I opened my mouth, but he interrupted with, “That’s it. I gave you one more question than agreed. No more.”
My mouth snapped shut, and I fell silent. Even though a host of other questions revolved around in my head, I knew he wouldn’t answer them. Not now. After a while, I fell into the zone as the car ate up the miles.
Some twenty minutes later, the drone of the car’s engines changed as Gage shifted gears and signaled left. As we exited the motorway, I caught the sign stating that Perth was twenty kilometers away. My stomach grumbled. I was starving. Thinking of food caused me to wonder when I’d last eaten. That had been at my villa when Gage made dinner. Given the length of the flight, that was two days ago! Which meant that whatever he’d drugged me with by magical means had also sustained me while sleeping.
Thoughts of my villa brought a keening sadness. I missed it desperately, not to mention Rascal. And here I was, entering unfamiliar territory, embarking on a completely foreign path. Would I be made welcome? Or scorned and hated? Going off Gage’s reaction, I had bets on the latter rather than the former.
Gage’s voice cut through my thoughts, tight and muted. “I need you to drop low in your seat and stay down.”
I blinked at the request. “What for?”
“Look in the side mirror. See the black SUV?”
It was some eighty meters behind us. “Yes.”
“It’s been following us since we exited the motorway.”
My chest tightened. “Coincidental?”
“Not in this life,” he denied harshly, before sharply wrenching the wheel to take a side road. “Now, get down!”
The route ahead was more a lane than a road and utterly deserted. Unclipping my seatbelt, I scrambled down into the surprisingly roomy foot space. Due to my small stature, it wasn’t overly uncomfortable, but I felt claustrophobic and slightly nauseous as I leaned over my car seat, facing the rear of the car. Gage drove, tense but alert while I remained silent. I caught him looking in the rear vision mirror every few seconds, and the reflexive clench of his fingers on the wheel at whatever he saw there.
Suddenly, Gage cursed harshly and sharply yanked the wheel. The car swerved to the right, and I smacked the side of my head on the dash. I didn’t cry out; I didn’t say a word. Once I’d balanced myself, I twisted sideways to glance in my side mirror. My heart squeezed as I spotted the black SUV. Before I had a chance to pull back, I felt a strong hand on my head.
“Get down,” Gage snarled, shoving me back into the foot space.
Obeying, I crouched low, feeling my body lock in fear. Gage switched gears again and stamped his foot down on the accelerator. There was a loud, throaty roar as the car shot forward, and I prayed that the road ahead of us remained deserted.
My heart raced, and I could feel the slick sheen of sweat on my palms. I’d never gone this fast in my life. An image of my parent’s car flashed to mind. The coroner’s report said they’d been going fast when the accident happened. The police had said that they had no chance when Dad lost control and slid off the side of the coast, careening into the frigid ocean below.
The car swerved again, and this time I was thrown into the door. Ignoring the frantic gasps coming out of my mouth, I anchored myself determinedly to my seat. Gage ground out another oath and changed gears again. The car lurched forward even faster than before. My heart now felt as though it was in my mouth.
“What’s happening?” I gasped out.
My voice was barely audible, but he heard me, his head whipping down to cut me a glance. I knew he could see the haunted terror in my eyes. He wasn’t afraid. He looked ruthless, his features hard and unyielding.
“I’ve lost him for the moment,” he bit out. “But it’s not over yet. Stay low!”
Gage turned back to the road, focused and deadly. I had no choice but to close my eyes and focus on my breathing, to find the calm amongst the storm. They flew open as Gage’s voice lanced the silence.
“Fuck! Our cover’s blown—he’s onto us. Get back in your seat!”
I didn’t hesitate, jack-knifing up from the floor and scrambling into it.
“Seatbelt!” he barked.
Panting heavily, I yanked on the belt. My fingers were trembling so badly that I fumbled with the lock. Once secured, I couldn’t help looking in the side mirror again.
My stomach dropped. There it was. A black SUV, about fifty meters behind.
“Hold on!” barked Gage.
That was the only warning I received before he stamped both feet on the brake. Tires screeched as the sports car spun in a tight 180-degree turn, the tail end spinning out on the road. My heart leaped out of my chest as our car now faced the oncoming vehicle. We were directly in its path.
“Gage!” I screamed. “Stop!”
What was he doing? We were going to die!
Gage gritted his teeth, features tense. He didn’t break the momentum, continuing to force the car forward, full throttle. Oh my god—we had seconds! Panic enveloped me, and I felt the scream building as we hurtled into the SUV’s oncoming path.
Forty meters...thirty meters…
My breath came in spurts, my heart clamoring painfully in my chest. I wildly turned to Gage, my mouth open to scream at him to stop, but the words froze on my tongue as he pulled a revolver from the inside pocket of his leather jacket.
Was he going to shoot them?
Twenty meters...
I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I began to scream.
Ten meters...
I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for impact.
But—it never came.
The car and my body were flung abruptly to the side before I heard two loud cracks of sound explode in the compartment. Then there was just the squeal of tires on pavement.
The torque pulled my body sideways, the seatbelt choking against my neck as I was propelled with bruising force into Gage’s strong form. I felt the contraction of his muscles as he changed gears and corrected the spin, wrenching the wheel in the other direction. My body had no choice but to turn with it, leaving Gage to slam into the passenger door. Pain blossomed as my head cracked against the door frame. Before I had time to draw breath, the car lurched to an abrupt stop.
Gage released the wheel and turned to face me. “Stay here and stay down,” he bit out urgently.
He was gone before I could draw breath to reply.
I groaned, the sound low and primal. I felt battered and bruised, my vision blurry. There was excruciating pain in my head, and I fought the wave of dizziness that descended. Squinting, I tried to focus my gaze through the windscreen, amazed that it was still intact. It took me a moment to understand we’d skidded off the side of the road, and the car was now sitting under a forest of trees that stood sentinel in the dark.
The car faced the road, and I could see the SUV. It was stationary, positioned in the middle of the road some thirty meters ahead. My heart stopped as I saw Gage headed toward the vehicle, gun in hand, in a quick-moving crouch. He looked natural—as if he’d done this many times before.
It was then that I realized I was all alone. Shit! I didn’t want to be alone. Gage was the glue holding me together. He’d prevented the panic setting in, ceased my plummet into pure terror, especially when—
Oh god! I recalled the loud cracks of sound before our car spun out of control. One had definitely come from the gun in Gage’s hand, but the other—the other had sounded as though it piggybacked on the first, and we’d caught the tail end of it. Had that also come from Gage’s gun?