I hurry my pace, climbing the rest of the way out of the tunnel and into the fresh air when Stone steps right into me, something shifting in his eyes, warning me that he’s no longer the irritated tunnel companion with a short temper, he’s the man who was convicted of six murders, the man I watched effortlessly kill at least fifteen men without breaking a sweat, the man who tore someone’s throat out with his bare hands. And his undivided attention is on me.
My body shakes involuntarily, the terror returning tenfold, making me realize what a fool I’ve been trying to bait him, or to even suggest that he wouldn’t hurt me.
I back up a step, and he follows, tracking me like a predator until my back is up against the crumbled remains of the wall he just broke through. My eyes remain locked on his, distantly aware of the way his hand shifts into his pocket, and not knowing what he’s doing until I feel something sharp at the base of my throat, pressing into my skin just enough to cause a mild pain, but not enough to break the skin.
“You try anything, my pretty little menace, and I will carve your fucking heart out with my goddamn teeth, you hear me?”
I swallow hard, my throat bobbing over the shiv at my neck. “I hear you,” I murmur, holding his haunting stare until he finally eases up and pulls away from me.
“Good,” he grunts, turning away and walking deeper into the thick woods. “Get moving. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
13
STONE
Idon’t trust her.
For the past hour, Aria has trailed behind me, doing what she can to keep up. In the tunnel, it wasn’t a problem. Sure, she lagged behind every now and then, but where the fuck was she going to go? She had no choice but to keep her fine ass moving. Out here, it’s different. If she falls behind, she slows me down. And if she slows me down . . . Well, that’s not about to happen.
It’s been a big day for her, and I’m sure her body isn’t used to the kind of abuse it’s been through today. For the first part, she was probably running on pure adrenaline, but that’s long gone. Now, it’s up to nothing but stamina and self-preservation.
My interview started at 10 a.m., and considering the sun is setting, it’s got to be close to 6 p.m. Neither of us has eaten, had any water, and as far as I’m aware, she hasn’t stopped to pee. The menace I knew couldn’t go ten minutes without a snack.
There’s no doubt about it, she’s more than uncomfortable.
But that’s not why I don’t trust her.
She’s going to make a run for it.
I saw it in her eyes back at the sewer line. She’s terrified. In the tunnel, she’d foolishly allowed herself to think she was going to make it out of this alive. That much was clear when she raced toward the end, but once we were out, and I had her up against the crumbling concrete, she saw it in my eyes. She knows that she’s not escaping me. She knows that every step she takes is bringing her one step closer to the end of her life, and she’s desperate.
Help is not coming her way.
I’m not a man who goes back on his word. When I say something, I mean it, and no amount of shared experiences today, or the other thirteen years I spent at her side, will change that.
Aria Ashford will die by my hand. It is set in stone. There’s no point trying to save herself now because all she’s going to do is give herself false hope, and I don’t need her making this any harder than it already needs to be.
There’s too much history here. No matter how intent she is on pretending it doesn’t exist, when it comes down to it, she won’t be able to ignore the years we spent having each other’s backs in the most horrendous situations.
I get lost in my thoughts, keeping up my pace, when her heavy breathing softens. Her steps become lighter, more precise, as though suddenly being careful.
Ten minutes ago, she was huffing and puffing, but now she’s a fucking assassin following me through the woods. I don’t fucking think so.
I watch her from my peripheral, already shaking my head. I knew it was coming; I just hoped that it wouldn’t come so soon. We still have so much ground to cover. It’s been hours sincethe riot started, and I’m sure that, by now, SWAT rolled in and gassed them all. They will know I’m missing. Some will presume I’m dead, my body among the piles of mangled men and rubble, but it won’t take them long to figure it out. They’re going to come looking.
Right now, we need to focus. I’ve shown Aria kindness by allowing us to walk. If I were alone, I would have sprinted the full twenty miles through the tunnel, but she doesn’t have that kind of stamina to keep up with me. I would have exhausted her too soon, and she would have been a dead weight for me to carry. She’s tiny. I would have thrown her over my shoulder and carried on, but carrying another human being isn’t maintainable.
She starts looking around, discreetly trying to glance left and then right, picking whichever route she thinks will somehow lead her to freedom, and I sigh. I do not have time for this shit.
I thought she took my warning seriously. I thought she understood. But it’s not the first time I’ve seen people act out in fear. Desperate people do desperate things, and Aria is no exception to that rule.
Don’t be stupid, Menace. This isn’t going to end well for you.
As if on cue, she takes a deeper breath, the sound breaking through the woods behind me. Then, like lightning, she takes off in a fierce sprint, her exhausted body not taking her nearly as fast as she needs.
“Fuck.”
She’s small and fast, and I bet she assumes my brute size will slow me down, but I’ve been training for this. I’ve been working toward this breakout for years. Sure, it came a little earlier than anticipated, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not ready. And while my abundance of muscle sure as fuck slows me down, my long stride makes up for what I’m lacking.
