Page 18 of Collateral Claim

“Just one.”

“She’s optimistic. Thinks her father will find Cass, and this will all be over shortly.”

“She might’ve packed fast in a rush to get to your house.”

I frown. “Why would she do that?”

“She is smitten with your warm aura and excellent manners.”

I chuckle and check my watch again, then look around. It’s quiet for a kidnapping. Too quiet. I’m a little disappointed by how easy… An unfamiliar noise pings.

Marquis points toward my pocket. “Your phone?”

“No. Yours?”

He shakes his head.

I open the car door and look inside, thinking someone might’ve forgotten their phone, when the noise pings again. This time, it pings in a steady rhythm every few seconds.

“It’s your phone,” Marquis says.

“It’s not my—” I pull out my phone and see a red banner flashing at the top of the screen. “That’s the tracker app.” I swipe, and a map opens with a red dot pulsing and moving away from my location.

Marquis and I lock eyes, understanding hitting us instantly.

“We have a runner,” Marquis shouts. He rounds the car while I slide into the back.

He takes the driver’s seat and, after Slada hops in next to him, tires screech, kicking up gravel in their wake. We take off down the driveway at top speed. Marquis nears the gate, then stops so Slada can get out and remove the chain we put there to stall anyone who might want to come in or escape.

This tells me Scarlett didn’t escape this way.

Slada returns, and we peel away. I’m itching to drive, but Marquis is handling the transport, and I can’t overstep his authority and micromanage. But it’s hard to sit back when my body’s itching for a chase. Fuck, I love a good chase, and it looks to me like Scarlett is an excellent runner.

I didn’t expect her to run. Not at all, and the unexpected has me hard now. I adjust my erection and lick my lips. Not boring. Not easy at all.

Marquis’s eyes find mine in the rearview mirror. “Got something dirty on your mind?”

“I want to catch her.”

“Not sure if we can. She’s got a great start.”

“We better catch her.” I pass him my phone so he can hook the tracker to the dash device so everyone can see her signal.

Marquis keeps his eyes on the road, but he slows down to watch the red dot move. Their property is outside the city, situated among other luxury ranches. There’s not much traffic out here, and she’s not even using the road.

“When I heard her sister was coming, I speculated the collateral would attempt an escape. Hide in the trunk or some such,” Marquis says.

Scarlett’s dot moves over the nearby golf course. “She’s moving too fast to be on foot.”

“A golf cart?” Slada suggests from the back.

“Maybe,” Marquis says.

From the road, the golf course’s thick, living fence blocks our view. We follow the road alongside the fence, and I catch myself chewing the inside of my lip, anticipating Scarlett’s appearance when she clears the fence. Judging by her speed, she will clear it in under a minute.

I’m dying of curiosity about how she got out from under Marquis’s watchful eye and traveled several miles from her property and over a golf course. I wouldn’t say I underestimated her because, coming into this, I knew she was smart and would push back, but I didn’t anticipate that I’d enjoy the chase.

Marquis accelerates to match her speed.