Page 79 of Run From Me

I landed with a thud and my knee cracked the pavement, but the sound was mostly the thick plate in my riding pants. Once in a while I did the right thing. The shock of the fall had me limping the first few steps, and then I was at my bike and off again just as flashing lights appeared on the side of the building, rounding the corner.

Lights lit up my back just as I left the lot. No one seemed to give me any notice though, and I rode off, catching up with a few of the guys lagging behind waiting for me.

The thing about all this was that I couldn’t wait to get back to my apartment where the soft curves of Cali were waiting for me.

TWENTY-FOUR

calliope

I hadn’t sleptsince the second Xander tried to sneak out of here. The ceiling was flawless. The ductwork rustic and modern. And none of that stupid shit mattered.

I walked to the windows that reached floor to ceiling and looked out into the alley. They were darker, maybe tinted? Probably bulletproof. They didn’t open that I could see either. Still, I would be able to see when motorcycles drove down the alley down toward the shop side. I had broken images of how this place was laid out thanks to my inability to relax even when in Xander’s arms.

I was trapped here. Except he had said something about a phone to reach him or Rylee.

I walked back toward the bed and grabbed the phone on the side table. It was nice and new and had four numbers in it. I clicked on Rylee and started typing a text to my one and only friend.

Me: What do you do when Cas is out?

I waited for Rylee’s response but I had a feeling it wouldn't come. Not this time of night anyway. Instead, the three little dotstold me she was typing and there was that positive feeling inside my stupid chest.

Rylee: I’m coming down.

Maybe a minute or less later, there was a knock on the apartment door. It was sad how I ran to the door like it was my birthday and someone actually remembered.

“Hi!” I nearly yelled as I swung the door open.

A ball of excitement charged me.

“Hey, neighbor. What are you wearing?”

I looked down at myself and realized that all I had was Xander’s shirts.

“I don’t have any clothing here. So, this is what I have. This or the crappy dress those Vipers shoved me into.”

Rylee shook her head.

“Okay. We’ll fix that tomorrow. You can borrow some of my clothes if you want,” she said, or more like demanded as she grabbed my hand and started to pull me out of the apartment.

I shrugged and said, “Maybe just a pair of shorts? I kind of like his shirt.”

I hated the knowing smile she sucked at hiding, but she turned around and waved for me to follow.

“This way, Calliope.”

The spiral staircase was rustic, but somehow it worked.

“Did they decorate this place all on their own?” I asked, taking it all in. Apparently I hadn’t paid nearly enough attention when he’d carried me in.

“Dunno. Doubt it. I’d be willing to bet they hired a designer. Doesn’t matter. Xander will let you do whatever you want to the apartment.”

I stopped, but we were already on another landing in front of an identical door.

“Why would he let me decorate? And is this where you live then?”

Rylee held her hand to another pad like Xander’s, and the door unlocked. I was pretty sure now I was locked out of Xander’s apartment. Wonderful.

“Cali, come on. This is my place, with Caspian of course.”

---