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He barks out a bitter laugh. "I couldn't get to you when that brute was between us."
"His name isZaneand I won't listen to you talk about him like that," I snap.
"And what are you going to do about it?"
I balk. I'm stuck in his car...but I have a gun at one hip and a knife at the other.
He didn't search me.
Still, I need to keep those weapons hidden until I absolutely need them.
"Nothing," I say. "Unless you don't actually plan on reuniting me with my people."
"Okay, Kendra," he says, his dark eyes darting over to me. "Sure."
I wasso closeto seeing Jade and Olivia again...so close to finally finding the Enclave and ending up somewhere safe.
And now it's all slipping away.
"I need specifics," I say. "So I ask again--where are you taking me?"
"Fine," he says. "There's a hotel downtown where they'll never expect us--somewhere nice, out in the open. We'll hunker down there until the ACB loses the scent, then we can contact Connolly and the other Enclave folks."
I nod slowly, still unsure if I can trust him. But for now, I have no other choice.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Jack Maddox," he says. "But everyone calls me Maddox."
"What if I prefer Jack?"
He smirks. "You can call me whatever you want, sweetheart."
"I don't have the same mindset," I mutter. "Don't call me sweetheart."
"Noted."
I sigh.
"Why did you help me at the auction?" I ask. "You let me go...you pulled me out of the fray. You didn't have to do that. Even now...your job is fucked, right?"
He shrugs, his expression sobering. "It just seemed right."
I don't believe him, but I lean back into my seat and close my eyes, trying to keep my mind blank. The sound of rain and the soft hum of the car's engine lull me at least into a certain level of calm--not that I think I'll sleep when it's just me and him.
When I open my eyes again, the car is pulling up in front of a towering hotel. Jack takes me by the arm and hands me a room key-card and leads me to the elevator--which makes me feel at least a little at ease, since it seems like I'm not his prisoner. We're both silent as the elevator doors close and we ascend to the 30th floor.
The are only a few rooms here, and we walk toward the one at the end of the hall. As I step into the room, my jaw drops. It's a luxurious suite with a king-sized bed, flat-screen TV, and a stunning view of the city, lit up in the rain. I haven't seen anything this decadent since I left my father's house on a night a lot like this one, his body in a pool of blood on the floor.
I wonder if this night will end the same way.
With me burying a knife in my captor's gut.
"I figured if we're going to hide out, might as well do it in style," Jack says with a smirk. "You can take the bed; I promise I won't touch you."
"I didn't plan on sleeping," I tell him.
"Suit yourself," he shrugs. "But youshouldif you want to escape; I don't want you exhausted when we go on the run again."
