For one second, things felt normal.Streetlamps glowed.Leaves dusted the pavement in bursts of autumn colors.Chloe’s hair had half-fallen from its ponytail, soft blonde waves brushing her cheek and absolutely wrecking his concentration.
Then his instincts screamed.
Headlights surged at them from the right, too deliberate to be anything but intentional.
“Hold on,” he shouted.
He slammed the accelerator and yanked the wheel left.The SUV shot forward just as the attacking car barreled through the red light and clipped their bumper with a violentthunk.
Chloe shrieked, a sound that hit him dead center.
He corrected the skid automatically—counter-steer, brake pump, stabilize.His body made decisions before his brain caught up.The tires squealed, the seatbelt locked across his torso, and the SUV straightened out, inches from a streetlight pole.
There was no crash, no metal carnage or shattered glass.No injuries.He’d take that win, even if his pulse was trying to punch through his throat.
He exhaled hard.“You good?”
Chloe stared at him, wide-eyed.“Was that the same car?It was the same car.”
“Yeah.”His jaw locked.“I know.”
The sedan peeled out, disappearing into the night like a shadow with no plates, no hesitation, and absolutely no fear.
This wasn’t random or distracted driving.This was another attempt.
Not on my watch,he vowed silently.Over my dead body.
“You okay?”he asked again, gentler.
Chloe nodded, or attempted the general shape of a nod.Her chin wobbled.“I think so.”
He reached across the space without thinking, wrapping his warm fingers around her cold ones.When she squeezed back, something in his gut clenched painfully.
Great.Exactly what he didn’t need.Feelings.Not now, Serruto.
Kayne kept his voice calm and controlled, the exact opposite of the fury boiling in his veins.“We’re almost home.Hang on a little longer, all right?”
She swallowed.“Kayne, what if they’re still out there?”
“They won’t get close again,” he promised.“Not while I’m here.”
She didn’t say she believed him.She didn’t have to.Her hand stayed in his.Maybe he shouldn’t have let that happen, but he didn’t let go.
Kayne drove the rest of the way as if he were shepherding royalty through a war zone.Eyes everywhere, muscles coiled, adrenaline spiking every time a car drifted even slightly into their lane.He might’ve terrified a little old white-haired woman with his aggressive horn.He offered a sheepish wave she definitely couldn’t see through the tinted windows.Not his finest moment.
Chloe stayed quiet, but her hand stayed in his.
When he finally turned down her block, the relief in the passenger seat was palpable.And short-lived.
A dark car sat parked too close to her building, engine running, exhaust drifting like lazy fog.
Chloe stiffened.“Is that the car?”
“No.”He narrowed his eyes.Wrong model.Wrong damage.“Not the same vehicle.”
But his instincts didn’t settle.Not entirely.
“Wait—how did you know where I live?”
