Kiss Chase E-Book

Scarlett Finn

• Herausgeber: Moriona Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

"What makes you think if I get a chance to point this at your head I won't pull the trigger?"

Isolated and imprisoned, Rora's situation is about as desperate as it could be. She has no hope of escape… or does she?

Junker
A man with integrity.
His loyalty to his mission is unwavering.

Aurora's life is endangered when the man who saves her life asks for her help. Junker needs to stop Exile no matter the cost. Does she have the strength to stand up to her former lover?

Exile.
He's unapologetic.
The same… but different…

Rora resents the man she double-crossed and her own love for him. A shocking revelation tears at the conflict within her until she has to decide which of the men deserves her allegiance.
                       
Warning: Contains explicit language and imagery. Suitable only for ages 18 and over.
 

Leseprobe

Copyright © 2018 Scarlett Finn

Published by Moriona Press 2018

All rights reserved.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

First published in 2018

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Original cover by Najla Qamber Designs

www.najlaqamberdesigns.com

www.scarlettfinn.com

EXILE

Hide & Seek

Kiss Chase

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For other titles from Scarlett Finn, please read on after the story.

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Enjoy!

for the readers

Contents

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

TWENTY-ONE

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FIVE

TWENTY-SIX

TWENTY-SEVEN

TWENTY-EIGHT

TWENTY-NINE

ONE

“And they all lived happily ever after.”

Her eyes were closed, her head drooped between her arms held in the stocks fastened to the exposed-brick wall behind her, but Aurora Maguire heard Bella finish the story and close the book; she hadn’t slipped into delirium yet.

Rora had been here so long that the chains around her ankles had become an extension of her being. But becoming accustomed to her captivity didn’t save her legs from feeling the cold or the exhaustion that came from constantly supporting her own weight.

Bella didn’t suffer during her regular visits to her captive; she afforded herself luxury. There was something especially cruel about Bella’s choice to leave a sumptuous armchair a few feet away from Rora’s position. In view, but not in reach.

Fastened to the wall in this dark, cold, damp space, sleep was difficult to get. Whenever Rora did doze off, she woke up to pain screaming in her limbs and the crashing reality that she was at the mercy of a madwoman without any prospect of ever being freed. Being forced to stare constantly at the plush furniture only heightened her torture.

Bella had brought the chair into the room so she had somewhere to nestle in comfort while she read bedtime stories to Rora who’d been caught murmuring fairytales to herself in her first days here. Reciting the familiar tales was her subconscious’ attempt to comfort her; it was a distraction technique. One that she didn’t think she’d ever use again after listening to Bella read the stories over and over.

“Are you asleep, duckie?” Bella asked.

Rora didn’t even flinch when Bella touched her anymore. The Black Jewel, as Bella was also known, had gotten tired of Rora’s hair covering her face, obstructing her view, so she’d styled it in two plaited pigtails that started at the base of Rora’s skull and draped forward over her shoulders.

The hairstyle didn’t stop Bella from digging her nails into Rora’s scalp when she wanted attention. In those moments, her jailor would grab handfuls of her hair to pull her head around. Rora doubted she’d get the knots out of her locks, not that she cared. It was difficult to care about anything when life was so downright hopeless.

Grabbing Rora’s chin, Bella forced her prisoner’s head back and slapped her face a few times. “I want to talk,” Bella said. “Wake up! I want to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk,” Rora mumbled.

The fairytales were hard enough to hear. Rora hated the sound of Bella’s smooth, innocent voice. No one would know what depravity the woman was capable of just by looking at her or listening to her sweet lilt.

“Do you think of him? At night… do you think of him?”

“Who?” Rora asked, knowing exactly who Bella was referring to.

“Oh, you know who,” Bella said, prodding Rora in the ribs. “Lift up your head… look at me.”

Rora was given little choice. Bella grabbed the hair on Rora’s head and pulled it up. The weight of her eyelids was difficult to fight, but she held them open just enough to satisfy Bella. “Who?”

“Exile,” Bella said, smiling at her. “Do you think about him?”

Every minute of the day. Yes. Not thinking about him was impossible. There was nothing to do except think about the man who’d made her believe he was in love and then broken her heart.

“What do you want to hear, Bella?” she asked. Her throat was still hoarse from the screaming she’d done in the first couple of days, but she’d long given up hope that there was anyone around who’d hear her or come to her aid. “Just ask me what you want to know.”

