by Eden Summers
I have to face my fear of the outside world and escape this fake environment. I’ll take his car. Drive far, far away. Then… I don’t know.
I’ll think of something. All I know is that I can’t stay here.
I drag the treasure toward me, the slightest clink announcing my robbery.
I pause, but it’s too late.
The movie stops and Hunter glances over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
I freeze. Panic. After a lifetime spent lying to protect myself, I’m at a loss for words.
“Penny?” Sarah asks.
I inch my hand behind my hip and shrug. “I thought I felt hungry. But now that food is in front of me I’ve changed my mind again.” I give a chuckle that sounds too brittle. “I might take a shower and have an early night instead.”
I slowly retrace my steps toward the hall, not meeting their gazes even though their combined focus burns holes through me.
“Penny,” Hunter grates. “Show me your hands.”
I flinch, my body’s involuntary reaction a glaring red flag as I move closer and closer to the hall.
“Show me your hands,” he repeats, his hulking frame rising from the sofa.
My heart lodges in my throat.
“Penny,” he warns.
I run.
I don’t stop when I hear him curse. I push faster, only pausing to fling open the front door before scampering outside. I sprint across the icy lawn to the huge black suburban parked in the driveway, clicking the buttons on the fob until the indicators flash bright into the fading daylight.
Freedom is within reach. Frightening, isolating freedom.
I yank open the car door as Hunter explodes from the house, Sarah following behind.
“Don’t even think about it,” he yells.
He’s right. The time for thinking is over.
I climb into the tank of a car, tug the door shut, and lock it as both of them barrel toward me.
There’s so much panic. I can’t think straight through my pounding pulse, my shaking limbs.
It’s been years since I sat behind the wheel. Everything is foreign. The push start. My foot on the pedal. I don’t even bother to figure out how to move the seat forward in an effort to help me drive properly. There’s no time.
I press the button ignition. The engine rumbles to life. Hunt reaches my door, tugging at the handle, banging on the window.
“Open up,” he warns. “Get out of my goddamn car.”
“Penny, please,” Sarah tries to soothe me. “We can talk.”
There’s no turning back now. Not when Hunter’s expression bleeds with anger—fierce eyes and snarled teeth.
I shift the car into reverse and press my foot on the accelerator. The car launches, the movement far more vicious than I anticipated.
I squeal, clutching the wheel tight as the vehicle bounces onto the road.
Both of them run after me, Hunter reaching the passenger side to pound on the window with a closed fist, his eyes promising retaliation.
I should be scared. I’ve seen that look before. I’ve had it bear down on me from men who left scars that will never heal. But the fear doesn’t breach the betrayal spurring my pulse harder. What Hunter could do to me is nothing in comparison to what Luca has already done.
That pain is far greater. Ten times deeper.
“I’m sorry.” I shift into drive and press my foot down, screeching the tires as the car propels forward.
I ignore the thunder of Hunter’s fist against the side of the car. I push back the internal voice telling me to stop. I drown out the fear of the outside world that barrels down on me and drive, and drive, and drive, passing unfamiliar streets and houses.
Each mile spurs my pulse higher, makes my thoughts more punishing.
I need to get out of here.
Out of Portland.
Out of Oregon.
All I need now is money… and I know just how to get it.
13
Luca
“Do you use the dating app often?” The blonde seated before me leans forward, her tits plumped, her ruby lips set in a coy curve.
“No. Never.” I look away, focusing on anything but her cleavage as the waitress places our drinks on the table—mine a beer, hers some colorful cocktail covered in fruit.
“You’re not much of a talker, are you?” Her knee brushes mine under the table. Once. Twice.
I don’t enjoy the connection.
“Not usually.” I swipe at my beer and throw back a gulp. “Small talk isn’t my thing.”
“We don’t have to talk. Why don’t we skip dinner and get out of here?”
I take another mouthful. Continue to avert my gaze.
I should be jumping at the chance to get laid. That’s why I’m here. I can’t keep walking around the house drowning in lust, my dick constantly at attention.
Penny worked her way so far under my skin I can’t catch a fucking breath through my need to have her.
Banging out the obsession with another woman is the only option. Yet, here I am, sitting before a sure thing, stalling for reasons unknown.
“Okay. I guess we’re staying.” The woman sips from her straw. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?”
“You first.” I hate this. Not just the small talk—the fucking pathetic hesitation.
I should take this woman to the restrooms. Fuck Penny from my system in a filthy bathroom stall. Then get home.
I should.
I just can’t bring myself to do it. Not yet. I need to wait until the hum of liquor dulls the doubt.
“Tell me where you work.” I throw back another gulp and force myself to meet her gaze. “What do you do for a living, Rebecca?”
“Rachel,” she corrects.
Shit.
I’m screwing this up. She’ll cut and run soon, and I’ll be left to head home and jerk off in the shower every five fucking minutes just to dull the edge while my obsession sleeps in a nearby room.
“Sorry.” I raise my beer and glance over my shoulder, wordlessly letting the waitress know I need another drink. “Tell me, Rachel. What do you do for work?”
