Page 10 of Corrupted Memories
He jerks his head to the right. “Follow it down.”
I take off without another thought, only feeling relief when the lit up sign of the station is within sight. Out of the corner of my eye I see a large shape coming to my side. A large arm wraps around me and I let a scream loose before a hand covers my mouth.
“Baby birds love churros,” the man says into my ear, and I let out a sob as I crumble in his hold. It’s a phrase my brother drilled into my head to remember, a sign that it’s his security detail. The man adjusts how he’s holding me, so I’m lifted completely off the ground as he carries me to a waiting SUV. When he sets me in the seat, I slump down and squeeze my eyes shut, succumbing to the crash of the adrenaline that’s been pumping through me.
Chapter 3
Sebastian
I survey the crowd,my heart racing when I can’t find her. I tell myself that this is what I wanted to happen, that I wanted her to run, but I can’t escape the initial fear of her disappearing again.
“You okay?”
Brittany’s shrill voice almost makes me flinch, and it takes a lot of control not to fling her hand away when her long fingers curl around my bicep.
“Yes, I need to take care of something,” I say, waving my phone in my hand.
The blonde frowns. “Work? Can’t you?—”
“I’ll be right back,” I interrupt her, and excuse myself from the barnacle that has attached itself to my side all evening before heading to the lobby of the hotel.
My call to Nico goes unanswered for the second time and my heart beats faster. Before my mind can latch onto the idea I’ve been double-crossed, I shake my head. He’d never betray me, he’s my brother. My family.
The elevator opens, and my stomach turns when I find the lobby empty except for Gianna’s tossed shoes abandoned by the door. I leave them there as I head outside, dialing my most trusted advisor again. I hang up when I see him in the short distance.
Nico is rubbing his throat as he walks down the sidewalk toward me.
My eyebrows raise. “You okay?”
The plan wasn’t to engage with her security, only observe. I also wouldn’t put it past a random citizen of New York to punch a stranger.
He nods, his lips lifting in one corner. “She punched me.”
“Gianna?” I ask, stunned.
Nico laughs. “Yeah. I grabbed her arm and barely got her name out before getting a solid fist to my Adam's apple.”
I snicker, rubbing my mouth with my fingertips. “Well, that’s certainly… a surprise. How far did she get?”
“Security caught her before she got to the station.”
“Hmm. So about five minutes?”
He shrugs. “Give or take a minute. Drake said she was fumbling with her bracelet in the elevator. May have a locator on it.”
“If not, then it’s just an emergency signal,” I ponder aloud.
Nico watches me carefully. “What’d you do up there to make her run like that?”
I can’t stop the smirk that pulls at my lips, the taste of her still on my tongue. “Just reminded her of how good we are.”
He rolls his eyes, shaking his head gently. “You’re a menace. What happened to your date?”
“Don’t know, don’t care. I told her previously it wasn’t a date.”
Nico sighs, then looks behind me. From the sound of tapping footsteps, I can guess exactly who is walking up to us. “So, you don’t mind if I take my shot?” he asks, his gaze dragging down the length of her appreciatively.
I frown. “Why would I mind? I don’t give a shit about her.”
