by Kay Marie
Okay, now I’m definitely screaming.
But she couldn’t help it. Addy was not accustomed to being shot at—then again, who the heck was?
The stranger slammed his foot on the gas, shooting them backward across the empty lot. At the same moment, his hand landed over her open mouth, stifling her yell.
“I’m sorry, but you have got to stop doing that,” he murmured, gently pleading. Addy turned to look at him, still screaming as another bullet pinged off the front hood. He stared at her, piercing the dread as they sailed back into the night. “I’ve got this. I will get us out of this. Trust me. But please, for the love of God, stop screaming.”
Addy nodded jerkily.
“Thank you.” He breathed the word and then flicked his gaze back before returning his focus to her. “Now duck and hold on for dear life.”
“Wha—”
Before she had time to finish, he slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel, whipping the car around with a deafening screech. Addy bent at the waist and folded her arms around her head, the only protection she could think of. Her rescuer slammed on the gas and her body slid back into the seat, but she stayed down. Another bullet hit the car with a loud ding, there and gone before she could process where it landed. A peek to the side was all she could manage. The stranger gripped the wheel with both hands, gaze sharp with concentration, brows flat. They hit something with a loud boom followed by a series of soft thunks and then nothing but tires on asphalt.
Oh my God, was that a body?
The slight twitch to the stranger’s lip and the flash of a dimple in his cheek was an answer in and of itself.
That was a body.
A body!
What is happening?!
Her chest heaved, pressing into her thighs as her breath came in quick, short bursts. Addy squeezed her eyes tight, burying her face between her legs, trying to hide in plain sight. I’m hyperventilating. I think I’m having a panic attack. Why don’t they talk about this in all the movies? Getting rescued is a traumatic experience!
“I think we’re in the clear,” her mystery man murmured. A hand landed softly on her arm, then squeezed tight as though trying to soothe. “You can sit up. We lost them.”
Addy glanced up at him, finding his eyes through the slit in her elbows, body too tense to ease into a seated position. “Are you sure?”
He glanced over his shoulder and shrugged, miraculously unconcerned. “Pretty sure.”
I wish that sounded more convincing…
Addy swallowed. Her muscles were already cramping, so hard as it was, she forced her heart to slow with long, calming breaths. Then she leaned back against the seat and stretched out, trying to relax her body. Her palms remained clasped in her lap, unable to quite let go. Silence stretched across the small car. Addy’s gaze darted to her lap, then to the stranger, then to the bullet hole in the windshield, one after the other after the other, in rapid succession. Because, well, after being shot at and seeing someone get stabbed and probably running someone over with a car, words just seemed sort of…blasé. Where should she start? Where could she start?
Thank you for saving my life.
I have no idea why those men were after me.
Do you want to drive to Vegas and elope?
That last one was a joke…maybe.
Addy turned toward the stranger and paused. Stranger? That was as good a place to start as any. “I’m Addison, by the way. Or just Addy if you prefer.”
The man shifted his face to the side, meeting her eyes, a dubious light shining in his irises, though she couldn’t for the life of her understand why. When he did speak, the words came out slow and cautious. “I’m…Thad.”
“Nice to meet you, Thad,” Addy replied, smiling encouragingly. “Is that short for something? Thad. It’s sort of unusual.”
“Uh, yeah,” he murmured, lips twitching with a smile he was clearly trying to contain. “It’s short for Thaddeus. My mom picked it. She thought it sounded fancy, or something. I think it’s ridiculous.”
All the mirth vanished from his face.
“I like it,” Addy quickly jumped in, partly out of innate politeness and party because, well, she did like it. Thaddeus. It was gallant. Princely. The sort of name that would have made her swoon just reading it across the page.
Did I read it somewhere? It sounds familiar… Addy blinked and turned to look out the window as her mind wandered. A book, maybe? Or a movie? Thaddeus. Thaddeus. Where did I hear that name recently?
