“No,” I gasp.I rise and back out of my townhouse, slamming the door.
“He’s watching you even now.”
I run back to the car.My best chance is to head right to the police station, but Rex is best friends with the Chief.What’s to stop him from pulling strings and getting me ordered into protective custody?His.
I tried so hard to escape him.There’s nowhere I can run that he won’t hunt me down, but I won’t go back without a fight.
“I understand you no longer want to be under Rex’s power.”
“I won’t go back.”He’ll put me back in the cage.
“But no one can stop Rex from getting what he wants.”
He’s right.The sports car’s lights flash, and I stop before getting in.I should abandon the car.I bet Rex has an override to the stealth mode, and if I get in now, the car might take me straight to him.
What should I do?
“If I may offer a solution,” St.James continues.I almost forgot I was talking to him.“Come to the club.I can offer you a safe haven.”
“Rex will find me.”
“Eventually.But Club Empire has served as neutral territory before.I can convince him you’ll be safer if you’re working with him rather than against him.”
The solution sounds so elegant, but I still hesitate.
There’s a whirring sound overhead, and a black drone zooms through the air to hover at my eye level six feet away from me.
“Inara,” the drone says in Rex’s voice.“It’s okay.I’m coming for you.”
I drop my phone and pull my gun.“I’m not going back,” I snarl, aiming for the drone.“I’ll shoot you first.”
To my left, a motorcycle rips down the street at breakneck speed, only to skid to a stop beside me.
I switch my aim to lock in on the motorcycle rider.It’s him, I think at first, but the rider’s build is slimmer than Rex’s.He pulls off his black helmet, and I jerk back when I see a skull bandana covering the lower half of his face.
“Don’t shoot,” St.James is calling from my fallen cell phone.“That’s your ride.”
“We gotta go now.”The rider holds out the helmet to me.
I have to make a decision.My townhouse is full of dead birds.Rex is coming for me.I don’t really trust St.James, but where else can I turn?
“Inara, get in the car,” Rex shouts from the drone.
Crack!I fire my gun and blow the drone away.Black pieces fly off it, and the hunk of dead metal plummets to the ground.
I flip the safety on my gun and holster it, scoop up my phone, and face the motorcyclist.
He’s got long black hair and flecks of gold in his green eyes.I can tell he’s young, in his early twenties, even with the skull bandana hiding the rest of his face.“Hurry,” he barks.
I grab the helmet, slam it onto my head, and swing onto the bike.I’m barely on the seat when the rider jerks my arms around his waist and kicks the bike off the curb.His ab muscles flex under my hold.Before I can brace myself, we’re hurtling down the street.
Rex
She escaped me.Again.
And now St.James has her.Instead of helping me as he agreed to minutes ago, St.James has decided to become my enemy.For what?He loves his power plays, but what is his end game here?
I slam the steering wheel of my car.“Deploy more drones,” I direct Alfie, who’s installed in this car’s computer system.“Find them.”
