~~Young~~

Chapter Twelve

   He smiled through it all.

   And she knew he wasn’t going to forget a single question. That he would wait until her will was low once again to get the answers he wanted. Bastard, he had tried to sway her hadn’t he? Offering her the sweetest of kisses she had ever experienced in her life. But then the conductor came over the speakers to announce they could depart. And that’s what the kiss had been, one of parting, a promise of more when they saw each other again.

   And wasn’t she the idiot for being excited for just such an opportunity even after turning down those prospects.

   He had asked her to dinner and she said no, she did have obligations here and they didn’t include dinner. Tonight, tomorrow, the day after…there was no time for Gage while she was in Vancouver. She wasn’t sure there would be when she got back to Kelowna either…

   He asked if she wanted to share a taxi to her hotel, which she also refused. Not because she was refusing his company, but for the sake of her cover. Sera was going to check into the Turner Tower per her reservation, but never would she step foot through her room’s door, because Sissy was going to stay closer to where she was needed. And considering that side of town had hotels that rented by the hour reservations were not only not required, but the sole benefit of staying in such a dump. No one would find her there, not friend foe or even family.

   If Gage went with her to the hotel he might offer to carry her bags in, and then she might just be tempted to invite him up…putting her in a compromising position in more ways than one she was sure. Especially when he realized she and the hotel had a common name. He would make a comment certainly and then she’d be obliged- or coerced- into telling him it well indeed belonged to her family.

   Which is exactly why she couldn’t risk getting caught there, lest she run into one of her parents and whatever piece they were sidling up to tonight. The front desk people knew better then to disturb her for anything less than a catastrophic event like a fire or a bomb threat- which again, because of her family happened often enough. They knew to take messages and that she would come collect them when she was good and ready. And to never, never tell either of her parents she was in house.

   So no, she couldn’t ride with him, but she did give him her cell phone number in consolation. Her real cell number. Not the one for her pre-paid phone she had listed on her college and work applications, the same one her parents had in case by some god forsaken reason they had a need to get in touch with her. Not even the one anyone within her sorority or social circle had to keep in touch, including Mitch, Duncan, Lizzy or any of the other Angels, the one that went to her flashy best of the best smart phone. If need be she could ditch those phones without regret should someone ever get a trace on her through them.

   No, she gave him the number only three other people on this earth had. The phone with its US plan, the one she only ever used to call her sister and vice versa. Chels had the number for emergencies, memorized of course and not stored anywhere. The third person she had never had to call and hoped she never would.

   If he was any good at his job then Gage would already know she had a sister. Not that he had a chance to bring it up nor would she offer that information on the off chance he didn’t know, but it was safer for all involved if there were less people to incriminate by her association. What could he do to her fourteen year old sister? She was thousands of miles away, safe, with the Sisters of St. Anthony’s. There was nothing he could pin on her.

   He said nothing when she reiterated her number for him, only that he would call her later tonight when he was settled, but she could see it in his eyes that he questioned it. He had seen all three phones after all which was probably the hardest of her purse’s contents for her to explain without blatantly admitting she had something to hide.