“Yeah,” I mutter, pressing the gas. “We’re really doing this.” I can’t let Justice have the code to the virus. Or my heart. Definitely not my heart.
The main drive stretches out, slick black under the rain. Flashlights blaze between the trees, jerky beams searching. Guards. Of course.
I slam my foot on the accelerator. The Ferrari launches forward like it’s been starving, tires gripping the asphaltwith a precision I’ve never felt. Justice didn’t pave this driveway for comfort. He paved it for speed.
The end of the drive comes too fast. I stomp the brakes, tires shrieking, and the car fishtails before correcting. A wrought-iron gate blocks the exit, hidden in the trees until now. I didn’t see it when we came in. No wonder he felt just fine about leaving me here alone.
“Damn it.” My fingers fly across the console, hitting switches I don’t recognize. Nothing.
Leo growls, low and warning, his body braced.
A shack to the right bursts with light. Men pour out, flashlights slicing through the rain. I can’t see their faces, but I feel their attention, sharp and focused.
My pulse pounds so hard it hurts. “Shit.” I stab another button. The gate groans, jerks, and finally starts to slide. Too slow. Way too slow. “Finally.” My chest is tight, hands welded to the wheel. Adrenaline rips through me, hot and sharp, and I don’t look away from the opening. “Now hold on, Leo.”
The men surge toward me, boots hammering on wet pavement, their flashlights jerking through the rain. The gate is almost open enough when a black SUV tears around the corner, its engine howling. My gut drops. Oh, crap. They opened the gate—I didn’t.
I press the gas pedal down hard. The Ferrari leaps, bucking under me, and then shoots forward. The SUV keeps coming, big and black and steady. Justice. Damn him. I flick my lights to high. He cuts his off. Of course he does. Power move. My stomach flips but I push harder. He swings sideways, blocking the drive in one smooth arc, the road locked tight between steel and trees.
“No.” I hit the brakes. The Ferrari skids across theslick pavement, tires shrieking, and smashes into a tree. I jolt against the belt so hard my chest aches. No time. I rip free and shove my door wide. “Come on.” Rain slaps my face as I hit the ground running. Leo bounds beside me, ears back, tail streaming.
We dive into the trees.
Not again. Seriously. I’m not made for running through forests.
The forest swallows us fast. Branches whip my arms and my face. I just wrecked Justice’s Ferrari. Run. I have to run. He really is going to kill me.
Roots grab at my boots. My lungs already burn, but I push harder, weaving through the trunks, hoping Leo can see better than I can. Mud slides underfoot and nearly takes me down twice. I curse every step, curse Justice, curse myself for not being faster. My boots are heavy, waterlogged, but at least they’re tough. He bought them. The thought makes me want to rip them off.
I duck left, too slow. My shoulder smashes into a tree. How am I running through trees again? Pain detonates across my arm and I spin, staggering, half blind from the hit. Bark scrapes my cheek. I shove off the trunk and stumble forward, sucking air. No time to stop. Keep moving. Leo growls low, urging me on, and I follow the sound of his paws pounding earth.
Behind me, Justice’s voice cuts through the storm. “Ella. Slow down.”
My heart spikes. He’s closer than I thought, his tone low and furious. He’s in the trees with me. I hadn’t even heard him leave the SUV. Adrenaline rockets through me, washing out the pain, so I run harder, pushing my legs until they feel like they’ll tear apart.
I turn another bend because there’s a slight trail and run smack into him. Panic heats through me as I bounce back and land on my ass in the mud. He’s just there, solid as the trees, rain dripping off his hair, eyes burning. He reaches for me, but it’s too late. I’m already scrambling back, palms sliding in wet leaves.
“You wrecked my car,” he snarls.
“I hit one little tree,” I protest, breathless, mud soaking into my jeans.
He towers over me, bigger than the shadows, and every nerve in me screams vulnerable. Kind of mad, kind of scared. Leo plops down like this is nothing, tail wagging, tongue lolling as he looks at both of us. Traitor. I want to shout at him to attack, but I doubt he will. I think he considers Justice a friend.
I shove up to my feet. “Kidnapping’s a crime.”
“You wrecked my car.”
Yeah, guys have a thing for their cars. And that one was … a pretty cool car. I throw up both hands. “When I retake TimeGem Moments, I’ll buy you a new car.”
The forest presses tight around us, my pulse hammering as I edge back a step at a time, looking for any gap. He’s blocking the narrow trail, broad shoulders filling the available space, but there’s an opening in the trees to my left. My muscles tense.
“I honestly thought you’d stay here and that we’d reached an agreement,” he warns, his voice low, edged like a growl.
“Ha.” I wipe rain and hair from my eyes, crouch low, and leap for the opening. I don’t make it.
He snags me around the waist mid-stride, hauling me up.
“Damn it.” I punch him in the throat, pain exploding across my knuckles.