A street sign came and went.
“Oh! We should have…” She trailed off, staring over her shoulder as the street vanished in the dark night. These empty country roads weren’t lit. “Never mind. If you make the next right, we’ll be fine. I’ll take you to my apartment. You can call Triple A when we get there, then I’ll have to call my boss to warn her about the shop, and well, the police to report the, uh, the, um…” Addy waved her hand in the air, at a loss for words.
Thad didn’t answer.
Shoot, was that forward, inviting him to my apartment? I didn’t mean it like that! I was just trying to be helpful. To be nice, after he, well, after he—
“Thank you for saving my life,” Addy blurted, neuroses getting to her. Silence made her skin crawl. “I can’t believe— That was crazy. Who were those men? Why were they after me? I’m a nobody. I mean, not a nobody, but no one important enough to kill, I would think. People usually like me. I’m very likeable.”
Addy paused to lick her lips, flicking a glance at Thad, who studied the road. A brooding silence permeated the air around him.
“Do you think they were sex traffickers?” She continued rambling the first thing that came to mind. He rolled his lips into his mouth and his cheeks puffed, as though holding something in. “I bet they were. I heard that a friend of a friend was almost kidnapped outside of a department store with her toddler a few months ago. Maybe these were the same guys? Oh, that was the right turn!”
They zipped by.
“Oh shoot, these roads can be so tough to spot if you’re not from around here. But that was the last one leading back to town. You’ll have to turn around. The road turns into a dead end in a few miles, nothing but the ramp to the highway.”
He didn’t turn around.
He didn’t slow the car.
And he didn’t speak either.
Addy swallowed, noticing the black leather interior of the car for the first time. Wait, this isn’t my car. Addy was too cheap to pay for a leather interior. Her seats were upholstered, and she had a pink steering wheel cover. Why did I think we’d gone to my car? “Hey, I thought your car…”
Her voice slipped away to nothing as the night’s events ran in fast-forward through her thoughts. Thad showing up in her store. Thad asking for her cell phone. Thad distracting her with art, then smoothly disappearing. Two men with guns showing up, asking if there’d been a man with her. Thad showing no hesitation as he dodged gunfire. Thad maneuvering with all the skill of a seasoned veteran. Thad—
Thunk.
All the locks in the car slid into place.
All the missing pieces did too.
“Oh my God!” Addy shouted, whipping her head to the side, meeting those steely eyes, sharp and cunning. No wonder he looked so familiar! He was on the cover of the magazine sitting on her nightstand back home. His face had been on the news every single night for a week—not that she watched the news, but she usually caught the last five or so minutes before the show she actually wanted to watch came on. Maybe I should have been watching the news. Maybe if I had, I would have recognized the most wanted criminal in America! Maybe I would have done the smart thing, like, I don’t know, running away and calling the police instead of falling at his feet and drooling over his smile! Gah! “You’re Thaddeus Ryder!”
“The one and only,” he mused, edge of his lip quirking with a smile, no shame whatsoever evident in his expression.
“Oh my God, those men weren’t trying to kill me—they we
re trying to kill you!”
He wrinkled his nose with thinly veiled judgment. “Honestly, I’m a little surprised it took you this long to realize that. Unless the world of wedding cake design is a lot more cutthroat than I ever realized.”
“You have no idea,” she commented darkly, and then jolted, looking around at the leather dashboard, the bullet hole in the windshield, the black paint on the hood. She gasped. “Your car didn’t break down!”
“No.”
“I bet this isn’t even your car.”
He didn’t respond.
“Is it stolen?”
“Yes.”
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
I’m aiding and abetting a known fugitive.
Oh my God!
“I demand you let me out of the car at once!” Addy exclaimed, her voice as rigid and severe as she could possibly make it.
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” he replied smoothly, all confidence and control.
“But— But—” That always works in the movies. “But I demand it!”
