As I continued to wander behind the groups of people, I was able to gather a few other small details. It seemed that no one knew who the newly appointed Headmaster would be, aside from Marta and possibly a few others who had worked closely with him. It also seemed that whoever he was, the announcement was anticipated to cause quite a stir because he was supposedly bringing a huge and highly illegal partnership into the Lineage. This was all very useful.
A man bumped into me as I was distracted, listening to part of a conversation.
“Are you looking for something?” he asked.
I looked up toward the table where Adam had been sitting, but he was no longer there. He must have gotten worried and went to go look for me.
“Yes, actually,” I said as I tried to make up something believable on the spot. “My wine glass has been empty for a while, and the waitress never came back around, so I was hoping I might be able to find the bar.”
“Certainly,” the man said. “Let me show you where it is.”
I followed him to the bar, not wanting to blow my excuse and seem like I had been up to something. When we got there, he bought my drink and asked if I would like to sit and talk with him for a while.
“I think I’m going to get some fresh air. It’s a little stuffy in here,” I said as I tried to politely excuse myself. “Thank you for the drink.”
The man nodded and watched me as I walked away. I turned casually over my shoulder to see if he was still watching me, and when I saw that he was, I decided that I actually could use some fresh air and a break from all these people for a minute. Adam was still not at the table, and I didn’t have my phone on me since there was no place to put it in this dress, so I was unable to reach him until he either came back to the table or until we crossed paths in the crowd.
I remembered that the aquarium used to have a rooftop garden that they sometimes used for private parties. My mom and I had snuck up to it once to look at the stars. I found the stairwell and, with my wine glass in hand, climbed up the steps to see if it was still there.
It probably wasn’t the best idea to go traipsing around in the stairwell alone at an event full of Lineage drug-conspirators, but when I reached the top and pushed the door open, I was delighted to see that the rooftop garden was still there. I needed some quiet and fresh air to gather my thoughts.
I stepped out onto the roof and felt the chill air on my shoulders as I let the stairwell door slam closed behind me. I hadn’t thought to bring a jacket. I hadn’t thought to leave Adam a note. I mean, I hadn’t even thought to canvas the place once I got up there.
Which is why I also hadn’t thought that someone else might already be up here.
14
Michael was standing near the railing at the edge of the rooftop with a cocktail in his hand. He had been leaning over the railing, looking out at the city and deep in thought, but had turned around when he heard the door slam.
He stared in surprise at seeing me up here with him as his blonde hair blew in the breeze, which seemed much stronger at this height than it had when we were first coming into the aquarium. I turned to try and open the door again, but it was locked.
“Why in the hell can’t I seem to get away from you?” he growled at me.
Since there was nowhere else for me to go, I walked over toward him. I held my free hand up to my shoulder as the cold air bit at my skin.
“What are you doing up here?” I asked.
“Gathering my thoughts,” he grumbled as he turned to look back out over the city.
He took a long sip from his glass and let out a powerful exhale into the wind. I stood next to him at a careful distance away and looked down at the city below. It was freezing, and the first snow of winter was just starting to fall. I took a sip of wine from my glass, hoping that the alcohol might warm me up a bit as I started to tremble in the cold.
“It was stupid to come up here without a coat,” he said as he looked at me. “Your lips are turning blue.”
I nodded. What was I going to say? He was right. It was stupid.
He set his cocktail glass down on the ground and took off the dark, charcoal gray jacket that he was wearing, which matched his pants. He looked every bit as handsome as Adam did, with the exception of a white button-down shirt instead of black, and the evil demeanor that made him much less attractive to anyone with a heart.
“Here,” he said as he shoved his jacket at me.
“Why are you giving me your jacket?” I asked in surprise.
I didn’t think it was possible for him to do anything out of compassion or consideration for someone other than himself.
He practically spat the words at me. “So you don’t freeze to death.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” I asked. “Don’t you want me to die?”
He laughed as though I’d said something so wrong that it had to be laughable. “Just take the damn jacket,” he said as he held it in his outstretched hand.
I took it from him and put it on. It was still warm from his body heat and immediately made the temperature outside more bearable.
My voice fell flat. “Thanks.”
“Why did you come up here?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Same reason as you, I guess. I wanted a quiet place to gather my thoughts.”
We both stood silently, looking out at the city for a while. Then I decided that I didn’t really have anything to lose by asking him a question that had been rattling around in my head since it had happened.
“Why didn’t you tell Adam about the stone room?” I asked him.
Michael didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at me. But I could see his shoulders and jaw tense up.
“And why—”
“Why can’t I get away from you?” he interrupted with a yell as he lunged at me and wrapped his hand around the back of my head and yanked me half-over the side of the railing. I tried to scramble back to solid footing on the roof and to grab the railing with my hands, but he was dangling me too far over the edge to be able to reach onto anything.
