Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 176012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 880(@200wpm)___ 704(@250wpm)___ 587(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 880(@200wpm)___ 704(@250wpm)___ 587(@300wpm)
Come on.
“Quinn?” Dylan says behind me.
The Stop sign ahead grows bigger. I glance in the rearview mirror again. A set of headlights appears far behind the Dodge.
Lucas.
Aro chimes in again. “Quinn?”
I slam on the brakes, halting the car at the sign. Darkness looms at my left and right as we sit just before the highway.
Behind me, the vehicle crawls closer. No lights. No movement inside.
“Quinn?”
But I don’t answer Dylan. Sucking in a breath, I spin the wheel right and punch my foot so hard on the gas, I hit the floor. Tires screech under us, Dylan and Aro gasp, and we shoot off, picking up speed so fast, a gust of wind whips through the windows and into my hair.
“Quinn!” Aro shouts.
The car roars, slicing through the darkness.
Aro checks the window behind us, while Dylan’s phone rings.
“Dad?” she answers.
Uh-oh. Did Lucas call him?
No, he wouldn’t have. If my brothers are around, he can’t deal with me.
“No…” she stammers to her father. “We’re—”
She falls silent as my brother yells, and I jerk the wheel, slicing to the left, the tires grinding underneath us. Gravel kicks up under the car, and I twist the wheel right. I speed down another empty country road.
Aro rocks in her seat with the uneven path, grunting as I hit potholes.
“Oh my God. Calm down,” Dylan tells her dad. “Wh—Hello?”
Great. He hung up. Everyone will be coming.
The Dodge appears in my rearview mirror—closer.
And closer.
I dart my eyes. And closer.
It races up on my ass—one, two, three sets of headlights behind them.
“When I stop, we get out of the car and run,” I tell Aro and Dylan.
“Where?” Dylan chokes out.
But Aro replies before me. “Wherever you want Hunter to come find you.”
We toss each other a look, my grateful smile met with a wink. Everyone worries about me. Aro’s decided to play along.
Cabins peek out of the trees up ahead, the soft glow of the camp lights illuminating porches and docks. The whole place is empty until next week when the next session starts, but Jax and Juliet keep security lighting almost year-round.
Except in the dead of winter when the camp is deserted.
The car is right on me. I couldn’t see its lights even if they were on.
“You guys ready?” I blurt out.
“Yeah.”
Dylan whimpers, “Sure.”
I speed ahead, gaining distance, then slam on the brakes as I veer right. We skid to a halt, I turn off the car, and all of us leap out.
I spin around, the Dodge twenty feet away, but I can’t see inside because the headlights are on now. Blinding me.
I squint, holding my hand up against the glare. Is that the Dodge?
I mean, it was, but…
“Quinn?” Aro shouts.
I glance at them both. “Go!”
It can’t chase three of us.
I slam the door shut, making it look like I’m following as they bolt into the camp and all the other buildings and hiding places to choose from.
But I don’t run. Not yet. I glance behind the Dodge. Where are the other cars?
Where’s Lucas?
Just then, Farrow’s motorcycle rolls up behind the Night Rider, the Dodge’s headlights immediately dim, and Farrow’s lights spill over the scene in front of me.
And I see that it’s not a Dodge at all.
It was, but through the trees and the dark road here, it must’ve turned off. I don’t know…
Instead, Lucas opens the door of my brother’s Boss and steps out, rising up from his seat and facing me. Chin raised and not looking amused at all.
My face falls, an electric current shooting up to the top of my head.
Oh, shit.
And just like that, I’m taken back to the last time we were here together—at this camp. Only now, he’s hunting me, not helping me.
What about the Night Rider? Where did the old black car go? If Lucas saw them turn off, he decided to pursue me instead.
Twisting on the ball of my foot, I run, digging the heel of my sneakers into the damp soil. I dive into the forest, pushing away branches as I leap and race over old leaves and toward the empty cabins. Immediately, I skid around a rack of canoes and crouch down, peeking between the stacks of boats.
Training my ears, I listen for Aro or Dylan.
But they don’t call out. They could be anywhere. The astronomy tower, the archery range, the barn, the dining hall, in one of the cabins…
The showers...
Lucas appears out of the trees, not running, and somehow that’s scarier.
Farrow is nowhere to be seen.
I watch Lucas scan the area, looking right toward the main lodge and left toward the lake. He doesn’t see me in front of him, about fifty feet away.
He grabs the hem of his soaked T-shirt and pulls it over his head, tossing it to the ground.
His shoulders square as he moves in my direction, and I clamp my mouth shut as his gaze passes over me. I force my breathing to slow down, afraid he’ll see my chest rising and falling between the canoes. I don’t want to be found. This isn’t foreplay. If he catches me, I might say something I’ll regret. Or worse, let him finish what he started when he was holding me.