The alarm startled Finn, sending a surge of adrenalin through him and time seemed to slow. Should he duck and hide? The movement would attract attention, which he wanted to avoid. If he ran, they would surely follow. In a split second, as he sensed a head emerge from around the edge of the door, he decided.
He leaned forward and kissed the strange woman in his arms. She stiffened, as if to fight him off, but he wrapped her tightly in his arms, praying she would relax and not struggle. Thankfully, she did.
Her grip loosened, and she raised her fingers to the back of his head, almost caressing his scalp. Her lips were soft, inviting, and a delight to feel against his own even as he listened to the sounds mixed with the blaring of the alarm. No footsteps that he could hear.
Then the door slammed shut, and the alarm stopped, leaving the night eerily quiet in its aftermath.
Finn dropped his arms and stepped back.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, hoping to avoid any ire aimed his way.
The woman looked at him with … something. Longing? Appraisal? He was not sure what she was thinking but was glad she only nodded.
“We need to be going,” he said. “They may come back.”
“Why are they after you?” she asked in her soft tone, barely above a whisper.
“Long story,” he said. “They are after me because I’m after some bad people. I’ll tell you more later.”
He turned her toward the street and took her hand in his, glancing down at his phone clutched in his other hand. Still no warnings of surveillance.
Street, then turn left, he thought. Half a block to the subway. I can spoof the ticket gate, so no risks there. I’ll jam the cameras once we are on the platform. Depending on the trains, we’ll see how long we stay. Maybe the first train, possibly the second.
He knew every train made the agent’s search coverage expand exponentially. At this hour, any station would be busy. The subway was perfect to get lost in. They might revert to the surveillance feed, but his phone would thwart that.
He glanced out the side of his eye, admiring the calm, careful movements of his companion. She was beautiful and so graceful, as if every movement was planned and practiced until it was perfect. He had never seen someone like her before.
Then he realized the problem she would create. If the agents had seen her, she would stand out on surveillance footage. Her striking silver hair would be a beacon to them and an obvious lead to follow up on. Finn would either need to keep jamming their view, and risk creating a moving bubble of obscurity that would lead them to his neighborhood, or he had to find an alternative before they entered the subway. He would not leave her behind. He had given his word to help her.
Finn stopped her just short of the street.
“Here,” he said as he slipped off the canvas jacket with its soft fabric hood. He held it open for her. “We need to make you stand out less,” he said. “If we’re going to get away, I need you to wear this, and pull up the hood.”
She nodded and slipped her arms into the jacket. The teasing sight of her smooth skin barely covered by the thin gossamer fabric of her dress sent a rush of lust through him. Finn forced those thoughts away, even as the memory of their kiss bubbled up in his mind. The sight of her plunging neckline was enticing. It had been too long. Colleen had been the last girl in his life, and that was over three years ago.
“Zip it up,” he said with a twinge of regret as he reached to pull the hood up and cover her head.
She shook her head, buttoned the jacket and then gathered her silver strands in a hand to make a simple twisted braid before tucking it inside the hood and hiding it from sight. Even in a drab work jacket, she looked spectacular to Finn.
“Okay,” he said. “We’re going out to the street and to the left. The subway is only a half block away. Hold on to my hand so we don’t get separated.”
She nodded and took his hand.
“I’m Elara,” she said softly as he stepped off.
Finn stopped. He looked at her and smiled. “I’m Finn.”
Elara let the strange sights swirl past her, absorbed more than noticed. The cacophony assaulted her ears as they descended smooth rock stairs into a bustling cavern filled with people moving with purpose. Finn waved his hand device at the standing cage blocking their path and then pushed her through in front of him. She panicked for a moment but forced the fear down. Her feet clung to something on the floor, and she marveled at the scents assaulting her from all the people hurrying on their way.
Down another set of stairs, then into a long tunnel with a broad platform lining a lower portion. This must be the subway Finn had mentioned. Why not just call it a tunnel?
Then a strange sound, like a dull roar of water, could be heard in the tunnel. A moment later, as light appeared, followed by a moving string of metal and glass boxes. The contraption stopped by the platform and doors slid open as if by magic. People emerged from the metal beast, and then people on the platform walked on.
Elara felt a sinking in her stomach as she watched the door close. In all the realms of Elysia, she had never heard of such a strange device.
Where was she?
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