Chapter 20
Grace
Henley steered me through the maze of hallways to exit the building. I tripped over my feet twice with the pace he set.
“You’re leaving the body there?” I asked, knowing it was a big risk.
He seemed too focused on the destination in mind to say a word back, but I was worried. Henley could go to prison if that body was found, and I’d lose him.
“Henley. Tyler’s—”
He spun so fast, I fell back. He caught me by the arm and backed me to a wall, crowding my space.
His hands caged me in. “Do not say his name.” His breaths were heavy, chest rising and falling drastically with each one.
“He means nothing to me. The implications, the blood staining that floor. None of it matters. But you… You are everything, Grace. So please, for the love of fucking God, please keep up.”
I blinked, seeing something melt behind the steel defense he currently had up.
Was that a confession? An I love you in his own words?
I knew he had a bad past, but could it have made it this hard for him to listen to his heart?
If it had, I could forgive him for the deflation I’d felt minutes ago when he’d not said it back.
I’d take it all back—the hate, the attempt to take his life—if only I’d have known.
It was hard not to feel like my heartstrings were being played with when the man I’d fallen for had knocked me out in an alley not too long ago. Justified? Yes. Confusing? Even more so.
I nodded. “Okay.”
His head mimicked my movement, like he was trying to convince himself this would all be okay if I simply listened to him. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it’d be that easy.
Intertwining his fingers with mine, we continued on our way. As we reached the exit, he slowed, keeping an eye on our surroundings. The building was so silent, every distant creak had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge.
As quietly as possible, he inched open the door, peering through the crack to survey outside. The coast must’ve been clear, because he led us outside and beelined for his truck. He opened the passenger door for me, and that’s when we heard it.
At least three cars were speeding up the road, unable to be seen through the thick fog. But the sound… It was as if an orchestra were playing a piece that only brought death.
Once my ass hit the seat, Henley slammed the door shut and ran around to his side.
The truck started, making my heart pound faster.
I could pretend the cars approaching weren’t driven by people with a hit on our heads, but I’d be lying to myself.
People only drove like that when they had an agenda. Theirs just so happened to be us.
Henley sped down the road, but we weren’t quick enough.
In the rearview mirror, three cars lined up in a perfect row appeared, their headlights off.
They seemed to speed up once we came into view through the mist. Henley pushed the truck harder, but I got the feeling we’d be no match for the sports cars.
“Put your seatbelt on,” Henley barked, eyes darting between the road and the rearview mirror.
In our rush, I hadn’t realized I’d forgotten it. I quickly buckled, gripping the strap like it was a lifeline.
“You know these roads, right?” I asked. With the denseness of the fog, it was hard to see more than thirty feet in front of us, if not less. All it’d take is one tree or a cliff and we’d be dead at this speed.
Henley’s hand reached over to squeeze my thigh.
“Like the back of my hand. But these fuckers don’t.
” He glanced over at me, and I envied how he was able to keep such a calm demeanor despite the situation at hand.
Of course, he was stiff. On edge. But if he hadn’t been talking, I wouldn’t have thought this was anything more than a race between friends. “I’m going to keep you safe.”
I leaned my head back against the headrest, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. I believed him, but it was hard to settle my nerves when my life seemed to be in everyone’s hands but my own.
“Us safe,” I corrected, opening my eyes and resting my hand over his. I gripped it firmly. “You’re going to keep us safe.”
His jaw ticked. “If it comes down to it, Grace—”
“You’re going to get us both out alive,” I interrupted, not allowing him to speak any other possibility into existence.
His hand gripped the wheel harder, but he didn’t try to tell me differently. I allowed myself a peek out the side mirror, and my stomach dropped.
“Henley!” I screamed, a second before one of the cars nipped the corner of his truck. I grabbed the door to keep myself from careening sideways at the force while the tail end of the truck swerved.
He straightened the truck quickly, gunning it harder. Just as fast, he slowed, taking a bend I hadn’t seen coming. One of the cars didn’t catch on and flew off the road, but the other two stayed fast on our ass.
One of them quickly sped up, the truck unable to stay far ahead, and rammed right into our back end, jerking us forward. I bit back my scream as I white-knuckled the door.
The other car sped up on my side, their window cracked. Henley shoved me forward, a hand on the back of my head. “Stay down!”
A bullet hit the truck somewhere, but it didn’t get into the cab. A second later, Henley swerved the truck and slammed into the car. I couldn’t see if it had taken the car out or slowed them down, but I hoped either was possible.
I gripped my knees before fear had my hands tearing through my hair. There had to be some way out of this. Some way neither of us got hurt—
The truck felt like it was going over large bumps in the road, but more heavily on the passenger side.
Henley cursed. “They shot the fucking tire.”
I sat up slightly, peering out the window. The car was no longer there, instead now following us alongside the other. “We can still drive, though, right?”
His lips were a thin line, and he didn’t answer. A second later, something hit the back of the truck again, and I flew forward, not prepared for the impact. My head hit the dash, and I groaned.
Henley grabbed my upper arm, moving me until my back was against the seat. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, setting a palm to my forehead. “I’m okay.”
I looked up just in time to see a tree approaching far too fast. My eyes widened, my hand shooting out to grab the wheel on instinct. Henley’s focus was on me instead of the road, and he must’ve not seen the turn.
“Henley—”
His name caught in my throat as many things happened in slow motion.
The tire blew out, sending the truck tipping as Henley tried to correct the direction we were headed.
A bullet blew out the back window, causing glass to explode into the cab.
We flew off the road, our speed and blown tire giving us no ability to stop before we collided with the tree.
The last thing I saw was the mist-covered forest and the pine branches above.
The last thing I heard was Henley, screaming for me to cover my head.
Then the world went black.