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I get maybe ten, twenty yards down the long driveway before a group of guards calmly step in my way.
The ferocious maternal instinct within me whispers,Run them over.
The normal human being in me decides murder charges aren’t worth it. Especially when the guard who was kind enough to help me earlier steps through the line and knocks on my window with a sympathetic smile.
I sigh and lower the window.
“You know we can’t let you leave.” He leans an arm on the door, but it’s not in a threatening way. More like the good cop who wants to let me off easy.
I stifle the snort. There are no such thing as good cops, in my experience.
“I need to find my daughter.” The words grind through my teeth. My grip on the steering wheel tightens, but his quick glance down keeps him relaxed. My feet are off the pedals. For now.
“I get it. Really, I do. I’ve got three of my own and, if I couldn’t find any of them, I’d have mowed these jokers down in an instant.”
I hate that he’s making me smile just a tiny bit.
“But you and I both know the boss would have my head if I let you drive away. In his car. Which, technically, you stole.”
Damn.I feel myself deflate a little bit.
“So in the interest of me not getting a bullet to my head and you not getting arrested for grand theft auto, I’m gonna ask you to put this bad boy in reverse.”
I shake my head, trying to swallow back the lump in my throat. “I can’t. I can’t just sit around without knowing?—”
“Hang on.” He holds a finger up and taps the plastic headphone embedded in his ear. After a few grunts and a nod, he turns his attention back to me. “Alright. Can you at least go back around so you’re not blocking the driveway? Envoy is pulling in.”
That’s not exactly a “no” to me driving off the premises, so I nod. He pats my door with appreciation and waves for the other guards to give me room to do a three-point turn, which I carefully execute while ignoring the tempting whispers in my brain to just floor it and fuckinggo.
When I pull up to the circular drive right in front of the main house, I follow the other guards’ casual waves and park off to the side. Apparently, whoever is coming up behind me is important enough to get preferential parking. Probably one of Demyen’s underworld buddies.
My heart drops into my stomach when the three cars park, the back door of the middle one opens, and Demyen steps out.
With Willow holding his hand.
48
CLARA
I leap out of the Mustang, almost forgetting to turn it off and grab the keys before I do. My brain struggles to process a billion things at once: Willow being with Demyen, Demyen takingmy daughter off the compoundwithout telling me…
And the fact that he’s in a suit, she’s in a dress, and they look like they’ve just attended a press conference together. And hadfun.
“Mommy!” Willow squeals with glee and runs over to me, throwing her arms around my legs. The bow in her hair matches her cream-colored sundress and it’s almost as big as her face, which is currently beaming up at me.
Demyen eyes the car I’ve just attempted to steal from him with an arched brow. “Going somewhere?”
I pick up Willow to hold her close—and, I’m somewhat ashamed to admit, to use her as a sweet little shield between me and Demyen’s suspicion. “We’re out of eggs.”
“Tell Gloria to add it to the order. Save the fuel.” He casually strolls over to me and discreetly snatches the keys from myfingers. “Willow, why don’t you go get changed into your swimsuit and find Bambi? It’s going to be a perfect day for the pool.”
Willow grins and wriggles her way out of my arms to go do exactly that. “Are you gonna tell Mommy?”
Demyen winks at her. “Promise.”
“‘Kay!” And, just like a kid whowasn’tmissing for half a day, she runs off into the main house and out of my view.
I brace myself for the full force of Demyen’s fury, but it doesn’t come.
