Page 16 of Pray for the Damned

I’ve been in New York for too long already, and if there’s anything I’ve learned from a decade on the run, it’s that you should never stay in one place for too long. But surely they’re not looking for me anymore.

Back then, I was worth something. I was a sixteen-year-old virgin, and while I never asked the boy that helped me escape that night what exactly they planned to do with me, my imagination answered all the questions on its own. Surely I’m not worth it anymore. Not worth the resources to find me. Not worth the effort. Not worth anything.

I flick my eyes to the back door and nibble at my bottom lip in indecision. I could slip out the back way and take the subway home, but Emmett knows where I live and where I work. What’s stopping him from coming back tomorrow or the next day?

With a sigh of resignation, I shoulder my bag higher and move through the quiet diner. It’s five in the afternoon, so it won’t be long before the dinner rush fills the place, but that’s not my problem.

If I have it my way, I’ll be curled up in my unairconditioned apartment sweating my balls off by the time that happens.

Emmett catches my eye, and a smile tugs at the corners of his lips, making butterflies set to life in my belly. I’ve never reacted like this to anyone before, and I can’t tell whether it’s a good thing or the beginning of my own demise.

CHAPTER TEN

WAVERLY

“Ithought you were going to do a runner on me.” He chuckles.

“I thought about it.” I shrug.

“But you decided against it?” Amusement fills his dark eyes.

“Clearly.”

He wraps an arm around my waist and tugs me against him as he pushes through the doors. His touch is like fire against my skin, and I swallow down the groan that tries to escape. This is what happens when you don’t let anyone close. The first person who touches you in years, and you’re putty in their hands.

“Good thing I like a chase then.”

I flick my eyes up to meet his, expecting to see the telltale signs of a joke staring back at me, but instead all I see is the truth.

I swallow heavily and turn back to the street, looking for the car he drove me home in last night, but I can’t spot it.

It’s not until he pauses next to a black motorbike that my stomach bottoms out. “Where’s your car?” I ask quietly.

“It’s a nice day for a ride.” He shrugs and plucks the helmet off the back of the bike. He makes quick work of dropping it over my head and securing the chin strap.

“You have a car and a bike in a city like New York?” I ask incredulously. How much money do priests make? Because it costs an arm and a fucking leg to park in this city, so where the hell has he found a place with not one, but two, parking spots?

He just nods and helps me onto the back of the bike before swinging his leg over the sleek black seat in front of me.

The engine roars to life, and I quickly wrap my body around his back before I can think better of it. I’ve never been on the back of a bike before, but if there’s anything I’ve learned from books and movies, it’s that you need to hold on for your fucking life.

Emmett pulls into the traffic, and I bury my face into his back to smother the scream that threatens to escape the back of my throat.

Why didn’t I sneak out the back way again?

That seems like a much safer option right now.

After a few minutes, I accept I’m not going to die and relinquish some of my hold from his waist, peering out from over his shoulder to see the city fly by. No car ever moves this fast through the city at this time of the day, but the bike sneaks up the middle of the lanes, and I find I enjoy the way the wind whips around us.

If there’s anything I would have expected to hate in this world, this would have been right up there with brussels sprouts. The latter, however, I never plan on testing.

It’s almost too soon when Emmett eases the bike into a free spot in front of my building, and I hesitantly climb off the back of the bike. My legs wobble beneath me, and a strong arm quickly catches me, tugging me against him where he’s still straddling the bike.

“Careful, baby girl,” he murmurs, and I melt into him.

I swallow heavily and force myself to pull away. What happened to keeping my distance from everyone? It’s better that way. I can’t get hurt that way.

“Thank you for giving me a lift home. You didn’t have to do that.”

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