Chapter 10: The Salt Air and the Siren
The air changed as we hit the coast. It stopped smelling like pine and started smelling like salt and old fish, a heavy dampness that stuck to my skin. Caden hadn't spoken since we crossed the state line, his jaw set so tight I thought it might actually snap.
We pulled into a gravel lot behind a shack that looked like it was held together by prayer and seagull droppings. It was a bait shop, according to the peeling sign, but the high tech cameras tucked under the eaves told a different story.
"Wait here," Caden said, already reaching for his door.
"Not a chance," I snapped, unbuckling my seatbelt. "I'm tired of being treated like a piece of luggage you keep in the trunk. If we're meeting someone, I'm meeting them."
Caden looked like he wanted to argue, but Maisie was already awake and reaching for her shoes. He let out a rough sigh and stepped out of the car. "Stay behind me. And for the love of God, keep your mouth shut."
Inside, the shop was dim and smelled like gasoline. A woman was leaning over a counter, her back to us. She was wearing a wetsuit peeled down to her waist, revealing a back covered in intricate, dark tattoos. When she turned around, my stomach did a jealous little flip. She was gorgeous in a way that felt like a punch to the gut—sharp cheekbones, messy dark hair, and eyes that looked like they had seen the bottom of the ocean.
"Caden," she said, her voice like smooth honey. She didn't look at me or Maisie. She walked straight up to him and put a hand on his chest, right over his heart. "I heard you went off the grid. I thought the Silversmiths finally got lucky."
"Not today, Seraphina," Caden said. He didn't pull away from her touch, and that spark of heat in my chest turned into a full blown fire. "I need the papers. Now."
Seraphina finally looked at me, her eyes tracking over my messy hair and my borrowed clothes like I was something she found on the bottom of a boat. "So this is the variable? She's a bit... bright, isn't she?"
"She's a witness," Caden said, his voice turning back into that cold, robotic flatline.
"She's a person," I corrected, stepping forward and putting my hand on Caden's arm. I didn't care if it was petty. I wanted her to know that I wasn't just some data point. "I'm Amara. And this is Maisie."
Seraphina laughed, a low, musical sound that made me want to scream. "She's got a bite. I like that. Caden always did have a thing for projects."
She disappeared into a back room, leaving us in a heavy, awkward silence. I looked at Caden, my eyebrows raised. "A project? Is that what I am? Between her and the 'extractions' and the 'protocols', I'm starting to feel real special, Caden."
"She's a contact," he muttered, not looking at me. "She handles the logistics for the coastal routes. Don't read into it."
"Hard not to when she's marking her territory on your tactical vest," I whispered.
Seraphina came back out, tossing a thick envelope onto the counter. "New IDs. Passports. A bank hookup in the Caymans. It's all there. But Caden, you know the price. You owe me a favor for this one."
"Put it on the tab," he said, grabbing the envelope.
As we walked back to the car, I felt Seraphina's eyes on my back. I felt like a total outsider in a world Caden had built long before he ever found me in that hotel. He had a past, he had women like Seraphina who knew him in ways I didn't, and he had a war that was getting bigger every second.
We got back into the SUV, the silence even heavier than before. Caden threw the car into gear, but he didn't pull out of the lot immediately. He looked at me, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"You're jealous," he said. It wasn't a question.
"I'm observant," I snapped, looking out the window at the grey ocean. "There's a difference."
"There's no reason to be," he said, his voice dropping to that low, velvet rumble. "Seraphina is a ghost. You're the only thing in this car that's real."
He didn't touch me, and he didn't look away from the road, but for the first time, the "robot" sounded like he was telling a truth he didn't want to admit. My heart decided to forgive him, even if my brain was still screaming that this was a disaster.
"We're going to a safe house in the dunes," he said as we hit the road. "One more night. Then we finish this."
I looked back at Maisie, who was already playing with her unicorn, and then back at Caden's profile. We were on the run, we were broke, and we were being hunted. But as long as he was driving, I knew we weren't going to get lost.