"No," she replied, her voice shaky. "You?"
"Clean." He risked a glance at her. Her faced was pale in the dim orange glow of the streetlights, but her eyes were fixed ahead, determined.
"Okay," Gabriel said, gripping the steering wheel. "New plan. Get to your cousin. Get on that boat. Get offshore."
"And the locket?" Lucy asked, holding it tightly in her hand again.
"That comes with us," Gabriel stated. "Until we can figure out who Sparrow was supposed to give it to. Right now, you and that locket are my priority."
"Why?" she asked, meeting his gaze briefly. "You could just leave me. Ditch the car and disappear."
He hesitated. The rational part of his brain screamed that she was right. She was a complication, a massive, dangerous complication to his low-profile existence. But looking at her, feeling the desperate bond that had formed between them in the rain and the sewers, in the shared fear and the sudden, unexpected surge of attraction... he couldn't.
"Maybe I'm tired of running alone," he said, the confession surprising even himself. "Maybe... maybe I like the company."
A small, genuine smile touched her lips, transforming her face. It was a fragile thing, given their circumstances, but it was real.
"Okay, Gabriel," she said softly. "Lead the way."