She’s a stunner. Light blue eyes. Short, pixie hair. Blinding smile.
She’s bright and chipper. The opposite of my current obsession, which is why I swiped right. There can’t be anything to remind me of where I want to be.
“There’s nothing super exciting to tell.” She sits taller, her knee continuing to rub mine. “I’m a medical receptionist at a clinic a few blocks from here. It isn’t a career as such, but it pays the bills. What about you?”
I think about the possible answers I could give. All the crime and destruction. The blood and death. It’s a temporary distraction for two point five seconds before my mind scampers back to Penny.
I never should’ve left her. Not when we hadn’t discussed the situation first. She could be scared without me. Fucking petrified. But I’d been desperate. Thoughts of that kiss lash brutal blows at my restraint. I’ve been beside myself. Itching to get out of my own skin, all because of my need to have her.
“You look like a security guard.” The woman fills the silence. “I can see the outline of your muscles through your shirt.”
Christ.
I can’t even deal with the flirtation. How the hell will I react to her naked?
This was meant to be a hookup. A quick fuck. But I’m the one who couldn’t bring myself to meet at a hotel, instead suggesting a dinner date. As if being with someone behind Penny’s back was more excusable if I bought the woman a meal first.
Still feels like cheating.
How can it not when she’s been everything to me for weeks?
I want her. I’m obsessed with her.
But that ship is never going to sail.
Never. Going to. Sail.
I need to remember that. Fucking tattoo it on my wrist.
I snatch at the beer the waitress places before me and knock it back in one long pull before slammi
ng it down. “Let’s get out of here?”
The blonde’s face lights up. “Perfect.”
I stand, grab my wallet from my jacket pocket, and throw a few bills to the table. Once I get my rocks off I’ll be fine. A new fucking man.
The isolation has been killing me. Messing with my head. I’d be bat shit over any woman I’d been trapped with for that long. Anyone would.
And lord knows it doesn’t help that Penny is so easy to be around. Or that she’s admirably strong. Or so fucking gorgeous.
Being stuck in that house was a ticking time bomb, the impending explosion even more catastrophic after Decker returned home.
Nothing good could come from succumbing to my libido.
Penny doesn’t need the confusion. And I don’t need to be riddled with bullets by her brother.
Fucking Rebecca is a win–win.
It just feels like a loss, that’s all.
I trudge from the bar and head for my car parked out the front. The tap of heels behind me is far from a turn-on. Doesn’t matter though. I’m still haunted by the residual hard-on I’ve been carrying for weeks.
There ain’t nothin’ going to break my cock’s enthusiasm.
“Slow down, honey,” the woman purrs. “I can’t walk that fast.”
I pause a few feet from my vehicle as my cell vibrates from my jacket pocket like a sign to abort this mission. I pull out the device and stare at Hunt’s name on the screen.
I shouldn’t answer. He’s the type to call just for the sake of interrupting a fuck session. I wouldn’t be surprised if his sole purpose was to laugh at my expense.
But Penny…
If something is wrong I can’t ignore it.
“I need to take this.” I glance at my soon-to-be bed buddy and take a few steps away. “I won’t be long.”
“Sure thing.”
I connect the call, turning my back to her as I bark, “What?”
“We’ve got a problem,” Hunt mutters. “A big one.”
I keep walking, making sure I’m out of hearing distance. “What sort of problem?”
“Your bitch stole my Chevy.”
“Very funny.” I remotely unlock my car, letting the woman climb in. “What do you want, Hunt?”
“I’m serious. She snatched my keys from the kitchen counter and took off in my fucking car. I don’t know where she is.”
I hold my breath, waiting for the punchline. There’s gotta be a fucking punchline, because if there isn’t—
“Luca?” he snaps. “Are you listening to me?”
“You better be fucking joking.” I clench my cell. “Either way, I’m going to kick your ass for—”
“I’m not goddamn joking, you stupid son of a bitch. She lost her shit and took off. You need to get back here. Now.”
The line disconnects; my mental function, too.
It takes seconds for me to snap out of the shock, then I’m running for my car, skirting the hood to fling open the driver’s door.
“You need to get out.” I slide into my seat and start the ignition. “Now.”
“Excuse me?” The blonde stares at me, unmoving. “What’s going on?”
“You need to get the fuck out of my car,” I snarl. “Now.”
She balks, her face growing pale as I rev the engine.
“Now,” I roar.
She scrambles, frantically unfastening her belt to climb out and slam the door shut. “You’re a dick.” She speaks into the closed passenger window. “I hope you—”
I shift into gear, pulling the fuck out of there.
Buildings and traffic blur as I drive.
I cut corners, overtake on busy streets, and swerve in and out of traffic. I don’t dare to think about what could be happening to Penny until I speed into my driveway, slam on the brakes and launch from the car.
“What the fuck?” I storm toward Hunter and Sarah on the front lawn, the moon’s glow illuminating Sarah’s concern and Hunt’s livid anger. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do shit. She was fine.” He squares his shoulders as I approach. “One minute she’s in her room, the next the fucking klepto is stealing my keys.”
