Page 94 of Chad's Chase

Chad’s smirk deepened, nearing a smile.

Sambo panicked. “Boss?”

Silence.

“Boss,” Sambo pleaded in a rush, “we got cut off! We couldn’t get to her in time! Boss, don’t let him do this!”

More silence for a few still seconds, then, “How scared is he looking right now, Shadreek?”

“Pissing,” Chad replied.

“Good. That will wake him the hell up,” Org said grimly. “Now, you all need to get away from that scene. Bad cops are on their way.”

The line went dead and Chad lowered his gun.

Sambo narrowed wary eyes at Chad, and then he broke into a nervous grin. “Chadrick motherfucking Niiveux.” He shook his head, as if meeting some infamous being and couldn’t believe it. “I’ve heard about you…”

“And now someone else’s gonna be hearing about me fromyou.”

Grabbing my hand, he growled, “Off the scene.”

We all scattered and took off to our respective cars.

Once we were a good deal away from the scene, Chad eased up on driving like a bat out of hell. Setting the car on cruise, he relaxed his shoulders, dropped his head back on the headrest, took off his aviators, then glanced over at me. “You’re okay, babe?”

“What’s with the ‘babe’ tag?”

He frowned, as if thinking about it, then, “I’m in love with you.”

Thud…Thud…Thud…ThudThud…ThudThud…ThudThud….ThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThudThud…

That was the sound of my heart.

The words pinwheeled, crashed, and exploded into me like a firebomb. Then the sparks from that firebomb turned into colorful daisies, raining down on me. Then the soft petals of those daisies turned into beautiful butterflies, fluttering all around me. Then… everything disappeared as reality slapped me across the face.

“I don’t want you to love me. Everyone you love dies. Hate me, Chad. Hate me so I can feel safe with you. Hate me so I can love you.”

His dark eyes, dark as his soul, watched me for a thousand heartbeats, before he breathed out, “I hate you so fucking much, Jhay. So fucking much.”

I tried to hold back my grin, but it came any way. “As long as you hate me, I’ll never leave you.”

He stretched one hand across and caressed my cheek with his knuckles. “Back there, when you chose me…I’ve never been so achingly hard for anyone in my entire life.” Those eyes stared hard, sucking me into their never-ending blackness. “You own me, Jhay. I’m so fucking owned I don’t even know my identity anymore.”

Just then, the loud zing of a white Lexus LFA overtook us and swung to the side of the road with its hazard lights on.

Chad careened to the side, too, muttering, “That’s our ride.”

I forgot he’d dialed Ronnie and told him to catch up with us with another car. The back windshield of the R8 was all spider-cracked with lodged bullets, and that would only serve to draw unwanted attention from road cops.

“Leave the guns?” I asked, reaching for the glove compartment.

“Yeah. I’ve got metal in the Lex, too.”

Ronnie got out of the Lexus at the same time we ditched the R8. Car keys got exchanged in a simple toss. No words spoken.

We folded into the red and black interior super-car that smelled like new, and life.

New Life.