Page 49 of The Baller

“Lead the way.”

We took off, Agent Hernandez ahead of us, heading under the ornate iron archway leading into the top corner of the park and around to the left as I’d instructed. Truth be told, I didn’t care what route we took if it meant I was running next to Radley.

I’d never run with anyone except the boys before, and we always wore headphones with a playlist Tanner had usually made. We’d push each other to work as hard as our bodies would allow; there wasn’t time or headspace to think about anything else. But now, listening to Radley’s short, steady breaths, and trying to sync mine to them as we fell into stride together, I realized for the first time how weirdly intimate running together was. That the two of us – discounting her armed guards – were the only two focusing on this exact same thing in the exact same moment.

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how running would go. I ran every day in some form – relaxation, warm up, or steady cardio tokeep my heart elevated – so I kind of assumed this would be an easy ride for me, and provide a perfect opportunity to watch Radley while I barely broke a sweat. I thought we’d make a couple of miles before we needed to stop, but Agent Hernandez was setting a healthy pace, and Radley was having no trouble keeping up.

After we hit the corner taking us down the Upper East Side, I knew this wasn’t going to be a jog in the park – pun intended – this was a workout.

No wonder Special Agent America needed to practice alongside moving cars if he had to run with Radley.

With each step that hit the smooth asphalt path, her entire body calmed; her shoulders relaxed, and her strides became longer as her rhythm balanced. For the first time since I’d met her, it was like the wall she surrounded herself with was crumbling away and she was enjoying herself. Her edges were softening as quickly as her pink cheeks became coated with a sheen of sweat.

When I wasn’t stealing quick glances at Radley, I was watching everyone we passed. My gaze didn’t leave a single person until they were no longer in my eyeline. I watched to see if they noticed us, if they paid any attention to our running buddies, still ten yards in front and behind.

I watched to see if they did a double take. No one did.

More than once I jogged half a step ahead of her, blocking her from the view of passers-by, but I needn’t have.

No one noticed her. No one noticed me. No one noticed us.

The blaring of ambulance sirens outside Mount Sinai announced the two-mile marker, and without looking at my watch, I knew this was one of the fastest times I’d run the route, and I was bored with not talking.

Obviously, this was the point my cell began buzzing, and while I did want to speak to the caller, I had more important things to do right this second.

Radley slowed her steps as she glanced in my direction. “You can take the call, I don’t mind.”

I shook my head. “Nah, it was only my sister. I’ll call her back later. She has tryouts for the track team this week, so it’ll be about that. It’s all we’ve talked about for weeks,and weeks.” I rolled my eyes and pulled a face, making Radley laugh.

“You have a sister?”

“I have two.” The words came out more staccato that I wanted, especially as Radley was barely puffing.

“How old are they?”

“Maddie is thirteen and Sienna is fifteen. It’s Maddie trying out for track. Sienna plays basketball.”

“I ran track at school.”

I huffed – or puffed – a laugh. “That explains why we’re running at a hundred miles an hour.”

Her head whipped to mine, a shocked look on her face before a slow smirk curled her lip and her pace slowed. “Are you having trouble keeping up?”

I shook my head. “No. I just wasn’t expecting the Olympic speed trials.”

She laughed again, but this time it was a new sound I hadn’t heard from her before. Not this type of laugh anyway. I’d heard her giggle, and a couple of light little chuckles, but they’d been nothing like this – deep, loud, belly shaking, and so uninhibited and genuine I never wanted it to end. I would dedicate the rest of my life to running around the park if it meant I got to hear her laugh like that again.

“Do you want to slow down?”

“Only to make this run last longer so I get to spend more time with you,” I replied truthfully, and I wasn’t going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy the sharp inhale or shock on her face at my words. As well as hearing her laugh again, I was going to teach her how to take a compliment. “We can run as fast as you want. You’re in charge.”

We continued past a long line of Elm trees, under which two black Labradors were chasing squirrels, and up toward the reservoir.

“I used to run every day, but I haven’t been able to run much since I’ve been here. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

“There’s no way the frat boys can keep up with you.”

“They can’t, but the last time a couple followed me from campus and figured my route. They crossed a path and…” she trailed off. She didn’t need to finish the sentence.

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