Korrin's first instinct was to charge forward. Normally, even people with guns drawn wouldn't make him hesitate. He started to reach for his shirt, ready to pull it over his head, and then he heard Kris beside him.
Kris. She could be injured. All for what? My pride?
Korrin instead put his hands up. It was one thing to run from a couple of bouncers in a club. It was another to run from police officers with their weapons drawn, especially with Kris next to him. He didn't care about himself, but he would never forgive himself if he caused something to happen to Kris.
Korrin opened his mouth to say something, but Kris cut in before he could. "Officers? What seems to be the problem?" Korrin gave the two men his best look, thankful that Kris had stepped in. The words that had been forming were a lot less pleasant than those would have been. "Are the guns necessary?"
For the first time, the officer's hard looks fell. One holstered his weapon. The other dropped it, pointed it at the ground, but didn't put it away. Korrin felt himself breathe out. He hadn't even been aware that he'd been holding a breath in.
"Is this them?" the first officer asked, coming close to Korrin. Korrin's hands were still up; he had frozen completely still.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Are we who?" Kris asked.
"Don't play stupid with me," one of the police officers said. Korrin felt his heart start to pound in his chest. He had been hoping they would somehow weasel out of the situation, with the help of Kris, but it didn't look like that would even be possible. "You're the two who started the fight at Club Borealis."
"Club what?" Kris asked. "Do we look like the kind of people that would go to a club?"
The first officer shrugged, said, "Not really, but we've had reports that you terrorized the patrons of Club Borealis tonight."
"That's bullshit!" Korrin roared. "We didn't start that fight!" The officer closest to him immediately jumped backward, hand on the butt of his pistol. The other raised his weapon and pointed it at Korrin's chest. Korrin felt himself growing hot; rage was threatening to overpower him. He took a few deep breaths, trying to force his anger away.
Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it. He kept repeating those three words in his head until the rage started to abate. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.
Still, he wanted to. What would Kris think? And he knew exactly what would happen if he let himself go. If he let the anger take over. If he let himself shift.
She would be terrified. She would never look at him again. She'll never see me again, anyway, so why does it matter?
His father would be furious with him, but he didn't care about that.
The only person he cared about right now was Kris—no matter if he would never see her again or not. She didn't deserve to see what he was planning to do. She didn't deserve to be put in harm's way because of him. She didn't deserve any of this.
But she definitely didn't deserve to be arrested for what he had done.
"Take me," he said, offering up his hands. "She had nothing to do with this. I kidnapped her."
"Korrin, no!" she yelled, taking a few steps forward. Immediately the second officer was by her, gun put away, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.
"Leave her alone!" Korrin yelled.
"You're both under arrest," the cop began, and Korrin felt the anger well up inside of him again. He felt the cold metal of a cuff closing around his wrist, and he moved to action.
He knew he shouldn't have—after all, these men were just doing their jobs—but he couldn't be arrested. He couldn't let Kris be arrested. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair.
He might have done something wrong, but Kris hadn't.
He lifted his left hand in a blur so fast that the cuff never had time to shut. He brought his elbow up and felt it crack into the man's nose. The man screamed in pain, dropping to his knees on the sidewalk. Almost without thinking, Korrin whirled around and grabbed the second officer. He'd succeeded in getting one cuff around Kris's wrist, but he wouldn't let him get a second one.
"Do you know what you're—" was all the man was able to say before Korrin grabbed him and punched him once in the face. The man crumpled even faster than the other man.
"Korrin!" Kris yelled, and he looked at her. She looked terrified. What have I done?
But he didn't have time to dwell on it. He grabbed the keys and unlocked the cuff on Kris's wrist. She rubbed it tenderly for a few moments.
"I have to go," he whispered. "I can't be caught. Stay here and blame me for what happened. Just don't use my name. I'm sorry I got you into this."
He turned and started to run, leaving behind the cops, the city, and Kris. He would get back to the van, or maybe find Ruslo, and get out of town immediately. They would be looking for him now that he'd assaulted two police officers. His list of offenses was getting longer with every step he took.
Behind him, he heard footsteps. It was Kris. He slowed down his massive strides for a few moments, allowing her to catch up, but she just kept running past him.
"Are you going to come on, or what?" she yelled. Korrin had stopped running. He turned on the spot, looking back at the two police officers. They were getting to their knees. One was yelling for him to stop, and the other was talking into the radio on his shoulder.
Korrin turned and followed Kris. He caught up to her quickly. Already, she was breathing hard. His breaths were labored, but he could keep running for as long as he needed. He knew that Kris couldn't.
