"Liana! Get back here!"
I hear his car door slam. He's out of the car now, his running footsteps behind me.
I walk faster.
"Liana, stop!" He catches up to me easily. Grabs my arm and spins me around.
"Don't touch me!" I jerk away from him.
"You jumped out of a moving car!" His face is a mix of fury and shock. "Are you fucking insane?"
"I asked you to slow down!" I'm shaking now, adrenaline and fear mixing.
"I wasn’t going that fast!" He runs his hand through his hair.
"You were weaving through traffic! You almost ran a red light!" My voice is rising.
"I had complete control!"
"I didn't feel safe with you!" I step back, my heart still pounding.
We're standing in the middle of a dark street. A streetlight flickers above us. Somewhere nearby, I hear glass breaking. This is not a good neighborhood.
"Get back in the car," he says.
"No."
"Liana—"
"I'm not getting back in that car with you driving like that. I’ll call someone to come pick me up."
"You jumped out of a moving vehicle!"
"Because you wouldn't listen to me!"
A man appears from a side street. He sees us and starts walking toward us. Santino notices and his entire demeanor changes. He steps closer to me, positioning himself between me and the approaching man.
"Get in the car," he says quietly. "Now."
The man is closer now, his eyes are on me. On my dress and my heels.
"Liana." Santino's voice is urgent. "Go get in the car. Stay behind me."
The man calls out something. I don't catch the words, but the tone is clear.
Santino's hand goes inside his jacket where he probably keeps a gun.
"Now, Liana. Hurry."
I look at the man. At the dark street. At the broken windows and the shadows. Then at Santino and see the cold look in his eyes.
I turn and hurry back to the car. He's around to his side in seconds. Locks the doors the moment he's in. Pulls away fast, but this time I don't complain.
We drive in complete silence.
He's gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles are white. I can see a muscle ticking in his cheek.
I stare out the window, my heart still pounding. Soon we're out of that sketchy neighborhood and back on familiar streets. He suddenly pulls into a store parking lot. It's late, the lot is empty, just a few scattered cars under dim lights.
