27. Maeve
CHAPTER 27
MAEVE
“MAEVE!” he calls after me, but I’m not stupid enough to look over my shoulder. My only focus is running, and there won’t be any stupidly sentimental stops this time.
My feet are loud to my own ears as I fly over the pavement. Each slap from my soles vibrates through my body. My ballet bag is heavy, but I won’t ditch it because there are tools sewn into the bottom Diego doesn’t know about. If he did, he never would have let me keep them.
I jump over a few trash bags piled in front of a store, and I turn left the first chance I get. I don’t have a plan. I just need to run away from him.
I lost his man before, so I can do it again. It was my own damn fault he got his hooks into me, and I won’t make that mistake again. Immediately, I start searching for a car to steal. It will take him longer to get back to his than for me to grab one, even if only by a couple of seconds.
To my right, I spot a Mazda mX5 98 tucked between a truck and a sedan, and while it’s not going to win any races, it’s old enough that I can jimmy the lock and start it on the fly. If I’m going to lose him, it’s not going to be on foot—his legs are twice as long as mine.
I pull the metal device out of my bag and slide it down the opening from the window. The car opens easier than I dared to hope, and I slide into the driver’s seat. Hopefully, the driver is far away and not about to start screaming as I yank the plastic panel under the steering wheel and expose the wires. There’s a stripper in my bag and a few other items. I have techier options when I have my full kit, but I’m working on the fly today.
My eyes keep going from the wires to the mirror, trying to catch a glimpse of Diego, but I’m still in the clear when I twist them together, getting the engine to cough just once and then roar to life.
“Thank god,” I breathe as I quickly pull out of there.
The car purrs under me as I make my way through the city. Fuck, this feels good. It’s the closest I’ve come to feeling like myself in a long time. I don’t see Diego coming for me, but I know better than to believe he’s not. Any time I’ve moved, he’s been three steps ahead.
Everyone in this town works for him.
I’m going to skip town. That much is obvious. Leaving everything behind doesn’t seem so bad when I think about everything. Diego, my family. Yeah, I’m good. Ballet is the only thing that makes me sad to leave, but other companies are out there. I can’t dance if I’m dead.
All I have to do is reach the highway. Once I’m out of the city, I can leave this car before someone reports it stolen, grab myself something faster, and put a lot of miles between us. Once I’m somewhere inconspicuous enough, I’ll dig deep, maybe into the mountains to the west.
I need cash. This bag usually has an emergency stash, but I only had a few dollars and I spent them on my snack. The fucker never gave me my phone back, so I can’t even access a banking app. I’m screwed and so very close to right where he wants me.
It’s fine. Once I escape Cygnus territory, I’ll be okay. This escape was delayed, but I was always heading here. New life, new Maeve. Potential name combos for my new life play in my head, alongside dreams of real freedom tainted only by his name written forever on my skin. Right before I reach the highway, the blue metallic tint of Diego’s car flashes in the late afternoon sun.
“Shit!” I slam the wheel. He got me.
Rather than giving in or trying to beat him on the open highway, I rip a U-turn and head back into the city. Deeper into his territory is the opposite of what I planned, but I need to get away from him by any means necessary.
I move like a snake through the city; the momentum is my best friend, and I barely touch my brakes. This is not about speed; this is about who knows the town best and who can outmaneuver the others. After everything he’s done to me, I’m starved for the win. After everything, he still thinks I’m a fool, that just because I’m a ballerina, I’m not also a decent car thief. I want to make him eat his words.
A garbage truck looms ahead, providing a perfect opportunity to escape him. I press on, cutting through the cars until I get beside the truck, using its bulk to hide me momentarily. Diego knows where I am but doesn’t know where I’m going. I turn left onto a small street, and just like I planned, the garbage truck prevents him from following me.
It’s a thirty-second victory. The street is packed, and there are so many cars. It’s frustrating when my thirty-second advantage starts running out.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I’m losing it.
There are no smart moves left as his car comes again. His eyes are like daggers, pinning me even from this distance. He’s pissed, and I’m tired of bearing the brunt of his anger.
“Fuck this,” I murmur to myself and stop the car.
I jump out before it’s even properly parked, not caring I’m messing up the traffic, and I’m back running for my life. My lungs burn, and it’s more than just the chase. My panic is about to take me out, even if I manage to lose Diego.
An insidious sense of dread runs up my spine, tears threatening to fall because I know in my bones, he’s got me. His car comes into view at the opposite end of the street, halting my run and blocking my progress.
To my right, a busboy brings the garbage out into an alley, and I see my last chance.
“Move!” I scream, making the poor guy jump. He’s smart enough to get out of my way and snaps the restaurant’s back door closed.
Pure defeat swallows me as I head down the alley and find a mesh-covered gate instead of an opening. I push it as much as I can, and a small opening appears, but then it’s stuck. Goddamn all those donuts because no way my ass will fit through. I look over my shoulder and find Diego’s car aimed at me.