Delight and excited hope danced in the woman’s eyes. “Tell me you love him.”

“I love him,” she muttered.

Bella scowled and let go of her captive to put a hand on her own hip. Rora’s neck cracked when her head fell forward, but she let it loll there and didn’t cry out, she was numb to the hurt. “Now I don’t know if you mean that, do you mean that?”

How she wished she didn’t. His betrayal was more painful than anything Bella could do to her. He’d had a choice, world domination or their love… He’d chosen the former. It might sound like a difficult choice, but to Rora, it had been a no-brainer.

The saddest part was, although he’d doubted his own integrity, Rora hadn’t. She’d really believed that he would choose her.

Except Exile hadn’t known when he’d made his choice that the device he thought held the Point was actually worthless. It didn’t hold the computer program meant to facilitate his rise to infinity as he thought it did. All it held was a collection of stock images, landscapes from around the world. Beautiful, but useless.

Yes, she’d tricked him. But he’d never have known it if he’d only chosen her.

Rora had intended to go to the Point, alone, to destroy it somehow. Circumstances changed when Exile had decided to tag along on her trip. His choice forced her to make a split-second decision. Did she take him to the worthless device or to the real Point?

Exile, also known as Strike, had once stated that he feared giving in to temptation and slighting her in favor of the Point. Rora had told herself he wouldn’t ever betray her, but there must have been some part of her that doubted her certainty because she’d chosen to take him to the decoy device.

Bella leaned in to whisper in Rora’s ear. “I think he’s looking for me.” Bella giggled like a woman sharing a salacious secret with a willing girlfriend. “He just doesn’t know he’s looking for me.”

Rora had given up trying to figure this woman out. It was tough enough to stay conscious. Deciphering insanity was beyond her.

Bounding back, Bella began to stroll around the dank space, her hand raised in a variety of gestures, complementing what she was saying. “I can’t wait for the big reveal… when he finds out I’m still alive…” She squealed. “Oh, he’ll be so overjoyed!” For a moment, the jailor reveled in the mental picture she was building about that reunion. Suddenly, her face fell to a scowl and she punched her fists to her hips. “His punishment will have to be particularly special…” Bella turned her eyes to Rora. “He shot me!”

“I was there,” Rora said, clearing her throat and wishing Strike had aimed a bit lower.

“We were going to share you,” Bella said. “If you hadn’t been so naughty, we’d have been the perfect foursome. And beautiful Benjamin… he died for you… But you… you didn’t follow him… Do you love him?”

This woman was obsessed with everything love and sex related. Didn’t matter if it was male or female, or if there was decency involved, Bella saw people as toys to be shared much like children would be expected to share their plastic cars and dolls.

Rora’s friend and mentor, Benjamin, was gone. Dead by his own hand. He’d committed suicide to prevent the secret they shared getting out into the world. Rora would’ve gone after him if Exile hadn’t stepped in and convinced her not to pull the trigger.

Standing here, suspended against this wall, Rora wished she’d pulled the trigger. Strike had convinced her that she had something to live for: him. Then she’d shared the secret and he’d stolen it, choosing it over her.

Rora doubted there was a real choice from his point of view. It was clear now that he didn’t love her. He never had. But she’d really believed his manipulations, even after he repeatedly told her not to.

Bella appeared in front of her, ducked down, peeking up with excitement glittering in her gaze. “Who are you thinking about? Is it Benjamin… or Exile? Who do you love the most?” When Rora didn’t immediately answer, Bella huffed. “If you won’t be honest and share like I do, then I’ll just have to leave you here to think more about what you want to say to me.”

Spinning around, Bella flounced off.

In the initial days, she’d been desperate for Bella to stay just so she could try to convince the nut to free her. Now Rora preferred to be alone. For Bella, this wasn’t about getting answers or satisfying a cause. There was no getting out of here. Rora had figured it out quickly. Bella had brought her here for fun. Because she wanted to play with her.

There was nothing that Rora could say to get herself out of here, nothing she could give that would guarantee her freedom. Bella just wanted to torment her, and Rora would be here until the woman got bored and killed her.

Strike had always told her not to dwell in the past, but what else was she supposed to do when the best she could hope to get from the future was a quick death?

Without any way to measure time, Rora filled the seconds that dragged like days by fighting against the memories that plagued her.

