Adrenaline races through my veins when I see Molly standing in the open doorway of the bathroom. Even though she was just a nuisance during initiation who, in my opinion, got what she deserved both when I beat the crap out of her during our last fight and again when she was made factionless, my body readies for combat by standing straighter and curling my hands into fists. As we stand glaring at each other, all I hear are Al's words echoing in my head. "Watch out for Peter, Drew, and Molly. I don't know why but they absolutely HATE you, and even though I don't know any details, I know they are cooking something up far worse than what happened at the chasm." Could Molly and Drew still be planning something even though Peter is dead? Did they help him and Marcus kidnap me knowing I would be given memory serum? Are they wanting revenge for his death even though I had nothing to do with it? I stare at her for a couple seconds then give her a sweet but fake smile.
"It's nice to see you again," I lie, suddenly finding it hard to keep my breakfast down. "What brings you to the park today?" Yeah, I'm fishing for information, bitch.
"What?" she spits with venom in her voice. "Do you think the park is off limits to the factionless? Not everything belongs to Dauntless you know."
"PMS much?" I say with a chuckle. She narrows her eyes and takes a step toward me. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest that I'm surprised she can't hear it. "What do you want, Molly?"
"Your head in a box would be nice," she mutters hatefully. I shake my head and roll my eyes but don't relax my stance. I took her once but I'm nearly eight months pregnant now, and I don't want to put Peanut in jeopardy because of this bitch but if she attacks, I will defend myself.
"Whatever," I mutter. I know I need to escape the solitary confinement of the bathroom but she's blocking the doorway. "Is there something you need?"
"My life back," she spits. What? "I should be in Dauntless and you should be factionless."
"What are you talking about?" I ask. "What do I have to do with the fact that you failed initiation and was made factionless?"
"Don't stand there and give me that," she says. "I know you were dating our instructor during initiation. That alone should have caused you two to be kicked out. Drew and I went to Eric but he didn't have time to investigate before he was arrested and executed. Then in a cruel twist you two were made leader. There was no one left to listen to us."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say.
"You're such a liar. We saw you coming out of Four's apartment before the final rankings were announced. That's when it all made sense; you two cheated," she says, inching closer to me. I take an instinctive step back. "I don't know how he pulled it off but he saw to it that you got the best ranking and Drew and I had to leave."
"First of all you are right," I say, stunning her into silence. "You did see us come out of his apartment that day but we weren't dating until right then not that it's any business of yours."
"Bullshit," she says.
"Believe what you want. I wasn't dating Four until after initiation was over," I state matter-of-factly, convincingly … I hope. "Secondly, we did not cheat because there is no way to cheat. I just didn't have as many fears as the rest of you." I sigh and shake my head. "Why am I explaining any of this to you? It's not like you'll believe me anyway so why don't you get out of my way then we won't have to look at each other."
"You're not going anywhere," she says as she takes another step toward me, closing the gap.
"What's going on in here?" Tobias asks from directly behind her. The sound of his voice instantly calms me.
"It figures that you need Four to fight your battles." She turns and looks at him then back to me. "We all know he's the only reason you made it through initiation."
"He is not," I yell, losing my cool momentarily. I close my eyes and inhale deeply knowing that my stress level is increasing by the second, which isn't good for my baby.
"That's enough, Molly," Tobias says, his voice icy cold and deadly serious. He's pissed. "I suggest you walk away … now." I expect her to shrink back in fear but she doesn't even flinch. She's changed. She's more ruthless now. She looks right at him and grins.
"We know that you two broke the rules last year, and we will find a way to make sure you pay. You are the ones who should be factionless. Watch your back. Both of you." As soon as she turns and stalks out of the bathroom, Tobias has me in his arms.
"Are you okay, love?" he asks.
"I am now," I say as I cling to him.
"You're shaking," he says.
"I think I just need to sit down," I say, feeling my legs turn to rubber. He holds me up and walks me to the picnic table across the street where my mom is sitting with Tessa.
"Can I get you something? Anything?" he asks, his mood dark and his attention torn between taking care of me and wanting to go after Molly.
"Something to drink would be great," I say. "She likes pushing my buttons and, unfortunately, I let her. I just need to calm down."
"Is everything okay, Beatrice?" Mom asks as Tobias pours me a glass of lemon-lime soda.
"It's nothing really. I just had a run-in with a girl from my initiation class. She's factionless now because of Dauntless' old rules, and for some reason she thinks I'm to blame for her predicament."
