by Amity Cross
“What do you want me to do with these?” Chaser asked, holding up my panties and keeping one eye on the road.
“You can sniff them if you like. They’re ripe.”
Smirking, he flung the lace over his shoulder and into the back of the car.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, studying his profile.
“Something doesn’t feel right about this.”
“Like what?”
“They only held you for twelve hours.”
“Really? That’s a long time.”
“No, it’s not. The FBI can hold someone for up to seventy-two hours if they’re suspected of a serious crime.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. That’s what happened.”
“I’m not blaming you, Sloane,” he said, a sharp clip to his voice. “I’m blaming the Hollow Men.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, the force of his grip turning his knuckles white. “You witnessed how far their reach can go. Remember that train?”
“You think they’re inside the FBI…” I knew full well they were, but why the hell wasn’t I saying anything about it? My heart twisted as I realized I might actually want to take King’s deal. A clean record, a free life…all in exchange for the man beside me.
A life for a life…
“Of course, they are,” he declared.
Guilt began to fester in my gut, and rather than continue the conversation—which was brewing into an argument—I reached for my bag again and found my favorite American eagle T-shirt. I glanced out the back window and watched the Strip and downtown Las Vegas disappear into the distance. Perhaps it was a good thing we were getting out of the city. Once we were away from all this, I could think clearly, because I was beginning to doubt Chaser’s feelings. Screw his ultimatum.
The way he’d talked me into going into the Halcyon without discussing it beforehand didn’t sit well with me. I should’ve said no. I should’ve said no to a lot of things. Had my impatience to come to Las Vegas ruined us before we’d even begun? This whole story was one mistake after the other. A comedy of fucking errors.
I focused on a black SUV behind us and narrowed my eyes. When we turned, it turned. It was a few car lengths away, but it was suspicious enough for me to swallow my fear and tell Chaser.
“Someone’s following us,” I said, settling back into the passenger seat. Tackling our relationship problems would have to wait another day.
“I know.”
“You know?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. First, his now or never ultimatums, and now this. Guilt was fast turning into anger. “Next time you have a grand plan, don’t tell me about it. Oh, wait. You already did.”
“This isn’t the time, Sloane.”
“Neither is thirty minutes before you want me to walk into a casino and offer you up as bait!”
“Sloane,” he barked. “Let’s fight about this later. “I don’t know who is tailing us, but we need to lose them before we leave the city, or we’ll never shake them.”
“I’m so tired of this shit,” I muttered, tightening my seatbelt as Chaser gunned the engine. “Real fucking sick.”
Chapter 14
Sloane
Chaser glanced in the mirror, and his jaw tensed.
Great. Another car chase. It was only the second I’d been in, but one was more than enough. Last time, the car had flipped, and I’d been thrown across the desert. That was the same night I’d killed for the first time.
You liked it, didn’t you? You liked the power.
I blinked to shake away the image of King towering over me, and I leaned forward, looking in the passenger side mirror. The black SUV was still there, though a white van was separating us.
“Who do you think it is?” I asked.
“Don’t know,” Chaser replied.
Ahead, the traffic lights flicked to amber, and the car roared forward, chasing the red light. I looked over my shoulder and saw the van had slowed for the red, but the SUV swerved into the adjacent lane and picked up speed, flying across the intersection behind us.
Sliding back into my seat, I tightened the seat belt and held on as Chaser slammed his foot on the gas. The car roared forward, weaving sharply through traffic.
“I haven’t got time for this shit,” he muttered. “Hold on.”
“Oh, I’ve already got a death grip going on,” I shot back.
We weaved through traffic, tires squealing as Chaser turned the wheel sharply. My stomach went left and right as the movement buffeted my body around. Ahead, the traffic lights were red, but he didn’t slow. My eyes widened as I saw cars and trucks crossing the intersection going the opposite way.
“Chaser… The light is red…”
“I know.”
“What if—”
He must’ve pressed his foot on the gas all the way to the floor because I was pushed back into the seat as the car rocketed toward the busy crossroads.
“Chaser…” I said warily. “I don’t like this…” I’d just gotten out of the lockup for heaven’s sake!
Obviously, he ignored me and powered through the intersection, causing drivers to slam on their brakes. The sounds of crashing metal, breaking glass, and blasting horns reached my ears. I let out a yelp, holding on for dear life.
The car fishtailed slightly as Chaser weaved through the chaos, then we were clear.
“Don’t do that again!” I screeched.
“Say that again when this is over.”
Swallowing a pile of vomit, I looked over my shoulder, searching for the black SUV. It glinted behind us, following the path we’d forged through our self-made chaos back at the traffic lights.
“They’re still coming,” I said. “We’ve got a bit of a lead on them, though.”
“Good.”
Chaser turned the wheel, and we screeched into a side street before rocketing forward. He turned again, this time down a narrow alley, then slammed his foot on the brake, shifted the car into reverse, and then planted his foot on the gas. I was flung forward from the abrupt momentum, and I slammed my hands onto the dash as we flew into another alley, then around into a random driveway before jerking to a stop.
