SAFFRON
I ranlike the devil himself was chasing me. I had no choice.
Drake fucking Webster?
What was he doing here? Our intel hadn't told us he was here. There was no calming my heart. I couldn't process it because there was still a part of me that wanted to run back and make him pay for what he'd done to me, done to my family. Because of him, I never felt safe in my own skin. Because of him, my parents were gone. He took everything from me, and I wanted to kill him. But I was also terrified and didn't know what to do, so I just kept running. Despite the panic though, my footing was sure.
I reached inside my purse and grabbed an elastic, and as I headed toward the shopping district, I made a sharp left, dropped twenty pounds in a shopkeeper's hand, and grabbed a scarf.As I exited hastily, she called after me. I saw the label that said the price was only five pounds and called back, "Keep the change," as I kept moving, pulling my hair into a pony tail and quickly wrapping the scarf around it.
I moved as quickly as I could, trying not to draw attention to myself in the packed streets. I didn't dare look behind to see if someone was following me. As I turned on one of the streets in the shopping district, I heard a commotion behind me.
When I hit the corner, a mirror posted in one of the shop windows showed cars approaching and two men in heavy jackets running in my direction. Fuck. Drake’s men.
I had to move. I sprinted through the crowd, frantic now as I glanced at my watch again. There was no way I was going to fucking make it on foot. I needed to steal a vehicle. But that could mean more trouble because getting caught in a stolen vehicle meant police. Police meant I’d be a sitting duck and Drake and his men could find me. It also meant that I’d likely already missedthe rendezvous with my team and I would have to get myself out.
Penny and Ariel would try to help, but the whole point was that we weren't supposed to be there. The Royal Elite team would try to help, but any association with me would mean trouble for them.
Think, Saff, think.
A motorbike would probably be the fastest. A car would have to stay on the roads, but for motorbikes, alleyways were an option. I had a whole map of the main island imprinted in my brain. Because if there was one thing that I did, at the very least, it was mentally prepare.
I saw a big group of people and inserted myself in the middle of them. Just in time, because one of the men in a heavy jacket ran past the group, scanning over the top of it. He headed to the right, searching in the boutiques along the way. The crowd I was in began to move up ahead. They were probably headed to one of the first churches built on the island. It looked like a tour group.
I made a sharp left into an alley that I knew was full of motorbike parking. When I did, a hand clamped over my mouth and dragged me into the shadows. "There you fucking are."
I shrieked internally, though I made zero sound. I quickly turned my head sharply to the right, putting my face in the crook of his arm so I couldn't be choked out. I shifted my hips in the same direction, bringing my palm down, but a hand caught mine. "Ah, you fooled me once."
The voice was familiar, and it wasn't Drake. I forced my brain to calm the panic, to take a deep breath, and to ignore the adrenaline. It was Lock.
His hand clamped around my arm and softly traced over the skin of my inner wrist. “I'm going to let go. Are you okay?"
I nodded and he released me. I turned in his arms and he put his finger to his mouth. "Shh."
Relieved, I wrapped my arms around him. “You're not supposed to be here."
“I know. But did you really think I would leave you?"
"This isn’t protocol."
“Fuck protocol. We need to wait here for another thirty seconds. They're doing a sweep of those stores over there. Which bike do you want?"
I peeked out around his shoulder. "The black one. There are two helmets on it."
"Okay, are you good?"
“Yeah."
"When we stop, you're going to tell me what the fuck is going on."
“Yeah, but we have to get to the pier without being seen on the bike."
“Don't worry. We'll ditch it about four blocks from here. Saint is waiting."
My brows lifted. "Saint ignored protocols too?"
"Are you insane? You're our fearless leader. We weren't going to leave you in the field."
My brow furrowed and I shook my head. "Lock, you're supposed to—"