"Why would she think that?" Mom asks. I hold my arms out and she gently places Tessa in them, calming me further.
"She's a vile girl who had no hope of making it through initiation with last years' rules in place, and she needs to blame someone else for her own short comings," Tobias says. "If it wasn't Tris, it would be someone else."
"She sounds like a lost soul," Mom says, forgiving … Abnegation as ever.
"Not lost enough," I mutter under my breath.
"I'm going to go play with your father and Tyler for a little bit," she says, sensing I need to talk to my husband alone for a moment.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks when she's out of earshot.
"I'm better now," I say. "I think she wanted to fight. At least that's the vibe I got off her. I didn't want any part of it but I would have defended myself if necessary." I look around, sensing eyes on us but I don't see anyone. I place my forehead against his and cup his cheek with my hand. "She knows we were together before initiation ended." I whisper just in case someone is close enough to overhear us. "I don't know if she has proof or just suspicions but she and Drew went to Eric before he got arrested. What if someone reopens the case? What if they bring formal charges? I can lie but you can't." He brings his mouth to mine and kisses me soundly, effectively shutting me up.
"Enough with the 'what ifs,' love," he says. "Don't worry about something that's never going to happen, love. She's bluffing. She only thinks she knows what happened between the two of us. She grasping at straws, Tris."
"You don't know that, Tobias," I say.
"Neither do you," he says, kissing my forehead. "There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Even if she made a complaint, no one is going to do anything about it. There are no written rules against fraternization."
"But it's frowned upon," I say.
"Yes, it's frowned upon but no rules were broken. Plus if you remember, you already admitted to us dating before initiation ended under truth serum and nothing happened," he sighs. "Forget you ran into her. She's messing with your head, trying to make you second guess yourself. You aren't that same girl she bullied during initiation. You're stronger now. Let's forget about her and have a good time with your parents. You haven't seen them since initiation started."
"You're right," I say. "I shouldn't stress myself out unnecessarily. If something happens, we'll deal with it then … together."
"That's right, love," he says, leaning down to kiss me but he stops midair and backs away then tenses up.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I don't know," he says. "It feels like we're being watched." We look around and sure enough across the street leaning against a wide oak tree Molly is staring at us as she talks on a cellphone. "How in the hell did she get a cellphone? Factionless aren't supposed to have access to them."
"We do have something to worry about, don't we?" I say as we watch her slide her cellphone into her pocket, give us a casual little wave, and then disappear into the trees.
"Not today," he firmly says. "Right now we're going to have a good time with your parents and our kids and tonight at home we'll spend some time just you and me. We'll try to figure out what Molly and Drew are up to tomorrow. Okay?" Not just Molly and Drew. If they have a phone, they're working with a faction member ... or initiate.
"Okay," I murmur. "We'll worry about them another day."
"Mommy! Daddy!" Tyler yells, running toward us.
"What, buddy?" Tobias asks as Tyler leaps into his arms.
"I'm hungwy," he says, an expectant look on his face.
"Are you ready for lunch?" I ask. He eagerly nods his head up and down. "Well, I think we can do something about that. Will you go get Grandma and Grandpa and tell them it's time for lunch?"
"Otay!" he says.
"Can I have a kiss?" I ask.
"Sure," Tobias says giving me a quick peck. Tyler's mouth falls open and he pouts.
"Mommy talking to me," he indignantly says to Tobias.
"Am I not supposed to kiss Mommy?" he asks. Tyler shakes his head while he wrinkles his nose. "But I like kissing your Mommy."
"I like kissing you, too," I say as I caress his face. I press my lips to his again for a tender kiss then I look at Tyler when we part. "So where's Mommy's kiss. I love getting kisses from you, too, buddy." He smiles brightly and gives me a big sloppy wet kiss then Tobias sits him on his feet, and he runs toward my Mom and Dad. "I love that boy so much."
"I know," he says. "I love him, too." Tessa starts cooing and Tobias looks down at her then kisses her head. "I love you too, Pebbles. Tris, why don't you sit down and relax, and I'll get lunch ready."
"Okay," I say. I put Tessa in the travel sleeper we have situated at the end of the picnic table then sit down. She seems in much better spirits since she spit up all over me. Her stomach must have been hurting and that's the reason she was so crabby. I watch her roll around the portable bed like she's trying to get comfortable then yawn widely and close her eyes. The moment she falls asleep I feel myself relax. Thankfully, she's acting like her old self again.
