FAKE

twenty three

"Before you go, I need you to go on your first run." Clovis demands.

"Already?"

"Already. Business is business."

Ross frowns and looks back at me. He takes my hand and starts toward the door.

"Hang on. This run is to prove that your word is genuine," Clovis explains with a smirk. "And I think it would be smart to not reward you until you have proven you're telling the truth."

"What are you saying?" Ross' frown is heavier now, almost angrier looking.

"I'm saying, she stays here while you make that run. You can come back and pick her up later." Ross starts towards him.

"That wasn't part of the deal-" He reaches out to shove Clovis back, but Clovis catches him by the wrists before he can.

"You didn't specify when you could have her back." He points out. Ross stands there, seething because he seems to know it's true. He pulls his wrists out of Clovis' grip.

"Where am I going and who is it for?" He asks quietly, his voice still saturated with indignation.

"All here," Clovis explains and hands him a slip of paper with the information.

He takes it swiftly and goes to leave the room, eyes lingering on me for a second before he's gone.

One of the men I don't recognize leaves out a different door, but comes back carrying a few boxes and heads out to load Ross' car.

"You," Clovis points at me. "Sit tight, okay?"

I roll my eyes and look out one of the broken windows of the old building.

I can hear the car start and roll away until it's quiet again. The other man returns.

Clovis points at Judas and the two others.

"You three," He says. "Stay with her. And no funny business."

"What about you?" Judas asks as Clovis makes his way to the door. "Where are you going?"

"I have business to attend to. I'll see you later."

He leaves too, and I can hear another car driving away into the distance.

I sit down on the ground. Something tells me this isn't a fifteen minute trip.

***

It's beginning to get dark again by the time I hear a car motor and tires on the gravel outside the building.

Ross enters the room in a rush but Judas stops him.

"How did it go?"

"It went fine. I'll be going now." I stand up to leave with him.

"Two more. We'll call you when we need you for the next." Judas instructs him as I walk towards him.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He nods and offers his hand to me. I take it carefully and he leads me out to his car.

"My old car," He starts and looks back at me for a moment. "Where is it?"

"Sold," I answer. He frowns.

"Well, tomorrow. Can you drive with me so I can drop off this rental?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

He opens the door to the driver's side and I make my way around to the passenger seat.

Once we're settled, he starts the drive back.

"Your house, right?" He asks, splitting the silence that had fell upon us.

"Yeah," I nod and look out the window. It occurs to me that he might not have a place to stay.

After all, he's still dead to his family.

"Do you need somewhere to sleep? I've got the guest room." I tell him and turn to glance at him.

"That would actually be great," He agrees, not taking his eyes off the road.

Silence settles again and it seems we're both just staring at the road, too afraid to ask what's on our minds.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asks again.

"They didn't do anything, I promise." I shake my head.

He nods slowly and focuses on the road ahead.

***

The car pulls into the driveway of my house and he turns off the ignition.

"I um, I was worried about you," He admits uncertainly.

I look over at him.

"Especially when I found out you were with them because of me," He continues. "This whole thing is because of me, and I'm so sorry you've had to pay for my actions."

I shake my head.

"They used me to get to you because of how close we were. They figured they'd hit a nerve, and they did. That's not your fault."

He gently takes my hand in his, watching for my reaction.

My own fingers intertwine with his, and we both look up to meet each other's eyes.

He studies me for a moment before some force of fate or gravity makes me move closer.

I cup the side of his face in my free hand and bring my lips to his.

I think he's slightly surprised, but he melts into it.

I break the kiss after a moment, and just like that, we snap back into motion.

We get out of the car, and I go to the door. I realize I don't have a key, so I try to handle and find it unlocked.

Of course it's been unlocked for a few days. Great.

I open the door and we head in. I notice the back of his hand brushing my arm as he walks past me to the guest room.

Once I've locked the door, I follow him to the guest room.

"There should be a box of your clothes somewhere," I say as I look through the closet. I can feel his gaze rested on me.

I find the box and hand it to him. When he takes it, our hands touch for a second.

"Not exactly sure what's in there, but you can shower and change if you want to."

"Thanks," He nods. I leave the room to get cleaned up too.

As I leave, I can feel his eyes on me again.