"Your boss?" He must mean Sutekh. She arched a brow. "He collects knickknacks?"
Kai offered a faint smile. "Something like that." He nodded toward the street. "We're going to head to Tesso's when we're done here," he said, then lowered his voice. "It's a bar around the corner, and it's run by Topworlders who run prostitutes for Asmodeus. There will be a gentleman—a hint of sarcasm flavored the word—there tonight who has a particular tie. Big Ralph. I will not leave your side. I'll invoke Sutekh's protection to keep you safe. But I'm done with you having to run and hide. We're going to find out what the hell is going on once and for all." He paused and lifted his gaze to hers. "And then you'll be free."
But he would never be free. From all he'd said, she understood that much. He was sworn to Sutekh for eternity.
"I'm not sure I want to do this," she said. But she knew it was time. Whether she liked it or not, it really was past time for her to confront her demons.
He closed his hand over hers. "Better this wa—"
"Hey," the woman they'd spoken to earlier yelled. "Hey, give that back!"
Amber turned to see a guy with long greasy hair and baggy jeans tear toward the door. In his hand was the box Kai had been so interested in. She realized that the barista must have left it on the counter where Kai placed it earlier, rather than moving it back to the shelf above the cash register. And now some guy was stealing it.
Already on his feet and halfway to the door, Kai hesitated and spun back and faced her.
"Stay here," he said, his expression torn, like he hated to leave her almost as much as he hated to let that box go.
Whatever was going on here was important to him.
The barista was still yelling, standing in the open door, obviously wanting to chase the thief down, but unwilling to leave the shop.
"Go," Amber said. "I'll be fine."
"Stay put," Kai said. Then he went.
*
They came for her less than ten minutes later. Amber couldn't help but wonder how the whole thing had played out; she wondered if they'd set up that greasy haired guy to lure Kai from her side.
Five men surrounded her. She had no weapon and no way to run. She waited for the panic to set in, the certainty that the hunters would take her to a fate worse than death itself.
And there was fear, no doubt about that.
But the only thing she felt certain of was that Kai would come for her.
They flanked her on all sides as they led her from the coffee shop. She waited until a car was almost abreast of them, when she ducked to the left and darted in front of it. Tires squealed. A horn honked, loud and long. She heard the sound of cursing from behind her as she ran, feet slamming the pavement, heart pounding.
She remembered the direction Kai had told her Tesso's lay, so she ran the opposite way, her breath coming in harsh rasps, her pulse racing from the combined jolt of fear and exertion.
Safety in numbers. She needed to find people, a crowd. They couldn't take her in a crowd.
No, not true. They could, but it was likely they wouldn't want witnesses. But there were no people, only empty streets.
Ducking into an alley, she darted behind a Dumpster, her hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath. She looked around, feeling sick and afraid. And suddenly she was done with it.
Done with feeling sick and afraid.
Done with running.
The men her mother called hunters had chased her from place to place, driven her from her home again and again. They'd cost her years with Kai.
She had a feeling they were the ones who'd killed him.
Pushing up to her full height, she tipped her head back and stared at the sky.
She'd come here to find answers, and she wouldn't find them hiding in an alley.
With a shake of her head, she walked out from behind the Dumpster, out the mouth of the alley, and paused, getting her bearings. Mentally, she retraced her steps and figured out where the coffee shop was, and with that in mind, she mapped a route to Tesso's and started walking.
*
There was a burly guard at the door, and he eyed Amber sullenly. "No women," he said. "Unless you're a new recruit."
The thought of that turned her stomach. "Tell Big Ralph that Amber Hale's here for a visit," she said.
If the guy's eyebrows rose any higher, they'd have been floating above his head. He pulled open the door and stepped to the side. "Back room," he said.
Heart pounding, Amber forced herself to stay calm, to scope the place as she walked through the main rooms toward the back. There was a hallway that led to the bathrooms and, she was betting, a rear exit. She couldn't see any guards back there, but there was the bouncer up front and another by the door to what she guessed was the back room she'd been directed to.