Page 67 of One Second After Another

She understood Luca’s worry.

Penny didn’t share it.

If the man waiting for her on the dirt road wanted Penny dead, then she would already be buried six feet under where no one would ever find her body again. That was the thing ... she knew the truth about what was happening in her life right now. Other people needed to catch up, too.

Rocks bit into the soles of Penny’s bare feet as she approached Cree with no weapon in her hand and no threat on her lips. She even smiled—like him.

“Did you come to collect the bounty?” she asked him. “Or is this ... League business.”

Cree folded his hands at his back as she came to a stop only three feet away. He didn’t comment on her lack of clothes. He didn’t even give her appearance a second look; his gaze stayed on her face. “I hope you know that putting a bounty out was probably the stupidest thing I have ever seen someone of your position do to themselves.”

“But how hard has it been to find me with a hundred other people looking, too? Didn’t they get in your way at all?”

Cree’s jaw flexed. It was subtle, but she saw it. Penny wouldn’t let it pass, adding quietly, “Bounties make people greedy—especially a million-dollar one on the head of a legend. See, you did that. You made me into that, Cree. Don’t fault me for doing the rest because I could. You don’t need to tell me what I already know. No one is going out of their way to help The League right now with that kind of money on the line.”

A resigned huff left the man as he turned his head to the side, staring at the parked vehicle on the side of the road. With windows tinted black on all four corners, she couldn’t tell if there was someone else inside the two-door, black coupe or not.

Did it matter?

They weren’t getting out.

Cree’s brown gaze swung back to Penny when he told her, “Dare was right—you were a pet project I let get out of control, but he was wrong, too ... when you break already broken people, Penny, it only teaches them that they can and will survive. This was inevitable.”

Her brow dipped. “What?”

“You don’t have much time—they’re maybe forty seconds behind if they followed instructions. And the team did. They always do.”

Right.

She was starting to understand. After all, it was only Penny who had constantly pushed and broke the rules when they didn’t suit her. The rest got to be sheep.

Cree tipped his chin toward the Vanquish, muttering, “I had to make this look good. At least, I could do that for you.”

He was going to let them go. She knew that the second she stepped out of the car, and he hadn’t shot her dead on the spot, but still ... a part of her dared to wonder if that would be the case. Nothing in this life was ever promised.

“Do they know what you’re doing right now?” she asked, referring to the people probably racing down the dirt path to catch up.

But also the people he left in Nevada.

Dare, too.

Wherever he was.

Cree surveyed the dark sky, shrugging his broad shoulders under the black, cotton long-sleeve he wore. “They should, but—”

“I’m doing what’s right.”

His stare slammed back into hers when he replied, “Well, I just don’t think you’re wrong. And I’m making choices here ... ones I might not be able to take back. Go, Penny. Before you can’t.”

Luca slammed on the horn—had he rolled down the window to listen? It didn’t make much of a difference, and Penny didn’t bother to say goodbye to Cree—or even a thank you—before she ran back to the car. She didn’t even get the door closed before Luca had taken the vehicle out of park and slammed on the gas. Cree had just managed to step out of the way when the car sped past, rocks and dirt spitting out from the tires on the way by.

The only thing on Penny’s mind?

She wanted this to end.

It needed to be over.

“Luca?”