She’d thought losing her family was the most devastating thing that could ever happen. But at least their abandonment had been involuntary. Her brother, Kyan, had slaughtered their parents and sibling, but he’d spared her.

Strike hadn’t been so kind. Rora had given her heart to him, and he’d chosen to turn his back on her. He’d chosen to do it.

Squeezing her eyelids tighter together, she cursed herself for letting her former lover dominate her thoughts. He’d broken her heart for the final time just minutes before Bella had abducted her. But that grief didn’t earn Strike the right to infect her mind.

Time. Nothing but time. Time to remember. The way his mouth had felt, the way his body had moved over hers. That brooding scowl. His knowing smirk… Rora had fallen in love. Damn her. But she had. She’d fallen in love with a man who couldn’t love her back.

So caught up in her hatred of her own emotions, Rora didn’t hear the door opening. Usually it clicked and clunked, forcing her to face the pending intrusion. But this time an unfamiliar hand slid onto her face before she’d even known the door was open. The rough texture of the skin and the width of the digits creeping up her cheek made Rora withdraw on a sharp inhale.

Someone ducked down in front of her; a man… one she didn’t recognize. Who was he?

No one except Bella had been this close to her since she got here. It was startling to be touched by another person. For a moment, she got lost in the concern of his eyes; there was real empathy there. Was this another con?

“Aurora Maguire?” The voice came from him. He was talking to her. He sounded… worried. “Aurora, can you hear me? Are you conscious?”

“Who…” Her throat was so dry it hurt. “Who are you?”

After a breath of relief, he answered. “A friend. I’m here to help you,” he said. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Dropping to a crouch, he did something to loosen the chains from her legs. Rora was confused, dizzy, tired, sore… she couldn’t follow what was going on. He stood to reach over her head. She’d barely registered the metallic sounds above her before her arms were free and she collapsed forward, unable to steady herself.

“I got ya,” he said, capturing her over his shoulder. “I’ve got you, let’s go.”

Rora hadn’t eaten for days. She’d had morsels of food fed to her by Bella who enjoyed teasing her with it. Letting her have just a taste and then taking the sustenance away. Water was dripped into her mouth as Bella saw fit. But the Black Jewel had a habit of letting the liquid run down over her captive’s body so she could lick it from Rora’s chin or wherever else it ran to.

Rora was too out of it to even register pain or where they were going. There was darkness and movement, a floor, stairs, then she was getting wet. Opening her eyes, she tried to lift her head. She saw grass beneath her, felt a breeze on the back of her legs. The wetness falling on her… it was rain. But if it was raining and there was grass that meant… they were outside!

Tensing, she tried to kick. Where was she? What was going on?

Breathing in, she was about to scream when she was pulled down from the shoulder of the man carrying her and balanced on her tiptoes. Someone, this stranger, was holding her up. His body was against hers, and there was something cold behind her… What was that?

Lost, dazed, her head was spinning so fast that she retched.

Then suddenly she was dipped down and put on her ass, onto something soft… Blinking and disoriented, Rora tried to sit up. A vehicle door opened, a rush of cold air hit her. Wait… her mind caught up with her surroundings, she was in a truck… in the front seat of a truck.

Something soft hit her body, blinding her. Fighting with what she realized was fabric covering her face, she pulled it down as she sat up. A rumble vibrated from beneath her and it took a second for her to figure out that the vehicle was moving.

“Who are you?” she asked. Her voice was weak, but it was stronger than the rest of her. “Where are we going?”

“Just rest, Aurora, close your eyes and get some sleep. I’ll explain everything later.”

Her brain told her to argue, to kick and fight, but her body was trembling with shock and any remnant of adrenaline it could muster. Her eyes got heavy and she knew she was done. Whatever was going to happen, whatever this guy wanted, her fate was sealed.

Curling her legs up to her chest, Rora hooked the blanket over her head and let her body succumb to exhaustion.

TWO

“Flame.”

The word was a faint whisper on her lips before Rora opened her eyes. Once the sound traveled to her ears, she peeled her eyelids apart, only to find herself in darkness again. It wasn’t absolute like it had been before, there was definite ambient light that her eyes could adjust to, so maybe she could pick out some features when they did.

Finding that she was lying down, she wriggled enough to figure out that she wasn’t attached to that damned wall anymore. Her body was warm, and the air smelled… clean.

