He opened my driver’s side and slid behind the wheel as I tossed him my keys. I got into the back with her and cradled her in my arms as my car roared to life and we peeled out of there, rocks and dirt kicking behind us.
“Is she OK?” Drake demanded, glancing at us in the rearview mirror.
“I don’t know,” I said, staring down at her. She was beaten to hell and drugged.
“Baby, talk to me,” I said urgently, cradling her face. She needed a doctor. Fast.
“I-I thought you were gone,” she rasped, her voice barely audible.
“I thought I was too,” I answered, my eyes prickling with tears. “I’m sorry.”
“I-I hurt, Fallon.” She licked her cracked lips, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye.
“I know, princess. I’ll get you some help, OK?” I raked my fingers through her hair as a choked sob left her lips, her small body trembling in my arms.
“I don’t f-feel good. My head. . .”
“Shh, baby. It’s the drugs. I’ve got you. I promise.” I pressed a kiss fiercely to the top of her head. “It’s OK. Close your eyes.”
“A-Are you going to kill me?”
The question made me sick. “No. Never. You’re safe now. OK? I promise you’re safe.”
I ground my teeth as her eyelids fluttered closed.
“Where are you going?” I barked at Drake as he turned to take the road that led to Bolten.
“De Santis—”
“Fuck De Santis. He’ll kill us both if we show up.”
“You’re just going to kidnap his wife?” Drake threw a frustrated look at me over his shoulder. “You’re fucking crazy. He really will kill us.”
I said nothing as Bianca stilled in my arms, her breathing shallow. Her ribs had to be injured. The look of pure agony on her face told me as much as I held her.
“He already thinks I’m a lord. I’m not bringing her back. I should have just taken her sooner, then she wouldn’t be hurting right now.”
“Right. Great, so you’re having a fucking moral epiphany. Fan-fucking-tastic. I’m trying to survive here, Vasiliev.”
“You think I’m not?” I demanded.
“I think you’ve lost your fucking mind. Let me call E. He can get us some help—”
“You’re in fucking bed with the horsemen?” I ground my teeth.
“Like I said, I’m trying to survive here. I had to pick a side, and I wasn’t about to pick the losing side.”
I swallowed hard and stared down at Bianca passed out in my arms. If we went to the horsemen, they’d tell Dom. I couldn’t let her go back to that life. Hail would surely end her life if she returned. And Tate…
“We’re not going to the horsemen,” I said thickly. “Think of somewhere else. And not a hospital. They’ll notify Dom.”
Drake cursed under his breath. “She might fucking die, man. Do you want that hanging over your head?”
“Then I’ll follow her,” I snapped back.
He grew quiet as we sped along the highway. His hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“I know where we can go. You’re not going to like it, but I think it’s the best place given the circumstances.”