I wasn't expecting to see Four as soon as the elevator door opened. Nor was I expecting him to pull me into his arms, holding me like we hadn't seen each other for years. Not that I minded. It is so warm wrapped in his arms and his masculine scent is so calming. I stayed motionless as long as I could, while he just embraced me.
When he finally pulled away, his blue eyes stared into mine, taking in every detail of my face, before his lips came to meet mine, slowly yet firm. My breath was stolen from me by that kiss, so full of emotion. I've kissed Four on other occasions. When he was drunk from alcohol and when he was overcome with grief. This kiss was like neither of those, and yet I recognized it immediately.
He didn't release me until the sound of the elevator door closing behind us ripped him from me. His long arm reached out, preventing the doors from meeting, before they opened wide again. He pulled me beside him, out of the tiny room. I smile remembering his fear of tight spaces, knowing it wasn't easy for him to go in after me. Especially since he didn't need to. I was planning on exiting on my own.
After such a warming greeting, I expected him to speak, but his next move was to pull out his phone and start texting.
"What has gotten into you?" I ask.
His text takes almost no time at all, and now his full attention is on me. "I'm so glad you're okay. Christina and I were trying to reach you."
"Oh," I glance down at my phone and sure enough, I have three missed calls from Christina, a new voicemail and several unread texts. "I have to silence my phone in the library. I guess I was so wrapped up in my research I didn't notice she called." My eyes were drawn to the floor before I spoke again. "Four, I have to tell you something. It's about Carlos."
"I already know." His voice was even and emotionless. That's why I'm here. We need to talk. But not here." He took my hand in his and led me out of the library, nodding briefly at Mrs. Franklin, the librarian, on the way out. She smiled back, confirming some previous interaction between the two of them.
We didn't waste any time leaving the building, and he never let go of my hand. I was led to his truck, parked in the fire lane and I couldn't help but wonder how he didn't get towed and why he would even chance it. I suppose if it was just a quick in and out, the campus police wouldn't pay it any mind. I've seen plenty of students do it to run in for a quick drop off or renewal.
He opened the passenger side door for me, but I pulled my hand away from his. "I have Christina's Car."
"That's ok. We'll leave it here for now. Get in."
"But, I should at least..."
He looked at me with a sour expression. And a sternness to his voice. "Just get in the truck Tris."
I obeyed this time, watching him carefully as he circled around to the other side of the vehicle. Once he climbed in and we pulled away from the curb, I began to speak. "How did you find out about Carlos?"
"Christina told me." His voice was soft and his eyes never left the road. "I have something I need to tell you."
"It was you."
"What?"
I repeated myself but with more detail. "It was you. You're the one who kissed me at the softball game."
"Yeah, but that's not what we need to talk about."
I was dumbstruck. Why go through all that trouble to hide it, just to freely admit it now? "Why?"
"Because there's something more important we need to discuss."
"No, I mean, why did you spend $1,000 to kiss me?"
He rolled his eyes. "Why do you think?"
I thought about lying, but I already know I can't lie to him. "Because you felt bad about Al ditching me. And why not, it was for a good cause. Maybe you knew no one else bid on me. I bet you were going to donate that money anyway weren't you?"
"My God Tris, are you serious? I kissed you because I have feelings for you. I didn't do it to sample your lip gloss, or because I felt bad about Al, or any other stupid excuse you might think up." I sat motionless in the passenger seat, not knowing what to say. Did he really just say what I thought he said? He had feelings for me? "And as much as I'd like to prove it to you right now, we have other problems." He looked at me for a split second. Not even the slightest smirk or smile to suggest he was joking around. "I'm so sorry you were dragged into this. That's not what I wanted. Can you call Christina? And put her on speaker phone."
The solemnness of his voice and the expression he wore, locked in a scowl, was quickly becoming frightening. I dialed my best friend while fighting back the nervous feeling starting to wash over me.
Christina answered immediately, her voice filling the empty space if the truck's cab. "Tris? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked over at Four again. He didn't look surprised at all by her first question.
"Thank God. I got Four's text, but I was still worried. I guess I needed to hear your voice."
"What the heck is going on?" My voice was more stern than I intended.
"I'll fill her in later." Four interrupted. "Christina, do you have a safe place to stay for a few days?"
"Yeah, I was staying at Will's anyway. Don't worry about me."
"We left your car at the school. I think it might be best to leave it there for now, just in case." I don't know why Four wanted me to call her if he was going to take over the conversation.
"Yeah, okay. That's fine. When this whole mess is sorted out, Will can drive me over to pick it up." Christina's voice replied.
"Great. We'll be in touch. Just stay away from the dorm for now."
"Can I assume you are going to get this situation under control? Have you called the cops yet?"
"No, but I'm sure the hospital has. I'm going to take Tris someplace safe for now. We'll call you later once we stop."
Christina was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Tris, take me off speaker for a minute."
My gaze jumped to Four's, and he gave me a nod, confirming it was okay, not that I was asking his permission anyway. I pushed the button and brought the phone up to my ear. "I'm here Chris."
"Tris, I know this is going to sound strange, but are you okay with this? I mean, do you trust this guy?"
I still didn't know what was going on, but one thing I did know, whether it was smart or not, I did trust Four. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I'll call you later, okay?" I didn't want to sound too eager to get off the phone with her, but now I was ready for an explanation from Four. "I love you."
We always say that to each other. It was just something we did. Christina repeated it like always, sounding more sincere that ever before. "I love you to. Be careful."
As soon as she hung up, I turned to Four, impatiently waiting for him to speak. "I'm listening." I gave him his cue.
"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. This is why I play the asshole card, because I know that when people get close to me, they can be used to hurt me." He looks at me with a pained look plastered across his face. "I couldn't stay away from you, and now you're life is in danger."
I blinked hard. "My life is in danger?"
"I'm so sorry Tris. This is the last thing I wanted." His attention never left the road and I could tell he was afraid to look at me. "Carlos's death wasn't an accident. He was murdered by a man from my past. His name is Eric, and he's been looking for me for the last two years because of something I did a long time ago. He swore he'd get revenge. He said he'd come after everyone I care about, and once I was completely alone, he'd come after me." He looked over at me briefly, but I couldn't meet his eyes. "Carlos was the last one on his list, that is, until he found out about you."
My mouth fell open. "The last one on the list. Meaning he killed all the others?" Four's silence was the only confirmation I needed. "Oh my God. Why is he so angry with you?"
"It's a long story, and it doesn't even matter anymore. What does matter is keeping you safe. I will do everything in my power to do that. I can protect you."
I couldn't prevent the volume of my voice from rising along with my tension level. "You can protect me? You mean like you did with the other that are already dead?" I regretted it as soon as it came out of my mouth. My words hurt Four more than he let on.
"I thought staying out of my loved ones lives was the best way to keep them safe. But Eric is smart and he tracked them down one by one. If I hadn't pushed them away, if I'd been there when Eric showed up, they might still be alive." It was obvious that Four felt responsible for every one of the lives that were lost at Eric's hand. "I won't make that mistake again. I'm not letting you out of my site."