Gravity (29 page)

toy car runs on Oreos.”

He howled with laughter and did one of those long “ahhhs” at the end, which made me smile.

“No, but I do.”

I looked over my shoulder at the dark road behind us and saw nothing but pavement rolling

away. My heart sank as I thought about what might have happened to Christian.

Chapter 23

Nate dropped me off in front of an all-night market. I strolled inside and sat down at the blood-

pressure machine, wondering if it would explode if I slid my arm in the cuff. Christian didn’t give

me a plan if we were separated. The store felt safe because if trackers found me, they might not

cause a scene in a human establishment with security cameras.

“Can I help you find something?” a man in his forties inquired with a polite smile, adjusting the

rim of his glasses.

“No, I’m just waiting for someone. My car broke down and it’s freezing out there, so I’m just

going to wait inside if that’s okay.”

“Perfectly fine, ma’am. Have a good evening,” he said robotically, heading down the diaper

aisle.

I stared at the screen filled with information on systolic and diastolic pressure. An old slow rock

song played on the intercom and I sighed, uncertain of what to do next.

“Excuse me, sir. Can I use your phone?”

A clerk with acne walked by, reached behind the customer-service desk, and placed a phone

within reach. I nodded with a courteous smile as he disappeared.

If I had money, I’d have gone to a hotel. Instead, I dialed Christian and it went to voicemail.

“Hey, it’s me. Where the hell are you? I’m at that corner market by Sully’s Books and I don’t

know where to go. I’m on a store phone and I’ll be here for another twenty minutes. If you’re not

here by then, I’m leaving. It’s almost morning and I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round,” I said,

talking to myself. “Twenty minutes and I’m outta here, Christian. Stay safe.”

I walked the aisles like a zombie, trying to stay awake, anticipating that Tarek’s trackers could

burst in at any moment.

My socks were caked in wet mud from running through a soppy field. It was then that an idea

came to me—a place that I would be safe that would give me time to think.

Jail.

I casually strolled over to the perfume aisle and shoved a bottle in my pocket, but got annoyed

when I saw the expensive ones were locked up. When the clerk came into view, I stuffed a few

tubes of lipstick in my coat pocket. The only problem was that these items would only get me a

slap on the wrist. So I hit the meat department and tucked a steak down the front of my pants.

The DVD aisle was next and I stuffed a couple Eddie Murphy and Mel Gibson movies in the

back of my jeans, lifting up my entire coat to do it. If I was going down as the stupidest shoplifter

in history, my legacy would be that I had great taste in movies.

“Ma’am, you’re going to have to come with me.”

“Why?” I yelled in a belligerent tone.

“I’ve got you on camera shoplifting; the cops are on their way.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than accuse people of a crime they didn’t commit?”

When I moved toward the door, he grabbed my arm. Maybe they wouldn’t arrest someone for

shoplifting, but they certainly would for assault.

I pushed him and he stumbled backward. I didn’t want to hit the poor guy. Ernest—according

to his nametag—looked like he’d just experienced his first fight. Now was not the time for the

sympathy card to slide onto the table. I narrowed my eyes at him but Ernest got spooked, went to

the main door, and locked it.

Good man.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? You can’t lock me in here like some kind of an animal!”

I almost wanted to laugh when Lethal Weapon popped out of the ass of my jeans and slapped

onto the floor.

Blue lights flashed from the parking lot and I silently rejoiced.

Ernest gave a victorious smile, and I thought about what a great story he was going to have for

his wife and friends. I’m sure by then he’ll have embellished on the details.

A large man wearing a puffy coat with a police badge stitched on the arm peered in the

window at Ernest and then at me. I tucked my coat tightly together and with perfect timing, Eddie

Murphy fell from between my legs and landed at my feet. The cop pointed at the lock and Ernest

opened the door.

“I’m Officer Stone. We got a call for a shoplifter.”

“Uh, yes sir. She also shoved me. That’s assault, isn’t it?”

“Hmph,” the cop murmured, giving him a judgmental look. Officer Stone was a thick man,

maybe an inch taller than my five-foot-nine stature. He had a classic buzz cut that I could see from

the sides of his brimmed hat. When he approached, one hand covered his gun.

I stepped back and tightened my coat.

“Is what he says true?”

“It sure is!” Ernest answered, puffing out his chest.

It deflated the minute Officer Stone snapped his fingers. “Shut up, Ernest. I’m talking to the

suspect; let me do my job. Unless you think you have it under control?”

Ernest quieted.

“Kind of late to be out—what have you got in that coat?” His grey eyes scanned my body and

stared at the movie that I kicked behind me. I could hear it swishing across the floor down the

aisle.

“I bet you’d like to know,” I replied.

A grin quirked on his face just beneath his mustache.

“Make this easy on everyone. You and I both know that you’re not going anywhere because

Ernest over there has locked the door. Isn’t that right, Ernie?”

The store manager locked the door again and watched with wide eyes.

“Now, this doesn’t have to be hard.” Stone’s eyes flicked down to my muddy socks and his

brows pushed together for a fraction of a second. “Let’s start with your pockets.”

Officer Stone relaxed his posture and leaned against a register as if we were engaged in a

friendly conversation. But I wasn’t about to make this easy for the copper, as Simon called them.

I pivoted around and ran full throttle across the store. His shoes hammered against the floor as

he chased close behind. I tried to turn the corner, but my socks lost traction. I grabbed a rack of

animal crackers and hit the ground, smacking my forehead as the boxes toppled over.

Not a moment later, Stone was cuffing my hands behind my back.

“Lipstick, perfume, more lipstick…” He listed off every stolen item from my pockets. Then he

patted me down beneath the coat. “DVD, steak… Hey, this was a good movie. I’m going to roll you

over.”

