“So, all’s well that ends well?”
“Pretty much.” I didn’t tell him the rest, about all the times Riley had asked me over to the apartment, my former home, and I’d jumped at every chance. That went beyond stupid and into idiotic territory.
“You’re not stupid, by the way,” Nick said quietly, and for a minute I worried he’d read my mind. “You were in your early twenties when you moved in with him. You made some mistakes. We all do at that age. Some of us make worse decisions than others. What’s important is that we learn from them and don’t make them again.”
“So, we mature and evolve and become more perfect beings.”
“Nah.” He glanced sideways at me. “We find new mistakes to make.”
He held my gaze for a beat. I wondered if he was considering making me one of his new mistakes because I sure as hell was thinking about making him one of mine. But he glanced in the rearview mirror and tightened his jaw.
His full attention was on the road. “Cara, I need you to check your seatbelt for me.” His quiet but commanding tone made me do so without hesitation.
I tugged on the belt. “It’s fine.”
“Good. Now I need you to relax and trust me.” He smoothly changed lanes and took the right exit off the highway.
“This isn’t?—”
“Can you trust me?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.” I did my best to remain relaxed while he increased our speed.
He was glancing at the map displayed on his phone mounted to the dashboard. He made a few hairpin turns without braking. I sucked in anxious breaths, but quickly calmed myself. We were on nearly deserted roads and other than squealing tires, my car seemed to be handling it well. Nick’s face was calm and unreadable, but his hands gripped the steering wheel, telling me he was driving this way for a reason that had nothing to do with testing the car repair.
Minutes later, we went around a sharp bend and coasted to the side of the road. He parked beside tall scrub grass and turned off the car. Before I could ask what was happening, he asked me, “Do you know anyone who drives a silver Audi RS?”
I shook my head.
“Okay.” He reached across me and opened my glove box. He pulled out a pistol—or maybe it wasn’t a pistol, but it was a handgun—and a magazine.
“I didn’t know you’d brought?—"
“I’m sorry. I should have told you. But right now, I need you to listen carefully.”
I gasped as he racked the magazine into the gun and checked it.
“I expect the Audi to catch up to us any minute. The driver will either be smart and keep going, or he’ll park behind us. Assuming the second scenario, I’m going to approach the vehicle.”
“That sounds bad. Maybe we should call the cops.”
He squeezed my hand. “Cara, I’m in law enforcement.”
“Oh. Right.” I nodded. There was more to this situation, but I couldn’t figure it out while my heart pounded and my brain spun out. Was someone after us? Did this have something to do with his job? And how stupid was I to get into a car with a near stranger regardless of how highly Mason spoke of him?
The Audi came around the curve behind us and slowed down. So, we were going with the second scenario.
“Take out your phone,” Nick said. “Good. If anything goes sideways, dial 911. Now, as soon as I’m out of the car, slide over here into the driver’s seat, put on the seatbelt, and start the car. Stay down, and if anyone other than me approaches the car, you get the hell out of here first, and then dial 911.”
“But—”
“Say you understand, Cara.”
I swallowed down the huge, hard lump in my throat. “I understand.”
The Audi had parked several feet behind us but no one had gotten out. Nick slid out of my car and kept his weapon obscured behind him as he approached the suspicious vehicle. I did as he’d instructed, and observed what I could with the driver’s side mirror. The other driver rolled down his window and Nick leaned in, his weapon still obscured but ready in his hand. Seconds later, he slid the gun inside his coat, then reached in through the other car’s window. A minute later, he stood up straight and stalked back to my car.
Relief flooded through me and I rolled down the window as he approached. “What is it?”
