Page 53 of No Need to Run
VIOLET
After checking twiceto make sure it’s clear, Drew pulls onto the street.
Of course he does. Drew is cautious. Careful.
He glances over at me, a smile playing on his lips. “I’m glad I ran into you.”
His cheeks pinken before he turns his head back to the road, like the words slipped out without his permission.
I turn my head to the window, trying to hide my smile.
He didn’t run into me.
I placed myself in his world.
But he doesn’t need to know I orchestrated the whole thing.
“Me, too,” I say, folding my hands in my lap.
“Thanks again for saving me the other night.” He gives me an embarrassed smile. “From Smoke.”
My lips curve. “No problem.”
I turn my gaze out the window, watching the blur of trees and passing cars.
I wasn’t going to let him hurt you.
Not after you saved me first.
The memory slips in, quiet and familiar.
We were younger.
I’d been in college. A nineteen-year-old student focused on her future.
My nerves had me flustered, and all I could think about was the upcoming internship meeting.
I needed this internship.
Landing it meant three years of experience before graduation.
I looked at my watch.
I was running late, which isn’t like me.
Hitching my purse higher, I increased my pace, hurrying along the sidewalk.
I blew out a nervous breath. The building was still two blocks away.
I stepped off the curb of the busy intersection without looking, not seeing the car speeding toward me until the last second.
Horror filled me as I braced for the hit.
But a firm hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back onto the sidewalk.
The car rushed past without touching me.
My heart pounded in my ears as I stood there, breathing heavy and shaking, but unharmed.
