Page 93 of Sin

Down?

Was that asshole leaving?

No fucking fair.

They said I wasn’t a prisoner, but no one ever invited me out. They said they needed to protect me, but they wouldn’t let me do anything with them outside of these walls.

Well, fuck that.

My subconscious was right. I needed to take charge of my destiny, and part of that included making my own decisions.

I was only trapped here if I continued to allow it.

It was time for my first field trip.

Knowing I’d never catch Chaos if I waited for the private elevator to return, I spun around and headed for the stairwell. These were the back stairs that acted as an emergency or second exit. If I took these down a few floors, I could grab one of the building’s main elevators and hopefully meet Chaos on the ground floor. Also, bonus, no one would be the wiser.

I zipped up my sweatshirt and tucked my hair into the dark fabric of the hood, thankful I’d planned on using the treadmill after my chat with Chaos so I was already fully dressed with tennis shoes on and everything. I even had my phone—which I hadn’t let out of my sight since I recovered it—in case I got lost.

Fully aware my plan was half a plan at best and that it fully hinged on speed, I didn’t waste a second. I wasn’t trying to win any prizes for strategy, just flex my independence a little. Besides, how mad could the Grump Squad get if I was technically still with one of them?

And if I wasn’t safe with Chaos, then there was no point in them protecting me at all. He wasthehorseman War. The toughest of tough motherfuckers. Besides, the plan was to meet him in the lobby, not leave the building.

I told myself all of this as I raced down five flights of stairs before bursting through the door and calling an elevator. If I lost him, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d get back into the penthouse. I didn’t exactly have a key.

The elevator door opened immediately, and I thanked my lucky stars it had been close to this floor as I got in and punched the button labeled LOBBY.

“Please don’t already be gone,” I murmured.

I drummed my fingers on my thigh, absentmindedly grooving to the soft Muzak that pumped through the speakers. I didn’t get to hear enough of the song to be sure, but it sounded like it might be a jazzy version of “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

Then again, maybe I was projecting.

As soon as the doors slid open, I was out of there, glancing around in search of my target. The man in question strode with purpose right out the front door, leaving me in his very handsome dust.

“Fuck,” I muttered, debating for all of a heartbeat whether to keep following him.

It wasn't much of a debate. I couldn’t get back into the penthouse without him.

“In for a penny...” I said beneath my breath as I sprinted through the super upscale lobby to the front door. I made it outside just as Chaos closed the door of a cab. Thankfully this fancy building had a taxi stand, and there was another car idling just behind it.

Yanking the door open, I threw myself inside and shouted, “Follow that cab!” at the driver.

“Yes, miss.” The driver’s shoulders shook as he very clearly attempted to keep in his laughter.

I chuckled to myself. This was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever done. And, if I was being honest, probably the most fun. Even if it was also spontaneous and likely short-sighted.

As we wound through the streets of London, I was finally able to take in the landscape of the city with new, post-apocalyptic eyes. Piles of rubble littered the sidewalks and street corners. The remnants of Big Ben stood like a ghost in an eerily orange sky. Smoke wafted up to join the clouds from nearly every direction.

“Shame, innit? To see our city in such a state?” The cabbie’s voice was tinged with a deep sadness. “It hasn’t looked like thissince the blitz. Me mum told me stories of how the walls came down around her while the bombs fell. It’s only by the grace of God that she survived.”

I made a soft sound of assent as I continued to drink in the destruction. London was barely recognizable. On almost every corner, there were groups of people with signs sayingRepentorThe End Is Here. I couldn’t blame them for their assumptions—and, you know, they weren’t wrong. More than one iconic bridge had collapsed, along with several famous landmarks. The London Eye was more of a crescent moon, with little sparks shooting off the metal railing every now and then. Many of the small mom-and-pop stores were closed, the doors and windows that weren’t barricaded with wood broken and clearly looted. And while a few of the larger chain stores remained open, they appeared to have been nearly wiped out.

Given the state of things, I was shocked traffic was flowing as steadily as it was. Then again, most cars seemed to be fleeing in the opposite direction. That was, out of the city. Not to mention I had a strong suspicion there’d been some supernatural intervention when it came to clearing the main streets. I couldn’t prove it, mind you, but the fact that I was in a cab chasing after Chaos sort of spoke for itself.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the airport? Or maybe the train station, miss? You should get out of here. Go to the country where it’s safe. We’re overrun with looters and criminals, not to mention the religious zealots. It’s not a good idea to wander around anymore.”

As the cabbie continued trying to convince me to run for my life, I trained my focus on the taillights of the taxi Chaos was in. They were stopping.

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