Page 77 of Soul Sucker

“It’s up to you. We can try and get in here or head up to the lobby level.” Vadim’s voice echoed from below her. “How do you feel?”

“Not too bad. I think I’d like to keep going.”

She suited her actions to her words and kept climbing, her gaze fixed on each rung of the ladder as she took hold of it.

“There’s a light up ahead,” he called. “I wonder if the lobby elevator doors are open?”

“That would be really cool.” She was tiring now, her breath coming out in great big puffs. She kept climbing, though, and saw the light spill over onto the ladder making the metal glint gunmetal gray.

“It’s about five meters above you, Ella. Keep going.”

“What the hell is a meter?” She kept going, her hands aching from gripping the bars so tightly. Light flooded into the elevator shaft now and she was finally able to place a hand on the cold white marble floor of the lobby and crawl out. There was no one there to see her dramatic entry so she stayed on the floor facedown like a landed fish and just appreciated the space around her.

“Are you all right?”

She rolled over onto her back and stared at Vadim. He looked the same, but different, as if she no longer saw just the outer, beautiful shell. There was something in his eyes that made her feel a soul deep connection to him…

What the crap was she thinking? Survival had obviously turned her brain to mush.

“Thanks.” She struggled to stand up, avoiding his proffered hand. “I really should be getting home now.” Without another word, she headed for the outer doors. He caught up with her on the sidewalk. It was surprisingly dark outside, the long shadows of the high buildings turning everything a murky brown.

“Ella. Ms. Walsh, I don’t think you are in any fit state to go home on the ferry alone.” He glanced at his watch. “In fact, you might have missed the last one.”

With distant surprise, she realized she was trembling and that the last thing she wanted to do was be alone.

“I have to get home and lie down. I’m a wreck.”

He took her hand and she swayed toward him. “Come back to the hotel with me.”

“I can’t do that.”

His grip tightened. “And I can’t leave you alone. You are too vulnerable to meet anything from Otherworld tonight.”

“Says who?”

He met her gaze. “Me. And before you get mad, I feel the same. We’re both vulnerable at the moment.” His thumb caressed hers. “Come back to the hotel. You can stay in my room and I’ll bunk up with Alexei.”

“You can’t tell him.”

“Tell him what?”

“About us having sex.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to know.”

“But…”

“Morosov, you should be agreeing with me. If Alexei finds out you’re fucking another empath on your team, you’ll be hauled back to Russia so fast your ears will bleed.”

He studied her for a long moment. “Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“I won’t say anything for the moment, but someone is going to notice if you don’t go crazy on schedule.”

“We’ll deal with that when it happens.” She pulled out of his grasp. “You never know, maybe we’ll have solved the case before that and you’ll be gone.”

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