See Through Me (Lose My Senses) (23 page)

“
It doesn’t change the fact you were mine first.” He nuzzled my cheek and I stretched beneath him. “Why do you think I was chasing you?”

“
Practice?”

His shoulders shook with laughter as he lay on his side next to me. I snuggled into his chest. The cool air dried the sweat on our skin. We would have to get up and leave soon, but for now, the real world and the past didn
’t exist. It was just us under the night sky, bathing in the light from the stars. The same sky I’d watched all those lonely nights, wishing I could just go back in time and do things differently. Now I could actually see myself looking forward to a future.

“
I can’t let you go again.” Ash drew his hand from my shoulders to my waist to my hip, like he imagined sketching the curves of my body from memory. “Earlier in the car, I was trying to convince myself I could, but I can’t.”

“
Good.” I yawned. “We finally agree on something, because I’m not leaving you again, either.”

“
You’re still not safe staying, Katie.”

“
Neither are you.” If his mother was already targeting me, he would be next. “We both have to go. Besides, there’s nothing holding us here. Not really.”

Except each other.

He blew out a light sigh. “I have to stay until the gallery show next week. There’s no way I can get out of it, but I can end my internship early.”

“
I should stay long enough to confront my father, too,” I said, despite my doubts he’d give me a straight answer on anything after a lifetime of lies. But I had to try. “And then what happens?”

“
Then I’ll follow you to the stars and back.” He pointed upward. A shooting star painted the indigo darkness above us, its light painting the sky.

I leaned over and studied his face.
“I think you would, too.”

He responded with a small, enigmatic smile. The smile he only gave me, sharing a secret only known to both of us. I loved that smile so much, almost as much as I loved him.

Clouds ringed the sky over the lake as we put our clothes back on. A storm was blowing in off the water from the west. We walked back to Ash’s car hand in hand, flickers of lightning reflecting off the surface of the glass. He took the keys out of my pocket and we climbed in.

I curled up in the passenger seat. He drove out of the meadow to the old country road, the headlights lighting up the enveloping darkness as the moon and clouds disappeared behind the storm.

“I love you,” I murmured. “I really love you.”

He looked over with an arched eyebrow. Rain sprinkled the windshield.

“Just testing. Seeing if I can say it out loud without freaking out.” I smiled teasingly. “I think it’s going to take some time.”

He grinned, that adorable dimple appearing in his cheek.

On the highway, a downpour erupted, deluging the car and the road. Ash handled the car easily and soon we were flying on the open road.

“
I was thinking,” Ash said. “If we stay out of Havenwood and hide out in my apartment, we should be fine for the next few days. Then, after the exhibition, we can leave this hellhole forever.”

“
I like that plan.” I closed my eyes, resting my head back on the seat. “That way, I won’t find any more pictures of my mother.”

“
Pictures?” Concern tinged his voice. “You found more than that one?”

“
Hmm. There was one in my glove box yesterday. Our outfits could have matched, like whoever left it wanted to compare us.”

The drumming of the rain, the tempo of the windshield wipers, the smooth movements of the car all lulled me toward sleep.

“It’ll be okay.” He took my hand and squeezed it tight.

Everything was more than okay now. I was happy. In love and being loved. I didn
’t have any more secrets to hide. So this was what normal was like. Not bad. I could get used to it. I drifted off, his hand strong and warm in mine.

* * *

Ash shook me awake, his hand insistent on my shoulder. I blinked to clear the sleep from my vision. He glanced up at the rear view mirror. We were pulling into a parking lot I vaguely recognized it as the one for Ash’s apartment building.

“Katie, you need to wake up,” he said urgently, his gaze continuing to dart up to the mirror.
 

Instantly alert,
I sat up and looked over the seat to the rear window of the car. All remaining vestiges of drowsiness disappeared. Two black SUVs slowly drove into the parking lot. No other cars were on the street.

Please just be here for a drug deal.
Those happened all the time at this time of the night in empty lots across the world. I knew the etiquette of how to handle witnessing a drug trade. We would pretend nothing illicit was going on and look the other way. In return, whoever was in those vehicles would patiently wait and do their business once we were out of sight.

Everyone would be h
appy, there was nothing to worry about. Ash was probably acting paranoid. I unfolded my legs from underneath me. Except he wasn’t the paranoid type. That was more my thing.

“They foll
owed us here.” He parked the car under a streetlamp next to the entrance of the warehouse. “I’d thought I lost them at one point.”

I flipped down the vanity mirror and looked at the SUVs in the reflection. Their l
icense plates didn’t seem right. The colors didn’t match the standard Ohio issued ones. I squinted and made out the backwards letters. Those were federal government plates.  

My heart throbbed in my ears, and I could feel m
y defensive walls that had crumbled over the last few days re-assembling. I was certain this had to have something to do with my father, giving context to his crazy ass phone call last night. I was also certain I wanted nothing to do with whatever was happening, especially when it involved men in black following us after midnight.

The soft jingle of Ash’s keys as he pulled them o
ut of the ignition halted my racing thoughts. What was I doing? We couldn’t sit here and wait for them to come to us. We had to get inside first. They couldn’t come into Ash’s apartment without a warrant.

Grabbing my bag, I slung it across my shoulders and popped open the door while Ash climbed out on his side.
My stomach rolled like a storm tossed ship. The lingering rain did nothing to tamp the acrid scent of wet pavement.

With quick steps he covered the distance a
round the car and was beside me. “Act relaxed—”

“Walk faster,” I said through
clenched teeth.

