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I forced myself back to the present. I sped over the open road, hitting speed limits I knew would get me noticed but not as much as the sobbing young woman in a massive wedding dress that clung to me like her life depended on it.
I took back roads and side streets. I knew my way around this canyon and all the others like the back of my hand. Up this street and down the other, over the freeway, and then parallel to it. Usually, I’d take the most direct route, but I wanted to make sure no one followed me—or showed up at my door before I arrived. My family had never been to my mansion. It lay deep in a forested shroud of security. I owned acres of land, a tree canopy so dense, even the GPS satellites couldn’t make out what lay within. No one in my family had been interested in where ‘goody-two shoes’ Anthony Warwick lived before today. But I had a feeling this time might be different.
I stopped at a four-way stop along the deserted back road and glanced behind me. Sarah’s fingers were still wrapped tightly around my stomach, almost to the point of pain.
“You okay back there?” I asked gruffly.
“Yes,” came her terrified reply.
“We’ll be there in about an hour,” I said.
“Where is there?” Sarah asked, her voice cracking.
“My place,” I replied.
“Is that safe? Won’t your family know where to find me?”
I sighed. “I hope not. They’ve certainly never cared before. Anyway. I have a ton of security. Remember who my family is.”
“I know,” Sarah’s forced giggle was a mixture of exasperation and fear. “That’s why I’m terrified.”
“I don’t have any other options,” I said. I did have other options, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust this girl. After all, she grew up in a household similar to mine.
“Then just leave me here.”
Before I knew it, Sarah swung her leg over the bike to dismount. I grabbed her arm roughly.
“No,” I said more forcefully than intended. Sarah tugged against my grip. “I can’t do that. It’ll be dark soon. This is the back valley. There are animals, and God knows what else. We’ll be safe at my house for the time being. Till I can figure out what to do.”
Sarah deliberated a second, staring into the woods. She finally climbed back onto the bike. We drove in silence until we were almost at my property line.
“Anthony?”
“Everyone calls me Warwick,” I shouted over the roar of the engine.
“Warwick?”
“Yes?”
“I have to pee.”
“What?” I couldn’t hear her.
“I have topee!”
I flinched. “We’re just around the corner. Five minutes. Can you wait?”
“Yes,” Sarah’s response was muffled as she clutched my abdomen.
A few minutes later, we drove up the bumpy path that led to my mansion. The gate was locked as always, and two-armed security personnel were watching but out of sight. I knew they were there and nodded in acknowledgment. I scanned my retina into the gate mechanism, and the door opened. My driveway was long and winding, obscuring my mansion from the main gate. One could never be too careful when they had a stepfather like mine.
“Here we are,” I announced, holding the bike steady for Sarah to dismount.
“Wow,” she gasped. “This place is no joke!”“Yeah. I told my dad and brother to go legal. This is all legit money. Nothing earned from the blood of others.”
I was proud of my accomplishments. It would have been easy to follow Andre and my mother into a life of crime, but I wanted better for myself. I wanted freedom.
Chapter wo
