Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 52851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
I pulled into the lot, yanking the car into a spot before stepping out.
Kyle rounded the front, ready for the show. “You’re fucking drunk!” she snapped loud enough for half the parking lot to hear. “I told you I would drive, you asshole, but you insisted you had to do it because of your precious car. With the way you’re driving, you’re gonna get us fucking killed!”
My brows shot up. Damn, she was going all in. Then, before I could react, she marched up to one of our tails.
What the fuck?
The guy had pulled in two spots over, his tinted window cracked slightly, and Kyle knocked on it bold as hell. The driver hesitated, but when he rolled it down, she bent over, resting a hand on his shoulder like they were old friends.
She murmured something, getting a nod from him in return. And just like that, she strutted back, making sure to swing her hips.
“I’ve said sorry to the poor man behind us,” she announced loudly, glaring at me. “Now give me the damn keys and get your drunk ass on the other side.”
She didn’t wait for me to do what she’d demanded. She just snatched the keys, jumped in, tossed them into the cup holder, and hit the ignition. I barely got into the passenger seat before she took off, smooth as hell back onto the highway. Within minutes, our tails repositioned, two on the right, one behind.
Kyle just smiled, flipping her hair like she was telling me a damn bedtime story. “We’re going to go a little faster and lose our friends.”
Her fingers danced through the air like she was gossiping, like we weren’t actively being hunted.
“Kyle, I’m not sure—”
She punched the gas, and the Bentley roared forward. The two cars flanking us surged to keep up, engines growling, but the one behind stuck close, waiting.
Kyle grinned, then she cut in front of them, nearly clipping one’s bumper.
“Oopsy,” she sang, lifting a delicate hand in mock apology.
The next five minutes were fucking insane. She wove through traffic like she was born for it, cutting sharp, squeezing between cars, playing chicken with every lane. The guys following us weren’t as lucky. The pissed-off drivers she’d just dodged slowed down, boxing them in.
As soon as I saw them fighting to swerve around, Kyle took a sharp right, killing the lights as we disappeared down a side road. Pitch black, no headlights, just instinct.
I watched what was going on behind us in the rearview mirror, heart hammering. But there was nothing.
Five minutes later, the tension was crushing me. “Pull over,” I ground out.
Kyle’s hands stayed steady on the wheel. “We’ll be back at the Compound in thirty minutes.”
No, not this time.
“Pull. Over.”
She continued to ignore me, and my pulse spiked, fury curling in my gut, the adrenaline and the absolute fucking terror I hadn’t let myself feel until now hitting all at once. I opened my mouth to demand it again, just as the Bluetooth rang.
Duke’s name flashed across the dash, and I swear I saw red.
“Motherfucker!” I roared, slamming my fist into the dashboard.
“Jagger.” Duke’s voice came over the speakers, sharp, commanding, no room for argument. “Keep your fucking shit together. You need to get back here ASAP.” That was when I knew for sure, we were fucked. “Kyle, we’re rerouting the traffic cameras. Put your foot down and come straight here.” Then, in pure Duke fashion, he hung up.
Kyle frowned, her lips pressing together as she followed Duke’s orders, driving well above the speed limit with the headlights still off. The engine hummed beneath us, the dark road ahead nothing but a blur as we raced toward the Compound. The tension inside the car was thick, suffocating, and I could feel my own pulse thrumming hard in my ears.
Fifteen minutes, that was all it took to make it back—half the time it should have. The whole time Kyle didn’t speak one word. Then again, neither did I.
By the time she pulled through the Compound gates, the walls looming around us like a fortress, my hands were shaking. Not from fear. Not from adrenaline. From the rage still boiling under my skin, and from the worry twisting my insides into knots. Mainly, it was from the fact that we were supposed to be safe, and yet, someone had known.
As we stepped out of the vehicle, I caught movement ahead—every single Ghost and Knight was outside the main building had their weapons drawn.
Fuck.
“Get in!” Duke’s voice bellowed across the open space.
Kyle didn’t hesitate. She moved fast, too fast for someone in heels, her posture controlled, but I knew her well enough to see the tension threading through her body. I stayed close behind her, glancing over my shoulder every few steps. We may have been inside the walls, but I didn’t trust a damn thing.