Bringing the car to a stop, I rolled down the window and looked for Chaser.

I didn’t see him at first, and my heart twisted in my chest, but he emerged out of the shadows like a ghost. He was exactly where I’d left him half an hour ago when I’d gone off to find us a more reliable means of transportation. Good.

He slid into the front passenger seat, dumping his bag at his feet. Once he’d shut the door and clipped his seat belt on, I turned back onto the road and headed for the highway.

“You look pale,” I said, placing my palm on his forehead.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I think you need a hospital.”

“No. No hospitals.”

I narrowed my eyes and focused on the road ahead. If he said so.

I merged the little rental car into the traffic and accelerated up to the speed limit. The sun was shining overhead, a few wisps of white streaked through the blue, and the road was open before us. California was looming closer than ever.

It hadn’t quite caught up with me yet. All the death. Autopilot was engaged, and all I knew was one destination. The one we’d been aiming for all this time. Fortitude.

“Do you think the cops will come after us?” I asked, not liking the silence between us.

“I doubt it.”

“We’ve left DNA and fingerprints clear across the country,” I argued. “Haven’t you ever seen that TV show CSI?”

“They had enough clout to seal off several cars of that train, Sloane. Believe me when I say they’re connected enough to clean up the trail of destruction we’ve left across the country. The only people coming for us now are them.”

“Ironically, that’s extremely helpful,” I drawled.

“They want a clean death. Off the record.”

“Who are they? I think I’ve earned the right to know the name of their little dick club by now.”

“They have a lot of names.”

“Such as?”

“The Marauders. The Vanguard. The Hollow Men.”

I snorted. “Are you serious?”

Chaser grunted. “Their leader is called The King.”

“The King? Fucking hell. We’re in a James Bond movie.” I scowled and tightened my grip on the wheel. “They were going to give me to him. This King guy.”

“What?”

“Orders change,” I rattled off. “There was something about being a sex slave, fucking open wounds, and cum up my ass.”

“The fuck.”

“That’s what I said,” I drawled. “I didn’t want to RSVP to that party. Glad you showed up when you did.”

“Me, too.”

I snorted and fixed my gaze on the road ahead. We had an eight-hour drive ahead of us, so there was no use debating the supposed fate of daddy’s little girl, or it would be a tense ride to Fortitude. We hadn’t even talked about the other thing. Us and…her.

“Pull over,” Chaser demanded, startling me.

“What? Why? You can’t drive with that leg.”

“Sloane. Stop.”

Sighing, I slowed the car and eased off the highway. Stopping, I turned off the engine and stared out the front window, listening to the sound of a truck whooshing past.

Whatever he was going to say, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. After everything we’d been through on that train… Actually, I didn’t want to know.

“I need to explain,” he said.

Screwing my eyes shut, I held onto the wheel and said a silent prayer. I was already broken. I didn’t need an explanation why he acted the way he did. He would only dump salt into the open wound.

“Seven years ago—”

“No,” I snapped.

“No?”

I could feel Chaser’s gaze burning into the side of my face.

“I worked with them,” he said. “I knew them as The Hollow Men. They were a deep cover assignment.”

My mouth fell open, and I turned to stare at him. Deep cover? Did that mean…

“I was a cop,” he said, confirming my suspicions.

“Was?”

“Once upon a time,” he said.

“But not anymore?”

“Not for a long time.” He sighed, closing his eyes. “In a past life, I started on the beat in LA. It bored the fuck out of me chasing drug dealing little shits across the city, so I set my sights on the FBI. I wanted to crack the hard stuff. The mafia, the international crime syndicates, the serial killers.”

A truck flew past us, shaking the car.

“The Hollow Men were my second assignment and my first deep cover. I was to gather evidence and information. Gain their trust and get into the inner circle. Eventually, we would dismantle their whole operation and put away the ringleaders for good.” His jaw tensed, and he looked tired. “We weren’t long married then. Madison and me. That was her name. She didn’t want me to go, but the job was everything to me. Deep cover… It meant leaving her for fuck knew how long.”

I was supposed to say something reassuring, but I didn’t have it in me. I was frozen. Completely numb. She had a pretty name to match her pretty face. He’d said it with such…love.

“I got too deep, and I couldn’t protect her anymore,” he went on. “They suspected I was a plant and took her to flush me out. You know what happened next.”

“They flushed…” I muttered.

“I was on the run…” His voice wavered. “I wanted to get her back before it was too late.”

“So you went to Fortitude.”

