Page 84 of Corrupt Me

I dropped the phone on my lap and glanced out the window, wishing I hadn’t, the unpleasant view an unwanted reminder of my current predicament.

At least the setting sun provided a lovely distraction. Dusk approached and streaked the horizon in deep oranges and a band of crimson flanked by ribbons of darkness. Halloween was this weekend, but already candy wrappers littered the ground, twirling and dancing on the side of the curb with the fallen leaves. What a picturesque evening until I glanced to my left.

A long sigh escaped as I wrinkled my nose at the run-down office. It was accurately a shed with a door and a single cracked window out front that I was sure had never been cleaned in its life. So much dirt, sand, and grime covered the glass you couldn’tsee in or out There was no need for a shade. I had a hard time distinguishing what color the building was. It might have once been white, but it no longer represented anything close to that color.

I didn’t want to know what the inside of a room looked like or how many critters called it home. This place definitely had cockroaches.

What’s taking him so long?

My knee bounced.

I sat up straighter, peering out the windshield to see if I could spot him through the filthy window. I didn’t see my insufferable yet sexy neighbor, but I did feel something that prickled the back of my neck. No stranger to being afraid, I forced my breath to remain slow. I had no reason to freak out…yet. Maybe it was just Tristan’s warnings and my paranoia setting in, but I couldn’t shake the feeling someone watched me.

When I quickly scanned the area, my gaze landed on another car parked near the entrance of the lot. We were pulled over in front of the office, forcing me to shift slightly in my seat to get a better look over my shoulder. Their headlights were on, cutting through the dark close to consuming the last bit of sun and blinding me. Smoke puffed around the car from the exhaust. The car was on and idling, which led me to believe someone was inside.

Fear spiked, raising my heart rate.

This person could very well be waiting for a room like us. Or a motel patron doing something shady in their car. A drug deal? A blowjob? Human trafficking. This was the place for all kinds of dealings, and the owners would turn a blind eye as long as they paid for a room. By the hour. By the night. By the week. It didn’t matter. They were all too accommodating.

I couldn’t look away, and despite not being able to see their face, this stranger’s presence became evident. The engine revvedfrom their car in what felt like a warning or a threat. I couldn’t distinguish which, and still, my eyes were glued to the car.

My hand moved to the auto lock button located on my door, and I hit it. The mechanism clicked in place, echoing in the car like a shotgun.

Holy shit.

Tristan’s gun.

Somehow, the weapon no longer created a panicky fear. It gave me a sense of safety, regardless that I had no idea how to use the thing. Assuming Tristan hadn’t taken it with him. I tried to recall what he’d done with it when we got in the car. Had he removed it from where he’d stashed the handgun tucked under his shirt? If he had, I’d been oblivious.

“Shit.” Searching the car, I opened the glove box, felt under his seat, and peeked in the back seat while glancing occasionally at the other creepy car to make sure it hadn’t budged.

I had my hand under my seat, my face plastered to the front of the dash, when someone knocked on the window.

I jumped, smacking my forehead on the dash. My heart leaped in my chest as I sat up, praying an axe murderer wasn’t peering in the window at me.

Tristan was on the other side of the glass, his brows bunching together as he glowered. “Unlock the damn door.”

I flipped him off.

Tristan scowled. “Classy,” he said gruffly from the other side of the window

I hit the button, the tightness in my chest loosening now that he was back. “What the hell, Tristan. I nearly went into cardiac arrest,” I complained as he opened the door.

He dropped into the driver’s seat, his stormy eyes honing in on me. “Someone a little frazzled tonight?”

“Can you blame me? You kidnapped me and brought me to Bates Motel.” My hand flung out toward the dimly lit buildingto my right, the office building sconce flickering as flies buzzed around the glass. “I don’t want to diehere.” I glanced back at Tristan.

“First of all, I didn’t kidnap you,” he clarified, the bastard doing his best to cover up the smirk curling on his lips.

My blood pressure rose. “You didn’t give me a choice! Same thing.”

He watched me, looking at me like I was a mystery he’d been trying to solve for years. “Your mind connects things in the strangest ways.”

I fumbled with his phone in my lap, flipping it around. “My mind isn’t up for questioning. Yours is.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Despite the somber expression on his gorgeous features, something in his eyes softened. Tristan wanted me to trust him.

Could I?

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