Page 73 of A Touch of Dark
For the first time, I realize that Damien literally went searching for me blind. He’s unfamiliar with the landscape, using Julio’s guidance to steer me forward. But his grip is sure and I’m so damn tired. When I lean against him, he doesn’t even flinch. His arm slides around my shoulders instead, offering more support.
So strange. So surreal. Too fragile to question.
So I merely observe.
He and his guard came by car. It’s parked along the road, and I’m guided into the back seat while the guard circles around to the driver’s seat. Damien, on the other hand, takes the seat beside me. He says something to the driver in Spanish and the car begins to move.
I’m too busy shivering to pay attention to our surroundings. He could be taking me anywhere, for any purpose, yet I can’t muster up the energy to care.
Though my silence, ironically, must worry him. “Don’t sleep,” he warns as if sensing my slowed, heavy breathing and how my eyelids drift lower by the second. “What the hell were you thinking?”
His anger sears my skin, hotter than the heat he orders the driver to turn up.
“Sorry,” I murmur, unwilling to lift my head from his shoulder, even as I direct what little anger I feel his way. “It’s not every day that I’m called a murderer to my face.”
Recently, anyway.
I sense him stiffen.
“I…apologize.”
And Imustbe delirious. My body reacts violently to the sudden warmth. My teeth chatter. I can’t stop shaking, and the worse my tremors become, the more words in Spanish Damien snaps at his driver.
“Vámonos!”
The man must be used to the pressure, because he doesn’t so much as flinch while maneuvering seamlessly through traffic. My old town flies by in a muted blur. The school where Leslie and I spent our last few hours of innocence. The old park. The library.
Nostalgia hits like a punch in the stomach. I squeeze my eyes shut against it and find myself sinking even further against the firm body serving as my sole support.
“No.” His finger grazes my chin disapprovingly. “Stay awake.”
“I’m fine.” I grimace, but with a sigh, I peel my eyes open. His concern shouldn’t affect me so much.
“Say something,” he growls.
“My father’s going to kill me.”
The press conference is today. His big announcement. His triumphant return to the political sphere. All of it tarnished slightly by me.
“He delayed the press briefing,” Damien says dryly. “It’s later this evening.”
“Good.” A funny thought occurs to me. “How did you find me? Do you have me LoJacked?” Then again, the prospect isn’t so funny.
“Julio followed you long enough to get the license plate of the cab,” he explains. Not because he wants to, I suspect. He’s stiff, resembling stone again.
I have a sudden urge to run my fingers along his jaw, testing the give of his flesh for myself. I do and frown. Soft like always, though he flinches at the contact. My fingers look like a stranger’s. I’ve never been so pale.
“Why?” I croak.
“I have contacts who tracked your position out of the state,” he adds without answering my last question. “Once I realized where you were headed, I knew where to find you.”
“You were very thorough in your research, it seems.” My fingers are still on his jaw. “Did you break into my old file?” I’ve been told the case has been declared indefinitely cold. “I guess you really do know everything.”
“Not everything.” Glowering, he removes his arm from around my shoulders and takes my hand, lowering it to my lap. But he doesn’t let go. If anything, his fingers tighten as if he can force out the numbing chill through brute strength alone. “For example, I don’t know what lasting damage you might experience from being in freezing temperatures for several hours wearing only a dress.”
“You don’t have to do this.” But even as I watch his fingers intertwined with mine, I can’t bring myself to pull away.
“New wager.” His tone warns that, this time, there will be no negotiation. “Give me this one moment to give a damn about your welfare and tomorrow you can berate me all you’d like.Por favor.”
