Chapter 28
LOCKE
The Vegas sun is brutal, not like the gold-drenched warmth of Verona. This kind of heat makes you feel like you’re walking into the depths of hell. I can see heatwaves radiating from the shimmering asphalt on the runway; it looks like it could melt beneath us.
I spent the entire flight replaying the conversation we had yesterday, dissecting every word until I was sure I hadn’t imagined it. She’s mine now. Not only has she agreed to the title, but she actually agreed to let me in. She agreed to let me provide, to let me be the one she leans on when the world is too loud. I stare out at the vast wasteland of heat and melting asphalt and feel a savage sort of satisfaction. The walls are finally down, and I’m never giving her a reason to build them back up.
Arden slides on her sunglasses, silent beside me as the plane door opens. No more cobblestones and wine; now it’s just the desert sun, neon lights, and the man we came here to find.
“You ready?” I ask, watching her stand and smooth her outfit. She doesn’t look back; her gaze is fixed on the view of the Vegas skyline outside the open door. “Always.”
On the flight, she made me promise that our first stop would be her condo. She can’t go another day without seeing Lexi and Zoe. I almost called her dramatic; it hasn’t been that long, but another part of me envies it. That kind of love leaves an ache when it’s gone, a feeling of being incomplete.
I’m not sure I’ve ever really understood that kind of longing. Even with Nate, our bond is just... there. It’s steady. I’ve never felt that frantic need to get back to someone just to feel whole again. It makes me wonder if I’ve been missing out, or if I’m just now realizing how much space one person can take up in your heart.
Lexi is a handful, but she’s exactly the kind of person Arden needs in her corner. Mostly, I’d do anything to see her face light up again. At the concert, she looked free. Like nothing had ever touched her. I know better but letting myself believe it for one second made me feel alive. I’d do anything to see her look like that again.
When we pull into her building’s parking garage, Arden doesn’t wait. She’s out of the car before I’ve even shifted into park. Her heels echo on the concrete as she bolts for the elevator. I stay behind for a minute longer, hands still gripping the wheel.
She didn’t invite me up… but she didn’t say I couldn’t follow, either. I’ve never been great at fitting into other people’s lives, especially when they’re as complex as hers. And now, back on her turf, I feel the familiar twinge of unease creeping up my spine.
By the time I reach the door, I hear muffled voices filtering through the walls. High-pitched female laughter accompanied by the unmistakable squealing of a child. It’s the sound of a home; a world I’m not entirely sure I belong in, but here I am anyway.
I reach for the handle, but a prickle of unease along the back of my neck stops me. I don’t turn around immediately; I stop to glance at the polished brass of the unit number next door, using it as a distorted mirror.
There at the far end of the hallway, leaning against the wall of the stairwell, I can make out the outline of a dark figure. It would be so easy to walk right past them, the black hoodie masking their shape in the shadows. I let my hand drop from the lever and slowly turn around.
His frame looks broad and imposing in the narrow space. But it’s the lower half of his face that I recognize. The dark gaiter pulled up over his mouth and nose, featuring the stark, white jaw of a printed skull. It’s a piece of gear I’ve seen him wear on his bike a thousand times, a macabre mask that makes him look less like a man and more like a reaper. Fitting for his current position.
Seb.
He doesn’t move. He doesn’t wave. He just stands there, his gaze fixed on the door I’m about to enter. I told him to watch Lexi, but seeing him like this — a silent, masked sentinel haunting a residential hallway — reminds me that Seb doesn’t do anything halfway. He does excessive. Most of all, he does effective.
I take a breath, the warm memory of the flight cooling instantly. I want to go in and find that peace again, but Seb’s eyes are on me now.
He finally moves, a slow wave of two fingers from his temple. He pulls the skull gaiter down around his neck, revealing a smudge of a grin and a sharp glint in his eyes.
“Holy shit, bro,” I mutter, keeping my voice low enough that it won’t carry through Arden’s door. “I told you to watch over her, not stalk her like a literal psycho. You look like you’re waiting to harvest someone’s soul.”
Seb’s grin widens, sharp and unrepentant. “I’m just being thorough. You didn’t specify the distance.” Jerking his chin toward the door he adds, “The firecracker sisters are inside. They’re safe and they’re loud.”
I grin, shaking my head at him. “Go home, Seb. Get some sleep. Or at least take off the mask before a neighbor calls the cops.”
He just shrugs, pulling his hood down again, already receding back into the shadows of the stairwell without another word. He’s gone before I even turn around.
I push the door open, the sound of Zoe’s laughter and the scent of pancakes and coffee hitting me all at once.
“Locke, is that you?” Arden’s voice calls out, bright and expectant.
“It’s me,” I call back, locking the deadbolt.Wouldn’t want any psycho stalkers getting bold.
I stand there for a second, my back to the door, just breathing in the change of atmosphere. For the first time in weeks, the air feels different. The tension is gone, leaving room to breathe, and enjoy the company around me.
When I round the corner into the kitchen, the sight nearly breaks me. Arden is engulfed in a chaotic three-way hug with Lexi and Zoe, a tangle of limbs and laughter that looks so private I feel like an intruder.
Lexi catches my eye over Arden’s shoulder. She looks exactly like the firecracker I met before we left. Her bright orange hair is down around her shoulders today, but those eyes are still sharp and assessing even as she squeezes her friend. She gives me a look that says she’s thankful I brought Arden back, but she’ll still kill me if I breathe wrong.
Zoe breaks away first, her eyes wide as she looks at me like I’m some sort of giant who’s wandered into her playhouse. “Is he staying for breakfast?” she chirps. Before I can respond, she’s back to tugging on Arden’s hand, demanding to know if we brought back any “Italian treasures.”
