And the cool tip of a knife presses against my neck.
“Hello, Sunshine.”
I gasp and hold my breath at the sound of Chase’s voice.
How the hell did he get in here? Elias and his men were everywhere, even before bullets started flying.
“You’ve been a busy little slut.”
I attempt to respond, but his grip over my mouth is too strong, and he digs the knife’s tip deeper. A burning sensation spreads from the cut, and I feel the slow trickle of blood down my neck.
“Tell your boyfriend to back off,” he says, his hot breath making me shiver.
Tears streak down my cheeks, and I might just pass out with how fast my heart is beating.
“What... what are you going to do?” I manage to say clear enough when his hold eases up.
“I have your parents. I’ll kill them the next time Carter busts one of my shipments.”
He’s lying. My parents are safe. I just spoke to them on FaceTime an hour before coming out tonight.
“Next, I’ll kill that best friend of yours. Noah, or is it Noemi?”
Okay, he’s clearly desperate.
Noah would kick his ass, and even if he somehow got a jump on her, he’d have to get past Del.
But I don’t say anything because one wrong word will have the knife sinking deeper into my neck.
“Tell. Him. To. Back. Off.”
The shootout has stopped, but the strobe of red and blue lights coming through the windows lets me know cops are on the scene.
Chase lets go and climbs past me to exit the vehicle.
I spin around, searching for Elias, but he’s too far away speaking with police to notice Chase escaping. I spot Aaron and Justin, my two bodyguards, but they’re on the other side of the SUV leaving the side Chase slipped out unprotected.
I try to yell for Elias, to anyone, but nothing comes out when I open my mouth.
Fuck. Chase is getting away, and as soon as Elias finds out what happened, he’s going to bepissed.I hope he won’t kill any of his men for this.
I scan the crowd, wondering if I can at least see which way Chase ran off, but he’s somehow managed to blend in with the dozen or so people now gathering with their cell phones recording the aftermath of the shootout.
I lean my head back on the headrest and inhale deeply. The scent of blood burns my nose, and I skim my fingertips over the cut that Chase caused.
Huh...
That’s not that much blood.
Then where...
My eyes land on the SUV’s driver, slumped over the wheel.
And, finally, I scream.
That gets Elias’s attention.
He runs back to the car and opens the door, the same one Chase exited. I’m a crying, bubbling mess at this point, and I’m explaining what happened quickly and furiously, my words likely making no sense.