Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,80

stopped loving you.”

My heart beats wildly inside my chest, my knees ready to give out. That’s it. I’ve done it. I tossed the ball in his court, and now, it’s up to Alec to hit it back at me or it let it roll out of bounds. Alec’s cheeks pink, a sight that never fails to amuse me.

“But you said… Back then…” He stumbles over his words.

Embarrassment colors my cheeks. “I know. And I’m sorry. But I needed you to let me go.”

A smile blooms on his lips, and he looks confused and surprised, as if he doesn’t know what to make of all this. “You sure know how to pick a moment, don’t you?”

I laugh, disappointment settling heavy and rugged in my chest. I make to pull away, but Alec holds me close.

“I never stopped loving you, too, Zach,” he said softly, his eyes glazing over. “I came back for you. I was determined to make amends and, at the very least, make you stop hating me.”

I chuckled. “I’ve never hated you.”

“That’s good to know.”

We grin at each other, standing in the middle of the bedroom in Alec’s idyllic cabin, suspended in time, the rest of the world forgotten.

Alec bumps his nose to mine. “I love you,” he says, his smile too big and his lips too soft on mine.

Chapter thirty

The drive back to New York takes less than six hours. We’re both quiet, lost in our own thoughts. Alec calls his team every hour on the dot to check in, and every time he asks about Evie, my heart skips a beat. She’s doing fine, thank god. The hospital, Alec assures me, is crawling with security, so there’s no need to worry about her safety.

I believe him, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.

As I-91 flows into I-95, the traffic gets busier. My knee starts bouncing, my body humming with the need to get out of this car and see my sister. I imagine her all alone in the room, tubes and wires sticking out of her, body too small for the huge bed. Just like she’d been three years ago. I can’t make the image go away.

I know my mother’s probably with her, and Felix, too, and there must be more bodyguards around so she isn’t alone. She isn’t in danger.

I know all that, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. It doesn’t make the anxiety stop clawing at my insides no matter how many times I count to ten or imagine the sound of the fucking waves.

The GPS announces there’s construction ahead, so traffic will slow even further.

“Awesome,” I mumble, barely stifling a groan.

Alec casts me a worried glance, but he doesn’t say anything.

He’s been tense for the past hour, his eyes straying to the rearview mirror more often than usual. He sits rigidly in the comfortable seat, movements jerky when he accepts a call or signals to change lanes.

“We’ll get off the highway at the next exit,” he says. “I think it’ll be faster.”

I hum an agreement. Alec puts a hand on my knee.

“It’ll be okay,” he says, voice much softer.

I place my hand on top of his. Alec turns his hand palm up and tangles our fingers together. It’s such a small thing to do, but it immediately makes me feel a little calmer.

Alec’s phone rings, the shrill sound yanking me out of the moment. I let go of Alec’s hand as he accepts the call through the Bluetooth system.

“Nick,” he says as a way of greeting.

“Alec, you need to get off the highway, now!”

“What’s going on?” Alec asks, a note of worry in his voice. I so rarely hear it that it makes me sit up straighter.

“We received intel that you’re being followed.”

“What intel?” Alec growls.

“An email with a photo of your car taken on I-91, and the words ‘Time’s Up’.”

Alec opens his mouth to say something, but never gets a chance. Something rams us from behind, making us jerk forward.

“Fucking hell!” Alec shouts. “Nick, send backup. We’re under attack.”

“Already on the way.”

I turn around and see a black SUV just as it rams us again, even harder. I yelp, trying to steady myself.

“Alec, what do we do?” My voice is full of panic, my hands trembling as I reach to steady myself on the door handle.

“It’ll be all right,” Alec says as if on autopilot.

Faster than I expect, he turns the wheel and crosses the entire highway, car horns blaring after him. I turn to look behind us and see