AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The man shook his head. “Start driving, Eleanor.”
“To where?”
“Somewhere quiet and less crowded. Outside of the city,” he said.
Her stomach crash landed somewhere around the brake pedal. The tiniest bit of hope that he might let her live faded.
“Why?” she said. “You can just take the package and leave. I swear I won’t say anything to anyone. I don’t even know what’s in it.”
“Drive, Eleanor,” he said and prodded her head with the gun. The cold detachment in his voice sent fresh terror rampaging through her system.
Trying not to panic, she said, “I… I’m waiting for my client.”
“That’s too fucking bad. He can find a new ride. Start driving before I -”
The bruising pressure against the back of her head disappeared, and the man cursed under his breath. Wes leaned down and stared at her through the open window of the front passenger seat.
Terror and joy shot through Eleanor. As much as she wanted to believe Wes would save her, a bullet would kill him as easily as it would kill her.
Shit. Wes was going to die because he didn’t fucking drive.
* * *
Wes’s lion was giddy the entire elevator ride to the main floor. His lion’s excitement boosted Wes’s mood too. He couldn’t remember the last time his lion had been this happy. If he’d known that deciding to invite Eleanor out for dinner would cheer his lion up this much, Wes would have done it months ago.
This isn’t a date, asshole. You’re taking Eleanor for dinner so she can talk about her dead father. This is about her grieving and you being a supportive friend.
Both he and his lion ignored his inner voice. He would take Eleanor to his favourite restaurant. He paused and slapped his hand down against his ass, muttering a curse when he didn’t feel his wallet in the pocket. Shit, he’d taken it out at lunch and shoved it into his desk drawer.
He took out his phone, stopping in the foyer of the office building and ignoring the humans and shifters who exited the bank of elevators and headed for the front door. He started to text Eleanor before glancing out the expansive windows that flanked the front door of the building. He could see Eleanor’s car, and he decided he’d tell her in person that he had to run back upstairs.
It was faster than texting, right? He wasn’t doing it because he and his lion were dying for even just a quick glimpse of Eleanor.
He pushed open the front door and walked down the sidewalk to Eleanor’s car. The passenger window was open, and he leaned down and stared at Eleanor. “Hey, Eleanor, I have to -”
He stopped talking. The thick and tangy scent of Eleanor’s terror filled the interior of the car. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly he could see the veins standing out in the back of her hands.
He stared at the human sitting in the backseat behind Eleanor, then opened the passenger door and slid into the front seat. He slammed the door shut as the man said, “Get the fuck out.”
“Excuse me?” Wes craned his head to stare at the man. His lion growled and snarled. Eleanor’s fear had worked him into a frenzy.
“I said get the fuck out.”
“I paid for this ride, and I paid extra not to rideshare. So, if anyone is ‘getting the fuck out’, it’s you,” Wes said.
Beside him, Eleanor was practically hyperventilating. He knew why she was so terrified. The man’s left hand rested on his leg with the fingers tapping out a nervous rhythm, but his other hand remained tucked inside his jacket. No doubt holding the gun that Wes could smell.
“She double booked us by mistake,” the man said. “But I booked first. Isn’t that right, Eleanor.”
“Yes,” Eleanor said. Her voice was soft and faint and so un-Eleanor-like that his lion whimpered in alarm. “Sorry, Wes. I double booked. You should get out of the car.”
He didn’t move, and she stared pleadingly at him. “Leave, Wes. Find another ride, okay?”
“No,” he said.
The scent of her fear deepened. Wes hated that he made it worse for her, but there was no fucking way he’d leave Eleanor.
“Are you kidding me? She said to get out,” the blond man said. The scent of his anger overtook the smell of Eleanor’s fear.
