Page 88 of The Billionaire's Bride

I glance around the living room, head for the coffee table. Nothing. I walk down to the room that doubles as Baron’s study, crack the door open, peer inside. It’s dark. Good. I walk across to the desk, and spot them. There, next to his laptop. I snatch the key fob, retrace my steps to the front door. I swing it open, slowly, expecting something. Maybe alarm bells to go off?

Nothing moves. An owl hoots somewhere and the wind rustles the leaves of the trees. The house is silent. I step out, close the door behind me, then reach the car. I press the key fob, and the door beeps open. Shit, the beep is too loud. I’m sure they definitely heard that, right? I glance at the still silent house, but there’s no movement. I open the door to the driver’s side, haul myself inside. Adjust the seat, then start the car. Sweat beads my palms and my hands slip on the steering wheel. Shit, shit, shit.

Keeping the headlights off, I grasp the wheel tighter, then ease the car down the short driveway, and onto the country road. I drive carefully, then when l I feel confident enough, I switch on the headlights. I steer the car down the narrow road, until I reach the highway. A car whizzes by. I glance both ways, accelerate onto the main road, and head in the direction of London.

I speed up, keep a look-out in the rearview mirror. The road is empty. I blow out a breath, peer through the windshield at the road ahead. Cars pass by, and I continue on. A few more minutes pass and my muscles relax. Maybe…maybe I’ll make it. Even if they do catch up with me… Well, big deal… Maybe they’ll punish me… I smirk… More likely, they’ll lock me up in the room like an errant child. Seriously, those guys need to get a life. If only they had included me in their decision-making, maybe I’d have stayed. Maybe not. I glance up at the rearview mirror and freeze. Headlights light up the space behind me. Shit. I step down on the accelerator and the car behind me speeds up too. I accelerate further; the car keeps pace. Shit, could it be them? I can make out two passengers in the front of the car, but they are too far for me to see their features. Shit, how the hell could they have gotten hold of a car that quickly?

I glance at the road, then back at the mirror, to find the car gaining on me. Shit, shit, shit. I accelerate further, and the car behind me increases its speed. Hell, ugh! I can’t lose this round… Not that it’s a competition, but I have my pride. I am going to outrun them if it’s the last thing I do. I step on the accelerator, grip the steering wheel more tightly. The SUV leaps forward. The headlights light up the road and there, straight-ahead, eyes stare back at me. I scream, swerve to miss the deer. The brakes screech and the car hits the bank of the road, hurtles down the short slope. A tree looms ahead, there’s a loud bang, then everything goes dark.

30

Edward

"She’s gone."

"What the fuck?" Baron swears aloud.

I’d thought I’d heard a beep, followed by the sound of a car driving away, had glanced outside and seen the SUV gone. I’d rushed into her room…knowing already that it would be empty. Then stepped out to find Baron at the doorway to his room.

"The SUV’s gone."

"Fuck. The car keys." He races down the steps to the study. I follow him, knowing already what he is going to find. He reaches his desk and swears. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He turns to me, "The car, we can track it."

He stalks out of the study, up the stairs to his room. I follow him. He snatches his phone, pulls up the app. I reach him, glance over his shoulder at the green dot on the screen.

"Well?"

"It’s not moving."

"What does that mean?"

"How the fuck do I know?" He turns on me, "This was a bad idea. We should have spoken to her, reasoned with her, not acted like overbearing brutes…"

"Which we are." I grimace. "Let’s get to her first, then point fingers at each other."

He nods. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He squeezes his fingers around the phone, the skin across his knuckles stretching white. "If something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself."

"Hold on, man." I grip his shoulder. "We’ll find her."

"I should have walked away when you asked me to." He squeezes his eyes shut, I stayed on. I couldn’t bring myself to leave, and now she’s gone."

"We’ll find her, Baron," I insist. "She’s not far. You said so yourself; we just need to hurry before anything happens to her."

He snaps his eyelids open. "Shit," he shudders, "if they get to her first."

"They won’t."

He drags in a breath, "We’ll find her first."

"We will."

"And when we do, I—"

"Not now," I snap. "Pull yourself together. Focus, solider. Let’s get going.”

"Right."

"Right." I clap his shoulder, "See you downstairs." I head for the doorway, when he calls out.