He stopped, pulling her around to face him. "Rissa, are you ok? I need you with me right now. I know this is a lot to take in, but just hang in there until we get you home, ok? Please? I'm going to need a lot of your help if we want to make sure you disappear."
She bit her lip and nodded, her face still turned to the ground. "I will, I just don't want to cause any more problems."
She'd just turned reticent and demure on him. Not that either of those was right, and she hadn't reverted to acting like a bot, but this was not the woman he knew. This version was clearly scared out of her mind, so the least he could do was comfort her.
"You're not a problem," he swore. "Never, Riss." Then he angled them towards a sheltered nook. "I'm also not sure we're out of the woods yet. That means I need my guns where I can get to them."
She moved into the indentation beside the building with him, but she refused to look at his face. Sin was getting worried about her, but he truly believed she'd be able to do this. As he knelt to unroll his armor and retrieve his two favorite pistols, he realized all of his plans were now shit.
They couldn't get to Davis's safe house. He refused to take her back to OutLink. There were terrorists and street gangs on the streets right now, and from the delay in the emergency response time, he had a feeling the city police were stretched thin. In other words, they were completely on their own, but he could handle that.
Just as he made his decision, Rissa finally spoke up. "Is Caleb dead?"
His hands stilled. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Riss, but he is."
"And this is his coat?" she asked.
He nodded. "It is. I really don't think he'd mind you using it." Then he removed two of his guns and offered them to her. "Hold these?"
She didn't flinch away from the weapons, which was good, but she also didn't lift her head. He hadn't expected her to be this shaken, but she had been pretty isolated. After retrieving his wallet as well, Sin packed his mess back up. Working quickly, he rolled back up his exo-armor and secured it. When he held out a hand, Rissa passed back the guns.
Sin tilted his head to the street as he tucked them inside his waistband. His shirt was too tight to offer much concealment, but he shifted it over the weapons anyway, hoping it would do. At least they no longer looked like an Ingénue and her Legate.
Chapter Forty-Six
At the first shop, Sin convinced her to buy a pair of jeans and a fitted long-sleeved shirt. It wasn't extreme, but it was much more revealing than she was used to. Rissa put on a good show while they were in the store, smiling at the right moments with her head up the entire time. The clerk barely noticed, too busy watching the news. But then, as soon as they left, she was back to looking at the ground.
Thankfully, she kept his pace and wasn't even breathing hard. Not that he was walking fast—not with his angel acting like she'd break down and cry at any minute. Yet unlike his other clients, Sin knew he could rely on her to do what had to be done. When they stepped into the pharmacy, she was right beside him, the smile in place.
The clerk looked shocked at the amount of medication he purchased, but the system had a prescription authorizing him for five months' worth of a much higher dose than he usually took. Sin had to fight the urge to look at Rissa when he heard that. The card cleared without even a hiccup, and they left with enough medication for his entire complex. It was one less thing to worry about. Now, he had to get her some real clothing.
"Riss? You need at least three outfits. We're getting those, then heading home."
"Where is home going to be?"
He sighed. "For now, my apartment in the lower south. It's not much, but it's safe and quiet. Since you're supposedly insideOutLink right now, I think we can risk it until we can get to Davis's place."
Her face never left the ground. "How long will I have to stay in your apartment?"
"I'm honestly not sure," he admitted. "It'll be nice to have company, though."
She licked at her lips, a gesture he'd never been able to see before. "Does that mean you'll stay with me?"
"Yes," Sin promised. "I live there too, so you won't be alone."
"Ok."
In the end, she bought five outfits. Sin stood in the store holding a bag filled with his armor and all the medication, approving or rejecting her choices. At first, she tried to get nothing but large, baggy dresses. Those, he refused. Even the clerk sided with him, encouraging her to try more flattering attire. Finally, she settled on a few things that were incredibly sexy and a lot of things that were simply functional—but still pretty damned sexy. When the clerk rang up the items, Sin couldn't help but look over the selection of bras and panties, wishing he'd gotten to see her model those.
But shopping hadn't lifted her mood. As soon as they returned to the street, her head was back down and she said nothing. He'd expected her to be at least a little excited about no longer being caged by OutLink. He didn't think she'd known Caleb well enough to be this upset by his death, but it wasn't as if she had experience with the harsh realities of the world. He just hoped she wouldn't fall into a depression he couldn't help lift. She'd been through more tonight than the poor thing had ever experienced in her entire life. It had to be hard.
That was why he kept his silence. If she didn't want to talk, he'd give her the space to grieve. It was the least he could do after everything she'd done for him. When they finally reached his building, she glanced up but said nothing. It was late enoughhis neighbors were all inside, most likely glued to the news. That left nothing but empty halls and dim lights waiting for them.
Sin pressed his hand to his door panel, watched the light turn green, then slid it open. "Home sweet home," he said. "It's yours for as long as you want."
She stepped inside and paused, turning slowly. "This is just yours?"
"Yeah. Whose did you think it was?" Because this was the same place she'd been after the last attack.
