Page 12 of Refrain

Suddenly, the world shifts. My feet aren’t on the ground anymore, and I’m staring up at the impassive indigo sky. Air rushes by, clawing at my hair and flinging it in every which direction. We’re moving faster.

But not fast enough. Footsteps gain on us too quickly to outrun.

“Espi,” a woman exclaims, panting. “What’s going on—”

“Nothing good,” the man holding me says. “Get as far from here as you can. Call me when you’re safe. Got that?”

“Okay.”

The footsteps trail off again, swallowed by a rushing sound that drowns out everything else but the roar of police sirens and one last piece of Grey’s advice.

If you’re ever stupid enough to blow your cover, know this…

It only gets worse from there.

CHAPTER FOUR

ESPI

I don’t stop runninguntil the wail of sirens fades to a distant hum. Though it could just be that the woman moaning in my ear drowns the sound out.

She’s in bad shape. I’m drenched in her blood, and it splatters the sidewalk with every step I take like someone painted our trail in ruby red. We won’t escape notice for long. I feel eyes on the back of my neck already, hunting my every move as I weave through an alley and cut onto a back street. All the stealth does no good.

Someone is on my tail.

He’s good, staying in the shadows. From what I glimpse out of the corner of my eye, he’s tall and wearing a hoodie with the hood drawn low to disguise his face.

But I’d know that shape anywhere.

My footsteps slow as guilt wars with the part of me I’ve smothered for the past six months. The Espi who wants some goddamn answers. The Espi who’s pissed. The Espi who doesn’t care that some woman is about to bleed out on his watch.

He wants to say his fucking piece.

Gritting my teeth, I look over my shoulder and make myvoice loud enough to carry to the entrance of the alley I’m in. I know he’s there. “You’ve picked the perfect time for a reunion,” I tell him.

The figure lingers just beyond the corner of the nearest building for a second. Then he steps forward, and I see his face. “You want to tell me what the hell you were doing there?” he wonders.

Typical Dante. Five seconds and he’s already waltzed right back into the role of big brother.

“You want to tell me whereyou’vebeen since you skipped out on me?” With nothing more than a crummy note and a few thousand dollars, I might add. That’s all I’m good for, apparently. Always pity, never the truth.

“Did Arno put you up to this?” He cuts his gaze to my chest, coldly taking in the new tattoo there. Then he looks down at my feet, and his eyes widen.

I glance in the same direction and wince. “It’s not my blood,” I blurt out. But it’s a lot. And I’m just wasting time.

“Is that so?” He finally seems to notice the woman I’m carrying. “Trust me, this isn’t something you want to stick your nose into—”

“What wereyoudoing there?” I ask, cutting him off. Sure enough, the line of his jaw tightens. Once again, I’m not good enough for a solid answer. “Whatever. Tell Danny I say hi.”

Damn. I don’t know where the venom came from. Jealousy? No. Not really. You have to want something in order to be jealous of whoever has it. After all this time, I’m not really sure I need someone who sticks around out of pity.

“Espi…” Dante sighs in that heavy, exhausted way only he can. Like the weight of the world is on his shoulders and he’s the sole person who can hold it. Fuck asking for help. It simply isn’t his style. “You know I wouldn’t do this if it weren’t to protect you. Right?”

“I…” The unmistakable tone of a police siren snags my attention. “Shit.” I readjust my grip on the blonde while juggling my med kit. It’s only as I bounce on the heels of my feet that I realize I’m hesitating. For the first time, I register how fucking naked I feel without my shirt. Show and tell through old scars is a game I don’t want to play right now.

In the end, he’s the one who leaves first, fading into the dreary landscape. “I’ll draw them away,” he calls back.

I take my out and run.

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