Crash and Burn (1)

are you with me or not?

♚ ♛

I FELT LIKE A FUCKING A MESS. The entire ride into Brooklyn consisted of a million anxious movements—my teeth digging into my bottom lip, my fingers tapping my thigh, my knee bouncing, my heel clicking against the train floor.

As we speared into the station, a giddy excitement still clung to every wasted breath. I couldn't shake the nerves. Soren's plans were blatantly reckless, but at least they were plans. Anything to get me one step closer to freedom. Us, I reminded myself, as I stole a glance at Soren. To get us to freedom.

When we stepped onto the empty platform, Soren strode to the staircase without hesitation. "I've been found here before," he explained, one glance over his shoulder wrenching me to catch up to him. "I've been found here a few times actually. They must have headquarters around here."

I'd never thought of that. His businesses changed frequently, but the headquarters always remained in the same secret veins of the city. Soren's map could help us narrow down where they were.

Breathe.

A soft wind wrapped my hair around my face as we reached the sidewalk. "Wouldn't they know that you won't go back?" I asked. "If you were caught?"

"Believe it or not, Lacey, there are only so many dark corners in this city. Spend two years living in them, and you'll start to retrace your steps." Soren exhaled, shooting me a sideways look as we reached a crosswalk. "Besides, I think they're counting on that."

I swallowed thickly, desperate to stifle the strange excitement his words brought to the surface. "You're pretty good at playing dumb."

Soren pulled his hood further over his head. "I'm pretty good at playing him."

"You're smarter than him," I admitted, shoving my hands into my pockets.

A small smirk tugged at his lips, and I knew he took the compliment to heart. In some ways, it was a compliment of the highest kind. Silently, Soren inched forward to a wire fence at the edge of the block. I followed his gaze hesitantly, taking in the small deli diagonal to us, on the corner of Union Ave. Small letters lit up the top tier of the building, a fluorescent glow painting the dark sidewalk; it played across the long shadows of two people standing in front of the doorway.

"Wait." I grabbed Soren's arm, my heart hurtling up my throat with a new panic. We came to a grinding halt in the safe shadows of a doorway. "We need more, Soren."

Tearing his gaze from the deli, he glared down at me. Soren was a predator, and I'd just taken his attention from his prey and down to me. As he towered over me, his face shrouded in darkness, the long, looming shadow blanketing my body made me feel small.

"No hesitation, princess." His thumb brushed over my bottom lip tenderly. I froze. "Are you with me or not?"

"I am," I replied hastily, "but we need more." I tried to make sense of the jagged thoughts that had stopped me, but his lingering fingers distracted me from everything. "I...we— we need to leave Brooklyn after."

That was all I could think of. In the aftermath, we needed to get as far away as possible. Beneath the choppy shadows from his hood, the trace of a smirk captured Soren's lips. "You'll lead the way, princess."

Breathe.

As he leaned down to kiss me softly, my knees nearly buckled. I felt weak beneath him, and I couldn't be weak.

"We can do this," he mumbled, the rough pad of his thumb skimming my cheek and stilling. "Together."

"Okay." I surrendered, sinking into his palm as he cupped my cheek. "But you have to tell me what you're going to do."