Page 26 of Sweet Deception

When our eyes meet, everything floods back from the wedding in Vegas. The weight of his fingertips all over my flesh, his lips on my mouth, my neck… It’s all in visceral, vibrant 4D.

Our brief, erotic, and horrible history slams into me, stealing my ability to breathe. After a split second that seemsoh so much longer,I spin around and sprint to my window, throwing myself out onto the fire escape despite my trick ankle’s protests. Piro meows as I scramble through the warm night down the first flight of stairs. Wincing as his tiny claws sink into my flesh, I take the landing in one big leap and fly down the next set of steps.

Over my roaring pulse and pounding feet, I barely hear a thing. If Darren’s hot on my heels, I can’t tell, and I have no time to glance back.

I’ve got to get out of here.Now.

My options are limited. Since I refuse to pile more stress on Maya’s plate, that only leaves Mrs. Guseva. If I can reach her shop, she’ll help me to safety the same way she’s done for so many others. I hate the thought of endangering her, but there’s no one else, and Mrs. Guseva made me promise to come to her if I ever needed her, no matter what. I know she’d help me in a heartbeat.

I reach the final landing and hoist myself onto the fire escape ladder. The metallic squeal echoes down into the alleyway that runs along the edge of my brownstone.

The ground is a hazy purple blur from here, but I won’t let that stop me.

I climb the ladder with speed and grace, Piro nestling against my chest in a way that would tickle if we weren’t in the middle of fleeing for our lives.

Once I’m within jumping distance of the pavement, I drop down the rest of the way, cringing as my ankle complains. I’ll jog down the alley and cut over to the next boulevard, then double back to Mrs. Guseva’s.

I pivot to do just that when a giant hand covers my mouth.

Before I know what’s happening, my back smacks the exterior wall of my apartment building, my head snapping against the bricks behind me violently enough to create a dull throb at the base of my skull.

Blinking rapidly in an attempt to see through the haze, I discover that I recognize my attacker’s face.

Darren.

Again.

How the hell did he get down here so quickly?

His blue eyes slide down to my chest. He squints, his eyebrows raising. “…Napalm?”

In that tiny moment of distraction, I break free and prepare to sprint down the alley. His hand coils around my wrist with so much speed and force that I yelp in surprise.

“Don’t even thinkabout it, wedding crasher.” He yanks me back, forcing me to swing toward him lest he rip my arm right out of its socket. Before I can demand my release, the unmistakable rapid-firetat-tatof bullets pierces through the alarms.

Without a thought, Darren throws us both back into the shadow of a dumpster. One of his hands remains firmly around my wrist while the other unholsters his gun.

“Stay behind me.” He shoves me behind him as he rises high enough to fire in the direction of the oncoming bullets.

The shouts of men nearby alerting others of our location follow.

Wait, they aren’t with Darren?

Aren’t they all working together to murder me?

Darren ducks low as more bullets careen our way, where they scuff bricks and ricochet off metal pipes.

We’re going to die,my brain chants. In this alleyway. Right here.We’re going to?—

Darren cuts through my doom spiraling, throwing me a feral grin, as though all this mortal danger excites him.

“Let’s go!” He yanks us out from behind the dumpster.

“What?” My voice is stolen as he takes off with me in tow. I struggle to keep up with his long, athletic strides.Shit!

Darren zips down the alley onto the street in front of my building as more bullets rain down on us, some so close they distort my hearing. With no warning, he cuts right around a corner. I almost lose it on the pavement and go down sprawling, but his iron grip on me never wavers.

The purple smoke is so thick, I can barely breathe.How can he even see where we’re going?And then, he’s tossing me into the fanciest sports car I’ve ever seen in real life.