“Who else have you called? Which way did she go? Have you checked your car’s GPS?” I bark questions at him, my palms sweating.
He raises a brow, his look condescending. “You think I’d have any sort of tracking device on my Chevy with the shit I do on the daily?”
“Fuck.” I pace. “Then what have you done? Who have you spoken to?”
“I rang Deck. He’s freaked. Torian said he’d make some calls. Both are on their way here so you should probably hide. Her brother is going to kill you.”
“Me?” I glare. “I looked after her flawlessly for weeks. Then she spent two seconds with you and decided to run.”
“It wasn’t us she was running from.” Sarah speaks up. “It was you.”
“What the fuck does that mean? What the hell did I do?”
“Who gives a shit?” Hunter asks. “She took my car. My ninety fucking thousand-dollar car.”
I stop pacing and lunge for him, grabbing the front of his shirt. “She’s missing, and all you care about is your fucking car?”
He bares his teeth, his eyes narrowed. “That car is fully customed, asshole.”
“Your face is going to be fully customed soon, motherfucker.” I shove at his chest and back away before I kill him. “Which way did she go?”
“Why don’t you give her a few minutes?” Sarah follows after me. “She might calm down and come home on her own.”
“Calm down from what?”
She cringes. “She was asking questions about where you were. Hunter told her the truth.”
“The truth?” After weeks with minimal headaches, my brain pounds with an energetic migraine. “What did he tell her?”
“That you went out to get laid.”
Her answer hits me like a sucker punch.
Penny knows. She knows, and she ran.
“Forgive me for not being aware it was a huge fucking secret.” Hunter gives me the bird. “A little insight would’ve gone a long way.”
I’m going to kill him. Slowly. Painfully.
“Decker’s here.” Sarah jerks her chin toward the road as a car pulls into the curb.
In seconds, Penny’s brother is running toward us. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to start searching.” I make for the driveway, unwilling to stand here with my dick in my hand. “Don’t go anywhere.” I shove a finger in Hunter’s direction. “Call me as soon as you hear anything.”
“How come I get stuck here?”
“Because you’ve got no fucking ride, you piece of shit.”
I climb into my car, gun the engine, and start circling blocks. One after another, after another.
Apart from making the decision to run, Penny’s a smart woman. She wouldn’t have gone far. I’m pinning my hopes on her remaining close to familiar territory.
But the more blocks I circle, the more I panic.
She could be anywhere. Without a phone. Without money. Without a fucking safe haven.
“Fuck.” I smash my palms against the wheel. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
This is my fault.
If I hadn’t let her kiss me… If I’d been able to keep my fucking dick in line…
“Where the hell are you, Penny?”
I drive faster, scanning darkened sidewalks and house yards.
If something happens to her I’ll never forgive myself.
Never. Fucking. Forgive.
My phone rings. This time, it’s Decker.
“What?” I answer.
“I just got a call from Torian. He thinks he found her.”
“Where? Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. Just get back to the house. He said he’d meet us here.”
14
Penny
I’m lost.
I don’t know what side of the city I’m on. I have n
o clue which direction leads home.
Home.
God.
That’s not what Luca’s house is. Not anymore. Not when visions of what he’s currently doing assault my mind with every blink.
I should never have relied on him in the first place.
Now I’ve lost Abi and Chloe. Tobias is no longer in my care. And my protector is gone, choosing to share his body with a stranger.
I’m stupid not to have figured it out earlier. I’d been floating in a dream-like state as we’d kissed, my lips gently pressed to his, while he drew back in revulsion.
He couldn’t get away fast enough.
I pull over and shift the car into park on a quiet industrial road, barely able to see through the blur in my vision.
I’m not going to cry again. Those days of tears didn’t help anyway.
Grief still weighs me down. My past hasn’t changed.
But the pain from Luca intensifies.
I’d wanted him to like me. I’d carelessly thought he had. That his protection was more than a job. That he wasn’t like the other men who were only interested in sex.
Boy, was I wrong.
“Goddammit.” I pound my fist against my thigh and scream. The piercing sound fills my ears. My head. I keep belting my heart out until there’s no voice left to give. Until my lungs are dry and my throat is hoarse.
Then I slump into the leather seat, and become illuminated by the bright lights of a car pulling up behind me.
Shit.
They found me. Already. I haven’t even successfully left the city, let alone the state.
Seems I can’t do anything right.
I sit up straight, tilt away the rear-view mirror and its blinding reflection, and wait for retaliation. In my peripheral vision, I see a figure approaching the side of the car. A masculine frame that’s big and bulky.
I square my shoulders against the threat. I won’t let him daunt me. If I want to see Tobias again, I need to get over my outburst and become smarter than the unpredictable person I’ve been.
When a shadow creeps over the side of my face I drag in a breath and wait for Hunter’s demand to get out of his car. Or a growled order from Luca.
I don’t get either.
There’s only an ominous tap, tap, tap against the glass.