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One thing I didn’t think of was a meetup location. I need to get him onboard with the idea of letting me help him. Or at least keep him away from his family long enough for him to miss the ambush I know my father and uncles are planning. We own a little hunting cottage about three hours upstate. It’ll have to do.Now, how the hell do I get Connor there?

Me:

School parking lot.

If I can get him in my car, I can knock him out long enough to get us to the cottage. Once we’re there, he’s not going to have any way to leave.

Charming:

Be there in ten.

Thank god.

I get the syringe ready and slip it into the door beside me. He can’t hate me any more than he already does, right? I know he’s going to be pissed that I’m doing this, but he’ll realize I’m doing it for him. I hope.

Nine minutes later, Connor pulls up next to me. He gets out, looks around the otherwise-empty lot, and then climbs into my car. My hands are still shaky, my breathing deep as I try to remain calm. The thought of something happening to him is sending me over the edge. I know that, and I can’t do a single thing to stop it.

“What’s wrong?” Connor’s eyes rake over my entire body. His hands reach over and take hold of mine. “You’re trembling. What the fuck happened?” he asks, his voice lethal. He’s ready to fight for me. I just hope he continues to feel that way when he wakes up.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him. I let the tears fall down my cheeks.

Connor pulls me against him. His arms wrap around me. “Aurora, you need to tell me what happened. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

I pull back. My hand reaches down and wraps around the syringe. “Everything is wrong. It’s all a mess.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I… I can fix this. Can you just hold me for a minute longer? I’ll fix it.”

“What are you fixing?” he asks even as he’s tugging me closer again.

I climb over the center console and straddle his lap. “Us. I’m going to fix us,” I say before stabbing the syringe into the side of his arm.

“Ow, what the fuck?” He pushes me backwards. “Did you just drug me?”

“I’m sorry. I had to.” I climb back over the center console and lock the doors. He’s not getting out.

“What are you doing?”

“Put on your seat belt,” I tell him before peeling out of the parking lot.

“Fucking hell, Aurora. Stop the car and let me out!” he yells.

“I can’t.”

When I screech around the corner, he finally does as he’s told and clips himself in. His words are slurring and then he’s asleep.

I know we can’t go far yet. My family will track me. When we reach the city limits, I stop at a used car dealership. Hand the guy a couple thousand for a beat-up piece of shit, and give him the keys to my Mercedes. I know my father will come looking for it. Looking for me.

After I move my bags from my car to the new one, I have to figure out how to do the same with Connor. It takes effort, but I manage to grab him under his arms and drag him out. I then shove him into the back seat and shut the door, while the salesman watches me.

“Thanks for your help.” I smile at him. Asshole could have given me a hand. But no, he’d rather watch me struggle.

I take my phone, pull Connor’s out of his pocket, and toss them both out the window. I have the burner just in case we need to reach out to someone.

Three hours later, I stop in front of the cottage. And a half an hour and a lot of effort after that, I finally have Connor inside and on the bed. He’s going to wake up with bruises from when I dropped him and dragged him up the stairs.

But you try lifting a six-foot something brick. It’s not easy.