Fortune Favors the Bold

41

Kalani scoffed. "Like hell he did," she spat, quickly racing toward the closed door. She didn't bother practicing the caution they had when they first arrived as she scanned the floor she stood on and the one below for the familiar boy. He'd just stepped off the base of the stairs, making his way toward the crowded street with considerable speed.

Kalani took off after him, calling out to let him know she'd seen him. Not-Castiel hesitated at the sound of her voice. "You have got to be joking!" Kalani exclaimed, not bothering to hide her anger from the people that surrounded them. "You're leaving without me?"

Convict 286 spun around at the sound of her voice, cutting the distance between them faster than he'd created it. The words he mouthed demanded her silence before she drew any more attention to them.

But Kalani was angry. "Yeah, your stupid plan didn't work."

He stepped in front of her but didn't stop, lifting his hand to her abdomen to lead her back between the apartment buildings and out of sight. The girl ignored his attempts to shush her.

"Stop, don't shush me. I thought we were getting somewhere and then you abandon me like that! What the hell?" She shouted.

"Shut up," he hissed when they stepped into the apartment hall, finally moving out of everyone's line of sight. "Dammit, Kalani."

She shoved him in anger. "You were going to leave me?"

"I had to."

"Nobody was pointing a gun at your head."

Adrian shook his head. "No-."

His attempts to defend his choice dissolved at the sight of the hurt betrayal that built onto the girl's features. Had he made a mistake in leaving her or in allowing her to catch him? Because the way she looked at him now would destroy the decision he made last night as she slept in his arms.

"I thought you trusted me," Kalani hissed, her anger silencing the man in front of her. "You're the one that came into my life after I was starting to move past everything and asked me to do this with you. Why on earth would you decide to up and leave without me so suddenly? Don't you ever think about anybody but yourself?"

Convict 286 sighed. "I was thinking about you."

"Liar!" Her hands slammed into his chest, shoving him back.

But he caught her wrists before she could pull away, keeping the distance between them at its narrowest. "I was thinking about you," he articulated each word carefully to force it into her head. "I didn't keep you alive in that place to kill you now."

"You're not going to kill me."

"I got you involved."

"No," Kalani interrupted him before he could continue. "You asked me if I wanted to be involved or not. I made that decision on my own. Every decision I have made until now has been my own."

Not-Castiel's jaw worked as he watched her quietly, the hesitation evident in his clouded eyes while listening to the girl continue. "I said yes, which means we're a team now. You don't just abandon your teammates when things get dangerous... Not-Castiel. I'm in this with you until the end."

Kalani stepped forward, bringing her hands to the collar of his jacket. The hood above his head drew a dark shadow over his features. His fingers stroked her elbow to accentuate the shrunken distance between them. "I can't risk you getting hurt."

"Then don't let me," Kalani peered up into his eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But don't leave me."

Adrian lowered his head, their foreheads pressing together as his hands slid around either side of Kalani's hips. His fingers formed a secure grip beneath the waist of her pants, digging into the fabric with enough pressure to keep her from moving, but never to hurt her. He followed her lowering gaze until his attention caught on her lips.