"How much farther to your place? he asked, glancing over his shoulder. They had turned a few corners and the cops were no longer behind them, but Korrin knew they had radioed ahead. They would have to get somewhere off this road, and fast.
"Another ten blocks or so," she managed, taking a huge gasp of air with each word. She's not going to make it much longer.
Without a word, he grabbed her hand and yanked her sideways into an alley. He didn't know the layout of the bar district that well, but he had a great sense of place. Despite being drunk, he had an idea of where they were and where they needed to go.
They cut across a road, and as they reached the curb, the wail of sirens split the air. Glancing to his right, Korrin saw a police car turning down the road they were just crossing. "Come on!" he yelled, though Kris needed no urging. She summoned a huge burst of speed that surprised even Korrin, and he had to work just a bit harder to keep up.
Down another alley, left down one street, and then a right at another alley brought Korrin and Kris to exactly where he thought they were.
"There!" he yelled, pointing.
"There?" she managed. He knew her lungs were screaming in pain, but they were so close. Sirens filled the night air. Soon, they would be coming down this road, and if they saw them, it would be all over.
Just a little bit farther…
"Get in!" Korrin yelled, grabbing the back door of the van. Kris didn't have to be told twice. She practically dove in. Korrin was instantly behind her. He reached out and grabbed the handle, just as a cop car turned down the road. He slammed the door, hoping against everything that they hadn't noticed the slamming door of the supposedly deserted van.
Korrin raised himself just enough to peer through the darkened windows, holding his breath as the police car approached. As it neared, it slowed down and then came to a stop directly next to the van.
"Shit," Korrin muttered under his breath.
"I'm going to check it out," he heard from outside of the van as the door to the cop car slammed. Korrin slammed his hand down on the lock to the back of the van, then crawled to the front of the van as quickly and quietly as possible. He saw Kris lying on her back in the van, hands over her mouth, trying to silence her labored breaths.
Korrin reached the front seat, stretched out one of his long arms, slammed the driver's side lock and then the passenger's, and then slid back into the back of the van just as the handle rattled.
"Locked!" came the officer's voice. He tried the handle one more time, then the beam of a flashlight shone through the driver's side window, illuminating the dirty van with hazy light. "Looks like a vagrant's van in there!"
Korrin looked over, holding a finger to his lips, willing Kris with all his might to keep quiet just a bit longer. She was almost tearing up, trying not to breathe, and he could tell her body was protesting at the lack of oxygen.
Korrin heard the sound of another door opening, and he knew that it was all over. If a second officer came to the van and started poking around, even the blacked-out windows in the back wouldn't be enough to keep them hidden. A second flashlight shone through the back, but just for the briefest of seconds before clicking off.
"Our suspects weren't vagrants. Let's get going," said a second officer's voice.
"Yeah, yeah, you're right," the first said. The light from the front died. Korrin heard a pair of footsteps, the sound of doors slamming, and then the police car pulling away.
Kris suddenly exploded, sucking in harsh lungfuls of air. She was still on her back, but now, she was smiling. After a few moments, she started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Korrin asked, leaning against the side of the van. "We almost went to jail. And I can't go to jail."
But Kris just kept laughing, which made it even harder for her to breathe. This went on for a few more minutes, Korrin growing more confused by the second. Finally, she managed, "That was amazing!"
"Amazing?" Korrin asked. He was more confused than ever. "Amazing? We almost went to jail!"
"I've never ran from the cops before," Kris said, slowing getting up and sitting next to Korrin. "Some of my friends back in high school, they ran from the cops a few times—when the cops busted their parties. But I was at home studying. And I always wished I could have been there. To see if I could get away. Prove it to myself, you know? Show everyone that Kris Wentworth isn't the goody two shoes that everyone thinks she is."
"But she is," Korrin said. "Everything you've said about yourself…"
"Shut up," Kris said, and Korrin immediately closed his mouth. He wanted to say something to her, tell her that no one told Korrin Gitan, son of the most powerful man in the entire… But Kris said, "Shut up, Korrin, and kiss me."
Korrin turned to her, but before he could make the first move toward her, she was coming at him, putting her hands on his shoulders, pushing him down onto the floor of the van. He let himself go, falling easily, half drunk and half surprised she was doing this to him, and he found himself grinning.
"Let me live a little, Korrin. Let me live like you for just one night," she whispered, her lips a fraction of an inch from his own. He could feel them brush against his ever so slightly with every syllable. "Let me have some fun, even if I won't remember it."
He wanted to tell her he didn't live like this. This wasn't him, not really. He wanted to tell her that he'd never run from the cops, either. That this was new for him, too.
But instead, he just kissed her.