Free Fatal Fugue (The Deadlier Sex Book 1) by Maelani

desert toward them. Jay kissed the barrel of the semi-auto and aimed toward the lights. Hayley covered her ears as he unleashed a three-round burst in the direction on the oncoming truck. The truck faltered, swerving, then straightening. Jay readjusted his stance and sent four more rounds into the big vehicle.
    One of them found a target.
    She couldn’t see it from the distance, but a single 9mm round pierced the windshield and then cleanly through the driver’s head. He slumped forward over the wheel, and Hayley could hear the horn blaring into the endless night.
    Holy shit, what a fucking shot, she thought.
    The truck didn’t slow enough, though. In fact, it gained speed as the dead driver’s foot jammed down on the accelerator. They heard panicked screams coming from inside the truck as the occupants realized they were headed straight for the ditch, and the Suburban’s five-star safety features prevented any door from opening while it was in drive. There was nowhere to go but down.
    Jay smirked and turned away, revving the engine before taking off once more. They sped into the night where he intended to make a long desert loop, and then go—where? He didn’t know that yet and would have to figure it out. The only thing that mattered was they had gotten away in one piece.
    They heard the truck crash into the ditch a few seconds later, the horn unrelenting, and Hayley could finally breathe more easily. Her heart continued its manic hammering as Jay raced across the foreboding landscape, avoiding boulders, small cacti and tumbleweeds in the desolate night, heading toward the lights of Vegas. She let herself relax and leaned against him now, exhausted by the exertions of fear and adrenaline. Her nerves were fried, and she was afraid if she really let things sink in, she’d burst into tears or start laughing hysterically.
    Either one would be okay.
    “Did you like that?” he asked over his shoulder.
    “Fuck, no!” she shouted back, but then a pleasant twinge between her legs as she squeezed them against his hips made her reconsider. Jay was a machine. A sexy killing machine. Damn, it all was pretty exciting, she thought as the rumble of the bike’s big engine numbed her body. “You might have to take me to bed again to shake this off. Like really soon.”
    “Ha!” he laughed. “I’m just worried about staying alive for now!”
    “That’s paramount, of course. Where are we going?”
    “I’m working on it. I’ll let you know when I figure something out.”
    “Great.” Like that had worked out the first time around.
     
     
     

 
    Chapter Thirteen
     
     
     
     
    “Do you even know where you’re going?” Hayley tightened her arms around his waist, feeling the cold air biting into her skin. The impenetrable darkness of the desert felt heavy until they made it to the main road and were able to turn their lights back on. Jay didn’t stay on it for long, afraid they would be spotted too soon. Turning down into the neighborhoods once they reentered the Las Vegas Valley, the cloak of the residential areas hid them even more.
    But it did nothing for her frozen fingers and face. They had to warm up soon. Even the desert turned into a pit of exposure if they weren’t careful.
    “I told you, I’ll figure it out.”
    Coming up on a park near the other side of the desert, they spotted people still lingering in the cool evening air. Jay turned into the parking lot and parked behind a brick building holding the main trash receptacles. Turning the motorcycle off, He pushed the kickstand down and hopped off. Hayley followed suit, hugging her arms from the cold of the early winter breezes.
    “I’m cold.”
    “Just give me a minute.” His eyes darted around the dumpster’s shelter, eyeing the street both ways before relaxing and leaning against the wall. “I need to get to a safe house.”
    “Wasn’t that what the cabin was for? A safe place to rest?”
    Jay scratched his head, pressing his fingers to the