Page 245 of The Villain We Tempt

“It’s impossible!” Galina blurts. “That would be a world record time.”

Nacho, who clearly didnotknow that, grits his teeth, his gaze stabbing into me. “Fine,” he snarls. “Twenty minutes.”

“Nacho—”

“Twenty minutes, Lochlan,” he says again, looking right at me. “I wouldnotbe late, if I were you.”

42

LOCHLAN

I have never runas fast as I do out of the woods and to Hawthorne Hollow.

Intotown is easy, because it’s downhill from campus. I move like the devil himself is after me as I bolt through town, across streets, dodging cars and pedestrians, until I go pelting down the pier and crashing through the door of the old harbormaster’s office.

I don’t even take a second to savor the memories of us in here. I don’t have the luxury of time right now.

Galina isalonewith him.

Gun or no gun, he’s clearly not going to kill her, being that he’s psychotically infatuated with her. But my mind shreds itself apart imagining the worst possible nightmare scenarios of whatelsehe might do to her, now that he finally has her alone in the woods and under his control.

Those fears are what propel me forward like a fucking bullet from a gun as I grab my Ghost mask and explode back out the door in a full sprint.

Not for me.

For her.

If he’s touched a single fucking hair on her head when I get back, not even that Magnum is going to stop me from wrapping my hands around his neck and snapping it.

My lungs are on fire as I run back. Every muscle in my body screams for mercy. My stomach roils before I twist my head and puke all over the side of the road.

But I don’t stop.

I don’t slow.

I can’t.

I just keep running as fast as I can.

I ignore the acid scorching through my veins. The fire burning in my lungs. The pain in my body screaming at me tojust fucking stop.

Not happening.

I’m choking raggedly as I finally bolt back through the front gates of the college and sprint across the dark, moonlit campus toward the woods. Branches rip and slash at my face and hands as I smash my way through the underbrush, avoiding the winding trail in favor of a more direct route to The Garrison.

What if he’s hurt her?

What if he touched her?

Oh God…

…What if he killed her?

The blood is roaring in my ears as I go crashing through the stone archway into The Garrison. My heart claws up into my throat as I whirl, panting raggedly as my lungs scream. My eyes dart all over before reality punches me in the face.

They’re not here.

I whirl around in a frenzy, panic and fury jangling within me before suddenly, I go still.