Page 124 of My Beautiful Sin

And the sooner I get to his side, the better.

I hesitate by Shelby’s door, then pass up the car and walk toward the Tesla. It’s late afternoon now, and the sun is already hovering low over the Pacific, leaving long shadows to fill the foothills and canyons.

I squint as I approach, trying to make out who’s in the car, but it’s no use. All I can see is the glare of the setting sun reflecting back at me, and when I’m about ten feet away, the car silently backs up into a nearby driveway and disappears in the opposite direction.

Not Devlin.

I feel the weight of disappointment fill my chest, and that only confirms what I already know—that I’m making the right choice by going to him. By choosing us.

But now I’m all the more anxious to tell him so, and I hurry back to Shelby, fire up her engine, and roar backward out of the driveway.

The certainty of my decision overwhelms me—and I race forward, eager to see him and tell him that I should never have walked away. His revelations shocked and surprised me, true, but none of it changed the core of who he is or who we are together.

I was dead inside until I found Devlin again, and I know he was the same. He’s the love of my life, the light in my world, and while there may be Big Things that we have to talk about, I know we’ll get through them.

And the sooner I get to his side to tell him that, the better.

I race down the road, then whip onto the main stretch that leads higher into the hills. I’m pushing Shelby to her limit, letting the wind sing through my hair and sting my face as I urge her on, the speed and power reflecting the urgency of my need.

The roads become more narrow as I get closer to the cut-off to Devlin’s and instead of cutting through the residential section, I choose the smaller canyon roads that are my usual route to his home, which sits isolated atop an abutment on a two-acre lot that assures his privacy. A canyon road extends from the southeast corner of his property up into the undeveloped section of the hills, and over to an intertwining network of smaller roads that ultimately find their way down to Sunset Canyon, the main thoroughfare through the hills.

That’s the way I go now, as I know it will not only have the least traffic, but will let me open up Shelby. Not because I crave danger—not this time. No, right now, it’s the joy I want. The joy of speed and power and the anticipation of soon being in Devlin’s arms.

I whip to the left, turning off of Sunset and onto Sunrise Canyon. Right before I do, I catch a glimpse of black behind me. I check the mirror, again, and sure enough the Tesla is back.

I’m certain now that it’s Devlin. I grin, my whole body thrumming with the sweet knowledge that he’s not only behind me, but that he knows exactly where I’m going.

I consider speeding up and racing him to his house, but I’m already pushing a safe speed on this narrow road. There’s no shoulder here, and the turns are tight. I’ve driven this route a hundred times, and, yes, I’ve even gone faster.

But I’d been taking a risk then. Saying fuck you to death and danger.

That’s not my mantra today, and instead of speeding up, I slow down, allowing him to come up beside me.

He does, the silent engine making it hard for me to judge his speed and acceleration until it’s too late and he’s almost on top of me.

“Dammit, Devlin. What the fuck?” I don’t know if he’s misjudged the distance or is playing a game, but I scowl into the mirror then speed up, putting a bit of distance between us.

The next curve is tight, and I reduce my speed to take it. But, dammit, he’s still on my ass. I’m cursing my boyfriend as an idiot when the horrible truth hits me—this isn’t Devlin.

I’ve barely had time to process that reality when the Tesla slams Shelby’s rear, pushing me forward onto the soft shoulder right as the road curves sharply to the left. I spin the wheel, but there’s no traction, and the fucker taps my bumper again so that my front right tire is only partially on solid ground.

I gasp as the hood dips, and I realize that the packed dirt has fallen away. Fuck. I shift into reverse and try to inch backward, but the Tesla is doing the same thing, only with much more speed.

And then I watch in horror as it lunges toward me once again.

I don’t want to abandon Shelby, but I don’t have a choice. I shove open my door with one hand at the same time I work the buckle with the other.

But it’s too late. The Tesla hits us again, and Shelby’s entire front end falls over the cliff. We teeter for a moment, and then the cliff falls away and we’re airborne, with me clinging to the door, half in and half out of the car, and knowing with absolute certainly that this time, I really am going to die.

Chapter Forty-Two

“Devlin! Thank God I caught you.”

Devlin frowned as he paused in the foundation’s parking lot, a few feet from his Land Rover. He could hear the worry in Tamra’s voice, and though Ellie came first to his mind, he knew he was only being paranoid. More likely something had happened that required the foundation’s assistance.

Either that, or she’d just lined up a new and urgent job for Saint’s Angels.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, moving to meet her, his concern growing as he got closer and saw the fear in her dark eyes.