Chapter 6 #3
I can see them in the rearview mirror. This car is narrow, though, and I realize then that’s why he took it.
At the next turn, he yanks the wheel again.
I scream as we drive straight into oncoming traffic.
“Up the down staircase,” he mutters. “Always an option B. Don’t worry, they don’t want to die either. ”
Is he banking on that?
I open one eye to watch as the cars in front of us part as if by magic.
I squeeze my eyes shut again when we careen forward with impossible speed. A loud, grating noise makes me open them again. I stifle a scream.
We’re in an alley so narrow, I feel claustrophobic. The side mirrors of the car scrape off along the walls, the remaining wires sparking when they contact the concrete.
I scream and cover my face.
“This can’t be good for the baby. Oh my God!”
“Don’t worry, Cosette.” I feel his hand on top of mine. My heartbeat thunders. “I won’t let you get hurt.”
We come out of the alleyway on the other side. For a moment, I think we made it, until I see another flash of lights.
“Trust me,” he says, pushing his foot down hard on the pedal. The streets and people whip past us so fast I feel like we’re on a movie set. A pedestrian bridge over water looms in front of us.
That bridge is not built for cars but foot traffic.
“Lyam…”
“You have to trust me.”
“This isn’t made to drive on. It’s pedestrians only! It won’t support the weight of the car, Lyam!”
Ignoring me, he goes even faster.
“Close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Close your eyes!”
I scream and squeeze my eyes shut. For added measure, I cover my closed eyes with my hands.
Is he going to jump the bridge? Oh my God.
We’re airborne. Airborne. I don’t know how he does it, but I can feel us flying through the air like a paper airplane.
I grip my belly on instinct and brace for the impact.
We land on the other side with a soft thunk, the impact gentle, then we’re driving again.
The impact wasn’t anything like I expected. How did he do that?
We’re on the other side.
We made it.
He jumped the bridge.
Without pausing for even a second of triumph, he takes a sharp left, then a right. We’re zigzagging back and forth until finally, finally, we make it to a city road flanked by cars. We merge with the flow of traffic and blend right in.
No one follows us.
He slows and turns to face me. “You alright?”
I check. “I’m f-fine.” Other than a little jostling, I’m okay. “How did you manage to land like that?”
“It’s the car. I had it customized.” He goes on and on about something like suspension and shocks and stability.
I know it isn’t just the car, though. He’s grossly underestimating his abilities.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was a superhero, able to fly through the air and navigate human limitations with ease.
I do know better, though. I know who he really is.
“You sure you’re okay?”
I know what he’s asking. He wants to know if the baby’s fine.
“Yes.”
The sudden realization hits me.
Lyam doesn’t need a paternity test either. He knows as well as I do that this baby is his.
But I don’t get a minute to revel in this knowledge before he’s barking out commands again.
“Look in that glove compartment,” he snaps. I do.
Three handguns neatly nestled in leather harnesses.
“We’re going to speak to an informant eventually and need to stay safe in the meantime. We need to be prepared. I wanted to make sure we were. Shut it.”
Okayyyy. Yeah.
“How are you feeling?”
“That drink you gave me must be miraculous, because under normal conditions, being tossed around like I’m a load of laundry in a dryer would make me sick as hell, but I’m okay.” I let out a breath I didn’t know I held. “But maybe let’s not plan that again.”
He gives me a wry smile. “I’ll try.”
My heart turns in my chest.
No matter how hard I try to put a wall up between the two of us, no matter how hard I try to convince myself he’s dangerous and deadly and we shouldn’t be together… when he looks at me like that, I’m right back at Le Luxe, losing my heart to him.
He drives over to the side of the road, parks the car, and exits so he can take out our bags. “We’ll need another set of wheels. Obviously, this one’s on their radar.”
He discards cars as if they’re disposable plates.
“Right.”
“Last night, there was a shooting. Some local powers that be thought it smart to blame ‘organized crime.’ We, obviously, had nothing to do with it but we’re an easy scapegoat. And since I’m the one here, they’re pinning the blame on me.”
Powers that be.
Could it be?
No… no, there’s no way.
“So we’re going to hide for now.”
“Hide? Where?”
Another sultry smirk makes my heartbeat quicken. “You’ll see.”
I like this side of Lyam so much better than the brooding captor. I still don’t trust him, though.
“But you were home last night!”
“It doesn’t matter, Cosette. They’re not looking for evidence or alibis. They want to look like the good guys by putting us away.”
They. They who?
What a complicated life he leads.
“Right,” I say with a sigh.
“So until we get to the bottom of this, we hide.”
“And what does ‘getting to the bottom of this’ entail?” I ask.
He smiles at the guns like a boy with his toys.
Lovely.
“You’ll leave that part to me. For now, let’s get you settled.” He glances at his phone. “Looks like I got a call from Dr. Martin.”