Page 117 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

I flash my best innocent smile. “Thank you so much! I’ll tell Liam a cop rescued Mommy.” Releasing the brake, I ease the car forward, my pulse still racing.

The officer watches as I drive away, his gaze weighing on my back.

Don’t look.

My grip tightens on the steering wheel. “We’re going to the Fun Zone,” I say with a chirp. “Mommy’s got some calls to make.”

A cackling snort rings in the back and my mask cracks. I take a deep breath, but my fingers tingle, a sharp pain shooting from my fingertips to my elbows. My sternum dips and won’t expand to allow air into my lungs.

Shit.

My breathing turns into nothing but rapid puffs. The sun bathes everything in a harsh glare, making shadows sharp and the world too vivid. My stomach churns until the taste of bile coats my tongue.

Kai can’t help me now. If he does, we might expose ourselves and get killed. But for the first time in too long, I want to live.

Luminous points dance before my eyes. I let out a painful gasp while I park in a huge parking lot fronting the Fun Zone.

“Kai.”

His name slips from my lips like a lifeline. I twist the key, and the engine dies with a sputter. The following silence is deafening, but Iforce myself to move, pushing open the door and stepping out into the parking lot.

Come on, Marianne. You’ve handled worse.

“I’m okay.” Leaning on the car’s side, I take the deepest breath I can and concentrate on the jackhammer in the distance, the faint remnants of gasoline that lingers in the air, and the throbbing of my pulse, indicating I’m alive and well. “I can deal with this.” A small smile cracks through the panic. “I’m really okay.” My lively giggle echoes in the parking lot.

I straighten, pull my shoulders back, and tap on the trunk.

After three seconds, Kai pulls out of the car. “Wait thirty seconds and go through the front door. Two minutes maximum, and we’re out,” he says and strides toward the Fun Zone employee’s entrance.

When he disappears out of view, I gather my composure and walk to the main entrance.

My fingers slide on my temple to scratch the edge of the wig because summer heat has my scalp itchy.

Inside the Fun Zone, bright lights flash in dizzying patterns.

Kids create chaos.

The smell of popcorn and hot dogs wafts in the air, mingling with the excited shrieks of children and the mechanical hum of arcade games.

Those noises should grate on my frayed nerves; instead, they root me in the present. A clown looms over a table, creating balloon animals. My skin prickles with unease.

I scan the room for the employees’ space and navigate the vibrant lights. My pulse quickens. I find the restroom sign and push through the door, a blast of cool air hitting my flushed face.

Inside the restroom, I check the stalls, ensuring I’m alone. My heart hammers as I turn to the mirror, pulling at the edges of the wig to let my hair breathe momentarily. Footsteps outside make me snap back into character.

Kai emerges from a door marked “Staff Only.” His expression is all business—sharp and focused. But public bathrooms have a thing for us because the concentration floats off his eyes in small outbursts of sexiness as he smirks at me.

Maybe it’s adrenaline.

My breath catches as he steps closer, the scent of him mixing with the cheap bathroom deodorizer and creating a heady combination that changes my knees to wet paper towels.

“The way you bullshitted that cop… was so unbelievably sexy,” he murmurs, each word vibrating through me.

Pride simmers in my chest. “Thank you.”

He flashes me an unfiltered, wolfish grin that turns my insides into a heated mush.

Oh, I’m in so deep.

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