Page 86 of The Code of You

"Everywhere,” he corrected. "Everywhere and always. That was the agreement.”

His lips grazed my neck. I suppressed a moan. If someone saw us . . .

Then Neo stepped back, and the disappointment burning through me died instantly when I saw his expression—he was looking down the corridor, and whatever he saw there made me cold.

I turned and realized that two police officers were moving slowly toward us, their eyes searching.

My heart dropped. I clenched my teeth.

Neo went very still. "Stay calm,” he said.

Chapter 22

Pandora

I wanted to run.

"Pandora. Don’t.”

The officers were speaking to a woman, showing a photo on a phone. She shook her head and pointed down the corridor. They thanked her and moved on.

Neo stepped in front of me, shielding me. To protect me or to hold me in place? He pressed me against the wall. "If they catch us, I’ll tell them you’re my wife. And then I’ll prove it.” His hand settled at my hip. "Would you like that? Me kissing you in front of them?”

"Stop it.” My voice came out unsteady. "Just tell me what we do now.”

"We blend in. Keep moving.”

The duty-free area swallowed us between perfume displays and whiskey shelves, and I felt like a target in every mirrored surface. I tried to breathe, but the air seemed to thicken around me. A radio crackled, then voices, close. I should have gone to them, asked for help, but my feet wouldn’t obey. I stayed with Neo. For some absurd reason I felt safer with him than with the police.

As we changed direction, I gripped Neo’s arm. He stayed calm.

"They’re coming back,” I whispered.

"I know.”

Footsteps between the displays. Then I saw them . . . three officers. One gestured toward a checkpoint, another spoke into his radio, and the third was scanning faces. His gaze moved over the crowd, lingering a fraction too long on certain people.

"They’ve seen us,” I whispered.

Neo barely nodded. "Ready?”

"For what?”

"For anything.” We pushed into a narrow passage between two shops. Footsteps. Voices. I froze. Damn. They were coming directly toward us. There was nowhere to go. Was it over before it had even begun? I wasn’t ready to let go. My chest tightened. Nausea rose in me.

A radio crackled loudly. A voice: "All units—suspect sighted at the station. Redirect immediately.”

The officers turned away, their voices fading.

I stared at Neo. His eyes flickered with the electrical glow I recognized. "That was you,” I whispered.

He gave a short nod. "Of course it was me. I protect what belongs to me.”

I let out a breath. "That was . . .”

"It’s over,” he said.

***