Page 26 of Vow of Sin

By the time Nico release his grip, I lift my head and pull in a long breath of oxygen. My chest is heaving. Need curled tight in my belly to have more. More of him.

Silence fills the car. I worry that I’ve disappointed him. That once again, a man I’ve given pieces of my body to is going to throw it away again. Slowly, I lift my head, Flashes of the way he ran from my room dancing in my memories.

When my gaze finally meets his, his eyes are trained on the rearview mirror. I move to turn in the seat.

“Don’t,” he snaps. “Keep your eyes forward.” His tone is no longer sultry and deep. It’s hard and cold.

“What—”

“Shut the fuck up for five seconds.”

I open my mouth to argue and immediately stop. His eyes dart back and forth between the road and the mirror. A thin line mars his lips. Without moving my head, I look out of the corner of my eye to the side mirror and see a black SUV a few cars back. When Nico changes lanes, the SUV follows.

“We’re being followed.”

“Yes,” he grits through his teeth.

“Can we lose them?”

The car lurches forward, the speedometer climbing. I grip the side of the seat as Nico weaves in and out of lanes of traffic, hurtling down the highway. We pass a couple of exits and just as I think he plans to stay on this road, he darts across two lanes of cars and barrels down the exit ramp. He makes a quick left and continues down the highway.

I want to ask, to know if they are still trailing us. I’m afraid he won’t answer. Not that has ever stopped me before.

“Are they—” I start when Nico yells, “Scarlett!”

The crunching of metal hits my ears as the black SUV rams into the back of the car. My entire body slams forward.

Nico hits the gas, but its not enough. Another SUV comes from a side street and before I can warn him, it slams into the passenger side of the car, sending us careening sideways across the road. Glass flies across my face at the same time I slam into the center console.

Silent screams try to leave my throat as the car tilts and rolls into a ditch on the side of the road. The screeching of tires pierce the air. The next thing I hear is ringing in my ears. My vision is hazy.

Smoke and dust surround us. “Scarlett?” The panic is clear in his voice. “Scarlett, are you all right?”

“I’m…” Right as I move to face him, pain shoot up my side and I groan. “Fine.”

“Bullshit.” Nico moves next to me, bringing his feet up and slamming them against the front windshield.

“What…” I trail off as his feet slam into the windshield again. A spiderweb crack forms. Once more he hits the glass and it shatters out onto the hood. Carefully, Nico climbs from the wrecked car. I lose sight of him for a moment. The next thing I know, he’s standing next to what’s left of my door.

He yanks on the handle a few times. “There’s too much damage,” he says through what’s left of the broken window. “Close your eyes.”

Nico pulls out his gun, gripping the barrel in his hands. I slam my eyes closed and turn my face away. I hear the last pieces of the window break away and fall into the car. “Now, carefully, unhook your seatbelt.”

He wraps an arm around my waist as I push the small black button. Pain courses through me when his grip tightens. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming out. Nico helps me from the car. That’s when I get the first good look at his face.

“You’re bleeding.” There’s a stream of blood running down the side of his face. The collar of his shirt is soaked through.

“It’s fine.” He brushes my hand away when I reach up to check the cut.

“It isn’t.” I grab the knot of his tie and pull it loose. Folding it up, I move his hand and press it against the cut. It doesn’t look bad, but he might need stitches.

Once I’m sure the tie is pressed tight to his head, I reach into the car for my purse, we need to get out of here. I ignore the pain the pressure on my side caused. I start dialing when a hand covers mine. “Who are you calling?”

“Sofia. We need to get the hell out of here before they come back.”

He lets go of my hand. She picks up in less than a ring.

“Hey Scar.”

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