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Keira
I jog beside Sebastian, twisting my wrist to bring back circulation. There’s no one else in sight. No cars. No people. No life out here.
“I don’t think the sirens are headed in our direction.” I pant. “They’re not coming for us.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He encourages me to keep moving with a gentle hand at the curve of my back. “We don’t want to hang around.”
“What about the bodies? There’s evidence.”
“Your brother will make the necessary calls. He knows what he’s doing.”
I push my legs harder to keep up and glance over my shoulder to see Hunter ru
My guilt becomes overwhelming. It’s hard to breathe through the torment.
But it’s what I deserve.
Everything that happened in the warehouse was my fault.
I put everyone’s life at risk. My stupidity could’ve killed my brother, the man I love, and three more people I care about.
Sebastian presses harder on my back. “Keep ru
I nod and follow him around a bank of bushes to an old Jeep hidden in the darkness.
“Ride shotgun. Let Hunt lay Sarah down in the back.”
He doesn’t wait for me to comply. He climbs into the driver’s seat, starting the ignition while I slide in the other side.
The engine splutters into action, jolting my bones over and over.
“She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?” Sebastian shoves the car into gear and inches us out of the shadows. “We had to drive this deathtrap back from my brother’s house.”
I grimace, letting the shame sauté my insides as we approach Hunter and wait for him to climb inside.
I attempt to think of ways to make up for my actions while we drive through streets bathed in moonlight. My mind becomes overwhelmed trying to fix something that seems shattered into a million pieces. Everything is a mess.
“Any requests on where we should go?” Sebastian keeps his gaze on the road, his knuckles white against the steering wheel despite his calm demeanor. “I need to know where I’m driving.”
“Out of town.” The words rasp from my sore throat. “You need to get as far away from Cole as possible.”
The last time we had this discussion, I was fighting for him to stay. Now I want nothing more than to get out of here. To flee Portland. Escape my family. At least for a little while.
“Sarah needs medical attention.” The glow of Hunter’s cell beams from the back seat. “I’ve already texted my guy to meet us at Keira’s house. It’s the closest option.”
“Then we have to pull over.” I wiggle forward in my seat, speaking directly to Sebastian. “Hunter can take the car while we move on foot.”
His fingers clench and re-clench against the wheel in his ongoing silence.
“Sebastian?”
“Put your seatbelt on.” He shoots me a look of warning. “I’m not ru
“Cole isn’t going to—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Keira. Just let it go. I’ll be fine.”
Fine.
Why does nobody use that word for its intended purpose anymore?
“I don’t think that means what you think it means.” I repeat the phrase he spoke to me a lifetime ago. Back before the craziness. Prior to my love.
His mouth kicks at the side. It’s slow. Subtle. The emotion hits me right in the chest, giving me the slightest hope for redemption.
“Please.” I keep pleading. I guess I’ll have to for a long time to make any sort of dint in the forgiveness I need to earn.
“We’re not ru
I slink back in my seat and lean my head against the window, breathing slow through the building regret.
I’m going to lose him.
After everything we’ve been through, despite all the good he’s done for me, this is going to end. And right now, it feels like it will kill me in the process.
Hunter’s voice murmuring from the back seat doesn’t help. He speaks to Sarah in hushed tones, promising to look after her, complimenting her bravery, and pleading for her forgiveness.
She whimpers through his admissions, her pain filling the car to capacity.
The intimacy is hauntingly beautiful as Sebastian veers around one corner, then another, his sterility promising something entirely different.
He doesn’t want me anymore. I’ve burned that bridge.
And rightly so.
But I’m not ready to give up. There’s still fight left in me despite the weary exhaustion.
By the time we reach my house, there’s an older man waiting on my doorstep. He doesn’t fit the wealthy neighborhood demographic with his loose sweatpants and dark hoodie. The only thing that suits his reputation is the doctor’s bag hanging at his side, which looks entirely mismatched against his clothing.
“Have you got your keys?” Hunt opens his door and slides Sarah toward him along the back seat.
“No. I don’t have anything.” Not keys, a phone, or any self-respect. “Just break a window. Break them all. I don’t care. All you need is the code for the alarm which is five-seven-two-nine.”
He doesn’t wait for more instructions. He hauls Sarah into his arms, kicks the door shut, and carries her around the front of the car to speak to the shifty doctor.
“We need to leave,” I whisper. “Cole won’t be far away.”
Sebastian breaks my heart by cutting the engine. “I’m not ru
I hang my head, fighting frustration. “You wouldn’t be on your own. I’d be with you. We can go together.”
“You’re not going anywhere. Your place is in Portland, with your family.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’ve betrayed my entire bloodline. My place isn’t here at all. It’s with you.” I glance his way and find him focused out the windshield. He can’t even look at me anymore. “Please. You need to trust me.”
He lets out a derisive laugh, and all I can do is squeeze my eyes shut against the pain.
“Trust isn’t the issue,” he murmurs. “I’ve always trusted you. Even when I shouldn’t.”
There’s a jingle of keys, the opening of a door, then his slide out of the car.
I don’t move, not apart from my jolt of shock when the door slams.
We need to leave. We have to.
There’s no other option.
Cole will already be tracking us down. His temper will be in full force. Hysteria will make all his decisions for him.
My door swings wide, and a gentle hand glides over my thigh.
“They opened the house for us. Let’s talk inside.”
I open my eyes and stare down at the fingers splayed against my jeans. I remember all the times he’s touched me—physically and emotionally. A wealth of craziness has been shared between us, but I’ve become even more rich in appreciation.
This man has become my world.
He’s my everything.
Maybe Cole will understand.
“Keira, sweetheart, come on. You don’t want to stay out here.” He’s crouched beside me, his gaze solemn. “I need to get you cleaned up.”
“I don’t get why you’re fighting me on this. Yesterday, you were ready to run.”
“We’ll talk about it inside.” He stands and holds out a hand.
I frown at his offering and ponder all the things that come with it—the resignation and surrender.
It means goodbye.
I swallow hard and place my fingers against his, dreading every step as he leads me into the house. He drops his hold when we reach the living room, focusing his attention on Sarah laid out along my sofa.
“Is she going to be okay?” he asks.
The doctor cradles her head in both hands, using his thumbs to press against her skull. “It’s hard to tell without scans.”