Exultation surged through me. My plan was obviously working.
If looks could kill, Andre should have dropped dead right then with the look that Maddy gave him.
Suddenly, she spun on me and snatched me by the hair, jerking my head back and exposing my throat.
“Do it, or I’ll snap the bitch’s neck,” Maddy threatened. She twisted my head slightly for good measure, her tone turning sticky sweet. “Or maybe I’ll slit her throat and let her bleed out. Take your pick.”
I couldn’t help but feel real fear now, but I was trying my best not to show it.
Andre quickly held up his hands to stay the mad woman. “Okay, okay,” he said. “Just let her go and I’ll do it.”
“Don’t do it Andre,” I urged immediately, taking a gamble. “You don’t have to listen to her. She’s just playing you for a fool.”
Her face a mask of rage, Maddy raised her hand to strike me, but before she could, something round flew through one of the side windows, shattering it into pieces. The round object bounced on the floor once and then rolled to a stop by the couch and made a metallic sound.
Within seconds, smoke quickly filled the room, obscuring everything in sight. I looked around frantically, wondering what was going to happen next. There was so much smoke already, and I could barely see in front of me.
“It’s Razor!” Maddy yelled with surprise, letting go of me and diving away as if a grenade was about to go off. “Andre, grab the bitch and let’s go!”
Through the haze of smoke I could see a form approaching me, presumably Andre.
“Watch out Mason!” I yelled, my heart pounding in my chest. “He’s got a gun!”
Suddenly, there was a loud smacking sound and a grunt, followed by a thud as if a body had hit the floor.
Maddy’s hacking coughs sounded nearby. I wondered if she was going to try to harm me before I could be saved.
Luckily for me, she didn’t get the chance.
I heard her inhale sharply and then a thud a second later.
Next thing I knew, strong hands were deftly untying my bonds and then lifting me into the air.
“Don’t worry, Carly,” Mason said softly in my ear, his voice the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard in that instant. “I’m here.”
* * *
“Did you have to shatter my window?” I complained loudly over the wind as it whipped my hair into my eyes.
We were speeding down the highway on Mason’s motorbike. It was my first time riding on it with him, and it was a little exciting, despite the situation I was just in.
The incredible speed, the wind whipping my face, the beautiful night time landscape passing us by and the starry sky twinkling above, all made for a breathtaking experience that made me feel vivaciously alive and utterly free.
Mason knew how to really handle his bike too, weaving in and out of lanes and traffic with an expertise that impressed me.
He slowed down as he merged onto the highway going south. I had no clue where he was taking us, but I didn’t care. I was just happy to have escaped with maybe a few bruises, but relatively unharmed.
“I thought it was the best way to surprise them so that no one would get hurt,” Mason yelled over the wind.
“What did you do to Wicked Witch and Brutus back there anyway? It sounded like they both hit the floor pretty hard.”
“Andre got a kick to head. He’ll be fine, but he might have a headache. I just put Maddy in a choke hold. She would’ve been back up in about a minute but still be a bit groggy.”
I couldn’t really see, so I just accepted what he said. “Where on earth did you find a smoke bomb anyway?”
“I have my ways,” Mason replied in his usual coy manner that drove me crazy.
“Seriously?” I yelled.
Mason laughed. “I got it from a gun shop. It’s the only thing nonlethal I could find that I could use. The guy didn’t want to sell it, I’m not even sure it’s legal, but when I offered two hundred bucks, he changed his mind.”
Satisfied with his answer, I grew silent and nuzzled deeply into his back. It was annoying having to yell over the wind anyway, and I was tired of having to strain to hear Mason’s responses. And instead of barraging him with questions that could wait until later, I just needed to sit tight, enjoy the ride and be thankful that we were hopefully leaving our problems behind us.
But as we sped off into the night, I had a strange feeling that the worst was yet to come.
Chapter 20
Mason
“Maddy was the ex you didn’t want to tell me about, wasn’t she?” Carly demanded from the small twin-sized bed. “I didn’t even know who she was but I knew you two must’ve had a past, especially with the obvious jealous rage.”