Page 63 of Killer of Mine
“It’s not a collar when it’s on your ankle,” I point out.
“Potato, po-tah-to. You’re still on a leash.”
“That’s why you’re here.”
Carmen eyes me for a moment then sighs. She slips a shiny black device from the pocket of her hoodie. It’s about the size of a memory stick and every government in the world would go to extreme lengths to get to the mind that created it. It’s a good thing Carmen’s as good at hiding as she says she is.
She flips the device over in her fingers and shows it to me. “Press this button and hold it to your anklet for twenty seconds, then you’re good to go.”
I fold my palm around the key to my freedom and slip it into my jeans. “Thank you.”
“Anything goes wrong, you call me. I’ll get you out. I can have you a new identity within hours.”
The idea of starting over again, of letting Freya Danvers die, sours my stomach. Maybe before, when all I’d have been leaving behind was Luke, I could have done it. Not that I don’t care for Luke, because I do, but I have a feeling leaving the guys wouldn’t be so simple.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a real family. A place to go home to. Even as mad as I am at River and Eli right now, every cell in my body rebels against the idea of never seeing them again.
The hair on the back of my neck tingles and I spin around, scanning the mall. My heart kicks at the sight of Oz making his way through the food court. “You better go,” I say, turning back to find an empty space, Carmen already melting away into the crowd.
I lose sight of her. It’s better this way but I keep searching the food court just for one more glimpse of the woman who saved my life.
Oz doesn’t make a sound, but I sense him coming up behind me. His body is a wall of heat at my back, and I lean againsthis chest. His arms circle me, and his hands link together over my stomach. The move is sweet, comforting. It’s also a way of stopping me from running. There are layers to Oz I’m only just starting to peel away.
“How mad is River?” I ask.
Oz kisses the top of my head. “Next question.”
“Are you taking me back?”
Oz hums. “I could. Or I could take you on a date.”
I twist in his arms and hook my hands around his neck. “A date?” I ask, a smile playing at my lips.
“One dish from every food stand. What do you say?”
I laugh. “Won’t you get in trouble?”
Oz bends down till his lips whisper against my ear. “Hearing that laugh is worth it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Oz
YOU KNOW, I can’t remember the last time I ate at a food court. Sure, I’ve had my fill of takeaways but usually I’m eating them with one hand while I work at my laptop. Jude’s always saying I don’t get out enough but until Freya came along, I never really had anything to go out for.
“You ready?”
I look up from the array of dishes we’ve collected to a grinning Freya. I’ve never seen her so carefree. If I’d have known food was the key to her heart, I’d have been feeding her gourmet meals every day. Any concept of me being neutral ground when it comes to Freya went out the window the second I saw her scars. I’m as far gone as Jude. She’s it for me. Which is why I’m sitting at a crappy table in the middle of the food court instead of taking her back home.
The desire to have her all to myself, just for a little while, roots me to the chair. So, for once in my life, I ignore my phone buzzing with messages from River and focus on Freya.
She holds up a container with fried dough balls in one hand and one with dumplings in the other. “Sweet or savory?”
I take a dumpling. “Savory, obviously. Who eats sweet first?”
Freya’s lips twist like she’s got a secret. She puts the containers down and snags a sugary dough ball.
I shake my head. “You’re off your rocker.”