Yes, she wasn’t in the basement anymore, she was loose. This could be her chance to be free.

A shot of pain fired through her skull when she tried to sit up.

“Oh, hey, don’t sit up too fast.”

That was a male voice, one she didn’t know, and couldn’t locate because her eyes were still adjusting. Rolling onto her back, she breathed until she could get her bearings. She was on a bed in, what she’d guess, was a motel room. Having spent so much time in rooms not unlike this one, Rora recognized the stained ceiling, the old-style TV, and the cheap print screwed to the wall. Yep, it was a motel room alright.

Blinking, she shifted her head to see the man was coming toward her. Tall, dark hair, straight nose, warm smile, and somehow vaguely familiar. “You… you’re—”

“A friend,” he said and sat on the edge of the bed. Rora tried to scoot away. He must have sensed her misgivings because he raised his hands in surrender and stood up again. “I’m not a threat to you. What do you remember?”

What did she remember? So much and so little. Picking her hand out from beneath the blanket, she was about to touch her forehead when she noticed the bandages on her wrists.

“I treated your wounds,” he said. “You had cuts and bruising on your wrists and some chafing on your ankles… The marks on your back are fierce, but not infected as far as I can tell… I think after a couple of hot meals and a few decent nights of sleep, you’ll be ok… The Black Jewel was kinder to you than she has been to others.”

“The Black Jewel,” she said and tried to sit up. The shot of pain hit her skull again, making her grab for it. “Damnit.”

“You’re ok, Aurora,” this friend said, moving backward to sit at the bottom corner of the bed, facing her. “I promise, you’re safe now.”

Something in his next expression piqued her memory. “Wait,” she said, shifting higher on her pillows. “I know you.”

He cleared his throat and rubbed his palms on his thighs. Was that a sign of nerves? What did he have to be nervous about? She was half his size. Even at her best, she was no fancy fighter, and right now she wasn’t even close to her best.

“Yeah, we’ve met.”

“But I don’t know who…” Inhaling, she got a flash of his face in another place. “You were… the guy at the bus station. The death or heartbreak guy!”

“That’s not a great nickname,” he said.

Feelings of disgust and violation poisoned her throat. “You’re following me?”

“Looking out for you,” he said. “I had to make contact. I didn’t know that… The Black Jewel got to you so fast… I couldn’t believe it when you went missing.”

No, she refused to accept this. She didn’t want this to be a part of her life anymore. The Black Jewel, Strike, this guy, it didn’t matter, Rora just wanted to go back to her normal life. It might not be possible to go back in time, but she could decide what she would and wouldn’t accept as her present, and this death or heartbreak guy wasn’t going to be a part of it.

“Ok,” she said and tossed back the blanket to see she was wearing a man’s tee-shirt. Even though it wasn’t hers, she’d take wearing it over being naked. Pre-empting the pain in her head, she knew to brace and breathe through it, so succeeded in sitting up this time. “Where are we?”

“In a motel.”

The city didn’t matter, the state didn’t matter either. What mattered was Bella’s anger over losing her captive and Strike who would’ve figured out her deception by now. Both of those things meant one grave thing to Rora: she wasn’t safe.

“I appreciate you getting me out of there,” Rora said, forcing herself onto her feet.

A rush of adrenaline helped her to go toward the door.

“Whoa, wait, where are you going?” he asked and was suddenly in front of her, blocking her path to the door. “I can’t let you leave.”

So the truth was coming out, he wasn’t being altruistic after all. This guy had his own agenda. “One prison for another?” she asked and tried to side-step. “No thanks.”

“I need your help, Aurora.”

Funny that she’d once been the one in need of another’s help. Maybe if she’d listened to Strike’s refusal, none of them would be where they were now.

“I don’t care,” she said, trying to go the other way, but he was quicker than her. His persistence at blocking her made her growl. “Kill me or get the hell out of my way. This isn’t a game.”

The desperation in his eyes did little to sway her, though Rora did wonder if she’d worn that same look when she begged for Strike’s help in Last Resort.

“You don’t understand,” he said. “I don’t mean you any harm. I’ll protect you.”

Oh, that was enough to break through some of her cynicism, though not in a way that worked in his favor. Rora smiled and actually whispered out a laugh. “I guess you’re a comedian? Rescue and protect is a bit outside your wheelhouse then, isn’t it?”

