of pizza. “Do you have any wine?” I asked after licking my lips.

“Yeah. Let me get it for you.” He opened one of his special cabinets and pulled out a bottle. After he opened it, he poured a glass for me.

“Why do you have fancy wine in here?” I narrowed my eyes at him as he handed me the glass.

“I was asking myself the same thing, but now it seems like it was a good idea.” The corners of his lips twitched up.

“No, really. How and when did you set this all up?” I took a sip, and damn, it was good.

“Four months after...” His smile faded.

Four months after Ingrid’s death? If that was true, then he’d been here longer than I’d thought and even before Ingrid’s will was found. “Were you watching me?”

“Sometimes. I wasn’t always here. I just... I had this place ready in case I needed it. I didn’t have all this equipment with me. It took some time to arrange everything. And it’s always useful to have a bottle of wine lying around, don’t you think?” His face was smiling again, but not his eyes.

“And you’ve always been alone?” I bit down on my lip.

“I told you. I work better alone.”

“Well, yeah, but you can’t be alone all the time. Your job isn’t your life.”

“It is for me.”

Something beeped, and we both looked at the computer.

“It’s Jerome,” Theo said, rushing toward it. “He’s on the move again.”

I didn’t go any closer, just took another sip of wine. “If this is like everything else, he’s just going to go to his favorite bar and go back home.”

“Let’s hope this time’s different. Walter is planning something, and I don’t think he’ll manage to do it on his own. He’ll need Jerome’s help and he’ll want to make sure they’re still on the same page.”

“If you say so.” I leaned against the table, but as the dot on the screen moved, I wondered if maybe we’d get lucky this time.

Theo opened his jacket and checked his guns, and I knew something was up, so I approached him.

“What is it? Please don’t tell me he’s coming here.” If Walter had hired Jerome’s men to help him with capturing us, then things were going to get a lot more complicated, especially if Jerome had somehow figured out where we were. “That tracker can’t lead back to us, right?”

“No, it’s not that. He’s going toward the Spiders’ area. It might be business-related, but he rarely does that, so it’s worth checking out.”

“Worth checking out? You mean we’re going after him?”

His eyes met mine. “No. I’m going. You’ll stay here.”

“But if...”

“I need you here to alert me if there are any changes. If I stay here to see if he’s really going to the Spiders’ area, I won’t have enough time to get there. And if it turns out he’s going somewhere else, you need to tell me.”

I hesitated. “Should I call the Cobras too? Someone can go with you.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want anyone with me, and it would be too risky. I can make sure no one sees me. You’ll be able to track me too, okay?”

“Yeah.” I supposed I didn’t have a choice, since Theo needed someone to tell him where Jerome would really go, and at least I’d know if he was safe if I could contact him.

He grabbed an earpiece and put it in his ear, then pointed at the computer screen. “Just click on this button over there if you have any news.”

I pressed my lips together when he got hold of his phone and the map flashed on the screen. “Why do you need me if you have that?”

“I might lose my phone or I might not have time to look at it.”

Okay, that made sense. I’d been afraid he’d just convince me I needed to stay here for no good reason at all. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call anyone?”

“Yeah.” He hurried for the door, and when I was alone, I wondered what would happen if Theo found Walter and killed him. I didn’t think he was going to go after me next, but I didn’t know what I’d do if he decided he no longer had to stay around me.

I monitored the red dot on the screen, and it seemed like Jerome was really going to the Spiders’ area. Theo’s dot was green, and it was moving at great speed. I suspected he was on a motorbike since the dot seemed to sway slightly from side to side on the screen, so he might be weaving between cars. The red dot stopped moving, and a few moments later, it started again, but much slower and it was going for one of the buildings.

Jerome’s car had to be parked somewhere and Jerome was going inside. Theo was only two blocks away now, and he’d slowed down too, maybe even gotten rid of his bike. The map indicated he was at the edge of the Spiders’ area. Jerome was still in that building, and if Walter was with him, then Theo had to hurry.

But just as the green dot was halfway to the building, it vanished off the screen. A gasp escaped my throat as I blinked, hoping the dot would reappear, except it didn’t. I tapped the screen, wondering if it was a glitch, but the dot was still gone. My heart jumped into my throat, and I pressed the button Theo had indicated. The only thing I heard when the speakers turned on was static.

“Theo?” I said, but there was no answer. Grabbing my phone, I dialed his number—he’d given it to me a few days ago when he’d bought a new phone—but it went straight to voicemail. Fuck. I thought I was going to throw up. No matter how long I stared at the screen, the dot didn’t reappear. Something had happened to him. Tears filled the corners of my eyes, but I pushed them back because I didn’t have time for crying. I had to go find Theo. Except... the door was locked and I couldn’t get out of here.

I jumped to my feet, trying to find something with Theo’s fingerprint on it. But as I got closer to the door, I realized there was something different about it. The fingerprint scanner was cleaner than usual or maybe even brand new—or I was imagining it all.

I went closer, eyeing it carefully. Before I could think about it, I pressed my finger to it. The door clicked open. Oh God. Theo had added my fingerprint to the system somehow—I’d found a small black box on the table one morning and lifted it up, but never figured out what it was, so maybe that was how he’d done it—and I couldn’t be gladder for it. I could go after him. I could find him. I just hoped I wouldn’t be too late.