Page 106 of Temptation
“Atlas?” I frowned. “What are you—”
“She can’t come,” he muttered, closing the door. “Storm is watching her like a hawk, and she told me what you need to do. Just follow me.”
He started walking without waiting for me, going toward the darkened part of the parking lot behind the club. I couldn’t see shit as he disappeared in the darkness, and I threw the half-smoked cigarette to the ground, pressing on it with the heel of my boot.
With hurried steps, I caught up with him just as he reached his motorcycle.
“Seriously?” I asked, looking at the beast in front of me.
“What?” He looked at me. “This is faster than a car, and harder to track.”
“But—”
“Skylar, do you want to go or not?”
“I do.”
“Then get your ass on and stop looking like it will bite you.”
He straddled the bike and turned the ignition to life. The roar filled the empty parking lot, sending chills over my skin. With shaky limbs, I stood on the side as Atlas looked at me, waiting for me to sit.
“One leg over and be careful not to burn yourself.”
Well, shit. I could do this.
My hand landed on his shoulder, and I lifted my leg, managing to sit behind him.
“Good. Now hold on. This is going to be fast.”
I barely managed to hug him around his waist when he pressed on the gas, taking us to the main road.
My face pressed between his shoulder blades, and I closed my eyes, calming down my thundering heart.
How long would it take for Ash and Dylan to figure out that I was gone? How long ‘til they came after me?
The entire ride, I never once lifted my head, but when Atlas started slowing down, I braved pulling myself up, looking at the familiar forest.
The drive from the center of Winworth to Emercroft Lake was around one hour, but we didn’t need to go all the way to Winworth to reach my destination. I had no idea how long we drove, but as he started going down the old gravelly road, anticipation spiked through my veins, the anxiety I was trying to suppress reaching the point of no return.
I tightened my hold on him as the bike beneath us shook, but he kept going.
The only light was the light from the bike, while the sinister looking forest around us seemed to be closing in on us, until the road started shrinking, leading toward our final destination.
It felt as if forever had passed when Atlas finally reached the clearing where we used to park our cars. Rowan’s car was parked on the left side, and I breathed out a breath of relief once I saw it.
As soon as Atlas stopped the bike, I all but jumped off and started walking toward the beach side. I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was here.
“Do you want me to wait for you?” Atlas asked.
“No!” I yelled out. “Rowan is going to give me a ride back home. Thank you though. I owe you.”
“Are you sure?” Atlas looked around. “It’s quite dark here.”
I pulled my phone out and turned on the flashlight, shaking it toward him. “I’m all good, thanks. You should go back before they see you’re missing.”
He wasn’t exactly convinced, but he finally turned the ignition back on, and turned around, going back on the same road we came through.
I smiled at his retreating form and walked toward Rowan’s car. The ignition was off, and his keys inside, but there was no sign of him. I looked toward the river, and as my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I saw a lone figure standing with his back turned toward me.
