[This Chapter is dedicated to Cheryl_Signor! Thank you for your golden ticket, Love.]
The plan they were given was supposed to be simple. Four guards would walk ahead, clearing the way. She and Caius would walk in the middle. Three more n would follow behind them. It was ant to feel secure, as if they were surrounded by a wall of people trained to keep danger out.
But Heather did not feel secure, not even a little.
The crowd did not respect order. The people pushed were already pushing and shouting. They reached out when they shouldn’t.
There was no such thing as a perfect formation when emotion was involved. All it took was one person with enough hatred to change everything.
Still, she gave a quiet nod. It wasn’t agreent, only surrender because there were no other options.
The lead security guard pushed open the revolving door.
The movent of the glass was slow and reluctant. As soon as it opened wide enough, the people outside rushed towards him without warning.
They were yelling, and their shouts were louder than the cara shutters. Their voices were mixed together, and it was too many at once.
It wasn’t just noise—it was pressure, hot and imdiate, coming from all sides.
Heather instinctively lowered her head, even though the hood was already shielding her face.
Even Caius didn’t speak, he walked behind her, close enough that she could feel his presence, but he didn’t reach for her. His hand hovered near the small of her back, but he didn’t touch her.
She was glad because she didn’t want him to.
The other security guards stepped out after, they ford a barrier with their bodies, their arms were slightly raised to keep the crowd from getting too close. They looked calm, in a way that suggested they had done this before.
Heather followed them outside.
The cold t her first; it wrapped around her neck and crept beneath the coat. The wind touched her cheeks and left behind a burning sting. The air was damp because of the rain.
Her boots landed in a puddle, splashing water up the back of her legs. Her raincoat stuck to her thighs. It was heavy and uncomfortable. And too big for her feet. It wasn’t her size, wasn’t even any female’s size.
She felt sothing hit her face, and it wasn’t hard—but it was warm, and it slid across her cheek in a way that made her entire body go still.
For a second, she didn’t understand.
But then she tasted it and perceived it: Raw egg.
Her breath caught.
She felt it dripping. Thick. Slly. Disgusting.
Her hands reached up in confusion, and another egg hit her near the shoulder.
"Heather!" Scread soone beside her corner.
The voice was rough and bitter. She turned slightly, trying to see, but the hood had shifted. She tried to fix it, but the egg had already gotten on her fingers. The stickiness made her pause.
What the hell? Her jaw clenched slightly. She was both angry and irritated.
It was as if Caius noticed, because she saw him stop moving. He didn’t look angry or even look surprised.
He simply raised his hand and threw sothing into the crowd.
She couldn’t tell what it was, maybe it was his phone. Or maybe sothing else. But it flew fast, and it struck a man directly in the chest.
The sa man who had thrown the egg.
Caius didn’t stop to watch what would happen next. He turned to her and took hold of her elbow, and he guided her toward the car waiting at the curb.
Her steps didn’t feel like her own. Her limbs were moving, but she couldn’t feel them. Everything in her mind was spinning.
One of the security man opened the door opened quickly, and she stepped into the car and sat down. The warmth inside hit her imdiately, but it didn’t make her feel better.
Caius got in after her, he shut the door at his side, and the driver began to drive.
Heather sat with her hands in her lap. Her fingers were curled slightly, but she didn’t realize it. She didn’t wipe her face or speak.
She was feeling irritated and angry. And too many emotions were spiraling at once, she just wanted to get this over with.
She stared out the window, eyes unfocused. Everything beyond the glass looked smudged and gray, like the world had lost its shape.
Caius said sothing, she wasn’t sure what, but she heard his voice. It was just sound she heard, but was sure he was trying to explain sothing.
Maybe trying to say why he had co, why he had done what he did. Maybe he thought it would comfort her. Or was trying to comfort her.
But she wasn’t listening because she was thinking about Jake.
Not in that way or what anyone’s assuming. Not with any feelings of love or attraction. Just... thought.
She was still wearing his coat. She hadn’t even noticed until now.
What he said in the elevator kept coming back to her. Cancer wasn’t sothing you said lightly. It was the kind of word that sat in your stomach and refused to move.
It made you wonder about things you hadn’t thought about before.
She didn’t know if he had anyone. A wife, children, friends. All she knew was that he seed like soone who was always there, but not soone people really saw.
And now he was dying.
The car slowed, then ca to a stop. The driver stepped out and opened the doors, Heather ca out.
She bent down, pulled off the rain boots, and placed them neatly at the back of the car. Then she slipped off Jake’s coat and looked at it for a mont.
It was still damp and she could feel the cold of it against her arms. She had forgotten his jacket was still with her. She would have rembered if he didn’t just leave the way he did.
Still, she didn’t put it in the back.
She got back into the car and draped the coat across her shoulders. The interior had ward slightly, and the fabric felt softer now than it had a few minutes ago.
She slid her hands into the coat’s pockets, mostly out of habit, and the cold. The fabric inside was soft and a little bit too smooth, but warr than her own coat.
Her fingers touched sothing, and she pulled it out.
It was a card; a simple white with black ink with no design, just two words.
Call .
And beneath it, a phone number.
She stared at it in confusion. When had he put it there? Before she borrowed the coat? Or had he slipped it in when she wasn’t looking?
Was it ant for her?
She turned the card over, there was nothing on the back.
She didn’t know what to do with it, so she slipped it into her own pocket and looked up.
But she felt the urge to turn sideways, because it felt like soone was staring at her... And she was right. Caius was staring at her.
She held his eyes for a second, then asked quietly, "What?"
But he didn’t respond, instead, he turned his face away and said nothing.
Heather leaned back in the seat.
When the car pulled up to the estate, the tall iron gates had already swung open, and the gravel pathway lighted faintly with leftover rain.
The mont the car stopped, Heather saw movent in the corner of her eye — a flash of small legs, arms outstretched, running across the courtyard with too much speed for such a little body.
Before the driver could even open the door, Alex was already there, pressing both hands against the car door, waiting for her to step out.
Heather didn’t see Caius at first.
By the ti she had one foot on the ground, he was already halfway across the courtyard, heading toward the far side of the house.
He didn’t look back or say a word to Alex.
Heather narrowed her eyes slightly, watching the back of him disappear behind one of the tall hedges. She rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide the frustration on her face.
What was he even angry about now? She hadn’t asked him to throw anything. He did that on his own.
She turned her attention back to Alex, who was now hugging her leg tightly.
"Mommy," he said, scrunching up his nose. "Why do you sll like sothing rotten?"
His face twisted with genuine disgust, and he held his tiny nose between his fingers, turning his face dramatically to the side.
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