The car slows as I near the park, headlights cutting across the empty stretch of road. I pull over behind the car and kill the engine.
When I step out, the night air is cool. The park is quiet, stretching out in dark shapes and shadows. The men are waiting by the side of the car when I step out. I scan the area once before looking at them.
The two of them stand a few feet in front of me, shoulders squared, expressions carefully neutral. But I can see the guilt in their eyes. They know they’ve made a mistake.
“We’re sorry, boss.”
“What happened?” I ask, my tone even.
“She just took off. We tried to catch up, but she’s fast. We lost her at a turn and we’ve been searching the park ever since. But it’s dark and she could be anywhere.”
My hands tighten into fists. “She outran you both. On a public path with open sight lines and minimal exits. And you still lost her. That’s pathetic.”
“She was pretty damn fast, boss,” he mutters under his breath.
I open my mouth to speak, possibly something scathing that will make them regret living. But I stop. Something shifts in the air and I hear light footsteps coming closer. Unhurried.
My head turns slightly, and there she is. Walking toward us like she hasn’t got a care in the world.
Her hands are relaxed at her sides. Her expression is composed. There’s not a trace of urgency in her movement. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she’s just stepped out of thin air.
Her gaze lands on me without hesitation. She’s here and she’s unharmed. Something inside my chest loosens before something else takes its place. Sharp. Irritated. Dangerously close to anger.
The guards take note of her and immediately straighten. She stops a few feet away.
“A little dramatic,” she says, looking at them. “You didn’t have to call him.”
I step toward her. “What were you thinking?”
“I just went on a little run,” she says innocently. “It’s not my fault Crater and Boulder couldn’t keep up.”
“Crater and Boulder?” I question bewildered. My jaw grows even tighter. “Lindsay, this isn’t fucking funny.”
Her chin lifts slightly. “I didn’t laugh.”
She glances briefly at the guards.
“Do you seriously think now is a good time for you to disappear? What the hell were you thinking?”
Her eyes narrow. “Do not yell at me, Matteo. I am not a child.”
“Then start acting like it.”
She glares, crossing her arms over her chest and doesn’t say another word. I hold her gaze for a second, tension still brimming beneath my skin, unresolved and sharp.
“Get in the car,” I command, unlocking my Audi.
She doesn’t move. I tilt my head to the side, trying to dispel my frustration.
“You heard me, Lindsay. Get in the car. Now.”
I can see her brain working through it. Thinking it over. Finally, she decides not to argue. She huffs out a breath before uncrossing her arms and walking past me. Her scent clouds every inch of me as she passes. I fight the urge to inhale.
She opens the car door and slides in without another protest. After one last look at the idiots that lost her, I circle the car and get in, starting the engine.
The drive is silent. The kind of silence I know she despises.
She shifts slightly in the passenger seat, glancing at me once, then again. I don’t look at her.
