“I don’t do desk work,” I ground out. “Whoare we getting?”
Tell me it’s not her.
Tell me I’m wrong.
Tell me I’m not about to make a giant ass of myself.
The scent of stale booze smacked me in the face as the door finally opened, andAlex hadn’t changed. Long black hairwas pulled into a familiar ponytail, nearly touching her hips. Sleepy blue eyes were framed with bangs, her pale cheeks and neck were flushed with red, and an oversized shirt swallowed her frame. The fabric did nothing to cover her bare thighs, and suddenly the top of her head became extremely interesting. Two small blue horns poked out, and a memory invaded my mind.
One year at the academy, I’d hung a Christmas ornament on them during training. I wanted to see if she’d notice, or maybe I wanted her to noticeme. Alex slapped me for that one—it was deserved.
“Oh, shit,” I gaped.
Damnit, Dahlia. This is not what I fucking meant.
She glanced up, her face slack as she clutched an open bottle of wine to her chest. “Oh, shit is right. I think I’m hallucinating.”
I shifted as she took a long pull from the bottle, staring me down. My body screamed to run, but my eyes were glued to her. The woman I’d been searching for was right here, safe and alive. Yet I’d never seen her so disheveled, so…broken.
Alex had the same scrunched nose splattered with freckles, the same pull to her brows when she saw me. But she was different; a sort of wither to her that squashed the spunk.
“We need to talk,” I croaked.
She paused, before huffing a laugh. “Nah, I think I’m good on that.”
“Alex—”
The door slammed in my face before I could finish. Reed sputtered out a laugh as I pounded on the door.
“Jeez, man, what’d you do to her? Is she an ex?” He doubled over, wheezing as my knocking became more frantic.
“Alex, open this damn door right now!” Embers shot out of my mouth, dying out before they could light the place on fire.
Silence sat behind the door. I rolled my neck, clenching my fists before leaning my forehead against it. The seconds trekkedon as sunlight shone through the open end of the hall in the apartment complex. Car horns and dulled chatter rang through the thin walls as I let out a slow breath.
“Listen…I know it’s been a while. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need to be.”
I’ve been searching for youis what I wanted to say.There’s so much I need to explain.
Reed nodded his head as he turned to the side with a low whistle. “Yeah, that line usually works on women. By the way, yours is running away.”
“What?” I snapped my head up in time to watch Alex shoot out from an open door down the hall, black hair flying behind her as she aimed for the stairs.
Did she scale the fucking walls out the back door or something?
It didn’t matter; every second that I’d spent talking to no one, she had used to make her escape.
“She’s still carrying that bottle, huh? Must be a comfort item,” Reed mused.
“Damnit, Alex!” I cupped my hands over my mouth as I began to race after her. “At least put on some fuckingpants!”
She didn’t even glance back as her bare feet slapped down the linoleum stairs, speedy as ever. Joon always forced us to keep up with him, always raced ahead while Alex held the futile belief she’d catch up. I hadn’t realized how much faster the challenge had made her.
The bottle remained clutched in her fist as she sprinted, that damned shirt flapping in the wind to give us a glimpse of blue striped panties. My temperature rose with my frustration. Why did it have to beher?
I should have known; we’d been sent to gather a Hero that specialized in intelligence and interrogations. Contrary to her current form, Alex fit the bill. The worst part? I practicallyhanded her over to the VIA.Itold Dahlia to look into her.Igave the scent to the bloodhounds. The organization was too dangerous to bring her in; even if she was only asking the questions, it would put her in their line of sight. She’d disappeared, but I hadn’t seen her face in the papers, hadn’t read her name in obituaries. I should have minded my business, should have honored Joon’s wishes to stay the fuck away. Whatever she’d been doing in the past three years, at least she was alive.
Alive and streaking an entire fucking street.