Tyler kneels on the bench beside me with his forearms resting on the table, and Mom and Dad sit across from us. Instead of making everyone a plate, Tobias gets the platter of sandwiches and bowls full of various salads out of the picnic basket and scatters them around the tabletop between us so we can serve ourselves. I fill Tyler's plate with half a turkey and Swiss sandwich, macaroni salad, carrot and celery sticks with ranch dressing, and apple salad then make myself an identical plate, except I get a chicken salad sandwich instead.
"It was very nice of you to invite us to lunch," Mom says to Tobias as she eats.
"I'm glad I thought of it," he says. "I know it hasn't been that terribly long since we spent the afternoon together but I knew Tris was missing you." He's not wrong.
"I'm sorry that we didn't come yesterday," Dad says. "I had every intention of visiting both you and Caleb but we had an emergency in Abnegation. Do you remember Helen Reiter?"
"Helen Reiter? The name sounds familiar but I can't quite place it," I say searching my memory.
"Isn't she a council member?" Tobias says.
"Oh, that's right. She's the council member who makes all the volunteer assignments, right?"
"That's her," he sadly says. "She had a heart attack yesterday morning, and I'm afraid she didn't make it."
"Oh my," I say. "How sad. Isn't her job one of the most important in Abnegation? Do you know who is taking her place?"
"We're not sure yet. We do have a list of candidates," Dad says. "Not to talk shop but we're pulling together an emergency council meeting for early next week to decide on her replacement then we'll make the announcement later in the week."
"Oh, okay," I say. I look at Tobias and ask, "Do you think I will be able to go?"
"I can't see why not," he says. "I'll ask Uriah or Christina to fill in for you."
"Good," Dad says. "It'll be nice to have actual council members instead of stand-ins. I'll give you a call with a time and place for the meeting."
"Sounds good," I say. After we finish lunch, we all sit down on the blanket beneath the massive oak tree that shades the area so we can relax. Even though he insists that he isn't tired, Tyler immediately falls asleep when he lays his head in my lap. Tobias is lying on his side beside me, and I'm casually running my hand through his hair while we talk with my parents who are sitting side-by-side on the red-and-white-checked blanket in front of us.
"I ran into Marcus yesterday," Dad says, bringing up the subject almost reluctantly. Tobias stiffens under my caress at the mention of his father. "He told me that he's been trying to patch things up with you. Is that correct?"
"Trying to patch things up," Tobias scoffs under his breath as he chuckles and shakes his head. "That's what he keeps saying but I'm just not sure I trust that he's being completely honest with me. I can't shake the feeling that he has ulterior motives."
"You think he's being dishonest?" Dad asks.
"Yes," I say, matter-of-factly.
"I tend to agree with her," Tobias says, putting his hand on my low back and instinctually rubbing the sore spot. "It's like he's up to something and this is the first phase of his plan. Step one: Get Tobias and Tris to trust me. Step two: When they finally do, go in for the kill."
"It must be awful to feel that way about your own father," Mom says.
"I've never known anything different, Natalie," he says. "He did apologize for a lot of things including my crappy childhood. He told me that he raised me the only way he knew how … the way his father raised him. There's a small part of me who thinks I could almost forgive him for everything he's ever done to me during my life. Don't get me wrong, it wouldn't be easy. If I didn't have a family, I might even try.
"But what I will never forgive is what he put Tris through. Giving her the memory serum could have taken her and our daughter away from me forever and her away from me, Tyler, and Tessa. There's just no forgiving that. He kidnapped her and gave her away. Thank God the serum only made her sick. No, I'll never forgive him for that, which makes me think we can never have the relationship he wants."
"I didn't mean to bring the atmosphere down by mentioning your father, son," my dad says.
"You didn't, Andrew," he says. Tyler's eyes flutter open, and when he looks up at me, he frowns for a moment before a huge smile spreads across his face.
"Hi, baby," he says as he kisses my belly. He sits up and looks at each of us with a happy, contented smile. "Can I play?" We all laugh lightly at his innocent exuberance. He has no worries, and I intend to make sure it stays that way for a long time.
"How about I go with you? Would you like that?" I ask.
"Yeah!"
"Well let's go," I say. He immediately bounces up and waits for me. I finally make it to my feet with Tobias' help then follow Tyler to the jungle gym. We slide, swing, climb, run, and play for a good hour before Mom and Dad relieve me.
