Twenty Ella
TWENTY
Ella
I don’t want to leave Leo. That’s the problem and the weight in my chest even as the house creaks quietly around me at two in the morning.
Justice left for some meeting after I went to bed, after cooking for me like we had some type of relationship, after warning me about the guards in the trees and the animals hunting the grounds.
I believed him. Of course I did. But there isn’t a moat out here.
No killer trench filled with beasts like Thorn’s place. That means I have a chance.
I feel a little guilty but I can’t stay here.
We kind of have an agreement, but this is too much.
I’m falling for the guy, and I can’t afford that.
Worse yet, he’ll make me give him that computer code, and I think it’s almost his responsibility to take down the other companies—and families.
It’s in his damn DNA, which I can understand.
I have it, too. It’s a good thing women are so much more evolved than men.
I know the virus should be buried forever.
His loyalty will always be to his organization. Not to me. This has gone too far already. Running is what I do best.
My instincts scream that he pretty much owns my body now, and I’m not ready for that. But I can’t stop feeling him all around me. Inside me. I have to run.
He’s just too … Justice.
Plus, and I can admit this only to myself, I like the challenge of outwitting him. It’s dangerous, and I’m sure foolhardy, but adrenaline still flows through my veins. The idea actually turns me on.
I am so screwed up.
I wait until the clouds smother the moon before I crouch next to Leo. His head lifts instantly, eyes glowing in the dark, ears cocked like he knows the plan. “Okay,” I whisper, curling my hand into his fur. “Let’s go.”
He wags his tail like I just promised him steak.
He’s stronger than when we first pulled him from that hell.
Loyal in a way I don’t deserve. My throat tightens.
“You realize I don’t have a life for a dog, right?
I like you, but I’m always running.” He licks my hand, tail wagging harder, calling me a liar without words. What have I gotten into?
We slip out the back door onto the wide wraparound porch. The cliff falls away beneath us, the Pacific hammering at the rocks below. Spray leaps so high it catches my face, cold, wild, and salty. The night air tastes alive. For a second, it feels like freedom.
Leo pads beside me, tongue lolling. I stick to the shadows, circling the far edge of the house. Instinct says not to risk the front. Cameras and motion sensors are probably all around us. I don’t see them, but I feel them. Justice wouldn’t leave a blind spot.
Justice. Just thinking his name slows me down.
He left hours ago, but his presence lingers like smoke.
I should be running faster, but all I can picture is the way he looked at me.
The way he kissed me. The way he cooks like it’s second nature and then turns around and threatens to kill somebody in the same breath.
I should hate him. I should fear him. I do. But not enough. Not nearly enough.
If I’m smart, I’ll keep moving. Freedom’s right there. But my feet drag. My chest knots tight. Out there, it’s nothing but woods and darkness. Alone. On the run again. With a dog that already owns my heart.
Wait a minute. There has to be an easier way. Man, I’m off balance. Where’s my brain? I tug Leo back inside, pulse pounding. The house is silent, every shadow too thick, every corner alive with secrets. We pad toward the kitchen, floorboards whispering beneath our feet.
We reach the garage door, and I freeze. My hand hovers over the handle.
Freedom is one tug away. But the thought of leaving feels heavier than staying.
I’ve never hesitated like this before. Yeah, the sex was great, and there’s a computer hub somewhere near me that I want to reach. But I can’t find the basement door.
I whisper to Leo, more to myself than him, but still open the door to the garage. “What the hell am I doing?”
Silence.
No alarms. No buzzers. Nothing. The quiet is wrong, pressing in on me, heavier than sound. My skin crawls. “Okay,” I whisper, gripping his scruff. “If there’s an alarm, it’s quiet. We run.”
We slip into the garage. The air smells like oil and rubber. The space feels too empty, too clean, like it’s waiting. And then I see it.
Silver. Low to the ground. Curves that look poured, not built. The car’s hood bears a red prancing horse, and my stomach lurches. It’s a LaFerrari Aperta. I’ve only seen one in pictures. Limited edition. The kind of car collectors hoard and show off at auctions. It shouldn’t be here.
A laugh bursts out of me, quick and shaky. “That’s a nice car.”
Leo’s tail thumps the floor as I hurry to the car and open the passenger side door. He bounds inside, claws clicking against the leather, circles once, and drops to sit.