Again, when she tried to swoop around him, he got in her way. There was nowhere else for them to go now his back was against the door. “I got you out of there. You should hear me out.”

Maybe if he’d told her there would be a price for her rescue, she’d have had a chance to tell him to go to hell. Rora tried her best to hold onto her patience, but it was slipping fast.

“You don’t understand what you’ve got yourself involved in,” she said, recalling how her old friend, Buddy, once said something similar to her. “I don’t know who you are. But I know you have no idea what I’ve been through or what’s coming for me. The Black Jewel? She’s the least of my worries. I screwed over a guy who won’t rest until he’s drained every drop of blood from my body. A man who won’t stop. A man who has nothing to lose. A man who doesn’t take kindly to being double-crossed.”

“Exile.”

Taken aback, some of the gusto left her sails and she blinked at him. “Oh my God,” she whispered, trying to re-sort what she thought she knew. “Did he send you?”

Shaking his head, a proud smile crept to his lips. “No. I came for you, Aurora.”

If he wanted a pat on the head, he’d be waiting some time. Rora couldn’t shake her suspicion. “But… why?”

“Want a gym membership? Fresh supply of Viagra? Vitamin supplements? Free slots?”

What was he… It only took a moment for her confusion to clear. Shock took its place. He hadn’t lost his mind, he was identifying himself. She did know him, and it wasn’t only from the bus station, she’d been in communication with this guy for months.

Her lips parted, and she took a step backward. “Junker,” she exhaled.

His smile widened. “Hey.”

Until now, this guy had been nothing more than a digital pen pal; a man who she’d exchanged emails with a few times a week. Strike had once said she never got anything but Junk, except he didn’t know the innocuous subject lines of her emails with Junker were an inside joke.

This man was her friend. Her suspicion dwindled, though she was proud of herself for recognizing there was more to who he was than a kindly stranger.

“Oh my God,” she said, swatting his chest. “What the hell are you doing here? How are you involved in this? Why didn’t you tell me—”

“I wasn’t involved in it. I kept my distance until you went missing,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her to the couch under the window. “Benjamin told me if something happened to him that I should be around to help you.”

And he had. After Benjamin messaged her from his captivity to tell her he needed Exile, Junker had been the online contact who’d helped locate him. “You told me where to find Exile,” she said, needing to know if he was aware of what they were facing. “Have you met him?”

“No,” he said. “Even my sources weren’t sure you’d find him in that bar. But I guess you did. Why does he want to hurt you?”

“It’s a long story.”

Driving her fingers into her matted hair, Rora winced when they got caught. But it wasn’t memories of Bella’s basement that smacked into her, she was assaulted by the memory of the first morning she’d awoken in Strike’s bed. Starting to feel sick, she probably swayed.

Junker grabbed her. “Aurora!”

Shaken from her daze, she focused on him. Mouthing no words for a few seconds, she tried to catch up. “I… How did you find me?”

“I was lucky enough to get an anonymous tip,” he said. “You were off my radar for a while after I told you about Last Resort. Finding you at the bus station was a fluke. I did my best to track you, but I guess I fell behind after you found Exile.”

Yeah, because Strike knew when he was being followed whether he told her or not. Habit made him take evasive routes and his tech prevented him from being captured on cameras or tracked, so for a while, she’d have been under that protection… Except now she was figuring out that maybe he’d been shielding her from the good guys while tempting her to the dark side.

“Guess you did,” she whispered.

“I got an anonymous tip that the Black Jewel had you. The message told me to retrieve you at a specific time and place… so I did.” He’d saved her life. She couldn’t deny that. But an anonymous tip suggested she had a benefactor, maybe one of Bella’s posse wasn’t so scared after all. “Aurora? Do you need to get more sleep?”

Why? Because she was sitting here going into these mini dazes every few seconds? “No,” she said, drawing her legs up inside the tee-shirt. Hugging her knees to her chest, she dipped to rub her forehead against them. “It was about… what? Nine months ago you first contacted me?”

Finding the spam message in her junk folder that wasn’t actually spam was accidental. For a while their communications were nothing more than small talk, jokes and flirtation. She’d taken it as kind of striking up a conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number by mistake… except in email.

