Crash and Burn (1)

now, we start chasing

♚ ♛

I DREW A SHARP BREATH. "Who?"

"There's always someone, princess."

Rushed and quiet, that truth knocked the breath out of me. There was always someone. We'd never be safe.

Breathe.

"Ay carajo," he hissed under his breath, reeling me in close. As he tucked me tight to his side, Soren fumbled along the brick buildings at a brisk pace.

"I thought we were done running," I whispered.

We came to a stop at the mouth of an alley. Between a run-down barbershop and a decaying brownstone apartment, an open iron fence lead to a sunken alley.

One glance over my shoulder proved no one had stepped out of the diner yet.

Soren examined the alley for a split second. His gaze flickered over dumpsters, broken lawn furniture, and soggy cardboard. A fire escape towered up the left building deep into the alley, and it looked like it broke out to another street at the end.

Always have an escape plan.

With two escape plans staring us down, Soren took neither of them. He yanked impatiently at my arm to pull us into the shadows of the next building. "Soren, what the hell? We can cut down the alley."

Soren shook his head, slowing to a stop before facing me. He ran a hand through his hair and then tugged his hood back on. "That's exactly where they'd expect us to go."

My brows furrowed in confusion. Who the hell cared where they expected us to go if we got away?

Before I could argue, Soren wrenched me to his side again. My heart boomeranged, my stomach churned, and I felt my throat tighten with panic. "Soren!"

Fast fingers slid down my arm and released me to fiddle with an iron gate that led to the brownstone in front of us. There was metal against metal, a gritted curse, and then he was yanking it open and pushed me into the walkway.

"Down," he commanded.

My breath caught in my throat as Soren shoved me down a staircase and into the tiny, dark nook below the sidewalk. My palms slammed against a door to steady us, but Soren came hurtling into my body and we both skidded into the shadows. I tore into my bottom lip anxiously.

Hidden in the dark doorway, breathing low and staying still, we clung to each other.With his chest against my back and his hands at my hips, Soren pinned us into momentary safety. "Be quiet," he rasped into my ear. "Your breathing is so fucking loud."

I wanted to throw my head back into his, but when he nuzzled his chin into my neck, I refrained. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes."

Squirming, I breathed softly, "It would be nice if you'd tell me."

Soren obviously hadn't adapted to working with a partner in crime. You weren't supposed to lead them blindly into plans or shove them down staircases without warnings.

"He's going to go down that alley looking for us."

That was his whole plan? That?

We were fucked.

Breathe.

I should've known that wasn't it. Gently, he swiped my half-fallen hood down, capturing stray locks of hair and prying them from my cheeks. His lips met my ear. "We're done running, remember, princess?"