Page 114 of Princess of Pride
“Private only.”
I groan with frustration. My phone buzzes in my pocket, the ringer on silent. I remove it and tense.
“It’s Lachlan.” Fear taints my tone. “If he knows I left, he’ll be out looking for me. We can’t stay on this road. We can’t be out at all. He’ll catch us. Where is this place? Is it close? Hidden? Can he find it?”
“You need to calm down.”
“And you should be more afraid. I know Lachlan well enough to know this will piss him off and he will not react kindly.”
Her features twist showing her nervousness for the first time. “He won’t find this place. It’s outof town.”
“How long will that take?”
“It’s not that far.”
I ring my fingers together to the point of pain. “Okay. Go there. Quickly.”
We drive for fifteen of the longest minutes of my life. I chew off both pinky nails and watch the time. That’s how freaked I am. I’m literally watching the minutes on my phone.
I’m also watching to see if Lachlan calls again or texts. He hasn’t, which is disturbing.
Something occurs to me. I gasp so loudly Maisie jumps.
“What?” She points her wide eyes at me.
“He knows where we are,” I say in a panic. “He’s tracking my phone.” It’s why he hasn’t reached out again. He doesn’t need to threaten me with texts when he can ambush me. I roll down the window and toss it out. “Go fast. Hurry!”
She steps on it, and we go a teeny bit faster.
“You have to get us far away from my phone. Like now!”
“Hang on.” She jerks the wheel and drives into long grass, the headlights brightening the way. The car bumps as we off-road it. Thank God there are no trees. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Across a field.”
“I know that! Do you know where this field ends?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I shriek. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I know this area, but I’ve never cut across the field. I think I know where we’ll end up, but if not, it’ll be close enough.”
I can’t believe this is the plan. It’s not a plan. And this girl… she has about as much emotion as a robot.
I try to calm down. If she crashes, we won’t get anywhere.
She strains to see where she’s going with the headlightsonly illuminating a short distance ahead. The car bounces on uneven ground as we plow down tall blades of grass.
I can’t believe I’m stranded in a different country so far from home. If I were in America, I could easily find my way back to Connecticut. Here, I’m helpless and much like a sitting duck. I doubt Pippa would help aide my escape. Wait! Maybe Adelaide can.
“Can I use your phone?” I ask Maisie.
“Hang on.” The car drops like we went over a small hill.
My stomach flips, and I squeal, my hands braced on the door and the ceiling. My cry is cut short when we slam onto the ground so hard I’m shocked we don’t blow the tires.
A road appears.