She’d had no idea that Junker was in the same line of work as Benjamin or that the two men knew each other, not until after Benjamin disappeared and Junker’s questions got more invasive. That’s when he’d admitted knowing Benjamin and worrying for his safety.

Rora had been too busy following the police investigation to think about giving him specifics, and then Benjamin had sent his clandestine message to tell her that Exile was their only hope and she’d started her own investigation.

She hadn’t immediately thought to ask Junker for his help. Even when she did, he didn’t have an answer for her right away. It had taken him some time to come up with anything, and he’d led her down a few dead ends before they got it right.

Never in a million years had Rora expected to meet him in the flesh or to have him come and save her from Bella.

“Benjamin and I hadn’t known each other long when he asked me to look out for you. I guess he knew he was into something that might turn bad. I thought I was placating him when he told me to help you if something happened to him… I didn’t know it would turn into… this.”

“What changed? You got me away from the Black Jewel, great, thanks. But… why aren’t we just going our separate ways? Why do you need my help?”

Sitting straighter, his shoulders squared. “While I was trying to track you, I learned that there’s a piece of tech in play. It’s… top secret beyond top secret.” Squirming, Rora got a nasty taste in her mouth when the word DARPA crept into her mind. “What?” he asked, reaching over to touch her arm. “Do you know what it is? Where I can find it?”

With her teeth together, her eyes rose to his and she paused before responding. “No… no, I don’t know what it is.”

“I decided that I have to locate and retrieve it. To be honest,” he said, rising to pace away. “I’m still catching up with it all myself, it’s a bit… high octane for me.”

“High octane?”

Turning to face her, he opened one hand and then the other. “There’s something else… I don’t know if you know, but Benjamin was worked up about some project of his getting out,” he said. “He didn’t give me specifics, but I heard on the grapevine that it might be out there. With this device in the open and Benjamin’s program… Now that the two of them are loose, the shit is on… And word is… Exile has them both.”

So that was it? Junker had some self-appointed mission to save the world from Exile who he believed had the DARPA device and the Point. Except, Rora knew the Point wasn’t out.

Strike might have thought it was for a while, but he’d know different by now. Though he probably wouldn’t be advertising that his once-upon-a-time lover had conned him.

Chewing on her lower lip, Rora wondered if she looked as guilty as she felt. She not only knew about the device and the project, but she might have been the one responsible for handing the device and the apparent project over to her former lover.

“Sounds like you have a lot on your plate,” she said and got up, pulling the tee-shirt down. “You don’t need me slowing you down.”

Rushing to her, Junker put both hands on her shoulders. “You’re the key to this,” he said. “I don’t understand all of it, but there’s chatter about you. Maybe the Black Jewel didn’t know it or maybe she didn’t care, but she’s done you a favor keeping you off the radar for the last ten days.”

Shoving his hands from her shoulders, she felt a rush of anger. “I wouldn’t call what I just went through a ‘favor’ of any kind.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he said. “I am. I just… this is serious, Aurora. I need you to help me figure it out.”

There was so much he didn’t know about her involvement. But given the culpability she had, Rora couldn’t deny that it was sort of her responsibility to help put this back in the box. Except, it wasn’t as simple as that.

“Exile will kill me if he sees me.”

“Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Junker said and smiled.

But there was nothing in this scenario to smile about. “You don’t understand him. You don’t know what he’s like… You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

Curiosity replaced his optimism. “But you do,” he said. “What do you know? You did meet him, right?”

And then some. “I know that saying we’ll stay off his radar is easier than it sounds. He sees you everywhere.”

Saying the words made her realize how complacent she’d been. Looking left and right, Rora assessed the space. The first thing she did was rush over to close the curtains, keeping her face turned down as she did.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Junker asked.

“Do you have a phone?”

“A phone? Yes, I—”

“Turn it off,” she said. He just gaped at her. Searching the room, she saw a matchbook on the table by the TV and went to retrieve it. “Give me your phone and your wallet.”

Snatching them from him the moment they were free of his pocket, Rora hurried into the bathroom. Sealing the bath with its metal plug, she removed the cash from his wallet and tossed it to the vanity, knowing the bills could be useful. After wrapping the wallet and phone in towels and tissues, she threw the bundle into the tub and struck a match to set her parcel alight.

She opened the window just above to let the smoke out and watched the pile burn.

“What the hell is that smell?” Junker asked, coming into the room behind her. “Oh my god, what are you doing? Aurora!”

