“What if you lost your shot at finding Silas?”
I pulled back to look at her.
The smile had faded, and the line between her eyebrows started to reappear. I kissed her again and drew back to see that the kiss wasn’t enough to set her mind at ease.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “Saving you mattered. If I find Silas, I find Silas. My priorities have shifted. I want to find him. I want to know what’s going on. I want to know why he left and who killed Emily. Who tried to kill you. But Sylvie, I know what’s important now.”
I pressed my lips to hers, sliding my tongue along her lower lip, tasting the sweet flavor of Sylvie Calloway.
“You and me,” I said. “We’ve got something here. And I’m not letting you go, no matter what. Are you in?”
She’d told me she loved me, but I was asking something different. A chill of nerves slid down my spine. She’d had time to think while I was stumbling around out there trying to fix things in all the wrong ways.
But Sylvie had more patience than I deserved. That sweet smile took her mouth again, spreading slowly until her hazel eyes were lit from within.
“I’m in,” she said, easing closer to nip at my lower lip. “We both might be insane for falling in love in a week, but I don’t care. I love you.”
“If you say that a million more times, I might get used to it.” I brushed her hair back off her neck, just for another excuse to touch her. “I love you too.”
I hoped I never got used to the way her eyes sparked when she heard those words. A million times wouldn’t be enough.
Sylvie reached up to brush her thumb across my cheekbone. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Eli,” she said, “but you look like hell.”
I shook with a laugh. “I think Maddox used the termdogshit.”
Her lips curled in a smile. “You’re a few steps up from dogshit, but you could use at least twelve hours of sleep. I’ve heard you’re not supposed to bust out of the hospitalagainst doctor’s orders and then run all over the city chasing a crazy bomber.”
“Mad said something like that, too,” I admitted. “How do you feel about a nap?”
“After some more headache pills and a trip to the bathroom, I think I could sleep all day.”
I sat up, coming to my feet slowly, already feeling fatigue pulling me back down as soon as I was upright. “You hit the bathroom. I’ll be back with water and meds.” I waited for her to sit up and ease her legs to the side of the bed.
“I still feel like I got run over,” she grumbled, reaching out her hands for mine. I pulled her to her feet, tugging until she was in my arms.
“Half a burning building fell on you,” I said, stroking a hand down her back. “It’s going to take more than two days to get back to normal.” I rested my cheek on the top of her head before gently turning her to the bathroom.“I’ll be back in a minute.”
I waited until the bathroom door closed behind Sylvie before pulling on my thermal and cargoes and heading down the hall to the kitchen. Wren was sitting on the sofa, her tablet in hand.
“She kick you out?” Wren’s eyebrow lifted, the side of her mouth curved in a sisterly smirk.
“No. She loves me.” I shot Wren a smug grin that didn’t bother to hide how I felt about that. “I’m getting her water and something for her head, and then we’re going to sleep until we can function again.”
“Pills are on the counter. Cold water is in the fridge.” Wren tipped her head in the direction of the kitchen. “And I’m not surprised she loves you. You’re lovable. And she’s nuts, just like the rest of us.”
I grabbed the headache pills and a few bottles of water. Straightening, I said, “Sylvie said the bomber mentioned something called Ghost Trace. Does that mean anything to you?”
Wren looked up at the ceiling as if her memory banks were printed up there. After a long pause, she shook her head. “For a second, it sounded familiar, but I can’t place it. Did he say what it was?”
“No.” I repeated, word for word, what Sylvie had told me earlier. “Maybe when we find him, we can get more out of him.”
“You’re not backing off?” Wren asked, already shaking her head.
“I am, for now. We’re out of leads, and it’s been pointed out that I’m a mess and Sylvie isn’t much better. But I can’t let it go. He has to kill her to complete the contract. As long as he’s out there, Sylvie won’t be safe.”
“And he might be able to lead us to Silas,” she added.
I shrugged. “He might. Sylvie thinks he’s closer than we are. But we’re not letting him go in the hopes he’ll track Silas down for us. Not when Sylvie is at risk.”
