I stand there, my mind spinning and my body firing. The truth coils sharp and quiet inside me. I have no idea if I can help him, or what he’ll do with me when the work is finished, if it ever is. I can’t give him the code. I also can’t stay with him. Because, even though I know better, it’s not just my body wanting him now.
I can handle a good spanking.
I can’t handle a broken heart.
I don’t know how.
TWENTY
Ella
Idon’t want to leave Leo. That’s the problem and the weight in my chest even as the house creaks quietly around me at two in the morning. Justice left for some meeting after I went to bed, after cooking for me like we had some type of relationship, after warning me about the guards in the trees and the animals hunting the grounds. I believed him. Of course I did. But there isn’t a moat out here. No killer trench filled with beasts like Thorn’s place. That means I have a chance.
I feel a little guilty but I can’t stay here. We kind of have an agreement, but this is too much. I’m falling for the guy, and I can’t afford that. Worse yet, he’ll make me give him that computer code, and I think it’s almost his responsibility to take down the other companies—and families. It’s in his damn DNA, which I can understand. I have it, too. It’s a good thing women are so much more evolved than men. I know the virus should be buried forever.
His loyalty will always be to his organization. Not tome. This has gone too far already. Running is what I do best.
My instincts scream that he pretty much owns my body now, and I’m not ready for that. But I can’t stop feeling him all around me. Inside me. I have to run.
He’s just too … Justice.
Plus, and I can admit this only to myself, I like the challenge of outwitting him. It’s dangerous, and I’m sure foolhardy, but adrenaline still flows through my veins. The idea actually turns me on.
I am so screwed up.
I wait until the clouds smother the moon before I crouch next to Leo. His head lifts instantly, eyes glowing in the dark, ears cocked like he knows the plan. “Okay,” I whisper, curling my hand into his fur. “Let’s go.”
He wags his tail like I just promised him steak. He’s stronger than when we first pulled him from that hell. Loyal in a way I don’t deserve. My throat tightens. “You realize I don’t have a life for a dog, right? I like you, but I’m always running.” He licks my hand, tail wagging harder, calling me a liar without words. What have I gotten into?
We slip out the back door onto the wide wraparound porch. The cliff falls away beneath us, the Pacific hammering at the rocks below. Spray leaps so high it catches my face, cold, wild, and salty. The night air tastes alive. For a second, it feels like freedom.
Leo pads beside me, tongue lolling. I stick to the shadows, circling the far edge of the house. Instinct says not to risk the front. Cameras and motion sensors are probably all around us. I don’t see them, but I feel them. Justice wouldn’t leave a blind spot.
Justice. Just thinking his name slows me down. He left hours ago, but his presence lingers like smoke. I should be running faster, but all I can picture is the way he looked at me. The way he kissed me. The way he cooks like it’s second nature and then turns around and threatens to kill somebody in the same breath. I should hate him. I should fear him. I do. But not enough. Not nearly enough.
If I’m smart, I’ll keep moving. Freedom’s right there. But my feet drag. My chest knots tight. Out there, it’s nothing but woods and darkness. Alone. On the run again. With a dog that already owns my heart.
Wait a minute. There has to be an easier way. Man, I’m off balance. Where’s my brain? I tug Leo back inside, pulse pounding. The house is silent, every shadow too thick, every corner alive with secrets. We pad toward the kitchen, floorboards whispering beneath our feet.
We reach the garage door, and I freeze. My hand hovers over the handle. Freedom is one tug away. But the thought of leaving feels heavier than staying. I’ve never hesitated like this before. Yeah, the sex was great, and there’s a computer hub somewhere near me that I want to reach. But I can’t find the basement door.
I whisper to Leo, more to myself than him, but still open the door to the garage. “What the hell am I doing?”
Silence.
No alarms. No buzzers. Nothing. The quiet is wrong, pressing in on me, heavier than sound. My skin crawls. “Okay,” I whisper, gripping his scruff. “If there’s an alarm, it’s quiet. We run.”
We slip into the garage. The air smells like oil and rubber. The space feels too empty, too clean, like it’s waiting. And then I see it.
Silver. Low to the ground. Curves that look poured, not built. The car’s hood bears a red prancing horse, and my stomach lurches. It’s a LaFerrari Aperta. I’ve only seen one in pictures. Limited edition. The kind of car collectors hoard and show off at auctions. It shouldn’t be here.
A laugh bursts out of me, quick and shaky. “That’s a nice car.”
Leo’s tail thumps the floor as I hurry to the car and open the passenger side door. He bounds inside, claws clicking against the leather, circles once, and drops to sit.
I slide into the driver’s seat. The leather fits my butt like it’s molded just for me, warm and luxurious. The console glows faint blue, waiting. The keys sit in a tray, casual, like Justice could walk in and leave again at any second.
I grab the fob and press the start button. The engine doesn’t purr—it detonates. A roar tears through the garage, vibrating in my ribs. My hands shake. Fear spikes inside me, but exhilaration crashes over it, fast and addictive. For the first time tonight, my lips twitch into a grin. “This is going to be fun.” The garage door grinds up, and I throw the vehicle into drive. Rain spits in, streaking the windshield in crooked lines. This car doesn’t deserve storms, but we don’t have a choice. Leo pants beside me, eyes bright, and I know he’s all in.