"How are you feeling?" Tobias asks as he rubs my shoulders and back after I sit down at the picnic table.
"Mmm," I moan. His hands feel so good on my tired, sore body.
"Do you like that?" he asks, his mouth close to my ear.
"I do," I sigh. "My back hurts but I didn't want to disappoint Tyler. We were having such a wonderful time."
"I could tell," he says as he continues my massage. "You were both beaming while you were playing but then I noticed you getting tired."
"I could use a nap," I say.
"Should we go home?" he asks.
"We promised Tyler ice cream and I won't lie, I have a craving for their salted caramel and milk chocolate bacon ice cream." Tessa starts crying, interrupting our conversation.
"Hey, little one," Tobias says as he lifts her out of the travel sleeper. I expect her to stop crying but she doesn't, which makes me look at the time.
"Are you hungry, Tessa?" I watch her actions and, sure enough, she is. I get a blanket out of the diaper bag, feeling the need to nurse instead of give her a bottle. I sit back down and Tobias hands her to me. After I throw the blanket over her head, I put her to my breast, and she easily latches on and suckles eagerly. "If you want to start packing the car, we'll go after she finishes."
"Sounds like a plan," he says. He kisses my temple then proceeds to pack everything away in the car. I watch Tyler play with my mom and dad while Tessa nurses. It's a sight I never thought I would witness and it warms my heart. He's changed them so much, and I can't wait for the day that they're chasing after all three of my kids. After Tobias finishes packing the car, he sits down next to me.
"He loves your mom and dad so much," he says.
"They love him, too," I say. "Look at them. Do they seem okay to you?"
"Your mom looks tired," he says. I study her face, and I can't argue with his assessment. "Why do you ask?"
"I hope everything is okay between them."
"Why wouldn't it be?" he asks. His rests his forehead against mine and I sigh.
"I'm probably imaging it but they seem off," I say. He looks toward my parents who seem to be slowing down. I know how they feel. My boy is always so full of energy. It's hard to keep up with him.
"They look fine to me," he says after we've been quite for a while. I almost forgot we had been talking about my fear that my parents aren't okay.
"I'm glad," I say. When I realize Tessa has finished, I straighten my clothing up then burp her for a second time. I make sure a burp cloth is in place just in case her tummy is still upset but she doesn't spit up this time.
"Tyler, say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa," Tobias says. We watch him pout as first my mom and then my dad bend down and give him hugs and kisses. "Come on, buddy. Mommy really wants some ice cream." His demeanor changes at the mention of dessert, and his frown fades away. He sprints to our sides with a smile on his face.
"I weady!" he says.
"Alright. Let's get you in the car," Tobias says.
"I'm so glad we did this today," I tell my parents who are standing hand-in-hand before me. "I wish we could do it more often."
"We love seeing you, too," Mom says. "You've got such a wonderful family, Beatrice. You are a very lucky young woman."
"I've done well for myself," I say. "I'm thankful every day for finding Four."
"He's a delightful young man," Dad says. "We were talking about you while you were playing with Tyler. It's obvious how much he loves you."
"I'm a lucky girl," I say. "Well, I better get going. Would you like to get ice cream with us?"
"As much as we'd love to, we need to be getting home," Mom says. "Tomorrow is the beginning of another busy week." I put Tessa in her car seat then give each of my parents a hug, lingering a little longer with my mom.
"I love you," I say.
"I love you, too, Beatrice … so much," she says in my ear right before she releases me. We get in the car and wave at my parents as Tobias backs out of our parking place then head toward the ice cream parlor. I stare out the window, thinking about our day and my mind drifts to our conversation with my mom and dad about Marcus.
"It sounds like you made your decision," I say, turning my head to look at him.
"What are you talking about?" he asks, confusion plain on his face.
"Your father."
"I guess I have," he says as he gazes into my eyes. "I can't allow him to hurt you again."
"You know how I feel about him – I don't trust him and I think it would be best we never saw him again – and I love how protective you are of me but I can't be your only reason not to have a relationship with him," I say.
"Tris," he says but I interrupt.
"Baby, let me finish," I say. I reach out and cover the hand that's lying on his knee with mine. "I'll respect whatever decision you make but I can't be your only motivator. If I am, one day you might look back and resent me for it, and I never ever want that to happen."
"I'll never resent you, love," he says.
"You can't know that," I say.
