Page 108 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

“Marianne, please.”

“But…”

They’re so much more than stuffed toys. They represent a victory over myself. Our first date. My fingers curl around the bright pink teddy bear I won, Ren. No way I’m getting rid of the one Kai won for me.

My lips turn down as I shove the pink cub away, pulling branches and leaves over it. “I’m sorry, Ren.”

All the excitement I felt seconds ago drops. My lower lip trembles as I think about how I won Ren.

My gaze floats to Bonsaï. “No.” The tone is final.

I glare at Kai, and in an anger burst, I catch his hand on the driver’s door handle and stop him from getting in. “I’m driving; you take the back seat.” My words enter his ears, and he frowns.

“Okay.” He narrows his eyes at me.

We get into the car, with me as the driver and Kai lounging in the back seat so no one can see him.

Come on, Marianne. It’s just a toy.

I start the engine and steer us back onto the road, my heart being shred for a toy.

No, it’s not just a toy!

Hours pass, long and stupid. No sign of the red pickup.

Kai stays silent, but his gaze is hooked on my side, pressing me down with intensity. The miles slip by the blurred landscape outside a stark contrast to the roiling emotions within our cramped refuge.

“Marianne,” Kai’s voice finally breaks the silence, soft yet firm, “I’m sorry.”

I don’t reply, but my teeth clench, and I grip the steering wheel tighter.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he whispers.

“You better,” I grunt.

By the time I’m ready to talk to Kai like I’m an adult, we’re on the outskirts of Vancouver. But a vibration whirs in the back seat.

I scoff. “Now’s not the time.”

Kai rolls his eyes and sniffs. “It’s my phone.”

My eyes narrow as fast as his, and my heart sinks.

“What is it?” I ask, the unease creeping back.

“It’s Rory. Quiet,” he says with an urgent tone. “Yeah?”

After a long pause, Kai’s features drop into the ice-cold criminal I first met, cloak up, double locked.

“What the fuck do you mean by ‘compromised’?” he shouts as he trashes in the back seat. “That was your job, Rory! You can say goodbye to your fucking fingers! Oh! You will—” He grunts, swears, pulls his hair at the root, and snarls.

Whoa… That man is Seven.

I clutch the wheel and listen.

Kai’s anger radiates through the car like toxic gas. The tenderness of moments ago becomes a distant memory as he slams his fists on the seat and throws biting words into the phone.

He ends the call with a bang of his hand that makes me jump. Deep lines crease his forehead as he stares at the device in his hand, then looks up. His eyes lock with mine through the rearview mirror, revealing the turbulence within.

---