He tried to get by, but she sidestepped to block him. Only when she was satisfied that everything was beyond salvation did she turn on the water to kill the fire.

“No more cards,” she said. “Everything has to be cash.”

“Cash? Where will—”

“I’ll get us cash,” she said, forced confidence bolstered her. “Don’t ever carry ID. If we get arrested, either of us, for anything, do not give your name or address. Don’t give your date of birth, place of birth, nothing. Definitely not your social security number. Have you been arrested before?” He shook his head. “Good. Do you have family?”

“A sister.”

“Ask her to liquidate her assets into cash and remove it from any financial institution. As for your assets? Well, if you’ve been on my trail or his, chances are, he’s already siphoning from you.”

“You… Exile? No, Exile doesn’t know anything about me.”

It was sweet that he thought so and she smiled. “First thing, I need a change of clothes… Do you have a plan?”

“Uh, yeah, kinda,” he said. “But it doesn’t involve being penniless.”

Yeah, she maybe should’ve explained her actions before destroying his phone and wallet, but there was no time to be nice. They were already behind the curve.

Rora wasn’t sure how long she’d been away from Bella’s clutches, but there was every chance that the Black Jewel had been in touch with her prince when she found her prisoner gone.

If Strike knew she was free, he’d be mobilizing, meaning he had a head start. “We need money?” she asked. He nodded. “Ok, I’ll get it. Do you have a car?”

“Yes, my truck.”

Not ideal if it was registered to him, but their options were limited until they had funds because Rora didn’t have Strike’s ad-hocing skills. “It’ll do for the ride back, then we’ll need to ditch it,” she said and tried to pass him, but he snagged her arm.

“Ride back? What are you—”

“We need money,” she said. “When I need money, I get it from one person.”

“Who?”

Widening her smile, her eyes drifted toward the mirror. “My banker.”

THREE

“Are you sure you’re strong enough for this?” Junker asked her.

There were so many ways that she could answer that question. Physically, Rora wasn’t at her best. Emotionally, she was a mess. But there was no time to fall apart. It irked her that Strike’s advice was echoing in her head. Never let them see fear, that’s what he’d told her.

Her chin rose.

Junker had gone out to get clothes for her while she used his comb and the motel conditioner to tug the knots from her hair.

Once she was done, Junker had asked her to eat and rest, proving how little he understood the disadvantage they were at. There was no time for weakness; they had to get in the game. The chase was on, except she wasn’t sure if she was the pursuer or the pursued… it was probably both.

They’d reached a compromise that balanced Junker’s concern for her welfare and her need to get moving: they’d stopped at a fast-food place. Junker was insistent that she should eat, but all she wanted to do was get to where they were going. Eventually, she’d given in and agreed to the junk food.

Rora hadn’t let him use the drive thru. Instead, she’d insisted that he park far away and walk in with his ball cap on and hood up. Cameras were everywhere, and unlike Strike, Junker didn’t travel with his laptop, so he couldn’t erase or corrupt images. He’d told her he’d stashed his computer in a safe place before coming to get her, just in case anything went wrong. Smart.

In truth, Rora wasn’t sure she was wild about the idea of him having a computer at all. It didn’t matter how much he insisted his system was secure, she was dubious about his ability to protect it from Strike’s intrusion. And her ex would intrude every chance he got if it gave him an advantage, no doubt about that.

But she took some solace that they were finally on the road, making progress, even if it was slow.

“What’s your plan?” she asked.

“Are you just ignoring my question?”

Yes, because it was a stupid one given how hard she’d fought to get on the road. Rora was hardly going to change her mind now and insist that he took her somewhere for a little R&R.

“Am I strong enough for a road trip?” she asked. “You said we’re only a couple of hours from where we need to be. I’ve been on longer trips recently, trust me.”

At least Junker had a truck instead of a bike. She’d probably vomit if she had to get on a motorcycle, simply because it would remind her of the time she’d spent with Strike.

“Yeah, but… with everything you’ve been through…”

Eating a fry, Rora tried to pace herself. Her stomach just wasn’t strong enough to take too much right now. “A good night’s sleep and a meal, that’s what you said I needed. I’m eating right now, and I can sleep in the back if I have to.”

“I said a few of both,” he said. “And you’re being vague, I… I don’t like vague.”

