Page 54 of Forbidden Sins

We drive in relative silence for a long time, the radio playing softly.

We stop for a drive-through breakfast, a horribly greasy concoction of biscuit and egg, and sausage that I love more than I probably should.

Sebastian keeps a watch on the road as he drives, constantly checking the rearview mirror, and I watch the empty highway unfurl in front of us, feeling an odd sense of peace despite the danger that we’re in.

I’ve never been anywhere like this before, just me and Sebastian and the open road, and I want to savor every moment of it.

The sun rises fully as we drive, casting golden light across the landscape.

I watch as we pass through small towns, places I've never seen before.

Places where no one knows my name, or my father's.

Places where I'm not Estella Gallo, daughter of one of the most feared men in the Northeast. I'm just a girl in a car with a beautiful man, heading west.

"What are you thinking about?" Sebastian asks, glancing over at me.

His dark hair is tousled from sleep, and the stubble on his jaw is thicker now, making me want to reach out and run my fingers over it.

He looks different out here, away from my father's mansion. Less like a professional, wary bodyguard, and more like the man I fell in love with in secret. The one I’ve seen in glimpses, as we became better friends, in the moments where no one was looking. The one I want to get to love forever.

"How strange it is," I say, looking back out at the road. "I've never been this far from home before. I've never been allowed to just… go."

Sebastian's hand finds mine, squeezing gently. "Your father kept you in a gilded cage, dove. But you're free now."

"Am I?" I ask, turning back to him. "Or am I just going to be dragged back and put in a cage with a more secure lock?"

His jaw tightens. "I won't let anyone put you in a cage again. Not your father, not Vito, not anyone."

I think about the night before, about the way we fled from the gardens. The look on Vito’s face when he found us, when he got up from the stone path where Sebastian had knocked him out. The blood running from his nose and lip, the fury in his eyes.

He’s not going to stop looking for me, I know that. Not unless we can get so far away that he can’t find me, no matter what.

"I need to stop soon," I say, changing the subject. "Bathroom break."

Sebastian nods, checking the gas gauge. "We need to fill up anyway. I'll find somewhere quiet."

Twenty minutes later, we pull into a small gas station off the highway. There's only one other car there, an old sedan with a man filling it up. Sebastian parks at the pump furthest from him.

"Stay in the car until I check it out," he says, his hand moving to the gun tucked into his waistband. "If anything happens, anything at all, get down and hide. If someone tries to get in the car who isn’t me, shoot them."

"Sebastian—"

"Promise me, Estella." His eyes are intense, his gaze fixed on mine. "Your safety is what matters most."

I swallow hard and nod. "I promise."

He leans over and kisses me, hard and fast, before getting out of the car. I watch as he scans the area, his body tense and ready. The man with the pickup doesn't even look our way, focused on his own business. Sebastian starts pumping gas, his eyes never stopping their constant surveillance.

When he's done, he comes to my window. "I'm going to pay inside and check the bathroom. Lock the doors when I go."

I do as he says, watching him walk into the small convenience store. My heart is pounding, and I realize this is how it's going to be now. Every stop, every interaction with the outside world, will be fraught with danger.

Sebastian returns a few minutes later, tapping on the window. I unlock the doors, and he motions for me to get out.

"All clear," he says. "Bathroom's around the side. I'll walk you there."

The bathroom is small and grimy, but I don't care. I take care of business quickly, washing my hands and splashing water on my face. When I look in the mirror, I barely recognize myself. My face is completely clear of makeup, my cheeks pink and rosy. My hair is badly in need of a good brushing—one thing that I didn’t grab from Sebastian’s apartment and should have—and I look a little tired.

My clothes are oversized, and I look like I just rolled out of bed a few hours ago.

I look nothing like the polished, perfect daughter of Antony Gallo.

And I kind of like it.

When I come out, Sebastian is waiting, his back to the wall, eyes scanning constantly. He takes my hand and leads me back to the car, and we're on the road again within minutes.

"We should get you some clothes," he says after a while. "There's a mall in the next big town. We can stop there, get what you need."

