THEO DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING as he headed for the balcony door. He glanced over his shoulder at me, and I thought I caught a glimpse of longing in his eyes, but then he went through the door. As soon as he was out of sight, I grabbed my gun and made sure I had my phone, then hurried after him. He used the fire escape, but instead of going down, he went up to the rooftop.

The Cobras were supposed to be up there too, so I wondered if he’d hurt any of them just to try to convince me he was the bad guy I should fear. I followed him up, careful to be as quiet as possible. Once I was very close to the top, I heard the voice of one of the guards. But where was Theo? I crouched as I spotted a guard looking to the other side of the rooftop as he talked to someone on his phone. Great. So much for my security.

I pushed myself up and raced toward the wall, wondering if there was anyone on the other side. Surely, there had to be another guard, or anyone could hide behind the wall and wait for the right opportunity to sneak through the roof door. I peeked from behind the wall, trying to spot Theo, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. Where could he have gone? Was he still up here somewhere? I doubted it.

The rooftop of the building next to mine was right across from me, and it was close enough to jump over onto it. Was that how Theo had gotten here? Maybe. If the same distracted guy who was still going on and on about his best friend’s wedding had been on duty, then a horde of assassins could’ve come for me. The reinforcements would be coming soon so that shouldn’t be an issue, but Theo had scheduled them to arrive just after he got away.

The sound of traffic coming from one of the streets was loud enough to camouflage the sound of my footsteps, so when I was sure the guard wasn’t looking my way, I got to my feet and ran toward the other building, hoping I wouldn’t twist my ankle or get shot. The jump rattled my teeth, and I scraped my knee and hands, but it wasn’t anything serious. I hid behind the low wall, trying to catch my breath, and looked around me. A door was in sight and it was open, so I assumed Theo had just used it.

Pulling my hoodie over my head, I headed through the door. The lights were on, so I leaned over the railing and looked down. A blur of black caught my eye. It had to be Theo. I rushed down the stairs, and when I reached the bottom, I strode toward the door, passing by an elderly woman who eyed me suspiciously. I burst out onto the street, looking in every direction. Shit. Where could he have gone? Did he have an apartment somewhere? Or was he already going after his target?

As people moved out of the way, I spotted Theo’s black jacket just down the street. I quickened my steps, keeping my head low. The person who was after me couldn’t have known I’d be going out without my guards and I hoped they hadn’t been watching my building or seen me leave. Shit. Although, then they could’ve gotten to me plenty of times already.

I kept close to the buildings and people, eyeing everyone who passed me by. Theo had slowed his steps and wasn’t that far in front of me. I supposed he was trying to blend in and not to draw too much attention. We’d walked for a while through busy streets, but then he turned into an alley. Once I reached it, I couldn’t see him anywhere. Had he entered one of the buildings? I had no idea, so I made my way down the alley. When I was about to reach the end, someone’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me into the shadows behind one of the walls. A yelp escaped my lips.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Theo breathed into my ear, his mouth brushing my skin and sending a current through my body. My shoulders relaxed all on their own, which was totally crazy in this situation, but that seemed to have confused him, because his grip on my arms eased, and I turned around to face him.

“I’m trying to stop you from doing something stupid, obviously.” I flashed him a smile, and then my gaze fell on the damp-looking spot on his shirt. My smile faded and I gently touched my fingers over the spot. He caught my wrist, but it was too late because blood was already on the tips of my fingers. “Theo... Your wound reopened. You shouldn’t have...”

“I’m fine,” he said coldly. “You shouldn’t be here. Where are your guards?”

“Watching my apartment because they still think I’m there.”

He let out a frustrated groan. “Come with me,” he said.

“Really?” I tilted my head, wondering if I’d heard him right. “You’re not going to tell me to go back?”

“No. Come on.” He pushed himself off the wall and started in the direction we’d come from, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“Where are we going?” I fell in step with him.

“You’ll see.”

We didn’t speak for a while. When Theo suddenly grabbed my arm and tugged me with him inside one of the apartment buildings, I let out a loud gasp. He took a quick look around, and I supposed he was satisfied with what he’d seen, because he went for the stairway.

The building was quite old, and the floor in the foyer was dirty as if something had dripped all over it a long time ago but no one had bothered to clean it. The paint on the walls had peeled off in some spots, and someone had scribbled a swear word on it too. The sofas and armchairs also looked old. There was also an elevator, but I was glad we were taking the stairs because the light inside it was flashing and a button on the wall next to it was broken. Did Theo actually have an apartment here or had he found an empty one and broken into it?

