“Another seven hundred and fifty feet.”
Pain sears through my upper left arm as a shot ricochets off the side of my bike and hits me. I lose control, spinning wildly to the side and crashing through a low fence onto private property. Andreas is shouting, but I can barely hear him over the pain radiating through my arm and the ringing in my ears.
“Thena!” he roars as my bike bumps along plowed fields, and I struggle to keep it upright with my injured arm.
“Please tell me there is a way out of here.”
“They’re coming after you, and there’s no way off the property at the rear. There’s a forest to the back of the barn you’re approaching on your right. Ditch the bike and find somewhere to hide. I’m going to fly at them to distract them so you can get away. I’ll send a team to get you out. Just find a hiding place and stay put.”
I manage to hold on until I get to the barn, and then I fling myself off the bike, rolling into a tumble, and springing up on my feet. I stash my bike and helmet in the barn under a heavy sheet behind a tractor and hightail it out of there, popping my earpiece in so I can stay connected to Andreas.
My arm throbs like a bitch, but I’ll deal with that when I find somewhere to hide. I stumble over debris on the forest floor as I race through the woodland with adrenaline pumping through my veins.
“The drone is going down, Thena, and I need to detonate it. I can’t let it fall into their hands. Besides, it should scare them off. They’ll know the cops won’t be long on the scene after the explosion. Keep your burner on so the team can find your location.”
“Affirmative. Thanks, Andreas. Over and out.” I hear a pop as the drone explodes, but I don’t risk looking back. I take off running, pushing my limbs to extremes as I race through the woods, navigating around trees and trying not to panic knowing they must be giving chase by now.
There is no structure or area large enough to hide, and my only bet is escaping up into a tree. It’s dark, and the forest is copious, so unless they are extremely lucky, they won’t have time to find me. I’m sure it won’t take long for the cops to show up. The owners must have heard the detonation and called it in.
I find a large oak tree with a thick trunk and lots of branches with adequate foliage. That should do. I waste no time scaling the tree, ignoring the burn in my arm as I haul myself up from branch to branch, climbing as high as I can before I find a thick branch perpendicular to the trunk that can carry my weight. I wedge myself in tight and stretch my legs along the branch, focusing on my breathing as I try to calm down. I remain utterly still, breathing only through my nose as I sit it out.
A crunching down below alerts me to their presence, and adrenaline spikes in my blood. I’m praying their tree-climbing skills are rusty. In case they’re not, I slowly and carefully remove my gun from the holster at my hip and hold it in my good hand, preparing to use it if I need to.
“We’ve got to go,” Barron says in a deep voice. “The cops are only three minutes out.”
“I know you’re out here somewhere,” Drew says in a deadly voice dripping with menace. “I don’t know what you want, but if you don’t back off, next time, I’ll shoot to kill. Consider yourself warned.”
I don’t move a muscle for ages and keep completely still as they leave, the cops come and go, and the owners prowl the forest, shouting obscenities and threats of violence. After what seems like forever, the team shows up, stating it’s safe to come down and confirming they have my bike. I’m careful as I climb down the tree, clutching my bloody arm, and offering up thanks for small mercies because this night could have ended a whole lot worse.
* * *
My arm is still aching like a bitch the following Friday, and I would’ve had to cancel Beast again, for the second week in a row, if he hadn’t canceled on me first.
I’ve been popping pain pills and working remotely from home every day this week except for today. I only came in because Hilary mentioned in her email that the boss was in back-to-back meetings this morning and out this afternoon, so I figure it’s safe to show my face at Manning Motors.
I trick Hilary into leaving her desk and sneak into Drew’s calendar and print out a copy of his schedule.
I leave the office at lunch, choosing to eat at an upscale Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away from work, so I can study his schedule without the risk of anyone catching me. I am in a booth at the back of the room, tucked against the main front window, devouring the mouthwatering spaghetti with sausage pasta dish when two men slip into the booth across from me, and I almost choke on the food in my mouth.
“Don’t choke on our account,” Ares says, filling my glass with water and handing it to me.
I gulp back the water and try to steady my pounding heart. These powerful men showing up here cannot be a good thing. Shock comingles with fear as Ares Salinger grins wickedly while Baz Stewart fixes me with the full extent of his heavy stare, confirming I am deeply fucked and in so much trouble.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Athena
“Let me guess, you were just in the neighborhood and this is a complete coincidence because there is no way the Pride & Wrath and Lust & Envy Luminaries would lower their illustrious selves to seek me out,” I say, deciding irreverence is a great strategy in the current situation.
“I see you still have a reckless streak,” Ares quips.
“I call it stupidity,” Baz supplies, daring me to challenge him with an arrogant look.
Ares grabs my pasta bowl and slides it across the table in front of him.
“Hey, I’m still eating that!” I protest.
“Not now you aren’t.” Ares smirks as he plucks the fork from my hand, and I briefly visualize stabbing him with it.
