Oh.
Right.
I raised both hands instinctively. “I’m only looking.”
The woman didn’t smile. Instead, she lifted her phone. And spoke quietly into it.
My stomach sank. Fantastic. Apparently staring too long at expensive underwear made me suspicious now. I turned quickly and walked away. No way was I dealing with another confrontation today.
I’d probably burst into tears and embarrass myself all the more.
I picked up speed on my flight down the street. Past cafés and clusters of tourists taking photos. Past a group of office workers spilling out of a pub.
The feeling of being watched didn’t fade.
A car screeched somewhere behind me.
I didn’t turn. No need for another reminder that the world wasn’t friendly today.
Then a door slammed.
“Bonnie!”
My stomach dropped.
I spun around.
Elijah. Standing in the middle of the street beside a dark car, chest rising and falling hard as if he’d been running and not chauffeur-driven. His gaze locked on to me instantly.
Relief flashed across his face.
Oh hell no.
Every instinct in my body fired at once.
Run.
People shouted when I darted into a crowd. My shoes slapped the pavement. Adrenaline surged through my veins. Not again. I was not having this conversation. Not after what I’d just seen.
Behind me, Elijah swore. “Bonnie!”
I ducked between two taxis waiting at a crossing, cutting across the road before the lights changed. A horn blasted. Someone yelled.
I didn’t slow down.
My heart pounded, and I whipped down a side street, weaving past pedestrians and coffee shop tables.
Footsteps thundered behind me. Too close. Dammit. The man had legs a mile long.
I sprinted harder, lungs burning now.
It was a twisted and cruel reminder of the game we’d played in Deadwater. The basement. The moment he’d locked eyes with me across the room. The way he’d moved through the chaos with calm certainty. He’d caught me then. He wouldn’t catch me now.
I skidded around a corner.
Chanced a glance behind. Nothing. He wasn’t there. Just an empty street full of side alleys and bins. I’d lost him? Emotion churned inside me, and I spun around.
Straight into a wall of muscle.