“And your demand is adorable, really, but it’s not going to happen. I didn’t mean to get you involved, but you are. You’re in this, whether you want to be or not.”
“In what?” Her voice was small, unsure.
He glanced at her, something soft and almost pained in his gaze. Then he looked forward and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, staring out the window with new resolve. “In this car, with me, until I say otherwise.”
I don’t think so. “I’ll call the police.”
“I have your phone.”
“I’ll scream.”
“Please don’t. I’m pretty sure no one but me will hear you, and my eardrums can’t take any more.”
“I’ll— I’ll—” Addy searched around for some sort of ammunition. Her hand went to the door handle and tugged on it uselessly.
“It’s locked, remember? And even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t recommend that route, just based on my own personal experience. Jumping out of a car going upwards of sixty miles an hour hurts like hell.”
She folded her fingers into her palm and pulled her hand back slightly, then spun, lunging for the wheel. He caught her with his forearm and pushed her back against the seat, locked in place. Addy punched and kicked, but he didn’t budge.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I swear. If I wanted to do that, I would’ve left you back there on your own. I wouldn’t have taken you with me.” He released her and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling those dark, wavy locks in a way that was frustratingly attractive. “This is all a big mistake. I just need to make sure it’s safe before I let you go.”
“Why should I believe you?”
He winced. “Because I have no reason to lie.”
Addy snorted with disbelief before she could stop it—uncaring for once in her life that the gesture was incredibly unladylike. “You’re a criminal. And a thief. And a con. And all you’ve done tonight is lie!”
“True,” he stated slowly, meeting her eyes with a smile. “But wasn’t it exciting?”
A little.
Maybe.
Okay…a lot.
But it was also terrifying and traumatizing and— Addy narrowed her eyes. He’s trying to dazzle me with those dimples again!
“No, it wasn’t.”
He cocked a single brow. “Just a little, admit it.”
“No.”
“Not even when you took that guy out with a rolling pin?”
Okay…that was sort of thrilling.
“Come on—”
But Addy was done with the wordplay, done with his charming smiles, done with his games. “Let me go.”
“I’m sorry, but I—”
“Let me go,” she repeated, more forceful.
“Not going to happen.”
“Let me go!” she screamed, all her cool, calm, collected genes failing as the scared, crazed, and cowardly ones took over. Addy stomped her feet and flailed her arms, hitting every surface she could find with her clenched fists, praying one would reveal a way out. Nothing worked. And now her hands throbbed. Her chest burned. If she closed her eyes, she was sure a drop of water would leak out.
Do not cry.
Do not cry.
Do not give him the satisfaction.
But she couldn’t help it. The tears came, fast and hard, pouring down her face as she began to whimper, shoulders trembling against the leather seat. It wasn’t even about him. It was about everything. The bullets. Those men. The vicious gleam of their eyes. Almost dying, then being rescued, only to be kidnapped. It was…a lot. Her body was overwhelmed. Her every nerve was on fire. This was the release she needed—of the tension, of the fear, of the confusion. Mostly of the helplessness—a weakness deep within, the likes of which she’d never felt before.
“Don’t cry.” Thad released a soft, groaning sort of sound. “I’m sorry. Really, I am. But I can’t let you go right now. I need your help. And we need to get to safety. I’ll explain everything, I promise, but—”
Addy couldn’t hear anything anymore. Her breath heaved in short, staccato spurts. Her chest throbbed. She blinked, light-headed and dizzy. Her hands went numb, then her feet. The world grew black at the edges, tunneling in. She tried to focus on the moon, the stars, an ounce of light to hold on to, but the night was deep and thick. Her eyelids drooped closed and a curtain fell across her mind as the world went dark.
- 7 -
Thad
Shit! Thad pulled over so quickly the tires screeched. Her body flailed forward and then slammed back into the cushion. Thad winced—idiot—before reaching across the seats and grabbing her hand. He put his fingers to her wrist, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt a strong pulse beneath the soft patch of skin.
