Thief (Boston Underworld #5)(64)

There’s a blue sports car idling in the street, waiting for the light change up ahead. And it isn’t so much the car, but the face behind the wheel that I recognize. I saw him at the Christmas party, and I remember him because he was one of the men ogling me at the door. He does a double take, and I know that he’s seen me too. The tattoos peeking out above his shirt collar only confirm my fears. He’s a Vor.

I duck my head and dart inside the building, walking as fast as I can. Every few feet, I pause to look over my shoulder. He isn’t there. But he saw me, and I’m certain he recognized me. Didn’t he?

I don’t know what to do. It was always going to be a risk in any of these small towns. The Berkshires are crawling with Vory, and I should have known better. I should have walked faster. There were a lot of things I wished I’d done differently, but right now, I’m at a loss.

Adrenaline, not reason, has me walking to the ticket counter and glancing up at the bus schedules. It’s late in the afternoon, and there aren’t many left for the day, but I need to choose. The decision is suffocating, so I pick the first one that I see. There’s a bus going to Boston and it’s leaving in thirty minutes. From there, I can get another.

I get in line to purchase my ticket, clutching the straps of my bag in my hands. Every few seconds, I look around, and I’m certain it’s probably only drawing more attention. I try to calm my nerves, waiting thirty seconds between passes. The people in front of me are taking forever.

Another glance out the window. It’s quick, and I think I’m all right. But then I see him. He’s on his phone, and he’s got his hand up to the glass, his eyes squinting as he searches the faces in the crowd.

I’m screwed.

I’m so screwed.

I exit the line and force myself to walk normally to the opposite side of the station, moving with the flow of other travelers and praying he doesn’t see me.

I need to get out of here, so I take the first exit I can find. Back on the sidewalk, I walk in the direction that I came from, making a right onto the first available cross street. I need to stay calm. Running will only draw attention, so I walk. And as I do, I retrieve the coat Mischa packed for me, shrugging it on and rearranging my backpack.

I don’t know where I’m going. There are businesses along the way. Shopping marts, coffee houses, and even a medical center. But none of them feel safe. I need to get somewhere I can hide. And after fifteen minutes, I finally do.

It’s a baseball park, and it’s walled by trees. Enough that I can disappear and catch my bearings while I figure out another plan. The grass is cold and hard beneath my feet, but now that I’m off the main street, I decide to run. My ankle hurts with every jarring impact, and I worry that I might trip, but I also worry that if I don’t run, I won’t get there at all.

Behind the field, I find a heavy and full cluster of trees. It’s the best cover I could hope for right now, so I pick the thickest one I can find. Flattening my body against the ground, I army crawl beneath it. It isn’t the least bit comfortable, and one thing is apparent now that I’ve executed my plan. Even if I do manage to go undiscovered, I won’t survive the elements for long with the clothes I have on. My only hope is that I will be able to move from this area before dawn. I’ll return to one of the shops I passed along the way and buy some different clothes, and then I’ll go back to the station and take the first bus out of here.

But first, I have to survive the night. And with every passing second, a new doubt fills my head. It isn’t baseball season, but the park still hosts the occasional dog and their owner. Every set of footsteps makes my breath stop. It goes on as the hours pass, and eventually, darkness sets in.

I rest my eyes and wonder what’s happening back at Nikolai’s estate. He would know that I haven’t returned by now, and he would have contacted Alexei. It occurs to me that his brother must have known about this. Franco just let me go with Mischa without a second thought. They must have had some sort of plan for what they would tell Nikolai. He expected Franco to drive me home, so I assume they will say that I managed to escape from the car, much like I’d planned to. Nikolai will be none the wiser that his best friend helped me, and Alexei and his guard will receive the blame.

It’s the best possible scenario for all of us. Nikolai can return to his life, and hopefully find peace without me. But I just have to force myself not to think about who that life will include.

It’s for the best.

At some point, I fall asleep. I realize it when I’m startled awake by another sound of footsteps. Too late to be a dog walker, I think. It’s dark, and it’s blistering cold. My entire body feels like it’s frozen, and it’s only going to get worse.

I wait for the person to disappear like all the others, but they don’t. The footsteps are getting closer. So close, that on one occasion, I can see shoes from beneath the tree. I hold my breath, dead certain I’m caught when a flashlight sweeps through the brush.

A voice calls out to someone else in Russian, and I swallow. They’ve traced my steps, and this is the most logical conclusion. I have no connections, no car, no idea what to do. So where else would I go?

I wait for the guard to say he’s found me. It’s the longest minute of my life that he stands there, discussing what they should do. But through it all, it becomes clear he has no idea I’m here. And for now, I’m safe.