The rain was a blur against the windshield as the service van tore through the outskirts of Chicago. Lorenzo drove with one hand on the wheel and the other gripping a handgun. Beside him, Amara was trembling, her midnight-blue gown torn at the hem and stained with dust from the ballroom floor.
"Are we going back to the mansion?" Amara asked, her voice small and cracked.
"No," Lorenzo snapped, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. "The mansion is compromised. Silvio's men were too prepared. Someone on the inside talked."
He turned off the main highway onto a gravel road that led into a dense forest. After miles of darkness, a small, modern cabin appeared. It was made of dark wood and glass, hidden perfectly by the trees.
"Out," he ordered.
Inside, the safe house was cold and smelled of cedar. Lorenzo immediately began checking the security monitors, his movements sharp and efficient. He looked like a soldier, not a king.
Amara slumped onto a leather sofa, the adrenaline finally leaving her body. "They almost killed us, Lorenzo. Because of me. If I wasn't there, you wouldn't have been a target."
Lorenzo stopped. He walked over to her and stood tall, his shadow stretching across the floor. "They didn't attack because of you, Amara. They attacked because I kept you. There is a difference."
He reached out and took her hand. His palm was warm, but his grip was firm. He pulled her up so she was standing inches from him.
"I have spent my whole life making sure I had no weaknesses," he whispered, his voice dropping to a dangerous level. "No wife. No children. No friends. Just the throne."
He moved his hand to her neck, his thumb brushing the gold GPS pendant he had forced her to wear.
"But then I saw you. And for the first time, I didn't want the throne. I wanted the girl in the rain."
Amara looked into his gray eyes. For the first time, she didn't see a monster. She saw a man who was terrified of his own feelings. "Lorenzo..."
"Don't," he hissed. "Don't say my name like that. Not unless you mean it."
The tension between them was thick, heavier than the air before a storm. Lorenzo leaned down, his forehead resting against hers. Amara could hear his heartbeat—fast and wild, just like her own.
"We stay here until I find the traitor," he murmured. "Just you and me. No guards. No rules. Just us."
Suddenly, a red light began to flash on the security panel. A proximity alarm.
Lorenzo pulled away, his face turning back into a mask of ice. He grabbed his rifle from the table.
"They found us," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "Stay in the basement. Do not come out until you hear my voice. If you hear anyone else... use the hidden door under the rug and run. Don't look back."
Amara watched him step toward the front door, the King preparing to defend his Queen in a cabin in the woods.
The hunters have found the safe house! Is there a traitor among Lorenzo's inner circle? Would you like to see the fight in Chapter 10: Blood in the Woods?