A faint smile touched her lips, vague was kind of like implication… The memory of Strike telling her how he didn’t imply faded into her mind, and it made her feel ill enough to toss her fry back into the paper food sack. Her appetite wasn’t up to thinking of him fondly.

“You said we needed money, didn’t you?”

Junker was concentrating on the road. “Yeah and you seem damn sure you can get it from somewhere.”

“I am,” she said and then muttered, “if I don’t get a knife between my shoulder blades first.”

With his hands tight on the wheel, he glanced at her and then the road. “Are you kidding? You’re not going to rob a bank, are you?”

In a bank robbery she’d more likely be shot than stabbed, but now wasn’t the time to be pedantic. “A bank? Talk about security camera central. No, no banks. No way.”

Though if it came to a choice, she’d take being arrested over coming face-to-face with Strike.

“You’re paranoid,” Junker said. “I never picked that up about you when we exchanged emails.”

Rora couldn’t even remember what her awareness level had been like back in what felt like another lifetime. It certainly hadn’t been as high as it was now, post-Strike. “A lot has happened to me recently,” she said. “And I prefer to think of myself as smarter for it, not paranoid.”

Scrunching the top of the bag, she put the rest of the food on the floor. “You should eat more.”

“I will, just pacing myself,” she said, which wasn’t the full truth.

The highway was long and glistening wet in front of them, reflecting the artificial lights above. They drove for a while saying nothing to each other.

“What’s he like?”

Rora hadn’t expected to hear any voice, she’d been too lost in her thoughts… Though she had no idea what had been in her mind, it had just been drifting. “Who?”

“Exile.”

Like she needed to hear that word again.

Gritting her teeth, Rora pulled her legs up to hug them to her chest and rolled her eyes upward trying to think of something non-committal to say. “Vague.”

“Is that your way of telling me that I won’t like him?”

Junker’s curiosity made sense, but Rora had no interest in satisfying it. “I thought we were staying out of his way,” she said, not acknowledging to herself how much of a hypocrite she was being. Rora had been curious about Strike too, and if Junker did find himself meeting the man, he should be prepared. “To make that judgment you’d have to meet him. Besides, weren’t you the one who declared he’d just become the world’s most dangerous man? If he has what you say he has, then God help us all.”

“I’m still hoping he’ll be reasonable,” Junker said. She scoffed. “Come on, we don’t know exactly what he has, or what it’s capable of. Until we find that out we can’t make any assumptions.”

Evicting Strike from her thoughts was proving impossible. “We have to think fast and work on assumptions,” she muttered.

“Why?” he asked. “Why not take our time and—”

“Because that’s what he does,” she said, frustrated. “We’re running behind right now. You don’t know what he’s like.”

“But you do. You do know what he’s like.”

This guy was nothing if not persistent, her patience snapped. “Look,” she said, twisting toward him. “I don’t know your full story, you don’t know mine. Let’s just guess that for the time being neither of us is lying. You’re here to help me and I’m here to fix this.”

“I thought it was the other way around,” he said, frowning at her. “This is only going to work if we trust each other. It’s going to get difficult and it could get messy. Exile’s not going to just hand over whatever he has.”

If it was Junker’s plan to ask and expect to receive, then he was in serious trouble, and it was her responsibility to warn him. “There’s one thing you need to know about Exile. Something you have to remember every single minute. Every. Single. Minute. You can never forget it.”

“What?” he asked. “What is it?”

“You can’t trust him.”

He paused for half a second. “You’re sure about that? You don’t think there’s any chance we can appeal to—”

“No,” she said. “There’s no part of him we can appeal to. He has an agenda and once he’s made up his mind, there’s no changing it.”

Junker considered that for a few seconds. “If you’re right, we’ll have to take drastic action.”

Letting that statement hang in the air, Junker kept driving.

Rora’s drifting mind stuck on an alarming thought, if Strike was so mad at her that he was willing to end her life, was she willing to do the same in return? Could she stand aside and let Junker pull the trigger? Could she pull it herself?

“I held a gun to his head once,” she admitted, the words slipping from her lips at the same time numbness seeped back in. “I couldn’t pull the trigger.”

“You… why?”

She couldn’t pull it because she loved him, but she wasn’t ready to confess that particular shame to Junker yet.

“Let’s just get there and get this over with,” she said. “I need to pick something up on the way.”