Page 26 of The One Who Won’t Get Away
She waved a hand.“You could have just put me in coach, you know.I mean, I ride the subway and the bus all the time.”
But she was watching me, gauging.It had been like this the first time we had met, too, as if she expected me to overreact to every little thing.
“You’re a real charmer, Tuna.”
I grinned.“You remember that?”
“Dan texted me.He says you still owe him for the nickname.”
I groaned.Dan and his buddies had been the ones to give me the cursed name.I’d say I owed him an ass-kicking for it, but I wasn’t sure I’d win that fight.Dan was a beast.
After stowing the bags overhead, I closed the door and sat opposite Nadya, knees almost touching.Not bad,I told myself.This was the right choice.
The train lurched forward, and New York started to roll by.
Nadya looked out the window, then back at me.“What’s our cover story?”she said.
I arched a brow.“Cover story?”
“I mean, two adults, one roomette, late-night train.Either you’re my secret lover, or you’re spiriting me away to a witness protection safe house.There’s no in-between.”
“Can’t it be both?”I deadpanned.
She snorted.“You wish.”
“Actually, I do,” I said, surprising myself.Seriously shouldn’t go there.She was a witness.
Nadya looked at me, really looked, for a couple of beats.Something about the way her smile lingered—not just the lips but the eyes—made me feel like maybe she remembered that night as vividly as I had.Maybe she even thought about it from time to time, wishing she hadn’t snuck out while I pretended to sleep.
In truth, I’d never sleep through that.I also never would’ve forced her to stay the night when she felt the need to run, especially since she had been clear from the start that she hadn’t been interested in a repeat performance.Definitely no attachments.
I broke the silence.“We get in around one.There’s a hotel about three blocks from the station, already booked.How do you feel about motorcycles?”
She blinked in surprise.“Motorcycles?Never ridden one, but maybe I should’ve.Are we getting one?”
I shrugged with one shoulder.“There’s a motorcycle rental place close enough to the hotel.I figured it wouldn’t be triggering for you.”
“Thanks.I’m happy to ride whatever lets me get my hands on your ass.”
“Your hands will be on my waist, not on my ass, woman.Keep talking like this, and I’ll think you failed biology.”
The train rocked gently.The walls rattled.The lights overhead dimmed as we cleared the city, and Nadya’s voice got softer, less armored.
“It’s weird,” she said.“I thought I’d be more anxious, but it’s just...quiet.”
I nodded.“That’s normal.The scariest part is deciding to do it, not actually doing it.”
Nadya curled her legs up, feet tucked under her, then looked at the “amenities”—the sink and the toilet.
“Is it weird if I have to pee and you’re in the room?”
I shook my head.“Just don’t try to seduce me while I’m at my most vulnerable.Or I can just step out to give you privacy.”
Nadya decided to forgo the bathroom break, though.Instead, she pulled out her phone, thumbed through messages, then put it away without typing.Her walls were coming down, molecule by molecule.
“You didn’t have to do all this, you know.Babysit me.Travel out here.Book a train.”
“Yeah, I did,” I said.“I could say it’s my job, but the truth is, I just wanted to make sure you were safe.Or at least, safer.”
