Free Worth Dying For by Luxie Ryder Page B

what to do next, she stood in the middle of the room, her legs unwilling to take her closer to the unknown. She spotted her rucksack on the dresser and took her keys and some money out of her wallet, then threw it and the bag down into the corner. She didn’t need Bane knowing her address and where to find her if she did manage to escape him.
    “Are you ready?”
    His words spurred her forwards and out into the main room before he saw what she’d been up to. Amber averted her eyes from David’s body, knowing that seeing him again would reignite the panic she was barely managing to control. She needed a clear head to get out of this alive.
    “Where’s your purse?”
    “I…I don’t have one,” she said, keeping her voice casual as she hid her eyes from him.
    “You are mistaken. I know you have one. Here, I’ll fetch it for you.” Bane walked straight over to where she’d dumped it and a smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he handed the purse to her. “The information you are trying to hide from me might be useful to others.”
    “Where are you taking me?” she asked, changing the subject, relieved he didn’t kill her for lying. “And what others?”
      “Somewhere safe. That’s all you need to know for now. Come on.” He grasped her elbow in an iron grip that allowed her no choice as to whether she followed or not, and steered her through the door into the hallway, past the elevator. He shook his head as she paused near it. “Small inescapable places would be an unfortunate choice given your current predicament.”
    “I don’t understand,” she said two minutes later, after he had forced her to sprint down the stairwell and out through the parking garage into the warm, dark street. “How do you know my name?”
    Bane stopped dragging her along the sidewalk and turned towards her. “If I tell you that your friend saw something he shouldn’t, and that by talking to the press about it, he put you both in mortal danger, would you stop asking foolhardy questions and just trust me?”
    “Can I trust you?” she said, sure she wouldn’t believe a word he said but needing to ask all the same.
    He jerked his head towards the apartment. “You saw what happened up there. Why would I fight to protect you just to kill you later? I’ve had more opportunity than you know to do you harm if I wished.”
    Amber didn’t have time to complain that the more he told her, the more confused and afraid she became. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a police patrol car slow down to a crawl on an adjacent street. She looked at Bane to check if he’d followed her thoughts but he simply stared down at her, his brow creased in irritation as he reached out to clasp her arm again. Amber grabbed at her chance, ducking his hand and taking a wild dash out into the road. She sucked in one jerky breath and threw back her head, releasing her fear, anger and grief erupt in a gut-wrenching scream. Bane would catch her and punish her—that much she knew—but fuck him if he thought she would go without a fight. She kept running, the flicker of hope in her chest burning brighter with each step she took. Amber yelled again, her voice echoing along the empty dark streets and bringing the cruiser to a sudden halt just as it was about to roll out of view.
    When only a few feet separated her from the safety of the police car, Amber’s fear escalated. To get so close and not make it would be too cruel. She couldn’t hear Bane behind her but couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t down to the wild beating of her heart and the blood pounding in her ears. The skin on her back crawled in anticipation of his touch and she looked over her shoulder, certain he’d be there…but the street was empty. Amber collided with something solid and screamed again, sure he had caught up with her just as she’d been about to get away.
    “I’ve got you, ma’am,” an unexpected voice said, halting her frantic struggle for freedom when she