Page 43 of Ever After

I shake my head, not understanding. “I just talked to him. He looks exactly like Nick Genova. Ithasto be him.”

“According to records, it’s not. I don’t know how we’re going to get this guy. Without a name, we’re fucked.” He scrubs his face with his hands. “Shaw’s not going to be able to do shit about it. It’s going to be up to us to get him.”

I scoff, “And I just told him I’m leaving for New York again.” I look over at him.

He narrows his eyes. “Why the fuck would you tell him that?”

“I need to get her out of here. She’s not safe in Chicago. If I get her to New York, at least we’re away from him. It’s bigger than Chicago, and she’ll be harder to track. Please, tell me the address you put on my license is real?”

He sighs. “Yeah, it’s real. It’s a hideout. And before you can ask, yeah, you can use it.”

I smile and cup his shoulder. “How quickly can you get her a new identity?”

“You have to get her over to Ian. Let me see what strings I can pull. Come on, we need to get back to her.”

We pull up outside Winston’s place and get out. My rental is at the hotel, to not draw attention. Just to make sure, I stayed hidden until we were out of the city limits before I sat up for the rest of the ride. I feel like I’m back on a mission all over again. It’s a rush.

The front door is unlocked, and my heartrate accelerates. My instincts take over, and I’m ready for anything. I look at Winston, and his face mimics mine. Fear.

“I locked that door. I made sure I did. And she promised she would stay in her room.”

I race inside, gun drawn, fluidly moving from one room to another. When I’m satisfied no one is on the bottom floor, I take the steps two at a time. Winston is on my heels, and he heads down to the other rooms, but I stop outside Finley’s. I turn the handle, and the door pops open.

“Finley?” I call out. I check the bathroom and the closet, but she’s not there.

I call out louder for her. “Finley?”

A million scenarios run through my head. Somehow, Chris found her, she ran away, or someone else came and kidnapped her. I’m normally calm and collected in these types of situations, but panic sets in as I rush back to the front door. I run outside and to the back of the house, calling out for her.

“Finley?”

I see her as I round the house. She’s lying on her back in the middle of the grass, her eyes closed as she soaks in the sun. I close my eyes, tilt my head back, and take a deep breath.She’s safe.I run to her and stand above her, my shadow blocking the light. She flutters her eyes open and looks at me, a lazy smile on her lips.

“So glad you’re back.” She sits up and twists her upper body to see me better from her angle on the ground. She cups her hand over her eyes to block the sun.

I kneel beside her. “Jesus, Finley. You scared the shit out of me. Didn’t Winston tell you not to leave the house?” I yell, and she flinches. She scoots her body further away from mine and her chin quivers. I need to get my anger in check. The last thing I’m trying to do is scare her. She means way too much to me for something to happen to her.

She nods and looks to the ground. “The sun was out, and I haven’t seen it in two weeks. I just wanted to sit outside for a while.” She peeks at me through her lashes and wipes a stray tear. “I’m sorry I left the house. Winston said no one knows where I am, so I thought it would be safe for me, as long as I stayed hidden. I must have dozed off.”

I touch her cheek, wiping her tears. “Hey, it’s fine. You scared me. I thought I lost you again.” She nuzzles her face into my touch, and I kiss the top of her head. “We’re going to get you away from here for a while.”

She knits her brows together. “Where are we going?”

I take a deep breath and push it out. “New York. Chase Biggs is from there, and I need to get away. I have a tail on me. You can’t stay here, and I can’t protect you if I’m not around.” I extend my hand to take hers. “Come on, let’s get inside, and we can sort everything out.”

She accepts my hand and stands up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on my lips. I’m greedy as I pull her flush against my body, wrap my hand around the back of her neck, and deepen the kiss. It’s perfect. Just the right amount of want and lust. I let her pull back, and she smiles lazily at me. Her eyes have darkened, and she bites her lip. Damn, it’s one of the hottest looks I’ve ever seen, and I want to take her back to the room and show her how great I can make her feel.

I lick my lips, the feel of her soft ones still present on mine. “What was that for?”

She offers a shy smile and looks to the ground as a quiet thank you falls from her lips.

Finley

I’m struggling to find the words I want to convey. The only thing I can think of in response to his question is, “Thank you.” So that’s what I settle on. I want to tell him so much more. I want to display my gratitude and let him know just how much it means to me that he’s risking so much to help me. I want him to know how happy I am that it’s him who’s come to my rescue.

“When are we leaving?” I ask, walking through the front door.

“I’m hoping to get us a flight out of here tonight. Winston is working on getting you new documents. We are going to have to change your hair color and cut it.”