Replica(22)

I had to laugh at that one. Until a couple of weeks ago, I only would have asked that question while drunk.

The train pulled in and no one got off, so I headed toward a middle car, keeping my eye on the man as he boarded toward the front, not even giving me a glance.

I really was paranoid.

Paranoid enough that I didn’t sit in a seat even though there were several empty ones around me. I hung onto the pole instead, keeping my gaze on the doors while casting furtive sideways glances. The only thing of interest was a couple in the throes of a hot and heavy makeout session to my left. That was good. The few people around them looked uncomfortable, which gave me a good excuse for standing out of their PDA zone.

I had to change trains to get to the vacant hotel. The next three stops were uneventful, so I started to let my guard down when I boarded the next train, ready for a longer trip.

I was still too edgy to sit, so I was standing and staring at the doors when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. The man from the first platform was several feet in front of me, a purposeful look in his eye. I turned to run, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me to his chest. “There you are, baby. I told you the front car,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear, then lowered his mouth to my ear. “You’re being tailed.”

“No shit. You’re proof enough of that,” I snarled, my hands on his chest, prepared to push him away. Two things stopped me: One, he was holding me in a vise grip with his arm, and two, if he was right, I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself. But now I was worried. Had these supposed tails seen me meet Hades?

“I don’t think they saw you meet your contact at the diner. You seemed to pick them up here in the station.”

I gasped as I looked up at him. Did this asshole have mind-reading abilities?

He gave me a cocky grin, but his eyes were full of warning. “I know more about you than you think.”

“Just what every girl wants to hear.”

He chuckled softly, then leaned in closer, his tone turning serious. “You’re playing a dangerous game here, Rachel.”

He knew my name. Shit. But then again, I’d been on TV earlier that evening. A report like that was bound to set all the crazies loose. “I’m a big girl. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Are you trusting the right people?”

That gave me pause. What exactly did he know? “Is there someone I shouldn’t be trusting?”

His breath blew warm against my ear, sending a chill down my back. “The supernatural world is not to be trusted. They don’t like to be outed. I hope you have a plan.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Is that who’s following me right now? Someone from the supernatural world?” Shit. I needed to get some silver stakes pronto. I could handle humans, but I was no physical match for vampires. While Lea had said there weren’t many of them, it made sense they might try to eliminate me for speaking out about their world.

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. You’re right to stay with her for now, but don’t trust her for a minute.”

He knew about Lea, and he believed in the supernatural world. Which meant he saw me as a pawn in this game. If he was warning me, that meant I was currently serving some purpose for him. “What’s your stake in this?”

“I don’t think you’re adequately prepared to handle the mess you’ve created.”

“You think I should back off?” I asked in belligerence.

“No, you’re exactly where you need to be, but you aren’t ready to defend yourself.”

He was right and it pissed me off. But there hadn’t exactly been time for a visit to the anti-supernatural protection store. If there even was one.

His hand cupped my cheek and tilted my head up to face him. I sucked in a breath as I stared into his intense brown eyes, my hold on his jacket beginning to loosen in anticipation.

I felt something several inches long and most likely made of leather slip into the back waistband of my jeans.

I stiffened, but before I could jerk away, his arm tightened. He whispered, still staring into my eyes, “I need you to stay alive, Rachel Sambrook. Can you do that for me?” The intensity in his gaze almost made me believe he gave a shit about me.

Almost.

I pushed on his chest, but his hold didn’t slip an inch. “Why the fuck should I believe you care about me?”

The train was slowing down, and the speaker overhead announced the next station.

He grinned, but it wasn’t the cocky expression I halfway expected. It was just the barest lift of the corners of his mouth. The intensity in his dark brown irises mesmerized me. Pinned in his gaze, I didn’t put up a protest as his face lowered, his lips lightly skimming mine.