Fuck.
I stare straight into his dark chocolate eyes and contemplate running through them, but I don’t. I can’t risk anyone getting hurt.
My hands grip the wheel, my knuckles turning white, and I follow Aries as he makes his way towards the driver-side door.
With his gun still aimed at my head, he motions for me to roll the window down and I do.
“Listen. Just let us go. You saved us. You don’t need to do any more. We will take it from here.”
“Get out of the car.” Aries' voice is full of malice and I should be scared, but I don’t move.
“Get the hell out of the car before you make this day of celebration for these women turn into a nightmare.”
Once again, I don’t move and slowly let my foot off the gas.
“Taylor.”
My eyebrows hit the top of my head. How the—
“You may think you’re twenty steps ahead, but I can promise you, you most certainly are not.”
The car slowly crawls forward. “I beg to differ asshat. Now move, before one of your buddies gets a tire mark on their face.” With hardly any movement, I motion with my right hand for the girls to duck down. In the rearview mirror, I can see they caught my gesture and all of them slowly begin to sink down.
A huff of laughter escapes Aries and my head snaps to him. “You really are not as smart as you think, but I’ll humor you before I lock your ass up and throw away the key.”
I try to interrupt him, but he stops me. “Enough. My turn. See, you didn’t just steal from some biker gang. You stole from Braveheart. An organization full of trained killers who fight to save people like yourself and your friends. The money you stole goes to helping victims get back on their feet, as well as keeping our organization running.”
My stomach drops and my mask slips, but I quickly put it back into place as Aries steps up to the door. “Not what you expected? Great. Now put the car in park and we will get your friends to safety. You, on the other hand…you’re coming with me.”
The sliding door opens at the same time the passenger door does and men climb inside. The man I recognize as VP places the car in park and the other speaks calmly to the girls.
Think Taylor. Think.
I force myself to feign scared and terrified, but Aries just smiles. “You can stop with the theatrics. You see, we have profiles on everyone we rescue. I now know you as Taylor Morgan. No living family. Ran away from home at seventeen. Incarcerated three times for hacking. Luckily, the leader of my organization placed systems on our devices to protect us. A system that protects us while gathering information about an attacker.”
He pauses for a moment, and I realize I am truly and utterly fucked.
Dammit Taylor.
“Don’t worry. Your friends will be safe. Their families are actually on the way. And because I’m nice, I’ll let you see them get to safety, but the moment they are, you will be coming with me.”
For the first time in years, I allow my mask to drop. “Like fuck I am. Who the hell are you to try to control my life? Didn’t you see what I just escaped? You think I’ll let you bring me back to the same thing, just a different font? Hell no!”
Aries doesn’t miss a beat. “On the contrary. I am not taking you as a captive. I’m doing you a favor.”
My eyes roll to the back of my head and I level my gaze with him. “What could you possibly do for me?”
“Use your skills for good to take down men like Ron. Or go back to living on the run and getting into more trouble that will ultimately end in your demise. Now the answer is obvious in my mind, Taylor.”
The choice is obvious, but that doesn’t mean I want to make it.
Take it. This is your only chance at survival. Help others like Sarah, Bailey, Leah, and Tinley. The ones who couldn’t make it long enough to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
I let out a sigh and open the door, not bothering to avoid hitting Aries.
My feet hit the asphalt and Aries looks down at me, a look of disapproval and annoyance on his face.
“Fine. But I swear to all that is holy, if this is some twisted game, I will end all of you.”
