Page 28 of Run

Giovanna had made her way. That she’d had to, that she’d wanted to, without me hurt, but I was proud of her. She’d survived all this time on her own efforts and on her own terms.

I couldn’t say the same. Yeah, it had taken a certain level of smarts and cunning to survive Santo and our world, but I’d been built for that. Gia had found her way in an entirely foreign world.

“Key?” I said as we went down the stairs to the basement apartment.

She handed me the key and then walked slightly behind me as we approached the door. I raised my hand before we got too close, my eyes narrowing on the shadowed sliver of light at the floor.

“Wait,” I said, realizing that the door was partially open.

My instincts were on edge now, but when I glanced back at Giovanna, she stared up at me with confusion on her face just before she looked back at the door.

“We have to go,” I whispered, preparing to turn.

The crack in the door was enough to tell me that someone had been here, and there was nothing in there worth risking her going inside.

“No, I need to…” she said.

“Gia!” I whispered urgently, but she pushed past me and went inside.

“Fuck!” I exclaimed, voice still low.

I followed behind her still whispering, “Gia!”

She was already inside, and though half of me wanted to throttle her, the other half focused on what was in the room. The place had been ransacked, and I saw her pause for a moment before she rushed ahead to the back of the apartment.

“Hurry up!” I said, pissed off with her for disobeying me at a time like this.

But it was clear she wouldn’t be dissuaded from getting whatever she’d come for, so I waited, listening intently, alert for any threat as I heard her rummage through her things.

I risked looking at her for a single second, the dim sunlight lighting her, and I saw as she reached into one of the cabinets and pulled out a small bag of coffee and then moved toward me. I looked back toward the open door and then waved at her, relief nearly overwhelming me when she put her hand in mine.

I held her tight and walked down the hall swiftly.

“I hope whatever that is was fucking worth it,” I said.

She said nothing, but kept walking, and when we got outside she headed toward the car.

I grabbed her hand, and kept her moving down the block, shaking my head.

We walked swiftly, and when we were out of sight of her building, I leaned over to whisper, “Someone might be watching. We can’t risk taking that car,” I said. Whoever had entered her apartment might still be watching her place. If they were, we were probably screwed either way, but I liked our chances better on foot. It’d be easier to get lost in a crowd.

She looked slightly panicked, but then nodded swiftly and continued to walk beside me.

I hated not knowing what was going on, but my instincts told me whatever it was had to do with Gia, and not me. That thought nearly left me breathless. If I hadn’t been with her…

I shut that thought down as fast as I could. I couldn’t think about what had happened, what could have happened. Instead, I needed to get us somewhere safe and figure out where to go from there.

As we walked, I cataloged the list of safe houses in the area, trying to decide which was closest, but my mind froze when I heard Gia’s soft squeak, felt her fingers ripped from my hand.

Immediately, I sprang toward the man who held her. He was big, about my size, maybe a little larger, and he had a level of calm that told me he was a professional. Still, I didn’t worry. He was bold enough to grab Gia in broad daylight, unconcerned about the people who streamed down the sidewalk giving us furtive, fearful glances, going out of their way to avoid me and him. But I was skilled. I would not allow Gia to be harmed.

I kept going, intent on freeing her. Only stopped when I saw the glint of the weapon at her side, knowing he’d have no hesitation about using it.

“Stay still,” he said, and his calm voice and steady hand confirmed this wasn’t his first time in this kind of situation.

Mine either, but there was more than me to consider.

I recognized him from last night, which confirmed what I had thought before. Her ransacked apartment and now this. Someone was after Giovanna. I didn’t know the reason, didn’t care to. Whatever this man and whoever had sent him wanted was irrelevant. They’d come after her, and in doing so sealed their fates.

Something that, depending on how put out I was when this was over, I might explain before I killed them.