"Yes, I can," he says as he laces our fingers together and raises our hands to his lips. "There's no way on earth that I could have hard feelings toward you when you've done nothing but encourage me to do what I think is best for me and for our family. It's an impossibility. Besides, I haven't made up my mind yet. And like I've said before, the only thing I know without a doubt is he will never hurt you or the kids. I won't allow that."
"Thank you," I say. "There's no hurry, you know. Marcus may want to know what you've decided but I want you to be absolutely positive about your decision."
"Well, right now I decide to have some ice cream," he says as we pull into the parking lot around the corner from the ice cream parlor.
"Okay. I get it. No more Marcus talk," I say.
"I appreciate it," he says. He leans across the seat and gives me a quick kiss. "I love you. You are the most important thing to me. I'll do everything within my power to keep you safe." Something in his tone makes me think he's not just talking about his father, and Molly's face flashes across my mind. Damn her! I wish I knew what she was up to. "Earth to Tris." I look toward the sound of his voice and find him standing outside my open door with Tessa in his arms and Tyler by his side, staring at me. I smile, feeling a bit foolish for obsessing when I said I wouldn't.
"Sorry," I say as I get out of the car and take Tessa so he can get the diaper bag. "I was just thinking about something unimportant." We walk around the corner, led by the aroma of the Italian restaurant and instead of going for ice cream, we stop for supper. We order lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, and cheese ravioli, ensuring we have plenty of leftovers to take home with us. After we finish the delectable meal, we stop at the ice cream parlor next door as promised. We each get a small sundae and enjoy it in the old fashioned surroundings. After a little pleading on Tyler's part, we get a few pints of various flavors to take home. I have to say I really don't mind since there's a pint of each of my favorites, too.
"Come on, buddy," Tobias says, picking up Tyler who has a death grip on the sack full of ice cream. "Does anyone want to stop at the Ferris wheel and carrousel before we go home?" Tyler looks my way, pleading with his puppy dog eyes.
"What about the ice cream?" I ask.
"We can put it in the car's built in cooler to keep it frozen. What do you say?"
"Sounds good to me," I say. We look at Tyler, and he's bobbing his head up and down, excitedly. "It looks like Tyler wants to go home."
"Uh-uh! I go with you!"
"I'm sorry, buddy," I say. "I was just teasing."
"Not nice," he pouts.
"You're right," I say, caressing his cheek. "That wasn't nice of Mommy. I'm sorry."
"I 'give you," he brightly says.
"I'm glad you forgive me," I say with a chuckle. We once again pack the kids into the car and this time we drive to the Navy Pier. We ride the carrousel a few times then go over to the Ferris wheel. We pay for an hours' worth of rides then get into the gondola. Tobias holds Tyler so he can watch the city lights come on one building at a time until the cityscape is shining brightly in front of us.
"Wow!" he says. I can see the buildings reflected in his eyes, and his excitement is contagious. I hold Tessa up so she can see over my shoulder and she coos loudly.
"Do you like the view, too, little one?" I ask. When I look at her she's gnawing on her fist like it's a four-course meal. "Are you hungry?" She keeps chewing on her fist, and I take that as her answer. "I'm glad you brought the diaper bag, Tobias." I fish out a lightweight blanket and cover her head so I can nurse her. I lean back against the wall of the car and watch Tyler as he stares through the protective grid. The awe his expression is exuding tugs at my heartstrings. I love that he is so happy. It makes me happy. We continue round and round at a slow, measured pace. Just after Tessa finishes eating, the ride comes to a stop, and we slowly make our way toward the parking lot across the street, not wanting the evening to come to an end. Just before we reach the car, I hear footsteps rapidly moving away from us in the darkness, and I freeze.
"Did you hear that?" Tobias asks, suddenly sounding like Four.
"Yeah," I say, trying not to let the anxiety show in my voice but I'm not entirely successful. "This is just like the night of capture the flag when someone was out here watching me."
"Someone watch us?" Tyler asks, obviously scared.
"No one is watching us, buddy," Tobias says after he lifts him into his arms. Tyler wraps his arms round his father's neck, seeking comfort. "Let's go home." I want to tell him that I don't exactly feel comfortable getting in the car but I don't want to upset Tyler again.
"Don't you think you should check the car out?" I quietly ask with a smile painted on my face, deciding to go with my gut. I know he can't see me but I'm hoping the smile shows through in my voice for Tyler's sake. He would never forgive himself if one of us got hurt because we got in a car that's been tampered with. He sighs and opens the passenger door to bath us in a dim, soft blue light. He must see the fear I'm feeling in my face because he nods and kisses my forehead.