When we found ourselves in a long hallway, he glanced around, and then strode toward one of the doors. He pulled a key out of the pocket of his jacket and unlocked the door, which he pushed wide open, letting me inside. My brow furrowed as I stepped into a room full of dust and cobwebs. The furniture had been covered, and it didn’t look like anyone had been living here for years. The musty smell tickled my nose, but I managed not to sneeze.

Theo locked the door behind him and amusement danced in his eyes as he came toward me.

“What is this place?” I asked, but he only went past me and toward an old fireplace. He caught some kind of a symbol that was on it and twisted it. The wall next to the fireplace moved, revealing a door. He placed his hand against the scanner next to the door and unlocked it. Okay, that was kind of neat. Did he have a secret apartment within the apartment?

“Come,” he said, extending his arm. I strolled inside and ended up in a windowless room with a huge bulletin board on one of the walls that was filled with a ton of notes and papers. There were a few computers on a desk in one of the corners, along with some cabinets. A table that was equally busy with things was in the middle of the room. There were two more doors, and they were open. One led to what seemed to be a bathroom and the other to a bedroom with an unkempt bed. Everything was in a mess, and I had to step around an empty food container.

Theo went straight for the bulletin board and ripped a photo off it. If I wasn’t wrong, the person in the photo looked suspiciously like me. Had he been watching me? Just how long had he been here without anyone knowing?

He took a seat at one of the computers and turned it on, quickly typing something. I went closer to the board and realized he’d been tracking gangs and the Rosa Nera men all over this area.

“You’ve been in this city for quite a while, haven’t you?” I looked at him.

“I guess you could say that.” His gaze was focused on the screen, so I approached him.

“Who are you looking for?” I asked when the screen filled with multiple traffic camera feeds.

“The man who dared to try to kill me with my own gun.”

“You’re using the Rosa Nera’s equipment.” At least it looked like that, because I didn’t think he had the ability to hack into all that stuff. The Rosa Nera’s tech must have set all that up and Theo had taken it after Ingrid died. I wondered if the tech had given over his passwords willingly or not, because I knew the guy and he hadn’t wanted anyone to touch or even breathe near his stuff. But then again, the last time I heard someone mention the guy, he’d moved across the country, so he had no need for any of this.

“I borrowed a few things.” He was studying the screen and checking some old and new footage. A face of an unfamiliar man popped up on the screen, and a slow smile built up on Theo’s lips.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Was the guy on the screen the one who was after me? But I didn’t remember ever seeing him. Was he one of those who refused to let the Rosa Nera die with Ingrid?

“Mm-hmm.” Theo got to his feet and headed toward a keypad that was next to some cabinets. He punched in a code and one of the cabinets beeped. When he opened it, he revealed a huge collection of guns of all shapes and sizes. Wonderful. He picked up one and tucked it in the holster he attached to his belt, and he slid the second one inside his jacket. When he was done, the cabinet hissed as it closed.

“Food and drinks are in the fridge over there.” He pointed across the room as he made his way toward the door.

“Wait, where are you going? You can’t just...” My eyes fell on the scanner that was on the inside of the door too and Theo pressed his finger to it. “Hey! I’m not staying here!” I rushed for the door, but it was too late, because he’d already slipped outside and closed the door in my face. “Theo! Open the fucking door!” I yelled as I banged on it, but I wasn’t sure if he could even hear me. The damn door seemed to be reinforced with something, and my fist was starting to hurt. Fuck.

I gritted my teeth, looking around the room. There was no other way out of here, was there? That was why he’d brought me here, wasn’t it? Because he knew I’d be safe in here. No one in their right mind would be looking for me in here, and they’d have trouble getting in too. I slipped my hand into my pocket to get my phone, but my fingers closed around empty air.

Frowning, I tried the other one, but my phone wasn’t there. Had it fallen out somewhere? I didn’t think so. Shit. I closed my eyes for a moment. Theo. He must have taken my phone when he’d grabbed me in that alley. He’d certainly had an opportunity to do so. Was that payback for me taking his phone or did he simply not want me to be able to contact anyone? I reached for my gun, but it was gone too. Oh yeah, I’d been more than distracted.

The computer was still on, so I hurried to it, intent on finding a way to contact the Cobras or Vix, but most of the computer’s features were locked and required a password. The only thing I could access were the camera feeds. And the area that Theo had been monitoring... My heart skipped a beat. My family lived there. What if that guy was after my family? I took a deep breath, but it did nothing to alleviate the nervous fluttering in my stomach.

In here, I was powerless to do anything. Everything was in Theo’s hands, and I had to trust he’d get the guy before it was too late.