We were halfway to the door when a car door slammed behind us. And then another one. The hum of engines idling could be heard.
 

“Katelyn Walker?” a deep male
voice called.

I paused mid-step, giving myself away. A memory of
a credit card in another name flickered in my mind. Guess my father hadn’t been a thief like I’d assumed. Ash looked questioning at me. I gave a jerk of my head, and kept walking. No time. I’d explain inside.

“
Sorry,” I said casually over my shoulder. “You’re confusing me with someone else.”  

“We know who you are, Katelyn.
We’re U.S. Marshals, and we’ve come to make sure you’re safe.” A woman was talking now. Her voice was sweet but commanding all at once. “Your father sent us to check on you. He hasn’t been able to reach you today and he’s very worried. Could we talk to you?”

Nasty, vile curses hurled around in my head, directly aimed at my father. When I’d purposely forgotten to bring my phone, I hadn’t considered he would send the feds after me. “You checked, and
I’m fine. You’ve done your duty—we talked. Have a great night!”

Ash’s phone chirped. H
e took it out of his pocket and checked the screen. There wasn’t the time for that. We were at the door, all he had to do was unlock it. Once inside, they’d go away and we would be left alone in peace.

“Katie.” H
e said my name slowly. Cautiously. “Maybe we should hear them out first.”

“No!” I whispered. They were U.S. marshals, I already had an idea of what they were going to say, and there was no way in hell I was going
to do it.

“Wouldn’t it be better to actually know what’s going on instead of just ignoring it
and hoping they go away?”

I glared at him. What part of ‘no’ did he not understand?
In front of my eyes, Ash’s transformed back to that flat expression from earlier. Unease went up my spine. I didn’t understand why he was acting so strange, but I couldn’t ask in front of the feds.

Studiously avoiding my confused gaze, he
turned around to face them.
Traitor.
Reluctantly, I did the same. Fine. We could act like grown-ups and directly deal with our problems, but it would’ve been nice if he hadn’t made the choice for me before I was ready.

Standing on the sidewalk, a tall brunette woman with an athletic build faced us. Dressed in a black blazer and jeans, she possessed a
confident aura. Obviously, she was the one in charge, and therefore, the one that was the most dangerous to me. At her side, she was flanked by two nondescript guys in white polo shirts. One guy was stocky with sandy hair, the other slimmer with a shiny shaved head. They all had badges hanging from chains from their necks and guns secured at their waists. The uneasy feeling snowballed into full-fledged anxiety. My hands tingled with pins and needles.

The wo
man took a step forward. Screw her compassionate smile. I didn’t trust her one fucking bit. “Katelyn, I know how hard this has to be for you.”

Clever. She was fishing to find out what I
already knew. I wrapped my hand around Ash’s and said nothing in reply.

“What do you want?” Ash asked.

The woman briefly considered Ash, and then said, “Mr. Walker is working with us—”

“M
y father isn’t working with you,” I spit out. “He’s in trouble, isn’t he?”

Her
eyes were shrewd on me now. “Yes.”

“Then my answer is no.”

I’d watched enough crime shows to know why they were here. U.S. Marshals had two main jobs. Hunt down people who committed federal crimes, or protect those who were in the witness protection program—and their families. And since I hadn’t gone on any crime sprees lately, my father was using his get-out-of-jail-free-by-getting-a-new-life card to drag me into living someone else’s life. I wasn’t going to continue to lie and hide for him. I was done with him. I squeezed Ash’s hand, uncaring if my nails were digging into his skin.

On the city streets, a motorcycle rumbled in the distance. The woman whipped her head in the direction of the noise.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Ash asked in a careful tone. “Why are you here?”   

“We’ve
been notified that there is a current active threat against Miss Walker’s safety, and she needs to come with us immediately.” She made a small motion with her hand to the men.

They couldn’t kidnap me just because of what my father said. How could they believe anything he told them? “
I’m not interested in anything you’re offering. I’m over eighteen, I don’t have to go anywhere with you unless you arrest me.”

Could they put me under arrest to make sure I left with them? I internally cringed at the thought.

“We’re not arresting you, but we are taking you into temporary protective custody.” The bald guy came closer, his hand creeping behind his back.

Was he going for handcuffs? M
y whole body tensed up, instinctively ready to take off running. 

“Stop it. Just—stop. You’re going with them.”
Ash took me by the upper arms and looked me in the eye, his jaw taut. “It wouldn’t be for forever, it’ll probably be until everything is figured out with your dad.”

“You don’t get it about my father! I give in now, it’ll never end with him.” My heart leapt into my throat. Ash had said “probably.” He couldn’
t use inexact words like that. I wanted to hear him give me solid promises and reassurances. I wanted him to back me up and tell them I wasn’t going anywhere unless we were together. “I don’t want to leave, I want to stay with you.” My heart was threatening to break out of my chest. “Unlock the door. We have to go inside, it’s late.”

Ash
stared at me with all emotion wiped from his face. He’d already accepted what was going to happen. It was just me who was the last to catch on. All the joy I’d held on to from earlier dwindled to nothing.

“
At least let me get my things first,” I pleaded, the blatant lie transparent to my own ears.

“It’s going to be
fine, you don’t have to worry about anything.” The sandy-haired marshal was beside me, talking in a soothing voice that had the opposite effect on my nerves. “We’ll send someone to pick up your stuff, Miss Walker.”

“That’s not my name.” Why wasn’t he using my real name? I was Katie Flynn, not this Miss Walker person. She didn’t exist. “Don’t call me that.”