I stare at her for a long while. “Somewhere safe.”
“Safe for who?”
“Me.” No sense in sugarcoating things. She’s doing enough of that. “Which means for you too. For now.”
She nods like this makes perfect sense. What a weirdo.
“The universe guides us to where we need to be.” She relaxes against her seat and closes her eyes.
I suppress the urge to tell her the universe has no say. We’re here because Roman Kozlov wants answers about the key tagged with her father’s name that alludes to an evidence cache. Her life hangs by a thin, practically invisible thread.
Instead, I start the car. The engine rumbles to life, vibrating through the floor.
Chapter 5
Jordan
The silence in the car presses against my eardrums until every breath echoes in my chest. My heart pounds so loudly, I’m certain he hears the heavy, unbroken rhythm filling the dead air.
But if the shark guy notices, he gives nothing away.
I try slow, measured breaths. In and out. I tell myself to stay calm and present, but my electric body tingles with the never-ending circuit of fear. My lungs hitch like they forgot what to do. Primal danger lurks beneath my ribs.
The door is so close I could reach out and open the handle if I wanted to. Hurl myself out into the night.
The wild, desperate idea thrums through me. The pavement racing past outside would rip me open and probably break me to pieces. I might even die on impact.
But at least my death would be my choice.
Not his.
Now I understand why wild animals will chew through their own legs to get out of a trap.
I glance at the speedometer. Sixty-five.
My hands go clammy when I picture the asphalt pulling strips off my flesh. Even worse, I’m certain that if I survived,he’d come right after me. Pick me up and toss me back in the car. Maybe even in the trunk.
If I’m lucky.
I know what awaits people who try to escape him.
I felt the aftermath under the tires.
So I stay where I am, trapped in a quiet so loud I’m drowning, with every instinct screaming.
Four bodies. And that poor guy he left alive…
I squeeze my eyes shut, eager to block out the memory of blood on pavement and screams cutting through the night air.
Breathe out fear. Breathe in abundance.
The words slide through my mind, working to push away everything else. This mantra has gotten me through so many bad experiences over the years.
But tonight, the fear sticks to my ribs like tar, proving impossible to dislodge.
Each breath brings the scent of his skin. Soap and copper and cold, like steel left out in winter.
That’s not copper. There was so much blood. It’s still on his hands.
