Free Driven to the Limit by Alice Gaines

they dashed through. A window lay straight ahead, and Jake shifted gears
again until they leapt into the air and soared through the panes. Glass
shattered all around her as they flew outside and landed on the lawn with a
jarring thud.
    Jake didn’t stop but charged around the cottage and down the
main path toward the main gate of the compound. Still coughing, Lauren sucked
cool air into her lungs. Jake’s engine purred as he guided her to where police
and fire personnel were just coming up the drive.
    The fire trucks didn’t stop but continued toward the guest
cottage. One police patrol car drove up to her and Jake, and as soon as Jake
came to a stop, an officer climbed out of the car, grabbed Lauren and rolled
her on the driveway.
    Until that moment, she hadn’t even realized her clothing was
on fire. Pain shot through her now, though, as the burns hit the pavement. She
shrieked and almost passed out, but then the officer picked her up and carried
her to the lawn, where at least she could feel grass against her skin. Not much
better, but a little.
    A pleasant looking blond man, he stared down at her. “I’m
sorry, ma’am. I had to do that.”
    “Thanks.”
    Give the officer the sack , Jake said.
    She looked over at where he lay on the pavement. The
policeman had knocked him over, but with any luck, he hadn’t been damaged. They
were both alive.
    Give it to him , Schatzie.
    Miracle of miracles, she still had the bag in her hand. She
held it up to the officer. “I think you’ll find this interesting.”
    She had no idea what was in there, of course, but if Jake
wanted him to have it, that was good enough for her.
    The officer took it from her. “Now, let’s get you to a
hospital.”
    “Take my bike with us, please.”
    “It’ll be fine here.”
    She grabbed his uniform. “Please. I need him… it. Please!”
    He studied her face for a minute. “I’ll see if I can find
someone to drive it behind us.”
    “Thanks.” She rested back against the grass.
    I’ll be there , Schatzie. I’ll never leave you .
    * * *
    Lauren sat on the front terrace of Dagger’s house -- or
soon-to-be-former house -- looking down the drive toward the entrance to the
compound. Outside the boundaries of what had been her world, a whole new life
waited for her. She only had to reach out for it.
    Why did that scare the shit out of her?
    Jake came out from the house and dropped a duffel bag onto
the flagstones. “This ought to do it.”
    She looked at the things they’d packed. They’d only be able
to take whatever could be strapped to Jake after he shifted. But then, there
was so little worth keeping.
    “Ready to go?” Jake asked.
    “More than ready.” She took a breath. “It’s just hard.”
    He sat on the bench beside her and put an arm around her
shoulders. “Dagger needed to be shut down.”
    “As bad as I knew he was, I had no idea how low he’d gone.
He probably wrecked hundreds of lives.”
    “He won’t get out of prison until he’s an old man. If then.”
    She patted his knee. “We done good.”
    “You did. It would have all burned in the guesthouse if you
hadn’t rushed in there like an idiot.”
    “I’ll have to testify at his trial,” she said.
    He lifted her chin and pressed a kiss to her lips. “You can
do that too.”
    She smiled. “I suspect I can do anything if I have you.”
    “Just try to get rid of me.”
    She ran her arms around his ribs and rested her head on his
shoulder. “I think I’m most worried about seeing my family.”
    “How did they sound when you talked to them?”
    “Great. Better than I deserve.”
    “They love you, Schatzie .”
    They’d sure sounded as if they did. Mom had cried, obviously
with relief and joy to hear from her. Dad had called her cupcake as he had when
she’d been a little girl. Timmy… Tim… had been full of stories of what all he’d
been up to since she left home -- lots of them about his friends at the high
school she’d dropped out of. She had a