Chapter 48

Damn him, Daniel had anticipated her. His usual stoic expression gave way to fury for a split second when he realized he wasn't able to pry the door of the moving train open. That look of fury convinced Claudia she never wanted to run into the ex-mercenary in a dark alley. She watched him with trepidation as the train gathered speed. He took his phone out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear. Then he pointed at her. Pinning her. She knew right down to her core he was marking her as prey for Tyson King.
Claudia forced her frozen brain to work over time. She quickly deduced that Tyson would soon have his people crawling all over every subway station in the city. She would have to abandon her original plan of taking the train to the bus station and buying a ticket out of the city and get off at the next stop. Hopefully she could make it far enough away from the station before Tyson was able to galvanize his security team. It didn't bear thinking what he might do with her once he got his hands on her.
With a start, Claudia realized she didn't doubt he would find her. Tyson had far more resources than she did. He would be watching the airport, the bus depot, the train station and every road out of the city. He would snatch her up and drag her back to his lair where she would be a sitting duck for Dante and Franco. Damn it, why couldn't he just let her go! Why did all the men in her life want to own her?
What am I doing? Claudia thought to herself, suddenly furious. I'm no quitter. If I was, I'd be dead by now. I'll get the hell out of this city and Tyson King can just kiss the backside of my ass on my way out!
Claudia stood as the subway train approached its next platform. She walked toward the back of the train car. On her way by a guy in his early twenties listening to loud music with earbuds, she pretended to sway and fall sideways into his lap. She blushed furiously and excused herself, leaning forward so her long hair brushed his face. He brought hands up to steady her and, after getting a good look at the bounty that literally fell into his lap, his scowl turned into a grin. Claudia grinned back and stood up, squeezing his shoulder. She continued toward the nearest door with his black hoodie, which had been carelessly tossed in the seat next to him, clutched in her hand.
As soon as she was out the door, she pulled the University emblazoned sweater over her head and popped the hood up, careful to tuck every last strand of hair into the enveloping hood. Next she shoved the chic oversized sunglasses on that she had lifted from a woman who was too busy reading her text messages to notice the sticky fingers that reached into her purse. Trusting that she wouldn't draw undue notice to herself, Claudia made her way back up to street level. This time she didn't run, instead forcing herself to slouch and walk at a normal pace. She had to blend into the street atmosphere , not a difficult thing as she was currently in a bustling part of downtown.
Claudia knew her next move would draw Tyron right to her, but she didn't have a choice. She would just have to trust that lady luck would stick with her. She pulled out her cell phone and called the only person she knew in the city who might be capable of helping her out. Anastasia Sitnikov.
"Claudia!" Anya answered in a breathless rush. "Where the hell have you been?"
Claudia laughed shortly. "Locked up in Tyson King's penthouse."
"Why didn't you call or text me?" Anya demanded, sounding miffed. "I was worried."
"Yeah, same goes, girl. Last I saw of your ass it was being dragged out of that awful gambling club by super hot blond guy." Claudia snorted. "Look, Anya, I don't have a lot of time here, so I'm going to explain some things to you fast. I'm living here illegally, I don't have a work Visa or anything and I'm Canadian."
Anya said nothing for a moment and then said sarcastically, "Are you some kind of Canadian terrorist then? Did you steal the maple syrup recipe and decide to sell it on the black market to your neighbours to the south."
Claudia rolled her eyes. "I'm serious Anya. I moved here a few years ago to dance in Vegas. I met a guy there, the owner of the casino where I danced. He introduced me to a colleague, a guy from Miami. I thought I was in love, but it all turned out really badly. He was some kind of big time drug dealer, into all kinds of terrible things. He he tried to make me do things. I knew refusing would end badly for me so I grabbed something of his and took off. Now he, and god knows who else, are probably after me. I need to get out of the city fast and I don't know anyone else that might be able to help." She finished in a breathless rush, waiting anxiously for Anya's reply.
Anya seemed to digest what she said for a moment before speaking slowly, "So you were a Vegas showgirl? How did I not know this about you? That explains so much."
Claudia laughed out loud, slapping a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't draw attention to herself. "I sucked as a showgirl, but somehow I caught Dante's attention. Lucky me."
"I might be speaking totally out of my ass here," Anya said, "but I was under the impression Tyson King had a thing for you. He's a powerful guy, he can probably keep you safer than anyone else in the city, except maybe my brother."
Claudia sighed heavily. "You don't understand, Anya. I just can't be under the thumb of another guy, especially one who's not up front about his business. I let myself be led by my ex-boyfriend, and it ended so badly I had to change my name and stop speaking to my family." Her voice broke on the last word. "I don't trust anyone to take care of me but me."
"I understand better than you think darling, one day I'll tell you all about it," Anya said quietly. "In the meantime, let me think for a second."
Claudia held her breath while she waited, chewing on the ragged edge of a fingernail. She wanted to tell Anya to hurry, that Tyson would most likely be tracing her phone as they spoke. Her gaze darted around the sidewalk and street. She saw a few guys on the other side wearing suit jackets over jeans. They were thickly muscled and wearing dark sunglasses. She didn't know them personally, but she did recognize the walk and the sweeping glances they took. They were some kind of security. Claudia darted into a nearby Chinese tea shop and watched them through the window until they rounded the end of the block.
"Claudia?" Anya's voice sounded worried as though she had tried to get the other girl's attention a few times.
"Yes, I'm here," she replied quickly. "Sorry, I thought I saw someone that could belong to Tyson."
"Okay, here's what you're going to do," Anya said, all business now that she recognized the real fear in her friend's voice. "You're going to go see my brother. I'll call him and tell him to expect you. He'll be happy to do me a solid. Especially if I promise him an extra month of living in his mansion, enjoying full time live-in staff and an Olympic-sized swimming pool."
Claudia grinned despite herself. Anya really was a gem. "Maybe I could move in too?"
Anya laughed and gave her the address. Without hanging up, Claudia dropped her phone into the shop's wastebasket. Tyson could enjoy tracking it while she was on her way to the other side of the city. Taking a deep breath and pulling the hood further over her face, Claudia walked swiftly out of the shop and hailed the first cab she saw.