Bane’s hand came to my chin as he brought my eyes to meet his, a devilish grin on his face. “We’ll be fucking soon. It’s all I’ve thought about since last night. But, it’s good to know we’re on the same page.”
“I am.” That was the one thing I was absolutely sure about in all this.
Bane returned his focus to driving and moved his left hand to settle on my leg. I liked the contact and what it did to my insides—slowly turning them into a wanting mess. The hotel came into view as we pulled up the drive. The valet came to the driver side as another one opened my door.
As I got out of the vehicle, I heard Bane say, “Don’t park it. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Bane’s hand took position on the small of my back, guiding me inside. Looking down after a slight pressure on my shoe, I noticed I’d nearly tripped on my lace. “Oh wait, my shoe is undone.”
Stopping, I kneeled down while Bane faced the entrance patiently waiting for me. The hotel was quiet and I felt like people were staring. As I stood, Bane put his hand at my elbow. “I forgot my cell phone. I need to grab it. Do you mind hopping in the passenger side while I make a quick phone call? Then, we’ll get everything sorted.”
The edge to Bane was different, like he was preparing for something.
“Of course, not a problem.”
The cool air greeted us as we came back outside. The valet was in the driver’s seat. I thought Bane asked him to leave it. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled in apprehension. Bane casually raised his hand, halting the valet’s movement. “I need to get my cell phone before you move it.”
The valet looked behind him nervously then nodded quickly—too quickly. “Yes, sir.”
Following Bane’s advice, I got in the passenger side. Casually, Bane got in and his aviator glasses were still in place. The car was off. As Bane glanced around the area, I noticed his other hand pushed something on the underside of the steering column. The SUV roared to life. Without missing a beat, he shifted the car into gear, shooting out of the drive as his tires squealed.
“Buckle up, Maren.”
The steely command had adrenaline pulsating through me. A larger truck came out of the drive at the same speed.
“What’s going on?” The car shifted hard to the right, avoiding a stoplight.
Bane’s voice became hard. “Buckle up, Maren! I need you to listen to everything I say and do it.”
Fumbling with the buckle, I managed to get it fastened. The vehicle sped faster. The truck behind us followed Bane’s every move. Out of fear, I grabbed the door handle. The car darted in and out traffic at an alarming rate. Bane shot to the left causing my right shoulder to hit the door.
Frozen in fear, I prayed I survived this.
MOTHERFUCKER.
The first thing I needed was to get us somewhere safe. I wasn’t sure who, but somehow either Maren or I had a target on our back. And I assumed the target was on the latter. Shit! This was why I should have never entertained anything with Maren. The hotel implied Maren meant more than my normal occasional fucks.
I had to keep Maren safe. History repeating itself wasn’t an option.
The unmarked truck I’d noticed as we pulled into the hotel kept up and anticipated my next maneuver. The familiar charge I always had when entering combat rolled through me as I became acutely aware of all my surroundings, seeing if anything in my environment could be of use to take this bastard out.
Whoever followed us had training. Glancing to Maren, I knew she was terrified as she white-knuckle clutched the door frame. Once I got us somewhere, I’d explain what I could. She didn’t know it, but life as she knew it was over. What the fuck had I been thinking? A month escape. Of course, that would be when the enemy would strike.
Keeping Maren safe was my objective.
After years of training, my heart rate stayed even. An opportunity presented itself that would keep this asshole away for a bit. Up ahead a trailer rig was about to block the entire road. I pressed the accelerator more, revving the engine and speeding up to a dangerous rate. It would be tight, but we’d squeeze through. Normal human reaction would cause the rig driver to automatically stop.
Maren screamed. “Bane, the truck!”
Not responding, I needed my full concentration as men for the crew were waving at me wildly to stop. I didn’t. Positioning my car, I pushed the gas harder. The space was tighter than I’d assumed and the maximum momentum would be needed to clear the area. Otherwise, we’d be stuck—sitting ducks. Bracing myself, I held the steering wheel on course and pushed the vehicle to the max.
Metal scraping, as if someone screamed, sounded along the length of the vehicle, taking the side mirrors off. Our speed decelerated and I hoped we could push through. The teeth-clenching protest ended as we cleared the area and I let out all of the air I had been holding in.
Thank fuck.
In the rearview mirror, the unknown vehicle screeched to a halt not able to clear the opening. I jerked the wheel right to take a side road. With the vehicle badly damaged, we’d become easily recognizable. Backroads were the best option as I made our way to a safe house I had in the city. No one knew about it. It’d buy us some time while I figured out what happened.