She’s okay.
She just passed out.
Panic attack, most likely. He couldn’t blame her. Nothing was going according to plan. It was never supposed to come to this. Yet, here he was—here they were. Kidnapper. And kidnappee. Another offense to add to his growing list of criminal charges.
Great, just great.
But what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t leave the girl there, not with bullets flying everywhere. And he couldn’t take her home—they’d been seen together. What if the Russians went after her for more information? Information she didn’t have? He couldn’t add that weight to his conscience, not when the burden was already too heavy.
But maybe I could…
Thad leaned back and dug his hand into his pocket, retrieving her cell phone. If he could contact Jo, now, before they got too far away, maybe he could leave Addison with the local police. Jo could be here in a matter of hours. She’d be safe until then…probably.
He clicked the screen on, but it was locked. A passcode prompt popped up. Carefully, he reached over and pressed her pointer finger to the sensor.
Nothing.
Thad frowned, shifting her hand so her thumb pressed against the sensor.
Still nothing.
He gently released her and sat back, fiddling with the phone. The damn thing was ancient—a 4, maybe a 3s, from the days before fingerprint technology was a thing. Just his luck. She was probably the only person in the United States who hadn’t upgraded. Clicking his tongue, Thad typed in 1-2-3-4. Nope. Then he tried 9-8-7-6. Nada. What about the corners? 1-3-7-9. Nothing. And he’d been locked out for five minutes.
Where’s Jo when I need her?
He sighed. Jo was the hacker. The tech expert. This was her thing. He was absolutely useless when it came to computers. Which meant for now, Addison was stuck with him. At least until she woke up, which he hoped wouldn’t be for another eight hours.
Thad glanced at her one last time, taking note of the easy rise and fall of her chest, the way her plush lips were slightly parted. She was fast asleep, body and mind overwhelmed by the evening as her adrenaline gave way to exhaustion. Her cheeks still glistened with tears.
Thad reached across the
car and wiped them off, unable to stand the sight of a woman crying, especially because of him. She shifted in her seat and her face rolled toward him, following the path of his fingers as he pulled away. A mix of citrus shampoo and sugar filled the small space of the car, sweet and tangy and somehow intoxicating—the iridescent fizz of freshly corked champagne mixed with a little dash of something naughty, like a hidden shot of whiskey that burned on its way down.
Thad looked away.
But the thought remained.
At first glance, she’d seemed so predictable. The sweet Southern belle. The girly girl. Decked in pink. A permanent smile on her lips. But there’d been a moment, quick and fleeting yet undeniably stuck in his mind, when he’d seen beneath the façade. Rolling pin still in her hands and the Russian out cold by her feet, in that moment just before the shock took over, he’d seen a fire in her eyes—unexpected and scorching, a determined grit that was undeniably sexy in its ferocity. And he wanted to see it again.
Not a good idea.
He shook his thoughts clear and eased the car into drive, trying to focus on the road, on the plan, anything to take his mind off his unwitting passenger. If they were lucky and no one reported gunshots already, they probably had about seven hours to get as far away as possible before the news broke. As soon as morning hit and the bodies were discovered, they’d be on the clock. The FBI would come sniffing. The mob too. Thad would have to ditch this car in case the plates were caught on a security camera, steal another one, find some food, and keep Addison from screaming bloody murder the second she woke up.
But all of that was doable.
The real concern was how the hell had the Russians found him in the first place? If they’d been following him for two weeks, surely he would’ve seen them? Or they would’ve acted sooner? He’d been sure he’d lost them when he’d sailed away from New York in the dead of night, so how—
They weren’t watching me. The realization hit hard and fast. Thad looked sharply at Addison, black curls covering half her face as she slept peacefully in the passenger seat, none the wiser. They were watching her. They were watching her shop. Because they knew. Somehow they hacked through Jo’s private files and saw her conversations. They realized Addison was my way to Jo.
