Page 27 of Tangled

Jian looked sharply at Tristan. “Do you have any acquaintances in the area with adequate security you could contact?”

Tristan shrugged. “No one I could call at eleven-thirty at night. If I had a few days to activate my networks, I could perhaps reach out to boarding school contacts, but we don’t have that kind of time.”

Jian sighed. “Then we shall drive by to determine whether there are police or other individuals present at her apartment.”

Driving from the airport to the zone where impoverished students and university-adjacent people lived took half an hour. Colleen sat on the floor and clung to Tristan’s knee during the ride, and he slowly stroked her hair and down the back of her neck.

The long limousine drove through the darkened city, and Colleen could not imagine what the driver must be thinking about their conversation about evading the police.

Although, the kinds of people who hired long black limousines might often be trying to duck unwanted attention, police or otherwise. It was probably all in a day’s work for her.

When they reached Colleen’s apartment complex, Jian instructed the chauffeur to first drive around the perimeter of the compound, scouting for police presence. When there didn’t seem to be any official cars or suspicious vehicles near the entrances, the driver expertly navigated the cramped, winding streets that threaded the neighborhood of apartment buildings.

Jian had Colleen peep through the car windows, checking for anything out of the ordinary.

An occasional older car slouched into the complex, people dragging in from late shifts at hospitals or jobs at restaurants that closed at midnight. Small bulbs lit the empty sidewalks and balconies along the sides of the buildings, but no one was walking around or loitering.

“Everything looks normal,” she said. “My apartment is right over there. You can see the door from here.”

Jian said, “I will scout further. You should stay in the car, Mr. King.”

Colleen didn’t like Jian putting himself in danger. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

He raised one black slash of an eyebrow at her, opened the door, and stepped out.

Okay, fine then.

Above her on the seat, Tristan chuckled. “Jian knows what he’s doing.”

They waited a few moments in silence, Tristan still idly caressing Colleen’s hair, until Jian came back. “I don’t see anyone who might be problematic, but I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“Understood,” Tristan said.

Jian continued, “I, however, will return to The Boulders for the night. If I check-in, that might confuse our pursuers, and thereby they may concentrate their efforts at the hotel instead of looking elsewhere.”

Relief flooded Colleen. At least the impeccable Jian wouldn’t judge her apartment. “That sounds like a good idea.”

Tristan chuckled. “I thank you for your service of throwing yourself on the grenade of the penthouse suite in a five-star hotel.”

Jian smiled serenely. “I live to serve,Mr. King.”He dragged his roller bag up on the seat beside him and sorted their clothes from his. Colleen’s laptop and shoulder bag were stowed on the other side of the seat, and he handed those to her, too.

They bundled up the clothes and slung their computer bags over their shoulders, and then Tristan and Colleen emerged from the car into the sultry Arizona summer night.

Behind them, Jian stuck his head out of the car. “Mr. King, your briefcase.” He handed the camel-colored bag to Tristan before slamming the door.

14

Apartment

Colleen

They nonchalantly strolled the dozen yards or so from the car to her apartment door, seeing nothing suspicious before ducking inside.

As she was closing the door, the limousine rolled forward and crept toward the exit of the complex.

Inside her apartment, the stale air was thick with heat and humidity, and the AC blew for a few feeble seconds before the thermostat clicked it off again.

Colleen twisted the locks on her door and turned to start apologizing. “I’m sorry my place is so small. It must be nothing like what you’re used to.”