Pulling off her mask and headpiece to put on her helmet, she gets on behind me, muttering, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
I grab her arms and pull them around me, giving them a rub for reassurance. We ride fifteen minutes north of the city, arriving at the boat pier on the river. Danny had left me the code for the shack to push my bike inside for safekeeping, along with the key to his dingy.
She gets off the bike, gives me her helmet, and watches me nervously. While putting everything into lock up, I switch out my helmet for the hood and mask and grab a pre-packed duffle bag.
Hopping into the boat and firing up the prop, I motion to her to join me.
I hold out my hand. She takes it begrudgingly and sits in front of me. Taking her mask and ears, I put them back on her. Then I hold out a hood.
“You’re kidding, right?” she deadpans.
I say and do nothing. Her eyes are getting glassy with fear, but she trusts me enough to comply. Turning her to rest against my chest, I pull in the dock line before putting a protective arm around her, and we head off.
She’s breathing as hard as I am but for the opposite reasons. Her skin pebbling against the wind chill. She’s scared while I’m absolutely salivating with excitement.
I allow my hand to wander, my thumb circling the hardened peak of her breast through her dress. Just to fuck with her brain a little bit more.
The buzz of anticipation courses my veins like electricity. A pulsing current of suspense for the core memory we’re about to make together.
The very start of a beautifully twistedus.
God help any fucking moron who tries to stand between me and my forever.
She has no idea the lengths I will go to to protect what is mine.
But she will.
EIGHTEEN
PIP
Where is he?
The boat stopped. The shift of his weight behind me, the sound of him rummaging for something followed by the crunch of his boots on rubble as he dragged the boat further ashore, and now?
Nothing.
The hairs on my arm prickle. Something is off.
I reach up to try lift my hood to peek.
This feels wrong. This feels-
Boom.
A blast of intense heat, flashing, and abruptly loud explosions similar to gunshots emit from inside the boat, instantly ripping me from my thoughts. Instinctively, I catapult myself over the side of the boat to escape the commotion, hitting wet rubble hard with a thud.
I rip the hood off to see fire crackers. Fucking fire crackers! Exploding and wrecking havoc, the sound reverberating in the aluminium hull. My ears ring in response to the trauma they’ve just experienced.
I scramble up the beach to the forest line, gasping for breath and clutching my chest as my heart attempts to tear free from my chest cavity.
I scan my immediate surroundings. Nothing is familiar. Nothing! What the hell is this? Where has he taken me? Where the actual fuck ishe?
A vibration from my phone in my clutch, still miraculously hanging from my wrist, beckons my attention. Reluctantly, I pull it out to read.
Unknown:
Baby, you wanted a chase.
