Page 90 of Queen Of Dark Money

Irefused to let those tears fall.

I'dcrumble if they fell from my eyes, and now wasnotthe time to break apart.Ihad to hold it together long enough to get whereIwas going.

Therewould be all the time in the world to cry whenIwas safe behind the locked door of a bedroom inStone’shouse.

Thefirst ten minutes of the car ride were uneventful, and then the driver hit the brakes hard, and my head damn near bounced off the back of his seat.BeforeIcould ask him what the big idea was, he threw a hand behind the passenger seat, pulled out a gun from the pocket, and met my gaze for a split second.

“Getdown and hold on tight.We’rebeing followed.”

Ididn’t have to be told twice.Myass slid to the floor with quickness, ducking behind his seat in the hopesIcould stay safe long enough for him to get us out of there.Ofcourse, like usual,Ishould have known better than to count on my luck holding.

Anothercar slammed into the back of ours, and with a groan,Igrabbed for my duffle bag, hoping that clinging to it would assuage some of the fear rising in me.

Iwasn’t ready to go out in a car chase.Iwasn’t prepared to have a bullet put through my head by a hitman who’d been hired to eliminate this loose end for my father.

Sowhen the car started to roll,Ididn’t even scream.Ididn’t cry, didn’t panic, didn’t even breathe.Ilet the vehicle toss me side to side, clinging to the bagI’dpacked as we were tossed around like clothes in a dryer.Whenthe car skidded to a stop,Ikicked the door open and made a break for it, whipping my phone out asIducked into a nearby alleyway.

Myhands were shaking, andIcouldn’t stay still for long.Whoeverhad targeted the car would find me missing, and come after me.Icouldn’t get caught sitting still.SoIgot my ass on the move, duffle bag on my back, backpack right there with it, gladIopted for boots tonight asIsplashed through puddle after puddle of whatever mystery fluids collected in the cobblestone streets.

Ihad to call someone, let them know what was happening.IfIdidn’t, they might not even realize thatIwas gone until it was too late.

Andthen, by the time they found me,I’dbe dead.

Iheard a gun go off behind me asIducked around the corner and just hit the first name that fell under my thumb.Ofcourse,River’snumber was busy, and whenIdialedStone, it went to voicemail.Dominickdidn’t answer his phone, probably still avoiding me.Ididn’t want to dialSevensince he andIweren’t really tight, but there weren’t many options.Anotherbullet landed in the concrete wall behind me, andIjust slammed my thumb down, prayingI’dhitDirk.

Whenthe other line picked up,Ibreathed a sigh of relief. “Ohmy god,Dirk–”

“Notquite,Kerenza,” mumbled a voiceIhadn’t expected.

Rafe.Ofall the fucking people in the world to accidentally call–

ThesecondIopened my mouth again,I’dgive away my position, and then the killer could catch up to me.Ihad to be smart about this.Evenhelp fromRafewould be preferable to no help at all.

“Rafe, listen.Iwas being transported fromDom’stoJasper’s, and we were attacked.I’mon foot, but so is the asshole who hit us, and he’s got a gun.”Anotherbullet ricocheted over my head, andItook off sprinting down the alley again, prayingIcould get to the next corner before the asshole with the gun. “Idon’t know whereI’mat, butIneed your help.”Isucked in a breath asIskidded around a dumpster and slammed my back against it, chest heaving with every breath. “Idon’t want to die.”

Hisangry voice hardened, andIcould hear the dangerous lilt to it as he growled at me through the receiver. “Iwant you to keep moving, do you hear me?Keepmoving until you see something public, like a gas station or a grocery store.Don’thang up this phone.”

Icould hear him shuffling around his room in the background, andIglanced around quickly, trying to orient myself.Icould see lights and hear noise in the distance, so with a deep breath,Itook off in that direction, hoping there was a crowd to blend into at the end of this fucking cobblestone path.

Ofcourse, it was another fucking alley and a dead-end one at that.Iwhined a little, starting to panic in the back of my mind.

Stupidhindbrain.

“Rafe, it’s a dead end,”Igasped, clinging to my phone for dear life. “WhatdoIdo?”

Theshuffling stopped, andIheard a car door slam. “Doyou see a fire escape anywhere?”

Inodded before realizing he couldn’t see me. “Tomy left, on the last building.”

“Climb.”

Ididn’t need to be told twice.Imade a break for it, scrambling up the stairs untilIcould see the roof.Thankfully, the man chasing me hadn’t caught up yet, and with a grunt,Iflattened myself against the tar-coated surface, gasping for air.

“Fuck, that was close,”Iwheezed, the phone still wedged against my ear. “Nowwhat?”

Rafeswore, andIcould hear horns blaring on his end.Ibet he’d cut someone off. “Goto the far edge, away from the stairs you used.Tellme what you see.”

Nothingwas identifiable on any of the nearby buildings, andIcouldn’t make out the street signs from here. “Ican’t tell,”Igroaned, squinting to spot something in the distance and failing miserably. “I’mtoo high up–wait.”Ididrecognize something.Therewas a single sign on the side of the building at the next intersection, oneI’dseen several times while in the car withSinclair. “I’ma block away from theRohlTheater.”

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