Chapter 84

Lila’s POV

The first thing I felt was the pounding in my head.

It throbbed with every beat of my heart, slow at first, then faster, like drums in a war I hadn’t signed up for.

My throat burned as though I had swallowed acid, and the acidic stench of chemicals still clung stubbornly to my nose. For a moment, I thought I was still dreaming, that I was caught in some nightmare stitched from fear and shadows.

But the low hum of an engine told me otherwise.

I blinked, my lashes sticking together as the world came back to me in fragments. I could feel leather and then darkness also the faint vibration beneath my body. I was lying across the backseat of a moving car. My wrists trembled as I pressed my palms against the seat, slowly pushing myself up.

And then it all slammed back.

The hand. The cloth. The cruel glint in Max’s eyes. His voice whispering my name like it belonged to him as the world collapsed into black.

My chest tightened so violently I thought I would choke. I forced myself to breathe, small, shallow breaths so I wouldn’t make a sound. My neck felt stiff, but I dared to raise my head just enough to see beyond the front seat.

There he was.

Max.

His dark hair was slicked back, his hands steady on the wheel as if he hadn’t just stolen me from my own world. The dashboard lights cut across his face, illuminating the twisted smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He looked… pleased. Triumphant even.

A chill raced down my spine.

Then I noticed the phone pressed to his ear. His voice was low, sharp, filled with the same arrogance I once mistook for charm.

“I have her,” he said, his words slicing through the air. “She’s not going anywhere. Do you understand me? She’s mine now.”

My stomach twisted. My nails dug into the seat beneath me, the terror almost suffocating.

And then, as if the universe hadn’t tortured me enough, his tone changed. Sharper and angrier.

“Shit,” he hissed into the phone. “Someone’s following me. Damn it, I don’t know who it is.”

My eyes darted toward the rear window. Through the dark tint and streaks of city light, I saw the headlights, bright and unwavering, trailing behind us like a predator. My heart stuttered, then slammed into overdrive.

I felt a glimmer of hope.

Raw and desperate, it coursed through my veins. Someone was following him. Maybe… maybe someone had seen.

Please, God, let it be Drew. I wasn't sure if he had noticed my absence and why would I even think he would leave his launch to chase after me. But I really hoped it was him.

I didn’t move right away. I forced myself to stay limp, my head tilted slightly as though I were still unconscious. Max’s eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror once, then twice, suspicion flashing in them, but I kept my breathing shallow, my body slack.

Then I saw it.

Crumpled on the seat beside me, faintly damp, was the handkerchief he had used to knock me out.

My pulse leapt.

Slowly so slowly it felt like torture as I reached for it, my fingers trembling, brushing against the rough fabric. Max cursed again, his focus split between the road, the phone, and the car behind us. He didn’t notice.

I wound the cloth between my hands, twisting it tight until it became a rope.

My body screamed at me not to move, not to risk it, but another part of me, fiercer, louder, whispered: If you don’t do this now, you may never have another chance.

So I moved.

With every ounce of strength I had left, I lunged forward, looping the cloth over his head and yanking it back around his throat.

Max roared, the sound guttural and animal, his hands flying off the wheel as the car jerked violently to the side. Tires screeched, rubber burning against asphalt as the vehicle swerved across the lane. Horns blared from other cars, a cacophony of chaos.

“Let go Lila!” he bellowed, his hands clawing at the cloth, at my arms, at anything he could reach. But I held on, my teeth gritted, tears streaming from the effort.

“Not again!” I screamed, my voice breaking. “You’re not taking me again!”

The car jolted, swerving so hard I was thrown against the seat, pain exploding in my shoulder. Max slammed the brakes, the car screeching to a violent halt at the edge of the road.

The force threw me forward, but I didn’t care. I scrambled, fingers clawing at the door handle, yanking it open with a desperate cry.

Cold night air slapped my face as I tumbled out of the car, hitting the pavement hard enough to tear the skin on my palms. My lungs burned as I sucked in air, but adrenaline shoved me to my feet.

Run.

That was all I could think of. Run.

My heels pounded against the ground, each step shaky, each breath ragged. Behind me, Max’s furious voice split the air.

“Lila! Get back here!”

His footsteps followed, heavy, relentless.

Panic seared my chest, but my legs didn’t stop. I pushed harder, the blood in my veins turning molten, the city blurring around me.

Then came the headlights once again.

Bright, blinding, halting just ahead of me. A sleek black car screeched to a stop, tires biting into the road. For a second, terror froze me, afraid it was another one of Max’s men.

But then the door flew open.

And Drew stepped out.

Time stopped.

His suit jacket whipped slightly in the wind, his expression carved in steel. His eyes locked on me, and in them I saw fury, fear, and something else, a kind of desperation that made my knees buckle.

“Lila!” His voice boomed across the space between us.

Relief hit me so hard my body gave out. My legs buckled, my throat closing as I stumbled forward.

“Drew,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure the sound even carried.

I felt him before I saw him reach me. Strong arms wrapped around me just as my body crumpled. The world tilted, but his grip was unyielding, grounding me.

“I’ve got you,” he muttered, his voice trembling with a rage barely contained. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Behind us, Max’s footsteps faltered. I caught a glimpse through my blurred vision, his face twisting with fury as recognition dawned. Drew. He had walked straight into Drew.

Max cursed and spun, sprinting back toward his car. Doors slammed, tires screeched, and then he was gone, swallowed by the night.

I wanted to warn Drew, to tell him not to let him get away. But my body betrayed me. My strength slipped out, the adrenaline crashing in waves until I was left trembling and weak in Drew’s arms.

His voice broke through the haze again, sharp, commanding, impossible to ignore.

“To the hospital,” he barked at his driver. “Now.”

The last thing I felt was his hand brushing my hair back from my face, steadying me against his chest as the darkness claimed me again.