Chase Me

Chapter Nineteen: Run

Amo

"Did you get the tracker?" Nex asked.

I swerved to avoid bumping into someone and adjusted my hand on the phone. "No. There was a slight argument."

Nex sighed. "You are such a hothead."

"I'm waiting outside the hotel now. When Bellona's gone, I'll go in." I rolled my shoulders, trying to release a kink in them.

"How will you get in?"

"I can pick a lock, Nex, don't you worry."

Bellona exited the hotel. I watched her walk quickly over to a waiting cab, her brown hair moving in the wind. I didn't like it. The murky tone of brown washed a layer over the black. I had to always suppress a cringe when I was close enough to see the brown. I know that Bellona and I settled that my coming into the hotel would be against the rules so I didn't move toward her. I let her drive off. The moment she was gone, I rounded the corner and headed into the building. I made my way to the elevator and pressed Bellona's floor. Once I arrived I headed straight for her door. I knelt, pressing the phone between my ear and shoulder to keep it in place as I rummaged in my coat pockets. I pulled out two lock picks and set to work. Security cameras here were no problem. Nex kept talking into the phone.

"I found something about the Daffodils."

I kept working at the lock. "Talk."

I heard a few drawers open and close and then the rustle of pages. "Lucas found something this morning. There's a possible Daffodil spy in London."

The lock gave way and the door opened, but I didn't move. I placed the picks back and lifted the phone to my other ear. "Say again?"

"There is a Daffodil spy in London. I think Adrian Morales sent one there to go after and track Bellona."

I stood and entered the room, closing the door behind me. "Anything else? Where he might be, who he might be with? You have a name?"

Nex tsked. "I'll keep looking. You in the room?"

"Yup." I walked around, looking at the furniture. "What was Bellona wearing that day? A trench coat, yeah?"

"Yes, she was."

I walked over to the coat hanging on the wall and began examining it. I checked the pockets, the sides, the outside and the inside. Nothing. I even lifted it and began shaking it to see if anything would fall out. When it became clear that there was no tracker in the coat I put it back carefully, trying to make it look like it hadn't been touched at all. I moved around the room, looking for anything else. "Shoes. Nex, tell me about her shoes."

A heard the clicking of the keyboard. "Boots. Ankle-length and black."

They rested by the door. I knelt and began examining them too. The laces were neat, and there seemed to be nothing wrong with them. I stood and rounded the corner to where the bed lay. A memory of Bellona's words yesterday rang in my head.

"I took him to bed."

I clenched and unclenched my hands. The bed was made neat but when I came close I saw a small strand of brown hair on the pillow. It wasn't Bellona, because hers were long. It was that Coffee Boy. I inhaled and exhaled slowly. I took the hair and stuffed it in my pocket. After this all, I'd track that boy and put a bullet in his head for ever getting close to Bellona.

"Amo, are you still there?" Nex asked.

"Yes, I'm just looking at her other clothes." I stood and went for the door. I turned and let my eyes wander over the whole room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Her bed was made, her clothes lay folded on a desk next to her books.