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“Indeed.”
“I fucked up.”
“Clearly.”
Tareq spared a second to shoot the overseer a “thanks for nothing asshole” look, and took off running.
Chapter18
Nomi slumped in the driver seat.Shame at her cowardice bit at her, but practicality assured her that this was the most prudent course of action.And it wasn’t like she was ghosting Tareq.She’d seen Master Mikel and asked him to pass on a message.It was better this way.They parted amicably, and didn’t have to have any awkward conversations.
She’d pulled on her street clothes in a rush, breaking the dress’s zipper in her haste to get it off.Then Nomi had shoved things into her tote, and nearly sprinted for the car.But now she was just sitting in the parking lot, torn between her head which said “drive” and her heart which begged her to go back inside.
The phrase made her snort in amusement at the catastrophic thinking.
Driving out of here didn’t mean she was abandoning her heart, her chance at love.
It didn’t.
Nomi had started the car when she got in, but even with the air conditioning on it felt stuffy.She rolled down the window, letting the warm breeze of the Malibu canyons swirl into the car.
Enough was enough.Time to go.
Nomi put the car in drive—she’d backed into the space—and eased off the brake.
And screamed when a man jumped in front of the car.
Nomi’s body jerked as she jammed the brake pedal a second after the car detected the obstacle and braked too, warning lights flashing on the dash.
Tareq slapped his palms on the hood of her car.All the front bumper sensors were beeping at her, but Nomi ignored them and stuck her head out the window.
“What the hell are you doing?I almost hit you!”
“What the hell am I doing?”Tareq stared at her in outrage, then gestured to her car.“What the hell are you doing?”
“Running you over unless you move.”
Tareq circled around to her door.Nomi’s heart was in her throat, the adrenaline slowly dissipating.
Tareq braced one forearm on the top of the window opening and leaned down.“Leaving without saying goodbye?”
“Something came up.”
“Bullshit.”
Crap.“You know what, I don’t owe you an explanation.”
Tareq’s brow arched, and she was taken back to that moment when she’d spotted him in the conclave.That first shared moment of understanding, a connection forged then that had grown stronger than it had any right to over the last forty-eight hours.
He reached in the window and she tensed, but at the last minute his hand veered down, hitting the unlock button on her arm rest.
“What are you…get out of my car.”She swiveled around as he climbed into the back seat.
“Not until we talk.”
“This is breaking and entering,” she pointed out.
“Actually, it’s more of a kidnapping.As in you’re kidnapping me.”
