Page 15 of Run

She blinked several times, swallowed with a dry throat, and said, “My knee’s scraped.”

His smile was so dazzling that it took a second to see past it to the bruises on his face.

“Oh!” Her hand shot out, fingertips tracing the cut at the corner of his mouth and the blackening bruise on his cheekbone. “You’re the one who’s hurt.”

“Safe location first. Injuries second.” He threaded his fingers through hers and stood, taking her with him. “Come on. I have a vehicle.”

They hurried through the garage to a nondescript rental car, where he opened the passenger door and helped her inside.

“I jammed the signals from the cameras,” he said. “We need to get out of here before they come to see what’s happened to them.”

Elle watched him jog around the front of the car and climb behind the wheel.

Like everything else he did, David’s driving was efficient. No movement wasted. Awestruck, she swiveled in her seat and stared at him as he wove through London’s traffic.

“We need to swap out this car,” he said as he turned into one of the big parking garages. “’Fraid we won’t be renting our next ride.”

Elle was too scared to speak in case this was all a dream, and she woke up to find herself sitting alone in a cell with no David in sight. Or worse, lying on the floor in one of Tommy’s many wet rooms.

They parked on one of the middle levels, walked up a level, and helped themselves to a small blue Honda. David broke in and hot-wired it in no time at all, then they were on the road again.

“You alright, Ellie?” he asked as they wove through traffic.

She twisted her fingers in the hem of her T-shirt. “I’m in a bit of a pickle.”

His lips curved up again, making her melt. “So I hear.”

Blinking to clear her mind, she took in her surroundings. They were heading west. “Where are we going?”

“Benson Security safe house.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You know where that is?” She’d thought its location was limited to their team.

“I know lots of stuff.”

He negotiated the chaotic London traffic with ease, keeping one eye on the rearview mirror, watching for trouble.

“David,” Elle asked because she couldn’t wait any longer. The question was burning a hole in her stomach. “Why are you here?”

He glanced over at her, his dark eyes burning. “I’m here for you, Ellie Blue,” he said before returning his attention to the road.

Elle reached out, flicked the air-conditioning to icy cold, and blasted it at her face.

6

James Family Home

North London

“What do you mean, you don’t have her?” Tommy James tossed his napkin onto the table beside what remained of the lunch his five-star chef had prepared for him.

“Cops turned up.” Marcus stood at the other end of the dining table, his face an emotionless mask as usual.

Equally familiar was the sight of his son’s best friend, Abasi, at his side. Those dark eyes of his stared through Tommy. One day, he’d remind Abasi who was boss, and he’d do it by plucking out those insolent eyes.

He glanced behind his son, but no one else walked through the dining room doors. “Where the fuck is Leo?” He’d sent Leo along on the pickup job because he knew that, unlike his son, Leo wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in Elle if it made bringing her back easier.

“Cops got him,” Marcus said, as though commenting on the weather.