Page 76 of Ice Ice Maybe
He grabbed my hand and examined the ring. I could see him noting the red marks on my finger from our earlier attempts. Just as I thought the crisis was averted, Mitch did something before I could stop him. In one swift motion, he brought my hand to his mouth, caught the edge of the ring between his teeth, and pulled.
To my shock, the ring slid off, dropping into his waiting palm.
“Voilà,” he said, a hint of triumph in his voice.
I stared at my bare finger, astonished. “I can’t believe it. We tried everything.” I held out my hand for the ring. “Thank you.”
Mitch didn’t move to return it.
“What are you doing?” I asked. “Give it back.”
His eyes narrowed. “If you and Nolan really broke up, why do you need it back so desperately?”
I tried to keep my voice steady. “It’s not about needing it. It’s not my property and I need to return it.”
He tightened his fist around it, his jaw set. “Something doesn’t add up here, Zena. You’re looking a little nervous. What aren’t you telling me?"
“Nothing—give me the ring,” I repeated, my heart racing as I realized how quickly this situation was spiraling out of control.
“No,” he retorted. “I don’t trust you. I’m holding onto it until you send me confirmation that your wedding was canceled.”
Before I could do anything, Mitch was in the Ferrari, peeling out of the parking lot, with Belle waving goodbye.
I spun around and sprinted back to the BMW, my heart pounding against my chest. Nolan and Bonnie were watching me, sensing something was wrong.
“Mitch took off with the ring!” I shouted as I approached. “We need to stop him!”
Nolan’s eyes widened. Without a word, he jumped into the driver’s seat, and started the engine before I reached the car. Bonnie and I barely had time to get in and close the door before he peeled out of the parking lot, tires screeching.
“Which way did they go?” Nolan asked.
“Toward the highway,” I replied.
We wove through traffic, and I could see the yellow Ferrari in the distance, getting smaller by the second.
“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Bonnie asked from the backseat, her voice strained.
“I’m trying!” Nolan gritted out, narrowly avoiding a minivan as we merged onto Interstate 40. He pressed harder on the accelerator. The BMW surged forward.
“Be careful!” I shouted, my heart in my throat. “We need that ring back, but I’d rather not die while trying!”
Even with my white knuckles gripping the dashboard, hope fluttered in my chest as the gap between us and the Ferrari seemed to shrink. As if Mitch had suddenly remembered he was driving a supercar, everything changed. The Ferrari’s engine let out a thunderous roar that we could hear even over our own motor. In a heartbeat, the distance between us doubled.
And just like that, it disappeared on the horizon.
Along with my hope.
That was when I heard the siren blaring behind us.
“Oh no, not again,” I groaned.
Nolan cursed under his breath, pulling over to the shoulder.
To our surprise, the State Trooper blazed past us.
“Are they going after Mitch?” I asked, bewildered.
Nolan watched as another highway patrol car flew by us. “I hope not, but we obviously can’t continue.”
