He tosses money onto his table and prowls to mine before shelling out enough cash to cover my latte with a generous tip.
A weird little pinch grips my heart.
Gratitude?
Affection?
Ridiculous.
As we exit the coffee shop, I shy away from my muddled emotions and troubling thoughts and redirect my focus to Sam. I’m smiling again when my muscles freeze.
Across the street, a man in a ball cap leans against the brick wall of a bookstore. Amid the flow of students and commuters, his stillness seems wrong. He isn’t looking at his phone or watching traffic. He’s staring straight at me.
The coldness in his gaze ices my blood.
I’ve seen that glare before. In Alexei’s eyes when he executed Benny. The stranger’s giving the flat, empty stare of someone who sees a target, not a person.
His hand moves in a deliberate motion toward the inside of his jacket.
I forget how to breathe.
My heart stops, then lurches into a frantic rhythm.
Gun.
He has a gun. He’s planning to kill me, right here in broad daylight, with Sam just down the block.
I should run. Scream. Hit the ground.
Instead, I’m rooted to the sidewalk, like a rabbit caught in headlights, watching death approach in the unhurried movement of a stranger’s hand.
The man’s eyes focus on a point over my shoulder before he shoves off the wall and slips away.
My knees wobble, and I save myself from falling by slapping my palm onto the coffee shop window. I swallow down the metallic aftertaste of adrenaline.
Was I wrong about the man? Am I just on edge? Maybe he was reaching for his phone. Not every stranger on the street who expresses curiosity in me is a cold-blooded killer.
Still, I track the direction of his gaze before he disappeared and spot a familiar face.
Alexei. He’s skirting a rowdy group of students playing cards at an overflowing table.
The stranger saw Alexei and fled. I’m sure of it.
Which means the threat was almost certainly real.
My monster saved me from harm by the strength of his presence alone. He kept the other monster away.
Alexei’s hand curves around the small of my back. “Ready?”
To anyone nearby, we could pass for a regular old couple out on a normal coffee date. I guess that proves just how deceiving appearances can be.
For half a second, I consider spilling everything. About Gio. About overhearing Gio’s conversation with Benny that night at the mansion. About them mentioning MJ.
But what happens if I do?
Alexei keeps me alive for one reason. Information. The second I give that up, I lose my value and become a liability. A witness who knows far too much. Once I share what I know with him, he no longer needs me.
Worse, he’ll lose his incentive to protect Sam.