“Smooth,” I said. “Do you think we lost them?”
“Don’t know.” Chaser glanced out of the front window.
“You don’t know? So we just sit here and wait for them to find us?”
Chaser grunted, unbuckled his seat belt, and threw open the door.
“Where are you going?” I demanded.
“Stay there, and keep your head down.”
I wasn’t exactly inconspicuous in my sparkly dress, so I did what he said and slid down in the seat. Flipping open the glove compartment, I saw my revolver was stashed inside, so I pulled it out and checked the barrel. Thankfully, it was loaded.
I lifted my head just enough so I could peer out of the window and scanned the lane for signs of Chaser. It wasn’t long before he reappeared, jogging down the dilapidated lane.
“So?” I asked as we slid back into the driver’s seat.
“We should be clear.”
“Just like that? It was a little too easy if you ask me.”
“I got top marks on the precision obstacle course at Quantico. We’re fine.”
I stilled. He didn’t talk about his time with the FBI. Was something changing in him?
Chaser gunned the engine, and we edged out of the driveway, down the alley, and onto the street. He seemed satisfied we’d lost our tail, so we continued on our way again. He took us on a random path through the outskirts of Las Vegas, but the black SUV didn’t reappear.
Thankful for one thing going right today, I sank into my seat and wished as hard as I could for a bed.
Chaser found us another nondescript motel on the fringes of society.
Eyeing the decaying building as we found our room, I was sure this was the place where dreams went to die and rot away. I wouldn’t be surprised if half the clientele were sketchy. Prostitution, dealing drugs, growing drugs,
cooking drugs. There was an upside, though. No one would ask any questions.
I opened the door and was immediately hit with the ripe scent of mothballs. Screwing up my nose, I walked inside and dumped my bag on the bed.
“You really know how to pick ’em,” I drawled.
“Believe me, I’d rather that hotel room on the Strip,” Chaser replied, closing the door.
“Honestly, I’d rather we sign up for the first manned space mission to colonize Mars.”
“You need to sleep,” he murmured, smoothing my hair behind my ear.
“Are you sure we lost them?”
He nodded, and my heart began to sink as I let some of my guard down. Man, I was so tired it was a wonder I hadn’t collapsed yet, but sleep felt further away than it ever had. So many things were left unsaid. King, the deal…the timer was ticking.
“Chaser…”
He looked at me, his brow creasing. “What?”
“When I was… you know, I got a visit.” I hesitated, and he raised his eyebrows. “From King.”
Chaser’s whole stature changed in an instant. His shoulders tensed, his lip curled, and his eyes were brimming with a fury I’d never seen before.
“What did he do to you?” he demanded, looming over me. “What did he say?”
I edged backward, suddenly frightened of the man before me. I knew he had these feelings toward King but seeing them on his face? It was something else entirely. He looked…manic. I decided I didn’t like it.
I swallowed hard and centered myself. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“Sloane.”
“He’s… There’s something dark about that man,” I went on. “He’s terrifying, Chaser. He knew how to manipulate me into a position where I was nothing. My arrest, the interrogation, my release… It was a setup. We’ve never had any chance.”
Chaser was silent so long, I was starting to believe he’d spiraled into some kind of mental episode.
“What did he offer you?” he whispered.
“My name will be cleared, the murder charges… If I don’t give him what he wants, I’ll be sentenced to life in prison, or… Or I can hang from his ceiling as he—”
“Don’t,” Chaser snapped. “Don’t fucking say it.” He turned, fisting his hands into his hair. “What does he want?”
“You,” I whispered, my throat constricting. “He wants you.”
He tensed, but he didn’t explode again. Glancing over his shoulder, he asked, “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“I don’t know!” I exclaimed, my exhaustion getting to me. “I was angry, confused, scared…”
“How long did he give you?”
“Forty-eight hours.”
He grunted.
“You were going to use yourself as bait anyway,” I continued. “How is this any different?”
“Because he knows everything we’re going to do before we do it.”
“There’s no way he could know,” I scoffed. “He isn’t a fucking supervillain with mind control powers.”
Chaser raised his eyebrows. “He may as well be. He’s one step ahead of us at every point.”
“That’s because he’s a professional,” I exclaimed, tugging on his sleeve. “This is what he breathes in and out. It’s what he eats and shits. He’s the king for a reason. All we have to do is…” I trailed off, knowing anything I could suggest would be lame as hell. I didn’t know shit.
“What we have to do is give him what he wants,” Chaser declared.
“What? No!” I curled my hand around his arm, my fingers biting into his flesh. “We have to turn his game around and fuck him up the ass with it.”
“Sloane… If we fail…” Chaser swallowed hard, his eyes lowering.
“We were going to do the same thing,” I argued. “Nothing’s changed.”
“Everything’s changed.”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You can’t—”
A knock broke us apart, and I stared at the door, tensing up further. Chaser didn’t hesitate though. He strode across the room and peered through the peephole before opening the door and letting in a familiar hulking mass.
