Page 9 of Tag
The air between us pulsed.
And then he reached out—fingertips brushing my jaw. Testing.
I didn’t move.
Couldn’t.
His thumb traced the line of my cheekbone. “You don’t even know, do you?”
“What?”
“How goddamn beautiful you are.”
My breath caught. “Tag…”
He leaned in, close enough for his lips to graze mine—
BANG.
We both jerked back as something slammed against the side door.
Instantly, we were in motion. He grabbed his gun. I pulled mine from the drawer.
Another bang—metal scraping metal.
Tag threw me a look, all business now. “Basement entrance?”
I nodded. “This way.”
Just like that, the moment shattered. Reality crashing back in with booted feet and bad intentions.
9
Tag
Imoved first, weapon raised, staying low as I followed Aponi through a narrow hallway that led to the back stairs. Her steps were silent, practiced. The only sound was the creak of old wood beneath us.
Another loudbangechoed through the building, followed by the screech of metal dragging across concrete.
We hit the basement door at the same time. I stepped in front of her without thinking—instinct. She didn’t argue.
I threw the bolt and kicked the door open, sweeping the alley behind the rec center.
Nothing.
Until something moved near the dumpsters.
“Stop,” I called out, gun aimed. “Hands up.”
A figure froze. Small. Slender. Trembling.
“Don’t shoot!” a girl’s voice cried. “Please—I wasn’t stealing anything!”
Aponi lowered her weapon. “Shit. She’s a kid.”
We moved in slowly. The girl couldn’t have been more than fourteen. Torn hoodie. Dirty hands. Eyes wide with panic. She looked like she hadn’t eaten in days.
Aponi stepped forward, voice calm. “Hey. What’s your name?”
