“Fuck this,” I mutter and swipe to the next number.
“Yes?” Adam’s voice is confused. Tentative.
Another jolt. Metal screams when the other car catches up and bumps into our rear again.
I shriek.
“Jackie?” This time, he sounds panicked.
“A car is following us… Carter’s not answering. Adam, I—”
“Where are you?” I hear the scrape of a chair and doors slamming. “Jackie! Talk to me.”
The security guard punches the touch screen on the dashboard, barking into the car’s system. “Team Red, we’re on Bear River Road, eighty miles out base.”
The line cracks with static before the backup team leader comes through. “Keep steady. Make a right in one point four miles, down the forest service road. Don’t stop. It gets back on the main road on the other side.”
“I’m coming,” Adam says, frantic.
The inside of the car is closing in on me, swallowing me, air thinning. His voice is the only thing tethering me to the surface.
“Adam…I’m scared.” The danger was supposed to stay in New York.
“Almost there, ma’am. Hold tight. It’s gonna get bumpy,” the driver warns.
The car changes course sharply, off-road, rattling hard. A black armored SUV zooms past us in the opposite lane. Logan’s team.
A loud crash thunders behind us, but the gravel road is swallowed up by large trees, and I can’t see anything anymore.
“What was that?! Jackie, talk to me, please.”
“It’s not us.” I pant. “What did they do?”
My guard is still alert, gaze shifting in every direction. “The car is sturdy. Don’t worry. They’ll manage the situation.”
“Don’t go to my uncle’s.” I don’t want to put them in danger. “Take me to the sheriff’s office,” I tell the driver. Then whisper into the phone. “Please. Can you come?”
I’m in a trance the rest of the way, answering the guard’s questions on autopilot.
Through the car window, I see Adam pacing the parking lot. When he spots us, he breaks into a run. My driver has to hit the brakes hard, as Adam yanks the door open and hugs me fiercely.
I’ve never been happier to hear the thrum of his heartbeat and be held together by his strong arms.
“Are you hurt?” His hands frame my face, looking me over frantically.
“No,” my voice wavers. “They didn’t hit us too badly, but the other team…”
The driver, listening to the info coming in his earpiece, nods. “They’re taking the men to the hospital. Sheriff’s with them. No injuries on our side.”
“Come on,” Adam says, pulling me out of the car, his hand tight around mine. “Everybody’s gathering at the house.”
I’m rattled and angry. “I can’t fucking live like this anymore. What the hell do they want from me? Money? To send me to the psych ward?”
“We’ll figure this out.” Adam slides his fingers through mine, warm and solid, bringing my blood pressure down. “Get in the car.”
I dig my heels in, squirming in his hold. “I’ve just been in a car chase,” my voice cracks. “You could ask a little nicer.”
Adam stops, still holding my hand, and pulls me against his chest. His free hand cradles the back of my head, forcing me to look at him. “Jackie, baby. Please get in the car.”