“Gasket!” I leaped across the room and flung myself into his arms, holding him tightly. He smelled like leather and motor oil. Gasket would talk sense into Chaser. I knew he would.
“Hey, kid,” he said, his gravelly voice comforting as he returned my embrace. “I hear you’ve been on one hell of a ride.”
“That’s the understatement of the century.”
“You came alone?” Chaser asked.
“Had to,” Gasket replied. “Things are still up in the air.”
“Why are you here?” I asked. “Isn’t it a risk?”
Gasket nodded. “After Chaser told me what happened, I had to see you. Besides, things are getting dicey.”
“Are you back at the compound?” I went on, firing off questions left, right, and center. “The FBI said they’d swept the place after the cabin.”
“Did they now?” the old man asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Well, they would’ve been hard pressed to find anything. We know how to clean up after ourselves, Sloane.”
“How’s that going?” Chaser butted in. “Any word on the renegades?”
“They’ve blown away like a fart on the wind. We had a tail on them for a while, but they just disappeared. I don’t like it, Chaser. Something’s coming. Something big. Men like those don’t just disappear.”
Where could they have gone? I frowned, not liking the lack of progress. We hadn’t made any, either, so who was I to judge?
“We ain’t got a mole in Fortitude, so I think one of the renegades called in a tip-off,” he went on, mirroring the conclusion I’d come to in the interview room. “I raked the boys across the coals, and none of them squawked.”
“Good,” Chaser said. “That means they have zero evidence.”
“I don’t think that matters,” I declared. “If they want to charge me, they’re going to fabricate whatever they need.”
“Huh?” Gasket glanced at me, clearly confused.
“The whole thing was a setup,” I said before Chaser could butt in. “The Hollow Men have fingers in pies all over the country, including my arrest.”
“Sloane,” Chaser warned.
I didn’t want to hear it. “Chaser’s going to—”
“Sloane,” Chaser barked. “The less Gasket knows, the better.”
Gasket glanced between us, his brow creasing. Stroking his beard, he looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, “I agree. I know you kids are in some tough shit right now, but the less of a trail you can leave behind, the better. We’re being attacked on two fronts. Fortitude is strapped as it is keeping the renegades off you. The fact that we’ve lost their scent when they stink like ripe shit…that ain’t good.”
The more they talked, the more I felt like throwing something out the window. The men were making plans, and the little girl had to pipe down. Screw this.
“Do whatever the fuck you want,” I snarled. “I’m sick and tired of this shit.”
“Sloane…”
“He wants to offer himself up as a sacrifice,” I said, pointing at Chaser. “His life for mine. That’s not what I signed up for!” But you thought about it, a voice said in the back of my mind. “This whole thing, this whole fight against King, is about both of us, and he wants to hand himself over for me.”
Gasket glanced at Chaser. “That’s love if I’ve ever seen it.”
“I won’t love a dead man!” I shouted.
Chaser flinched slightly. The movement was so fleeting, I almost missed it, but I’d hit him right where it hurt.
Gasket sighed, clearly out of his depth. This was something Chaser and I had to deal with.
“Whatever happens, I’ve got your back, kid,” he murmured. “Okay?”
I knew he would, but right now, his words were empty.
To Chaser, he said, “If that’s what you want to do, you better th
ink long and hard before you let anyone pull the trigger.” He nodded toward the door. “Give me a minute alone with her, okay?”
Chaser scowled but honored Gasket’s request. He strode across the room and wrenched the door open. A moment later, it slammed behind him.
“He loves you,” Gasket said. “He might not know how to show it, but he’s trying to do whatever he can to keep you safe…and free.”
“But I can’t do it without him,” I argued. “This whole thing… It was about our forever, not mine. I’m fighting this fight for him, Gasket.”
“I know, but he’s fighting it for you, too, not just himself.”
“I can’t let him die,” I whispered. “Not for me.”
Gasket’s brow furrowed, and he grasped my shoulders. “Listen to me, kid. I know you’ve had a rough life. I know your daddy treated you like a thing. I know his actions got your mom murdered. I know you had to leave before you wound up the same way. But you’re a grown woman now. You have to forget those things. The past ain’t where your heart is at, girl. You’re worth it, Sloane, you hear me? To me, to Fortitude, and especially to that cranky son of a bitch standing out there. I know you want the happily ever after, but sometimes sacrifice means—”
“I know,” I interrupted. “I know.”
“This fight is bigger than all of us,” he murmured. “It might’ve started with you, but it’s so much more. We’re fighting for all our futures.”
“It’s just…” A tear spilled down my cheek, and I brushed it away with the back of my hand.
“You’re in love with him,” Gasket said, wiping away another tear. “I get it.”
I nodded. “Hopelessly.”
The old biker smiled and shook his head. “Yeah. I know all about that.”
Chapter 15
Chaser
Leaning against the side of the shitty motel, I stared out across the lot to the desert beyond. Once you’d seen one shithole, you’d seen them all.