It was past one in the morning by the time I was standing outside Liza's apartment building. I lifted my hand to touch the number for her apartment when it beeped at me.
"What are you still doing here?!" Her voice sounded shrill over the intercom.
"I..."
"Jesus, stop talking. Get up here before someone sees you." The door buzzed.
I grabbed the handle and felt a sigh of relief escape me as the door locked behind me. The vigilante said I'd be safe here. And I already felt significantly better than I had when I was walking through the city. The building was nice. The floors were marble on the way toward the elevators. I was expecting something less extravagant. Was this Liza's actual home?
I looked up at the small camera in the corner of the elevator as I stepped on. It seemed to swivel slightly so that it was pointed directly at me. Most likely, it was her. But I still turned away from it. I didn't want anyone to follow me to her apartment like they had followed me to my hotel room.
As soon as the doors dinged open, I walked down the hallway. There were no lights flickering or rats scurrying by. The carpets were clean, the walls freshly painted, and there was a pleasant smell in the hallway.
"This way!" Liza hissed from behind me.
I spun around. If I thought she had looked mad at me the last time I had seen her, then I didn't know what mad was. She had her hand on her hip and her hair was askew. It actually looked like her nostrils were flaring.
"Come on," she said and gestured for me to hurry the hell up.
I stopped a few feet in front of her, almost scared to get closer.
"Why would you come to my home?! How did you even find me? You're supposed to be gone, what are you doing here?" She pushed me into her apartment before I had a chance to answer her assault of questions. "Well?"
"The vigilante told me it was okay."
"Well, he didn't ask me." She pushed her glasses up her nose as she glared at me. "You keep...waking me up!"
"I'm sorry. I tried to leave. I bought the bus ticket out of here and everything, but then..."
She held up her hand for me to stop talking. "Did he at least say something about me?"
"Who? The vigilante?"
"Yes the vigilante! Who else?!"
Whoa, calm down. "He knew your name."
"That's it?" She pursed her lips as she waited for my response.
It only took me a second to realize the look she was giving me. It was the same look Kins had on her face when she talked about Miles. Liza liked the vigilante. As more than just a hero, which is what her blog claimed was the reason for her writing. Crap. My realization had just made things incredibly awkward. I couldn't imagine her throwing a fit like Kins did when she saw me almost kiss Miles, but I wasn't going to risk it.
"He said I'd be safe here, so he definitely trusts you."
A small smile spread across her face as she turned away from me. "I need something to drink. Do you need something to drink?"
"Um...no, I'm okay."
"You can't make me drink alone. You're the only reason I'm up." She walked into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses out of the cupboard.
I looked around at the granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. "Your place is really nice."
"Yes, it is." She slid a glass toward me.
I didn't even know what was in it. But she wasn't looking at me like she wanted to kill me anymore, and I didn't want to upset her again. I took a small sip and it burned my throat.
"You're in a shitload of trouble."
I looked at her over the brim of my glass. With her? "I really am sorry that I came..."