He’d forced her to apologise to Kayleigh in the hospital.
Now he’d apologised–sort of–to her.
This made them even.
And it made her glad.
She didn’t realise she’d forgotten all about the unsettling reencounter with Gideon half an hour ago.
‘Okay, let’s go,‘ Austyn said when Kira reached the refrain.
‘Finally.”
She hopped down from the countertop.
“Ow!‘
“What’s wrong?”
‘Nothing. I just…jumped down too fast.”
Kira grimaced.
A pain shot through her left ankle.
She might have sprained it.
But she didn’t want to waste any more time in the restroom, so she just gritted her teeth and bore the pain. “Wait.” She raised a hand to stop him when they were at the door.
Kira grabbed the doorknob, turned it, opened the door by a crack, and then poked her head outside.
She glanced up and down the hallway.
It was empty.
A yellow ‘Under Maintenance‘ sign stood on the carpeted floor.
“Okay,
you ca
can come out now.”
“What was that about?‘ Austyn asked as he followed her out.
‘I was just checking if there’s anyone outside.‘
She didn’t want the Stamford Daily headline tomorrow to read ‘M Group’s President Caught Sneaking Around In Women’s Restroom.”
And she didn’t want her face next to his in the accompanying photo.
Kira paused.
‘What now?” Austyn asked.
“Uh, I don’t know the way back.‘
Austyn stepped around her and started walking down the hallway to the left.
Kira limped behind him.
When they stopped in front of a lift, she asked in confusion, ‘Where are we going? The room’s on this floor.‘
Austyn headed into the open lift and pressed the button for the basement carpark.
“Wait, we’re leaving? Kira had no choice but to follow him inside. ‘Shouldn’t we at least say goodbye to your friends?‘ “Which friend?‘ Austyn tilted his head. ‘You want to say goodbye to Luca?‘
Kira puffed out her cheeks, exasperated.
The man was never going to let this go, was he?
The moment Kira clicked her seatbelt into place, the Hummer took off like a rocket.
Tires screeched on the concrete floor.
Kira almost got whiplashed.
What the hell was he doing?
She opened her mouth to scream, but wind rushed in from the open window and into her mouth.
She couldn’t make a sound.
The hulking machine blasted from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under three seconds, and Austyn kept his foot on the pedal.
They soon left the club and turned onto a six–lane boulevard.
Kira clutched the grab handle and held on for dear life.
*What are you doing?” she shouted above the roar of the engine and the rush of the wind. ‘Do you have a death wish?‘
She’d Trust Him With Her Life
Trees and buildings on both sides of the road were just blurry shapes.
Kira screwed her eyes shut.
“What’s the matter?‘ Austyn glanced at her face in the rearview mirror. ‘Scared?”
‘Any person in their right mind would be scared!‘ she yelled. ‘Stop the car! You’re breaking the law!‘
She had no idea what the speed limit was, but Austyn must have gone way over it by now.
Loose strands of hair whipped her face.
Her heart hammered in her chest, threatening to explode.
Why was the man being so reckless?
Austyn stepped on the gas.
Kira was starting to feel carsick.
She’d heard that the front passenger seat was the ‘death seat.”
She prayed she wasn’t going to test that out for herself tonight.
The Hummer barrelled down the six–lane.
Kira’s face was getting paler.
Lack of oxygen was making her feel dizz
“You can stop that infernal howling now,‘ Austyn said.
Kira hadn’t realised she was screaming.
The sound of the engine died abruptly.
She could hear again.
Kira opened her eyes a slit and peered around.
The car had stopped.
They’d left the six–lane and were on the side of a byroad.
Kira breathed out.
She unbuckled her seatbelt, shoved the car door open and scrambled out of the car.
Austyn remained in his driver’s seat. ‘Get in.”
“No!”
She valued her own life too much to get back in the death trap.
‘Get in.‘
‘No!‘
“It’s at least another 12 miles to the villa. Do you want to walk home?”
“I can take a bus,”
Austyn sneered. ‘Look around you. There’s no bus stop here.‘
“Then I’ll walk if I have to.”
“Fine! Suit yourself.”
Austyn started the engine.
A figure dashed in front of the Hummer.
Kira stood there with both arms raised, blocking the way.
Austyn instantly stepped on the brake.
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