"Is it safe?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Nowhere is completely safe. But a crowded mall is better than a small store. Easier to blend in, harder for anyone to try anything."

I nod, looking down at my "I could use something that fits."

Sebastian's eyes flick to me, a small smile playing at his lips. "You look beautiful in anything, dove. And I can’t say I mind seeing you wearing my clothes."

Heat rises to my cheeks. Even after everything we've done together, the way he looks at me still makes me blush. "You're biased."

"Completely," he agrees, reaching over to take my hand again. "But it's still true."

Two hours later, we're walking through a mall in a city whose name I didn't even catch.

Sebastian insisted I wear a baseball cap he bought at the gas station, pulling my hair through the back in a ponytail.

He's wearing sunglasses, his own cap pulled low over his eyes.

We look like any other couple shopping on a weekday morning.

Except for the gun at his back, tucked under his shirt, and the way his eyes never stop moving.

"Get whatever you need," he says as we enter a department store, taking out his wallet and handing me several folded bills. "But we need to be quick.”

I nod, heading straight for the women's section. I grab jeans, T-shirts, and underwear, glancing around to see where the shoe section might be. Basic things, practical things. Nothing flashy or expensive that might draw attention. Nothing like what I would have worn back home. I don’t bother with a jacket or hoodie—I like the idea of wearing Sebastian’s, still, if it gets chilly enough or if I need to cover up my face.

I gauge the sizes as best as I can, trying on one pair of the jeans and a black T-shirt.

They fit well, and I tear off the tags, taking the rest of the stack and Sebastian’s clothes to the counter, along with a pair of boots and sneakers that I found in the shoe section.

I pay with the cash he gave me, shove his old clothes into one of the shopping bags that the blonde girl who rings me up hands me, and hurry back to join him where he’s waiting a few feet away, scanning the store.

Sebastian smiles when he sees me. “Better?” he asks, and I nod.

“Much. Thank you,” I add quickly, and he leans in to give me a brief kiss.

“I’ll always take care of you,” he murmurs, and my face flushes slightly, a ripple of happiness washing through me despite the danger we’re in.

I adjust the baseball cap and follow Sebastian to the men’s section.

Twenty minutes later, Sebastian has gotten a few changes of clothes and underwear for himself, and we’re headed out of the store.

We’re almost to the exit that leads out into the main area of the mall when I see them—two men in suits, walking purposefully.

They're not looking our way, but there's something about them that makes my blood run cold.

The way they move, the way they scan the crowd. They're looking for someone.

I suddenly feel certain that they’re looking for us.

I freeze, my hand tightening on Sebastian's arm. He follows my gaze, his body tensing immediately.

“Keep walking,” he murmurs, turning me away. “Normal pace. Behave like you would if we were just leaving to go to the car. They haven’t seen us yet.”

I can feel sweat beading on the back of my neck as we walk through the mall.

The men are moving in our direction, but they're still far enough away that they haven't spotted us.

Sebastian leads me into another store, cutting through it quickly and out a side entrance that leads to a different part of the parking lot than where we parked.

"We need to circle around," he says, his voice low and urgent. "Stay close to me."

We walk along the outside of the mall, keeping close to the building. My heart is pounding so hard I'm sure everyone can hear it. When we finally reach our car, Sebastian opens the passenger door for me, then hurries around to the driver's side.

"Were they—" I start to ask as he starts the engine.

"Your father's men? Probably," he says grimly, pulling out of the parking space.

"There are plenty of ways they could be tracking us.

Traffic cameras, casting a wide enough net that the major routes out of the state are covered, and then checking anywhere we might stop.

Your father and Vito will have called in every possible avenue of help that they might have. "

I feel sick, the reality of our situation hitting me anew. "We can't outrun them forever."

"We don't need to outrun them forever," Sebastian says, his eyes on the rearview mirror as we exit the mall. "Just long enough to get somewhere they can't follow."

We drive in tense silence for the next hour, taking back roads instead of the highway.

I shove everything we bought into the duffel bag that Sebastian has in the back, in case we need to move quickly.

Sebastian is constantly checking the mirrors, making unexpected turns, and doubling back occasionally to make sure we're not being followed.