Page 88 of Chad's Chase

Chad stared at me for a long, long while, as if committing all my features to memory, before asking, “You still like opening your legs for me?”

“Yes,” I answered in a rush of breath, my body instantly alive, like I hadn’t just danced on the toes of death.

At the same time he stood up off the floor, he scooped me up with him. “I’m gonna take you to my room and you’re gonna open your legs for me and let me make sweet love to you. Long, slow, and deliberate. Then we’re hitting the road. There’s something you need to see.”

Forty-eight hours later, we were speeding out of Chad’s compound.

I had no idea where we were headed, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t paranoid as hell. Rafail was still after both our lives, and, even though Chad assured me some mysterious stranger was protecting me, what did I know about him? Maybe I was mostly scared of the unknown than the known.

If this unknown protector was so set on keeping me safe, why would he leave me withChad? My fake kidnapper. Considering Chad almost snuffed my lights out a few hours ago, what made him think he could trust Chad with me? What would they have done to him if hehadkilled me? Is this protector even real? Was any of what Chad told me even true?

Well, shit. Who else did I have to trust but him? Who else was there for me, but him?

No longer in the claws of The Voice—Rafail Niiveux—I was now a confused, lost, meandering sheep. Unsure whether I should turn left, right, or go straight ahead to fucking jail. All I could do—foolishly so—was bank my faith and fate in Chad, a man whose own best friend described him as aconstantbetrayer.

The answer was right there. Glaringly obvious. I could not, and should not trust him.

I did, though. Oh, I did.

He was right: I was a stupid, stupid girl.

But this stupid, stupid girl did not regret letting him make sweet, sweet love to her body two hours ago. The most euphoric experience of my entire existence. One I’ll never forget. So maybe being stupid had its perks.

As the R8 kicked up speed, weaving and overtaking every inferior vehicle in its way, the engine growling a vicious “get the fuck out of my way”, the air-conditioner blasting stiff, frigid air, Eminem booming through the confinements of the car, I peeked over at Chad, wondering where the hell he was taking me. To life, or to death?

With a black ball cap pulled down over his face, and a mirror aviator hiding his eyes, he seemed distant, far off in his thoughts, his jaw set tight, a tic jumping occasionally. I couldn’t tell if that was from some evil thoughts or from nerves.

With Chad, one never knew.

I reached forward and powered down the volume on the monitor, and Chad leaned a little to the side, resting his shoulder on the car door, as if bracing himself for whatever conversation I was about to strike up.

“Why did Org allow you to keep me?” I asked. “I mean, if he’s so keen on protecting me, how can he trustyouwith me?”

“I killed one of his men thinking he was out to harm you.” His eyes remained hidden, but on the road. “Org understands we have one common goal, to keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe from Rafail, sure,” I said. “But does he know you can’t keep anyone safe fromyou?”

Tic.

Tic.

Tic.

Jaw tightening. Tic jumping.

Tic.

Tic.

He was sorry. But he had already apologized and he wasn’t going to do it again. He’d been like this since we were young. Once or twice he would apologize, but no matter how sorry he was, that was it.

“What happened to her?”

At that, he glanced over at me, giving me a view of myself in those mirror aviators. “Who?”

I’m one hundred percent sure he knew I knew he knew who “her” was.

“Your uncle’s mistress,” I reminded him. “Twenty-one-year-old bombshell who took your V card?”