Page 87 of Kings & Corruption

The blood rushed in my ears, my heart hammering as my body went into fight-or-literal-flight mode. I glanced at the GPS and saw that my ETA at Bellepoint was a little over five minutes.

I didn’t bother thinking about what I would say to whoever was driving the car (Rock? Oscar? Neo?) when we both arrived there. It didn’t matter. I’d be on the Bellepoint campus where they couldn’t talk me out of going, where they couldn’t distract me from the goal of finding out what happened to Emma.

I eased off the accelerator as I approached a curve in the road, a yellow sign on the side of the road screaming a warning.

Unfortunately, whoever was driving the Hummer didn’t do the same. They actually sped up as we entered the curve, crossing the double yellow line and roaring past me while I stared in shock, the sharpness of the curve demanding every bit of my reduced speed and attention.

I held my breath, expecting the Hummer to crash into another car coming in the other direction or topple off the side of the road, but there were no other cars, and the Hummer cleared the front of the Maserati, then gunned the engine, putting space between the two cars.

What the fuck? Why chase me down just to leave me behind?

I understood a few seconds later when the Hummer skidded to a stop sideways, blocking the road in front of me.

Slamming on the breaks, I kept the steering wheel in a death grip as the car started to fishtail. I steered against the skid like I was taught to do in driver’s ed, and I had to force myself not to close my eyes and brace for impact as I gained on the Hummer, straddling the double yellow and blocking my way.

The car came to a stop without a sound, no squeal of brakes or anything, and for a second I wondered if I was dead. But then I opened my eyes and saw that I was sideways next to the Hummer, no more than three feet away.

I was dizzy with adrenaline, the blood rushing in my ears.

I sat there with my breath coming in short gasps, my hands still tight around the steering wheel.

I jumped when the driver’s side door opened, then barely had time to register a murderous Neo staring down at me in the second before he leaned into the Maserati to reach across my body.

I wondered if I’d hit my head without realizing it, if I had a concussion, because Neo looked like he wanted to kill me and all I registered was the musky scent of cologne mixed with the sweat, the scruff on his jaw, the press of his body against mine as he unclipped my seat belt.

He didn’t say a word as he dragged me out of the driver’s seat like I was no heavier than a feather. I barely had time to register that he was wearing a tank top and basketball shorts, which meant he’d left the house in a hurry, because Neo never left the house looking anything less than perfect.

I stumbled when my feet hit the asphalt and he shoved me up against the car, the driver’s side door still open next to us, and placed one of his hands on either side of my body, locking me in place.

“What thefuckdo you think you’re doing?” His voice was dangerously low, his face only inches from mine, his eyes spitting fire. “You could have been killed.”

I was still breathing hard, although now I wasn’t sure if it was adrenaline from the car chase and near collision with the Hummer or the fact that my stepbrother was so close I felt the press of his thighs against mine.

“Me?” I countered. “What do you thinkyou’redoing? If I’d been killed, it would have been becauseyouchased me like a maniac!”

“Because you stole my car!” he roared. I fought against the instinct to shrink away from his anger, which I couldn’t have done anyway since I was smashed up against the car. “And you’re not supposed to be out alone. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to leave and not tell anyone where you’re going?”

“I’m not your prisoner!” I screamed at him. “I don’t have to follow your orders! You’re the most annoying, obnoxious— ”

“And you’re the most oblivious, stubborn— ”

I was still going, but now he’d started in with his own insults, both of us talking louder, trying to make sure we were heard over each other. I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore. The words were just falling out of my mouth, my voice so loud on the empty road I only caught snippets from Neo.

Stupid…

Naive…

Cocktease…

The last one stopped me in my tracks.

Cocktease?

“Cocktease?” I was practically shrieking at him now. “The 1950s called, they want their insult back. And besides, you’re obviously only mad because you know I would never — not in a million years, not for a million dollars — touch your cock!”

I was breathless with rage, but the barb had landed. The road felt strangely silent in the vacuum of our earlier shouting, no sound at all except for the birds chirping in the trees by the side of the road.

Neo’s face was red, his eyes wide and bulging, and for a second, I almost thought he would hit me. He kissed me instead, slamming his mouth down on mine, pushing me back against the Maserati.

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