“They were the only people willing to help. I was betrayed and hung out to dry by the FBI. The system failed me, so I had no choice but to go underground. Your father saw the worth in my loyalty, no matter how he gained it. I knew his enemy inside and out. With my intel, he could pick them off and take over their operation. He helped me get her back, but it was too late. They’d already murdered her, but I’d made a deal. Didn’t matter if she was dead or alive, Fortitude had held up their end, and I was… What did you call it? Enslaved and branded?” He snorted and wiped at his eyes. “This is my repayment. Everything I stood for is gone.”

Oh, God. Of all the scenarios I’d played in my mind, this was not one of them. He’d been good once upon a time. On the side of the law, dedicated to protecting people. Until they’d let him down. Until the bad guys murdered his wife. I couldn’t blame him for what he’d done afterward. His life had been brutally torn from him.

“You were right,” he murmured. “I’m a criminal and a murderer. Your father’s little bitch.”

“You were trying to get justice,” I said. “You did what you thought needed to be done.”

“I didn’t expect you, Sloane.”

I snorted, struggling to hold in my tears. I hadn’t expected him, either.

“I’ve struggled…” He sighed and leaned back in the seat. “It’s not easy letting her go.”

“I can’t make you do anything,” I said, my throat burning. “But I can’t play this game anymore. I won’t.”

“Sloane…”

“You can’t give her up, I understand that. That’s why I need to walk away. I need to protect myself.” The words struck deep in my heart, and it was all I could do to keep it together. “You need to get out of the car, Chaser.”

“Sloane,” he said. “You don’t understand.”

“I do. More than you realize.”

His hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist. I struggled against his hold, but he was still a sight stronger than I was even with the blood loss.

“Get out.” I snarled.

“No.” His iridescent eyes blazed, burning into mine like liquid fire.

I stared at him, completely lost.

“I have feelings for you, Sloane,” he declared. “I don’t know what the fuck they are, but I’m not going to let them go. I’m not going to let you go. I’m yours to command. You want to run away? Let’s fucking go. Right now.”

“Mine?” I whispered, completely dumbfounded.

His eyes narrowed. “You need a fucking road map?”

I shook my head, and before I could catch my breath, his lips met mine.

We kissed. Long, slow, and hard. Just how I liked it.

When he pulled away, he sighed, his fingers stroking through my hair.

“Ride hard, Sloane,” he whispered. “Ride hard.”

“Where?” I asked. “Ride where?”

Nothing was solved. Nothing at all. My father was still after me, and so were these fucked up Hollow Men. Chaser and I were finally on the same page but…

“Full disclosure,” I murmured.

Chaser nodded. “Full disclosure.”

“My father,” I began. “Why does he really want me? It’s not about his pride, is it?”

His eyes narrowed, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.

“He always knew where you were.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t a coincidence I turned up at the strip club that night.” He snorted and tightened his hands around my wrists. “It was meant to be an easy job. I was given an address, a description, and a destination. Everything that happened after I first laid eyes on you…”

“Wasn’t meant to happen,” I finished for him.

“No.”

“Way to make a girl feel special.”

He smirked before sitting back in the seat and sighing. He looked exhausted and in no shape to make any coherent decisions, which meant I had to make them for us.

“I don’t know why,” he whispered. “All he told me was that he wanted to keep you safe.”

“Which means he wants me for something.”

Thinking about the scenarios that had plagued me since our road trip began, I couldn’t quite piece it together. Fortitude was in the middle of a gangland war with The Hollow Men, which started when Chaser dangled a carrot in front of Dad’s face. Chaser had noble intentions, wanting to rescue his wife, but Dad had seen an opportunity to grasp at more power. The Hollow Men obviously had more than he’d ever dreamed of. Where did I fit into all this? Was it a matter of pride or something more sinister?

There was only one way to find out.

“I want to go to Fortitude,” I declared.

Chaser frowned and chewed on his bottom lip. After weeks of trying to convince him to run away with me, I’d just slapped him in the face.

“Why the sudden change of heart? You know I’ll take you anywhere now. Wherever you want.”

“I want to see my father.”

“You want to go to Fortitude?” he asked. “After all we’ve been through?”

“What has he given you in seven years?” I declared. “He hasn’t given you what he agreed to. He conned you into a life of slavery and debt. Come with me, and I’ll give you what he never could.”

“Sloane, what are you saying?”

“One thing has become crystal fucking clear,” I murmured. “After all the attempted murders, the kidnapping, the torture… After all the blood… He’s not fit to rule.”

Chaser stared at me, his expression changing so fast I couldn’t keep up. It didn’t matter what he thought at the end of this. All that mattered was the battle to come.

“I’m going to take it from him,” I said, reaching over and turning the key in the ignition. “I’m going to make Fortitude mine, and he won’t even see it coming. I will not be a pawn in his game.”

As the engine turned over and sparked into life, Chaser’s lips curved.

“Long live the queen.”

* * *