Chapter Thirteen: The Gate
Theo zipped the last of his things into the duffel carefully. He glanced at Danielle once, then dropped the bag by the door.
"Listen," he started with a flat voice. "Someone else will be coming to watch you. Don't make trouble while they sort it. You need to rest, study, whatever."
Danielle sat on the edge of her bed, and folded her arms. Her eyes were red but still couldn't hide the hatred now. "You leaving?" she asked without surprise.
"Yes," Theo answered. "For now. You'll be safer with the new detail."
She rose so fast her chair scraped the floor. "You're a coward," she spat. "All talk. You run away the minute things get hot." She crossed the room in a few hard steps and punched him square in the chest. The blow wasn't hard…she was tired…but it landed with meaning.
Theo only blinked. For a beat he looked like a man who had expected something worse and was annoyed. "Is that all?" he said quietly.
Danielle slammed her hand on the table. "You hide things from me, you lie to me, and then you walk out the door. You leave me with nothing." Her voice broke on the last word. "Coward."
He didn't argue. He picked up his bag and shouldered it. "You'll survive, princess."
She stepped closer, inches from his face. "Don't you dare say that like it's a compliment. You're not protecting me, you're protecting your conscience."
Theo's eyes flicked to the window. "I told you why I can't tell you everything. You'd do something…something that would get you hurt."
"You think I don't know that?" Danielle snapped. "I know exactly what I can do. I've done worse."
He hesitated, then shook his head, also tired. "You don't have to prove anything to me." He turned toward the door.
Danielle reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. "Don't go," she whispered.
He stopped. For a second, the world narrowed to that hand on his arm and his own pulse thudding in his ears. Then he let her go and pulled the door open.
"Goodbye, Danielle," Theo stepped out into the cold corridor.
She watched him go until the footsteps faded. Her lungs felt hollow. She sank back onto the bed, feeling the cool bracelet against her wrist.
Outside, the gates cut the campus off from the road.
Theo was forced to walk through the small crowd of students and staff with the tense awareness of a man like he had too many enemies and too few friends.
He kept his head down, sweeping the street more out of habit than fear.
Then he saw someone standing near the low stone wall by the entrance: this person had hands in his pockets, watching students like a man who had all the time in the world.
For a heartbeat, the world broke into so many pieces. Danielle, who had rushed out of the building behind him to follow for reasons she couldn't name, was forced to stop at the sight as if someone had clamped cold metal onto her ribs.
She hadn't expected to see him again so soon.
Jackson looked up when he noticed her. Recognition hit his face like a blow, the same shock mirrored in Danielle's eyes.
He pushed off the wall and crossed the space between them in a few long strides.
"Danielle…" Jackson sounded like a snake.
Then he leaned closer, until his breath almost mixed with hers. "You don't know, but I know you very well now. I know what your father does to people who hurt you. I'll cause you the same problems here your father causes me."
Danielle felt the world turn into a massive galaxy…so many planets spun around her head, but only his face was as clear as the white sheet paper on a desk.
Anger started building under her skin, but it was edged with fear at the same time, cold and immediate. Danielle took an involuntary step back.
"Come on, my little fairy. Say something…"
"Wha-what are you doing here, Jackson?" Danielle stuttered.
"Oh…you wanna know what I'm doing here? Well, let's just say that your father doesn't know how to keep information well protected about you."
"Yo-you…"
"Monster? Idiot? Lover?" Jackson got closer to her, "come on, Danielle…name it…name who I am to you?"
Before she could answer, a hand shot out.
Strong fingers closed on Jackson's shoulder, then another hand grabbed his wrist.
"May I answer on her behalf?"