Page 5 of Tempting My Billionaire Master

“Focus on getting out of here first,” I insisted, silencing her with a determined look. “We can worry about me later.”

I studied the door, searching for any weaknesses. Spotting a small gap between the panels, I wedged my fingers inside and heaved with all my strength. The door groaned in protest before finally giving way, revealing a treasure trove of luxurious cars. I kept some of my cars on display outside along the path, but the most treasured parts of my collection were now in front of us. It seemed that my wasteful hobby would turn out to be our salvation.

“Come on,” I said, guiding Chloe inside. “We’ll take one of these and get as far away from here as possible.”

I slid behind the wheel of the sleek Aston Martin, one of the fastest cars in my collection. Chloe settled into the passenger seat, her eyes darting between me and the garage exit as I revved the engine and the main door of the garage opened automatically.

The Aston Martin shot forward like a bullet, gravel spitting from its wheels, flinging us back into the leather seats. Chloe gasped, grabbing the door handle in a death grip.

“Almost over,” I assured her, gripping the gearshift as we careened down the winding driveway towards freedom. For a moment, it seemed like we might actually escape unscathed.

Almost there. Almost—

I slammed on the brakes.

A limo—my limo—blocked our path, three bodyguards fanned out in front, guns trained on us.

Chloe screamed.

“Hold on!” I yelled, swerving off the road and into the thick woods, weaving between trees as bullets peppered the air around us. We plunged deeper into the woods, branches whipping against the windows as the car bumped and shuddered over the uneven ground.

“Where are we going?” Chloe’s voice trembled, her fingers clutching the door handle.

“Somewhere they can’t follow,” I replied, focused on navigating the treacherous terrain.

“We can’t go on like this!” Chloe cried, clutching at her seatbelt. “We’ll wreck!”

She was right. I wrestled with the steering wheel, trying to keep us from flipping over, but it was no use. We skidded to a stop, the car lodged between two large trees.

“Out!” I threw open my door and pulled Chloe after me. “We have to go on foot.”

Her eyes were huge, terrified as she gazed at the seemingly endless forest surrounding us. “On foot? But where—how will we—?”

“Trust me.” I took her hand, feeling the softness of her skin against my callused palm. My chest tightened at the thought of anything happening to her. I would get her out of this mess—no matter what it took.

Together, we plunged deeper into the woods, branches scratching at our clothes as we pushed onward. “Do you have your phone with you?” I asked.

Chloe shook her head. “The bodyguards took everything when I got here.”

“Damn.” I clenched my fists. “I never ordered your belongings confiscated. It must’ve been part of their plan. They probably wanted to make it look like you shot me, then kill you to cover their tracks.”

Her breath hitched, and I could see despair creeping back into her eyes. I stopped, pulling her close. “Listen, Chloe. Everything will be okay. We just need to reach the main road. I know the way.”

“Okay.” She nodded against my chest, her body trembling.

I kept thinking about the betrayal. The bodyguards we overheard back near the garage said that whoever ordered it took Gordon’s daughter hostage. I could almost feel sympathy for the scarred man, but I wished he had sought my help instead of blindly submitting to blackmail.

I would deal with that later. It was getting dark and we needed to hurry.

We kept moving through the forest towards the road. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and I felt ready for anything, but when Chloe noticed the blood soaking through my shirt sleeve, worry creased her brow.

“You’re hurt. You’re bleeding.” She reached for my arm.

I glanced down at my arm, at the jagged rip in my sleeve and the blood soaking through.

I shook my head. “It’s nothing.” The cuts stung, but I’d endured far worse. I couldn’t worry about myself now. I had to get Chloe to safety.

Chloe shook her head. “We have to stop the bleeding. If it gets infected—”

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