Stone had a perplexed look on his face. “How the hell did you get a steak in your pants?”

I just blinked at him.

“I didn’t take you for a T-bone girl myself.” He squatted a moment and looked me over. “I need

to search your jean pockets. Do you have anything in there I should know about? Needles, knives,

razors?”

Razors?

I shook my head and he slipped his fingers into my pockets. “Where’s your ID?”

My head was pounding and I grimaced.

Officer Stone peered in my eyes. “You don’t look like the druggie type.”

“I was going to sell a few chick flicks on the black market to support my habit, but they were all

sold out of Meg Ryan.”

He had a friendly laugh and when he sighed, I broke his train of thought. “We just going to lie

here all night, or are you taking me to jail?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to get yourself arrested.” He lifted his thumb

and forefinger to his mouth, rubbing at the corners. “Someone after you?”

“No.”

He didn’t look convinced. “Your socks look pretty tore up, and that might lead me to think that

you were homeless, looking for a fresh cot and a meal. But this is a mighty fine coat and I can still

smell the damn detergent on your clothes. Boyfriend trouble?” He touched the sleeve. “A man’s

coat doesn’t fit you.”

“Look, I know my rights. I don’t have to tell you shit.”

He reached in the collar of my shirt and tugged at my necklace. “You steal this too?”

“If you can take it off, I’ll buy you a beer.”

Stone pulled back my eyelids and gave me a hard look. “Come on then.” He lifted me up by my

armpits and hooked his arm around mine. “Let’s go for a ride. Ernest, open the door,” he yelled

out.

“I want to file charges for assault.”

Officer Stone stepped up close and Ernest blinked nervously. “You look all right.”

“She pushed me.”

“Sleep on it and then decide if you want to lock up a young woman for battery. Feel free to

bring your surveillance footage to the station, because I’m sure the boys would love to have a

look,” he said with a stout chuckle.

Ernest chose to retain his dignity.

As we crossed the parking lot, Stone tapped his hand on my cheek. “That’s a nasty bump you

got. Don’t fall asleep; you might have a concussion.”

I also hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours. A jail cell with a nice cot sounded great, until I started

thinking about cavity searches and public showers.

“What’s your real name?”

I answered him with silence.

“So that’s how it is,” he muttered.

“Pretty much,” I replied.

“If you want to post bail, I’d suggest you start remembering.”

“Hey!” Christian shouted as he crossed the parking lot. “What’s going on here?”

“Sir, you need to step back,” Stone demanded of the man walking around in the freezing cold

with nothing but a white dress shirt and slacks.

Christian switched his accent to the local one. “She looks like a real tough one, officer. Didn’t

mean to interrupt the wheels of justice turning.”

“Mind telling me where your coat is?” Stone asked, as his fingers tugged at my sleeve.

“Ask your wife.”

Which might have insulted the cop had he been wearing a wedding ring. I rolled my eyes at

Christian and gave him a severe look that told him to shut up.

“Is that blood on your shirt?” Stone questioned.

Christian grinned politely as he looked down and flicked his finger at it. “Ketchup.”

Stone looked at me and lowered his voice. “Do you know him?” He didn’t care about my answer

because he was watching my eye movements and facial expression.

I pulled my elbow a little closer to my body. “If I do, does that mean I can go?”

“No, but it might mean that he’ll take a trip with us.”

“I don’t know him.”

“Why did I think you would say that?”

Christian’s strict features made me wince as he rolled down his sleeves. He was pissed.

“If you two don’t know each other, then you need to get your ass moving,” Stone said.

We were standing too far apart for Christian to entrance the cop, and it was against the law to

kill a human—especially law enforcement.

My guard paced off with a menacing stride as the cop helped me into the back of his cruiser. I

whispered under my breath so only he could hear. “Trust me, Christian. I’m safer this way. I need

time to think it through.”

He raked his hands through his hair from back to front, a peculiar gesture I’d seen him do

before. Then again, everything about Christian was peculiar.

Chapter 24

“Adam!”

From across the bar, Adam watched Sunny illuminate the room with her radiant smile. She had

her blond hair pinned up in a messy knot, and Knox was by her side—as he always was. It could

be thirty below zero and that man would be wearing a formfitting shirt that barely had a thread

count.

Adam had claimed a table in the far corner of the human bar.

Novis disapproved of socializing with mortals. While he had opened his door to Sunny and Knox

because of their friendship to Adam, Novis was indifferent to humans. He’d told Adam on a number

of occasions that he shouldn’t get too attached to someone who will die; that it wasn’t good for

the soul. The only things worth holding on to were things that you could count on to last: laws,

Breed, wisdom, and possessions.

After the bombing, Adam had been left with his own conclusion about what immortality meant.

He watched opportunities wither away. A Mage is chosen—selected by their Creators for their

admirable traits and strengths. Therefore, not many of them came with the kind of imperfections

that Adam toted around on his face, arms, and chest. The judgment he had endured was brutal.

The most painful part about it was losing Cheri—one he had grown to love and trust and who

betrayed him. Adam loved too easily, and it would be for the best if he didn’t give away his heart

so foolishly.

Two days after the bombing, Novis expected him to make a public appearance as if nothing

had happened. Adam had just recovered from the excruciating ordeal of his scars healing up. He

needed time to deal, especially when the guards gave him the cold stares and most definitely

when the offers for a Healer were withdrawn.

Adam felt at ease in the human bars. They stared but eventually got over it. They also didn’t

walk right up to you and address it like a Vampire would, or another Mage. He could have a drink

in peace and feel like a regular guy just hanging out. Adam wasn’t the only one who’d walked

away that night with injuries; he’d heard rumors that at least six of the survivors had committed