Chapter 2

I instinctively took half a step back, ready to turn and run for the garage exit.

"I think I'll just get a ride myself."

Adrian's hand pressed against my back.

"The roads are slick in the rain, and it's dark down here in the garage. Running around is a good way to get hurt."

"Be good. Get in."

Chloe leaned over from the passenger seat, slapping the car door impatiently.

"Maya, are you coming or not? Keep dawdling and the damp down here is going to ruin Mr. Grant's leather seats!"

I clenched my jaw and was forced into the back seat.

Right after, Adrian slid into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Without thinking, I reached for the door handle. It wouldn't budge.

I pressed the window button. The glass didn't move an inch.

Adrian glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his voice gentle.

"The AC is on. If you open the window, you'll catch a cold. Your stomach is already bothering you, so you should be more careful."

Chloe giggled in the passenger seat until she was practically shaking.

"Oh, Mr. Grant, you're so thoughtful."

"By the way, Mr. Grant, what part of town do you usually spend time in? Do you have a place downtown? Girls these days really care about that kind of thing."

I forced down the panic in my chest and clasped my hands tightly together.

"Mr. Grant, my stomach hurts so much I can't take it anymore."

I named a top-rated teaching hospital a few miles away.

"Could you please stop at the ER entrance at City General Hospital? I need to check in."

Adrian's long fingers rested on the steering wheel.

"I have to pick up a rush dental mold at my studio on the outskirts of town. A patient needs it first thing tomorrow morning."

"Once I've got it, I'll take you to the hospital. It won't be too late."

The car drove straight past the turn for City General.

Desperate, I lunged at the back of the driver's seat.

"Then please pull over! I'll walk there myself!"

Chloe turned around and glared at me viciously.

"Are you done yet? What's with the fake sick act and all this drama?"

I stopped paying attention to the idiot and slipped my hand quietly into my coat pocket.

My fingers found the phone's power button, ready to press it five times to trigger the emergency call.

I had just pressed it for the third time.

Chloe suddenly leaned most of her body over from the front seat and yanked my hand out.

"What are you doing?!"

The moment she saw the screen, her face turned ugly.

"Maya, are you out of your mind?!"

She snatched my phone and pressed the power button to shut it off.

"Don't mind her, Mr. Grant. She's not herself today. I'll keep an eye on her for you."

My mind went blank. I was shaking all over with rage.

"Chloe, give me back my phone! Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

She snarled at me under her breath, dropping all pretense.

"All I know is that if you ruin this match, I'll skin you alive!"

The streetlights outside the window grew fewer and farther between.

The car exited the beltway and pulled into a desolate suburban creative arts business park where almost no one was out at night.

Adrian rolled down his window and swiped open a rusty iron gate.

The car stopped in front of a small standalone building with no sign of any kind.

Adrian cut the engine and pulled out the key.

He turned around and spoke softly.

"We're here. Get out."