The line went dead.
I pulled the phone away from my ear, blinking in disbelief. After standing up, I dropped it from my hand. The phone clattered and bounced on the hot gravel at my feet.
The anger I felt talking to the mysterious man on the other end of the line changed into something else…
Fear. No, terror.
Someone’s employees are dead.
They know where I am. They know about the case. I glanced towards the Mercedes. I had a flat tire. What the hell was I going to do?
Should I grab the keys to the Rolls and try to make a run for it? Should I call the police?
No, no. Calling the police would be the worst thing I could do. I didn’t trust cops, especially not now -- not after what happened with my dad.
Oh my God. Oh my God.
Reaching for the case I exhaled, shaky breath sputtering from my lungs. Slumping against the side of the Mercedes, I slid my back down it until my butt hit the ground. I looked down at the sickening blood spatters across the top of the case and pulled it between my legs.
Shit, I forgot. “Locked.” I muttered.
It took everything I had not to panic. I still had no idea what I was going to do, or how I would get out of this situation. That seemed to be the worst of my problems until a much more sinister realization popped into my head.
My gaze snapped to the case.
Who was coming for it and when?
While the sun continued to set, I struggled to free myself of the thick coating of tape around my wrists. After nearly an hour, I finally managed to get the last of it off me.
Once I did, I climbed inside of the Rolls, desperate to escape the intensity of the brutal orange ball of fire blazing in the sky. I didn’t know how much time I had left to figure out what I was going to do, but it wasn’t much.
Closing my eyes, I exhaled.
“Think, Tempest. Think.”
I opened my eyes again and looked out of the open car door towards the case. Whatever was in there, it was worth people dying over. I didn’t want anything else to do with it. Right then and there I decided I would take the car and drive back to Vegas. Once I got home, I’d figure out what to do next.
I’m not stupid. It was a terrible fucking plan. I knew it was, but what other choice did I have?
For all I knew, an army was on the way.
I had to get as far away from there as I could and do it as quickly as possible.
Getting out of the car, I walked towards the dead gunman, determined to find the key to the Rolls-Royce. While I did, I noticed Todd’s legs sticking out from behind the Mercedes. A sickening sweet feeling crept into the back of my throat, like I might puke.
Numbness set in – no it was shock. This was totally insane. How had I gone from a marriage proposal to mass murder in the span of a couple of hours?
Somehow, I managed to put one foot in front of the other until I arrived at the bodies of the dead men.
I stood there, trying to catch my breath.
Looking down at them I realized there was something I had to do. It wasn’t because I wanted to, but if for any reason my ass was on the line, I had to know what they looked like. And this was the only chance I would ever get.
Kneeling down, I removed the mask of the man who threatened to rape me. His face was unremarkable, just like him. It was pudgy and pockmarked with old acne scars, I shuddered when I thought of what it would have looked like hovering over me while he did his worst.
Next, I knelt over the body of the other man, at last finding the key to the car in the pocket of his pants. After pulling it out, I reached for the ski mask and removed it. Immediately I had a sensation there was something familiar about him. I didn’t know him, but I could’ve sworn I’d seen him before. Maybe he just had a familiar kind of face. I’d seen plenty of them during my time as a cocktail waitress. Even so, I couldn’t shake the feeling.
Anyway, I didn’t have time to waste trying to remember. Instead, I refocused my energy on getting the hell out of there.
Climbing into the front seat of the car, I started it. Before putting it in gear and driving off, I took one last look at the carnage I was leaving behind. None of it seemed real. Was there any way it could have?
Exhaling a deep breath, I put the car in gear and started to drive on the frontage road.
By then, the sun had almost set. Darkness wasn’t far behind. The last remnants of daylight reached like thin fingers across the nearby mountain ranges. I didn’t have time to look at them for long -- Vegas was hours away. The adrenaline began to leave my body and the first waves of exhaustion set in on me.
I needed every bit of concentration I had. My life might still depend on it.
Not far in the distance, I saw one pair of headlights streaking along the highway. Only a few miles remained between me and the road home.
Whatever I left behind wasn’t my problem, at least for now. By the time the owners of the case arrived, I’d be long gone. Or at least that’s what I thought…
Out of nowhere, a blinding bright light filled the front seat of the car. On instinct, I slammed on the brakes and let go of the steering wheel, covering my eyes while I tried to get a view of the source of it.
Peering through the brightness, I noticed the shape of the helicopter landing directly ahead of me, blocking the road.
And the only way out.
Dust swirled everywhere, engulfing the car in a torrent of sand. It wasn’t long before the figure of a man cut through the haze, riveting my attention.
A tall, muscular silhouette moved with ominous purpose towards me. I swallowed hard, tightening my grip on the steering wheel when the unthinkable occurred to me.
If I have to run him over to save my life, that’s what I’m going to do.
But just then his face came into clear view. Our eyes met. His dark pupils glowed with intensity, almost commanding me to look at them.
His short cropped hair, buffeted about by the turbulence from the helicopter blades, framed his angular jaw and cast a haunting shadow across his handsome features.
Licking my lips, I swallowed hard and searched every square inch of my mouth for the slightest trace of moisture. There was none to be found. Even worse, my eyes betrayed me, tracing the lines of his custom-made suit. Every inch of it clung to his muscular torso.
My hesitation cost me.
In a flash, he walked around the side of the car towards the driver’s side door. I yelped, reaching for the lock and barely switching it before he yanked on the door handle.
With the car still running, I put it in reverse and stepped on the accelerator, trying to look behind me at the same time. It wasn’t long before I felt myself lose control. Within seconds, the car slid off the road and came to rest in a shallow ditch.
“Shit!”
Yelling, I reached for the handle and jumped out.
He was running straight for me.
I don’t want to die! What am I going to do?
There was no time to think, so I did the only thing that came to mind. I took off running, hoping against hope I’d escape. It wasn’t long, maybe a matter of seconds until I found myself swallowed in a powerful embrace.
And then, a damp cloth made its way around from behind me, covering my nose and mouth. Consciousness slipped away from me like the day slides into night. Before I lost awareness, the arms that grabbed me swept me off the ground and then pulled me into the hardest chest I’d ever felt.
“You’re safe with me now, Tempest. I’ve got you.”