"You're right, love," he whispers in my ear. "Hey, buddy, will you stand here with Mommy while Daddy looks at the car?"
"Otay," Tyler says. He reluctantly lets go of Tobias' neck when he sits him on his feet then he grabs ahold of my leg.
"It's okay, buddy. There's nothing to be scared of," I say as I run my free hand through his hair. I'm not sure he believes me though because it seems like he's cutting the blood flow off to my foot. He finally releases my leg as I squat down and throws his arms round my neck instead. God, I terrified him. "Mommy has you. You're fine. Can you tell me what you liked most about today?" I try to get not only his mind off our visitors but my own as well.
"I like the pawk. I had fun."
"I had fun there, too," I say. "I really liked watching you on the Ferris wheel." He releases my neck and looks at me with such innocence on his little face.
"You did?"
"I sure did," I say. "You loved seeing the city light up, didn't you?" He nods and I finally get a smile out of him. "Can I have a kiss?" He leans forward and gives me a kiss then wraps his arms around my neck again. Tessa starts whining and he lets me go.
"Sowwy, Tess," he says then rubs her head.
"Careful with her," I say.
"Otay," he says.
"I think we can go home now," Tobias says as he comes around the front of the car.
"Alright," I say. We get the kids into their car seats then head home. I notice that he's very quiet, which is somewhat concerning. For the most part we had a wonderful day. I don't want him to stress over nothing … unless it wasn't nothing. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," he says. "I was just thinking about everything that needs to be done tomorrow."
"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask.
"It's really nothing," he says. "I was just coming up with the plan for the first day of practice simulations even though I could probably do it in my sleep." We're quiet on the rest of the way home, and before I know it, we're pulling up in front of the Pire. He parks the car and helps me get the kids inside and into bed before he unpacks the car and takes it to the garage.
I wait for him in the living room, needing to talk about everything that transpired today but he isn't in the mood for talking when he comes back. He practically attacks me on the couch. One minute I'm thinking of what I want to say and the next he has his tongue shoved halfway down my throat and the majority of our clothes are strewn over the furniture. He pulls me from the couch down onto the floor, kissing me passionately. I know something is wrong and that I should stop this and get him to talk but my resolve disappears along with my panties. He turns me in his arms so I can rest against the couch cushions and enters me fully in one driving thrust.
"Ah!" I cry out at the sudden yet welcome invasion. "Slow, Tobias. Slow," I pant. I feel his hot, rapid breath on the back of my neck as he kisses me.
"Sorry, love," he huskily says, his mouth pressed up against my sensitive right ear. He sticks his tongue in the canal as he begins an unhurried rhythm, pulling out excruciatingly slowly then driving home at the same measured pace. He keeps up this unrushed tempo until I find myself pushing back on his hard length harder and faster with each stroke. He snakes his hand around my hip and finds my throbbing nubbin, which is begging for attention. He caresses the aching bundle of nerves with an aggressive touch and picks up the pace further, slamming into me as I move back to meet him.
"Shit, Tobias," I moan. "Oh, God, baby!" The steep path he slowly led me up peaks, and I tumble down the other side. I bury my face in the couch cushions, screaming out my pleasure, mindful of our sleeping toddler. He continues his pounding rhythm until he grabs my hips, groans loudly, and empties himself into me. He collapses onto my back, and I welcome the cover of his body. He kisses my neck, ear, and jaw as we let our heart rates return to normal. "May I ask what brought that on?" He groans as he pulls out of me. I shift to sit on the floor with my back resting against the couch and he sits next to me.
"I wanted to be with you," he says.
"Tobias," I censure. I know he's not being honest right now. He reaches out and pulls his jeans to him. He gets something out of the pocket and hands it to me.
"I found this under the driver's side windshield wiper," he says, handing me a folded sheet of paper. My heart beats heavily, almost painfully, in my chest as I unfold the note.
It says, I know what you did and you will pay. Don't get too comfortable.
"What the hell does this mean?"
"I don't know," he says, pulling me into his arms. I understand his attack better now. "First thing tomorrow I'm going to have Zeke go through the Navy Pier footage and see if there are any familiar faces hanging around before it got dark. I don't want you worrying about this, Tris." I stare at him. How am I not supposed to worry? It seems like someone is out to get us … again. I do the only thing I know to do during times of great stress, I reach out for him just as he reaches for me.