I slide into the driver’s seat. The leather fits my butt like it’s molded just for me, warm and luxurious. The console glows faint blue, waiting. The keys sit in a tray, casual, like Justice could walk in and leave again at any second.
I grab the fob and press the start button.
The engine doesn’t purr—it detonates. A roar tears through the garage, vibrating in my ribs.
My hands shake. Fear spikes inside me, but exhilaration crashes over it, fast and addictive.
For the first time tonight, my lips twitch into a grin.
“This is going to be fun.” The garage door grinds up, and I throw the vehicle into drive.
Rain spits in, streaking the windshield in crooked lines.
This car doesn’t deserve storms, but we don’t have a choice.
Leo pants beside me, eyes bright, and I know he’s all in.
“Yeah,” I mutter, pressing the gas. “We’re really doing this.” I can’t let Justice have the code to the virus. Or my heart. Definitely not my heart.
The main drive stretches out, slick black under the rain. Flashlights blaze between the trees, jerky beams searching. Guards. Of course.
I slam my foot on the accelerator. The Ferrari launches forward like it’s been starving, tires gripping the asphalt with a precision I’ve never felt. Justice didn’t pave this driveway for comfort. He paved it for speed.
The end of the drive comes too fast. I stomp the brakes, tires shrieking, and the car fishtails before correcting. A wrought-iron gate blocks the exit, hidden in the trees until now. I didn’t see it when we came in. No wonder he felt just fine about leaving me here alone.
“Damn it.” My fingers fly across the console, hitting switches I don’t recognize. Nothing.
Leo growls, low and warning, his body braced.
A shack to the right bursts with light. Men pour out, flashlights slicing through the rain. I can’t see their faces, but I feel their attention, sharp and focused.
My pulse pounds so hard it hurts. “Shit.” I stab another button.
The gate groans, jerks, and finally starts to slide.
Too slow. Way too slow. “Finally.” My chest is tight, hands welded to the wheel.
Adrenaline rips through me, hot and sharp, and I don’t look away from the opening. “Now hold on, Leo.”
The men surge toward me, boots hammering on wet pavement, their flashlights jerking through the rain. The gate is almost open enough when a black SUV tears around the corner, its engine howling. My gut drops. Oh, crap. They opened the gate—I didn’t.
I press the gas pedal down hard. The Ferrari leaps, bucking under me, and then shoots forward.
The SUV keeps coming, big and black and steady.
Justice. Damn him. I flick my lights to high.
He cuts his off. Of course he does. Power move.
My stomach flips but I push harder. He swings sideways, blocking the drive in one smooth arc, the road locked tight between steel and trees.
“No.” I hit the brakes. The Ferrari skids across the slick pavement, tires shrieking, and smashes into a tree.
I jolt against the belt so hard my chest aches.
No time. I rip free and shove my door wide.
“Come on.” Rain slaps my face as I hit the ground running.
Leo bounds beside me, ears back, tail streaming.
We dive into the trees.
Not again. Seriously. I’m not made for running through forests.
The forest swallows us fast. Branches whip my arms and my face. I just wrecked Justice’s Ferrari. Run. I have to run. He really is going to kill me.
Roots grab at my boots. My lungs already burn, but I push harder, weaving through the trunks, hoping Leo can see better than I can.
Mud slides underfoot and nearly takes me down twice.
I curse every step, curse Justice, curse myself for not being faster.
My boots are heavy, waterlogged, but at least they’re tough.
He bought them. The thought makes me want to rip them off.
I duck left, too slow. My shoulder smashes into a tree.
How am I running through trees again? Pain detonates across my arm and I spin, staggering, half blind from the hit.
Bark scrapes my cheek. I shove off the trunk and stumble forward, sucking air.
No time to stop. Keep moving. Leo growls low, urging me on, and I follow the sound of his paws pounding earth.
Behind me, Justice’s voice cuts through the storm. “Ella. Slow down.”
My heart spikes. He’s closer than I thought, his tone low and furious. He’s in the trees with me. I hadn’t even heard him leave the SUV. Adrenaline rockets through me, washing out the pain, so I run harder, pushing my legs until they feel like they’ll tear apart.
I turn another bend because there’s a slight trail and run smack into him.
Panic heats through me as I bounce back and land on my ass in the mud.
He’s just there, solid as the trees, rain dripping off his hair, eyes burning.
He reaches for me, but it’s too late. I’m already scrambling back, palms sliding in wet leaves.