Page 113 of Princess of Pride
I don’t know how, but my reflexes work, and I grip the metal door using every bit of strength I have. Together, we manage to close the door quietly.
We’re in a dimly lit alley between two rows of connecting cottage-like businesses.
“Now what?” Her pale skin glows against her short dark hair. A tiny heart graces her upper cheek like a beauty mark, while three distinct earrings adorn her nose. She’s in her early twenties like me.
“Run.” She bolts in the opposite direction of where Connal is parked at the end of the buildings. I can’t see him, but I know he’s there because of Lachlan.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins, and my feet fly so fast I’m surprised I haven’t tripped.
I follow the girl, praying she knows where she’s going.
If we’re caught, could I play this off as a joke? I didn’t think this through.
I glance behind me so many times, I’m surprised I don’t lose my balance. No one is coming. Why?
The girl cuts between two buildings down an alley so narrow I wouldn’t have noticed it was there. I follow close behind her, feeling the burn of my legs and my lungs. I’m in better shape than when I got here. Riding almost daily helps and sex with Lachlan isn’t light work, but I’ve never been a good runner.
We break free onto another road that borders the buildings and a wall of darkness. It could be anything, a field, woods, a cliff. A tiny car that is so small it looks like a toy sits across the street, parked away from a few other cars at the corner.
The girl runs to it. “Get in.”
I climb into the passenger seat, doubtful this vehicle goes over ten miles an hour.
She starts the engine and drives away faster than seems possible. My head whips back and forth, my heart in my throat as I search for movement. Lachlan has to know I’m gone by now. It feels like forever ago when in actuality it’s probably only been a few minutes.
The girl turns left onto a dark road and drives.
“Where are we going?” I can’t keep still, fearing Lachlan will swoop in like a bat or dragon and drag me back to the castle by my hair.
“I have a place.”
“I need to go to the airport.”
“I think we should hide out for the night, or we risk getting caught.”
“Do ride-shares come out here?”
She laughs. “Good luck with that.”
Dammit. “If you see lights behind us, it’ll be him,” I warnher. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Dumbest plan ever! What was I thinking? I wasn’t. I was emotional, reactive, and now I’m being stupid. “Take me somewhere,” I blurt. “A hotel. An inn?”
“He owns all of them,” she says, her knuckles white as she grips the steering wheel.
“Owns? What do you mean owns?”
“Lachlan MacReid Ashford owns the village and everything around it.”
What! “I thought he just employed everyone.”
“For his wife, you don’t know much about him.”
“I sure don’t.” I agree. Like when she said his full name a moment ago. It dawned on me that his mother made his middle name, MacReid, to help bind him to the family lineage.
I sit forward and keep my gaze on the side mirror to give my neck a break. So far just darkness surrounds us with no lights in the distance. “How far is it to the airport?”
“About two hours.”
Oh my god! “He’s going to catch us.” Why did I trust Tessa? “Is there a closer one?”
