Did I really spend four hours pacing my room instead of sleeping? Shit. Aerin was right.
“Thanks.” Brushing him aside, I throw the shirt on my back and quickly button it while hurrying down the floor and up the stairs to Aerin’s room. The patrolling guard on temporary placementsgreets me with a blank, polite smile and excuses himself as I arrive. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I knock gently on Aerin’s door and push it open while fully prepared to wake her gently from her sleep.
Instead, Aerin’s upright against her pillows with her bedside light on low and a book open on her lap. “Falco?” Her eyes widen immediately. “Is everything alright?”
“Why are you awake?”
“I couldn’t sleep. Too much thinking.”
“About?
“The future. The cabin. My mom. The wedding. Everything.” Her lips press together as she sighs, then she looks me up and down and concern bleeds into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” The words catch in my throat and I shake my head. “Since you can’t sleep, why don’t we go for a drive? The night air might clear your head.”
There’s a moment where Aerin looks utterly confused, but my expression must have convinced her because a second later she’s throwing the blankets back on her bed. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. It’s lucky you’re awake or I would have had to call one of the drivers.”
“I wouldn’t let you leave without me.”
“I know.” She smiles, wandering into her ensuite. “Give me ten minutes.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re driving through the city with the estate under the impression that we’re both asleep. I don’t trust any of the guards enough to let them know I’m taking Aerinout, but I left a message with Guido personally, should he grow concerned for his daughter’s whereabouts.
“Now that we’re miles from home,” Aerin says while stifling a yawn. “Care to tell me what this is about?”
“Pidge.”
She tenses immediately. “Did something happen?”
“I don’t know.” Revealing my fears will only scare her, but she doesn’t press further. Instead, she sits up a little straighter and gazes out the window at the passing streets.
She’s different since the cabin.
It’s subtle, but it’s there. Her edges have sharpened and her shadows darkened. No wonder, given what she had to do to save my life. Treating her like she’s still fragile feels…wrong.
“He hasn’t responded to me,” I say finally. “He should have and he hasn’t.”
“You’re worried something’s happened to him?” Aerin smiles softly. “He’s smart and capable. Even I’ve seen that and I don’t know him that well. If something’s happened, I bet he’s already halfway through fixing it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Pidge’s apartment is in darkness when we arrive. Parking a block away, we walk the rest of the way but linger on the street under the shadow of a burst streetlight to watch his doorway. There are no signs of life, no cars parked on the street, and no hints that any window is hiding someone keeping an eye on things. Once I’m certain the route looks safe, I take Aerin’s hand and we walk down the street like a couple.
We only break apart when we reach Pidge’s apartment door. I hurry up the path and lift my hand to knock on the door when Aerin grabs my arm and stops me. Glancing at her, her concerned look says it all.
Knocking is stupid.
I’m not thinking clearly.
“Let’s try the back,” Aerin whispers. She leads the way back down the steps and around the side of the building. Pidge’s rear entrance is likely more dangerous than the front, but somehow we weave through the messy backyard without issue. When we reach the door, Aerin smiles up at me. “When you were in that coma, he told me about the traps he set up,” she explains. “He has a lot of ways to keep himself safe. He even taught me how to rig a trip wire, although my version was…terrible.”
It seems I missed a lot while I was unconscious.
Aerin then leans past me to the pristine windowsill resting under the rear window. With her nimble fingers, she feels underneath the wood until a subtle click meets my ears. A small panel falls away into her palm, followed by a small golden key.
“Is there anything hedidn’ttell you?”
She smirks and shrugs while sliding the key into the lock. “He’s pretty talkative if you ask questions.”