He moves slowly as he closes the space between us. His eyes harden. Is this fucker going to crush me to death with his car? That’s fucked up, even given our history. I push my whole body closer to the gate, the metal rattling the only sound beside the busy city that couldn’t care less about my life. I’m praying the gate will give out before my organs do, and I’ll be able to make it to the other side—of the gate.
When he’s inches from me, my hands beat his hood as if I can stop his advance. I try to push my body up and onto the hood, but it’s too late. I’m trapped.
“What the fuck?” I shout at the animal inside the car.
“Shut the fuck up,” he says as he pushes the door open.
His eyebrows knit together, his jaw set. His expression is pure fury, and I’m so sure I’m about to die for a minute that I nearly do a Hail Mary. With frightening strength, he reaches over the hood and grabs me by the top of my arms, dragging me to him like I’m a child. My knees scrape against the hood. I’ve never felt so small in my life.
My legs hit the ground on his side of the car, but he’s not helping me out of this situation. He pushes me back until I’m pressed to the hood of the car. I whimper as my back hits the metal. I’m about to die, and the idea that I won’t have any clever last words is a real disappointment. Diego’s hand closes around my neck, pressure from both sides, and my opportunity to say anything is quickly closed.
“I don’t know if I want to kill you or fuck you right now.”
We were fucking so recently that in so many ways this feels like a continuation of that, like his betrayal was just some foreplay. His other hand pushes my pants down, and he rips off the ballerina tights. I guess he’s leaning toward the second.
“Fuck,” I whine, but he’s gripping my neck too tight for the word to take shape. My mouth forms silently around the word.
The decision apparently has been made because he takes his pierced cock out of his jeans and slams into me at once. The shock is so great my mouth opens on a silent scream. He doesn’t give me time to get used to his girth, and he’s fucking me within an inch of my life. The hand against my neck moves to grab my chin, and I can finally take a full breath.
“Don’t you ever run away from me,” he says, fucking me hard. “I’ll chase you to hell and bring you back if I have to.”
“You are my hell,” I tell him honestly, and it’s so true because even with all the awful things he’s done to me, I still feel for him.
His face is contorted in pain, his words biting. “Then get ready to suffer for the rest of your life because you’re never getting away from me.” His cock surges in and out of me, his rhythm punishing, the connection between us impossible to deny.
“What, so you can fuck me until you finally kill me? What kind of life is that, Diego?”
He lets go of my face and brings one hand to each leg, positioning me in a new angle. I moan when he hits deeper, and I throw my head back. Fuck him and this revenge. Fuck him and his plans.
“I don’t know if I can ever stop fucking you, Wife ,” he bites off. “Look how good you take my cock, how tight you squeeze me? I’ve tried so hard to walk away from this pussy and haven’t succeeded yet.”
If his wanting me hurts him, then I’m going to make this really sting. I clench around him, intentionally trying to make him feel good and milk his cock. His piercings feel huge inside me. He groans, lost in the sensation.
“Shit.” The curse flies off his lips. “I hate you.”
He’s trying to convince himself rather than me, but he deserves a taste of his own medicine. “Good. I hate you too.”
He growls like that’s the opposite of what he wanted to hear, like he wants me to love him and he’s going to fuck me until I’m willing to give it up to him. He fucks me harder, backing up my theory.
“I’m going to come,” he warns me.
He’s never warned me before. Sex was a race, where denying me was his finish line. I look at him in question, but he gives me nothing but the vein of his temple popping.
He’s holding back.
I blink in wonder, but I’m not stupid enough not to take an opportunity when I see it. My hand rubs my clit. He lets me, his eyes glued to what I’m doing. I’m close already; my toes curl inside my shoes, and I keep going. Diego watches it all while his thrusts become more and more feral. He’s a caged animal, and the more I see that he’s holding back for me, the more I feel the orgasm coming.
“Let’s go, Maeve. I don’t have all fucking day,” he rushes me.
“Shut up,” I grit, but my orgasm is finally here, wringing me dry. I scream my pleasure, hating to admit how much better this is than pleasuring myself in my room after he’s done with me. This is everything I’ve been desperate for. It’s so goddamn good that I won’t be able to face him after this.
I fuck Cygnus and come around his cock. The hatred we promised to feel for each other thins when he groans into my mouth and kisses me for the very first time. My heart slams in my chest at the contact. It’s not sweet. He’s angry that he’s kissing me, and I feel it with every fiber of my being. This kiss is his new way of punishing me since orgasm denial is off the table.
He takes over my mouth, pushes his tongue against mine, and bites down on my lower lip far too roughly. He fucks his cum into me, and the kiss goes for a little longer as his thrusts turn shallow. I’m a sweaty mess. My brain is scrambled, and I don’t know where to go from here.
When Diego puts space between us, I just watch him. His cock is still inside me, and all I want to do is to beg for another round.
Fuck .