old moving blanket on the shelves near the water heater. I slid the flashlight I’d taken from the office building into the back pocket of my jeans and took the steps two at a time, water in one hand, blanket in the other.
I hadn’t realized how fast I was moving until I saw Emily through a door in the hall and had to take three backward steps to see her again.
She was standing in front of a mirrored vanity in the center of a small washroom, pulling her hair back with a tie she’d apparently found in one of the drawers, all of which now stood open from her rummaging. The sun was coming in through a high window to silhouette the line of her neck, her bare arms. I wasn’t certain if the sight was a shock because her baggy clothes had been so misleading, or if I’d just not had a free moment to fully appreciate her, but I was suddenly transfixed as she secured the band, and then dropped her hands, ponytail falling into place, and looked at me.
I swallowed. Mentally shook myself. Held up the hand with the water jugs.
I explained she should drink from the sealed container and wash with the other, but I had the feeling she was used to making do with what she could find. She hadn’t apparently had any issue with ransacking the cabinets.
I held up the blanket and pointed down the hall. “I’ll find you a place to rest.”
She nodded, but she was concentrating mostly on opening the drinking water.
The last two rooms down the hall were empty, so I chose the one with carpet, and windows facing away from the light. In the unlikely event we’d be found, we should be able make it across the hall to the alternate escape route. The carpet was pile and would be more comfortable than the hardwood in the opposite room. Warmer, too. Emily must be freezing without a coat. And I’d have to do something for food. This place was pretty miserable as far as shelters went.
“I don’t really care,” Emily said from behind me.
“What?”
“That stain you’re staring at, I don’t really care what it is.” She took the blanket as she walked past me. “As long as I can sit down, it can stay there and be as nasty as it wants.”
“I was thinking about food,” I said. “I’ll need to get you something to eat.”
She glanced out the window, and then back at me to shrug. “I’m fine for a while.”
With a long breath, she slid her back down the wall beside the window to sit and unfolded the blanket. I walked to the casement and twisted the vinyl blinds shut. They were a poor fit, probably a temporary solution by the realtor.
When I turned, Emily was holding one end of the blanket out for me.
I didn’t move quickly enough. She said, “It’s cold.”
I nodded. “I’ll find you a coat as well.” I stepped around her to sit on her other side, leaving a careful eight inches between us.
Overnight, the temperatures had dipped. We’d be more comfortable traveling during the day, but we’d also be more apt to be spotted. I’d have to get her to a safe house. And since Morgan knew who she was, I couldn’t get her there soon enough.
“Aern?”
Emily’s voice, so close and speaking my name, sent a very peculiar feeling through me.
I went completely still and then, quite unintentionally, moved toward her when I turned my head to answer. “Yes?”
It was the closest I’d been to her when she wasn’t trying to kill me.
“How did you know about this place? About how to find your way in the office building?”
And it was answer time. I resisted the urge to cringe. “I’d been watching Morgan’s men. Misleading them.”
She stared at me. I was explaining poorly, expecting her to make terrible leaps in my logic. I tried again. “Some of Morgan’s men have been working out of the area near the warehouse. I’ve been trying to keep an eye on them, and trying to keep them away from Brianna.”
I could see a protest form immediately on Emily’s lips and held up a hand. “Bri is safe. I promise. They have no way of finding her. But if they see me on the run, they’re going to assume I’m working alone, and that I have her.”
Emily straightened to face me, her shoulder braced against the wall. “You don’t have her?”
“I can’t tell you where she is, Emily.