Page 135 of A Deal in Darkness
My heart’s racing and there’s so much adrenaline pouring into me that I’m shaking. Visibly. My hands tremble and my stomach twists, knotting itself so damn tightly that I want to be sick. My mouth is dry and my throat burns, and my muscles tense, primed to respond to a threat. I know I have no chance of beating.
Eva and I are unequally matched, and the odds aren’t in my favor.
I run my fingers over my neck, playing with my collar in the hope that Enzo realizes there’s a problem. It ties me to him and connects our emotions. They might not always be easy tointerpret, but I’m guessing that the sheer terror of my situation ought to be as clear as fucking daylight.
“Clever girl,” Eva snarls, making it clear she’s watching me. “It won’t save you. I can’t remove that damned collar, but I can prevent Amaymon from responding to you.”
“I don’t want…”
“It doesn’t matter what you want, darling. He made you a part of this the moment he took a shine to you.”
Heels click as they march across the tiled floor.
“It’s nothing personal. You’re bait, darling. Nothing more.”
I back away from the sound that marches toward me like death. My head darts around and I still can’t find anything out of the ordinary and I hurry to the door, certain that my car will be waiting outside. Enzo always makes sure there’s a driver to collect me and he’s assured me several times that they’re highly skilled demons.
My feet hurry across the floor, and I throw the door open, searching for the sedan. It’s already waiting and the driver gets out. He’s my usual driver and I race toward him, trying to cover the ground quickly.
“You can run, Adriana,” Eva says, taunting me down the phone, “but you can’t hide. Not forever.”
“I don’t need to hide forever,” I snap back. “Just long enough for Enzo to find and kill you.”
Eva laughs and pure evil sounds down the phone.
I quicken my pace and yell at the driver, asking him for the code word. His eyes deepen in color and their scarlet makes my chest tighten and my heart race faster. The demon recites it and I exhale, suddenly aware I’ve been holding my breath.
My hand covers the phone.
“Eva’s…”
“I know,” the demon hisses. “Get in. Quickly.”
I dive into the car and he slams the door shut, driving off before I’ve fastened my seat belt. My heart’s still pounding hard enough to make my chest explode and my hands haven’t recovered. If anything, the shaking’s getting worse as the adrenaline kicks in and the terror I’m experiencing won’t abate until I’m with Enzo. Until I’m safely back home.
“Do you honestly think this will work?” Eva asks.
I hang up and stare out the window, watching as we race through London. The buildings turn into a blur of colors as the car moves at an unnatural speed. This isn’t normal, but then nothing about my situation is.
My heart sinks when I realize we’ve been traveling for far too long. It’s only a few minutes, but we should be home by now. We should easily have reached the loft if we’re traveling at this speed—and that means I’ve walked straight into the trap Eva set for me.
I’ll bet Lucinda had something to do with it.
The fucking bitch must have sent Eva a message and then tried to stall me on the way out. I make myself a promise that if I get out of this mess, then I’m sure as fuck making sure the first thing I do is fire her ass—and then I’m going to let Enzo do whatever the fuck he wants to her.
But I’ve got to survive this first.
“We’re not going back to the loft, are we?”
The driver lowers the divide between us. “Sorry, princess.”
“What did she offer you?”
His eyes meet mine, and for a moment I wonder if I see shame in them. Or maybe doubt. It’s probably too much to hope for given he’s a fucking demon and he’s already chosen a side, and he knows the consequence of betraying Enzo.
“A better job than this one,” he says, “with significantly better benefits.”
I sigh and sink back in my seat. “I don’t suppose I can persuade you to change your mind?”
