“I know, and that’s why I love you,” I answered, pulling away. “Come on. I’m starving.”
I said good night to my brother and Rory shortly after dinner, not because I was tired but because I wanted to go ahead and make my plans to find my way back to Lucas. Over the next few hours, I found a large crossbody bag and some money I had tucked in the dresser drawer. Carefully, I packed what I could in the crossbody. There weren’t many places in the city that I knew Lucas might be. His penthouse was likely out because I figured that he knew Adrian would be watching his place.
When we were in the city, he hadn’t taken me anywhere except the Wongs’, so I was going to start there.
After all, I knew that Lucas cared about them, and if he had contacted anyone, it might be them. Even if he wasn’t there, they could help me figure out where to go next.
At least I hoped they could.
It was a little after ten thirty when I finally heard the penthouse go quiet, and I went to the kitchen for some water to make sure that neither Nico nor Rory were up and moving around. The place was empty and I wasted no time. Grabbing my bag and throwing it over my shoulder, I hurried to the elevator. My heart pounded in my ears at the thought of one of them catching me before I could get away, but somehow I managed to get to the first floor without any concern.
There were only a few officers milling around the front door, and I forced a bright smile as I stepped out into the cool night air.
“Can I help you with something, Ms. D’Agostino?” one asked.
I shook my head. “No, I just wanted a bodega sandwich.”
He arched a brow. “It’s a bit late. We can escort you.”
My smile didn’t fade. “I’ll be fine. The bodega’s just a couple of blocks away,” I said sheepishly, looking around. “But my brother doesn’t cook very well, and I’m starving. I don’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him I need something else to eat.”
The officer looked at me for a long minute, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he could see the lies spouting out of me left and right. The truth was, Nico could throw down in the kitchen when he wanted, and my full stomach was aching from the pasta dish he had made tonight. But the officer didn’t know that.
“All right,” he finally said, tapping on the earpiece in his ear. “Make it quick. I’ll send a man over now just in case.”
“Thanks,” I said quickly, hurrying away before he could change his mind. The moment I turned the corner, I crossed the street, darting into an alley that I knew came out on the next street over. I only had a matter of minutes before they realized I wasn’t heading toward the shop, and I planned to be long gone by then.
Coming out on the next street over, I hurried west, blending in with the late-night crowd that had finally started to come back out after the pandemic. With the bars slowly reopening, people were itching to come out and enjoy life again, and that gave me an excellent cover to disappear.
I waited with bated breath to hear a shout, but there was none. When I finally saw the entrance to the subway, I let out a long sigh of relief. I was good for now.
After paying for my Metrocard, I entered the train and took a seat, placing my bag in my lap. The train was nearly empty, which unnerved me slightly. But at the same time, I was grateful and tried to calm my racing heart. The first hurdle was over, and unless my brother had placed a tracker on me, I could evade him for a little while anyway.
Getting off at Canal Street, I wasted no time moving down the less crowded streets and hoping that I wouldn’t come up against any trouble.
Well, trouble that I wasn’t already involved in. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, knowing that my father was free and that Adrian was looking for a means to get his hands on me.
Still, I pressed on, and when the familiar building came into sight, I nearly wept in relief.
I found it. The Wongs were going to help me find Lucas.
The place was dark, but that didn’t stop me from pounding on the door, my fist echoing in the space on the inside. I knew that they lived above the restaurant, and while I hated waking them at this hour, they were my link to Lucas. They could help me identify where he might be and build the path back to him.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the light flipped on inside and Mrs. Wong’s face peered between the blinds on the door. “Mrs. Wong,” I said. “It’s Leda, Lucas’s friend.”
Her eyes widened, and the sound of locks being flipped caused me to step back before she was throwing open the door. “Leda?” she asked, giving me an once-over.
“Yes,” I breathed, glad that it was dark so she couldn’t see my bruises. “I didn’t know if you would remember me.”
“Come in!” she said sharply, waving me through the door. I stepped inside, a faint smell of food in the air. She shut the door behind me, flipping the locks, and I rounded on her.
“I’m looking for Lucas,” I said. “I need to find him. He was in an accident, and I don’t know what happened to him.” I hated saying those words, but they were the truth. I didn’t know where Lucas was or if he was safe.
“Stay.” A smile crossed her weathered face. “I can help.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I breathed, my shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry to wake you. I just didn’t know where else to go.”
She motioned me into a chair. “Sit. Be back soon.”
I did as she asked, placing my bag on the floor next to me. She was going to be able to help me find Lucas. I would do anything to find him, anything at all, and I felt like he would do the same for me. If he was alive and with it, I imagined he was going crazy with worry for me, wondering where I was.
Or at least I hoped he was.
Rubbing a hand over my stomach, I tried to think of the reasons why I was doing this: defying my brother’s wants and putting myself in danger. Finding Lucas was my top priority, and Nico would just have to understand that I wasn’t the Leda he once knew.
I couldn’t go back to the Leda that he once knew.