Page 33 of Ballrooms & Blackmail

Unfortunately, the guy from the parking garage isn’t among them.

“You good?” he asks Thorn.

“Not at fucking all,” Thorn says. Then without preamble adds, “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

The honesty startles me.

Pascal glances over, his eyes assessing. Then he nods once like that was the exact answer he expected. “I’ll lead. You follow.” A second later, he puts words to action and we’re winding through the corridors, slipping out into the dark evening air.

“Sergio?” Thorn asks when we reach a blacked-out SUV.

Pascal shakes his head.

Thorn curses softly, looks over at the building like he’s going to rush back in.

Pascal clamps a hand on his shoulder. “Attie’s crew is handling cleanup, so we need to move.”

That muscle in Thorn’s cheek starts flickering again.

“You need to get to her someplace safe.”

“You can drive her to Brooks’s?—”

“That’s not an option right now,” Pascal says. “Take her to your apartment.”

It takes me a second to process what he’s said.

What it might mean.

Fear tears through me and I blurt, “Is Briar okay?”

Thorn jerks, like he’s just realizing it too. “What happened?”

Pacal’s glances at me. “She’s good.” Then he turns to Thorn and the two men share a long look. “There’s a been…a complication. Now get River out of here.”

“Pascal—” I begin.

“She’s okay, River.” He looks at me, his eyes filled with truth. “I promise.”

I nod.

“But right now, I need you guys to get out of here.”

“Okay,” I whisper, sliding my hand into Thorn’s.

His entire body stills for half a second. Then his fingers close carefully around mine and we climb into the back seat of the SUV.

The ride to his apartment feels strangely anticlimactic.

The roads are quiet.

And so are the men in the car.

But I don’t realize I’m shaking until Thorn quietly removes his coat and drapes it around my shoulders.

It’s warm.

Heavy.