Chapter 31

Shawn

My eyes are locked on to the rear of the black SUV. I wrestle my own car around the turns, keeping my foot flat to the floor. I don’t lose momentum, no matter how much swerving I do. The car jerks and skips on the road as I muscle her up to her peak performance.

She wasn’t built for this, and I didn’t learn these moves on a suburban street. It’s amazing how the training comes back. All it takes is a bit of adrenaline, and I’m a different man.

Evelyn is against the seat, practically plastered against the door. Her hair has come down and is falling in curls all about her face. I’m not sure if she’s freaking out about Tanner or my driving.

I throw her a grin, feeling the confidence behind it. This shit, I know how to do.

Danger. Chase the enemy. Go after him.

This I can handle a lot better than delicate social interactions.

“Don’t worry, baby.” I want to reach out and touch her, but we’re going too fast. I can’t take my hands off the wheel for even a second. I’m not losing this fucker. “I’m going to get this prick.”

My eyes narrow as my hands grip the steering wheel. All I can see is that tail bar, trying to evade me and slip away. My universe has narrowed to me and my enemy.

“I’m going to chase down this son of a bitch, and I’m going to put him in a world of pain for taking our son!” I spit out.

The traffic opens up a bit, and I slam my foot down, shooting forwards. Evelyn gasps as she’s thrown further into the corner, hands coming up to brace against the window.

The SUV takes a turn up ahead, and I floor it, squealing around the corner a few seconds behind. Heading away from busy roads now into quieter streets.

Good. Because when I catch him, I don’t want witnesses. I released my savage nature once, only to find I was expected to put it back in a box and tell it to behave like a nice little puppy.

I glare at the car ahead. Put down a man’s aggression? Make him an amenable creature? Maybe.

But that shit doesn’t go away, not once it’s awake. You have to be one mad dog to provoke a man that has a killing instinct.

“Who could do this, Evelyn?” I glance over at her, sparing her a look as my feet and hands work without my eyes.

Every second, I plan my next move. How many in the other car? What kind of weapons will they have?

“I don’t know.” She shakes her head desperately. “I can’t think of anything. No one would do this. Who would take a little boy right out from under our noses?”

She shakes her head, curls tumbling down from the pins that held her hair up so delicately.

I push the car through another tight turn, feeling the wheels lift off, but just as soon as I do, I feel the momentum slam us back down on to the road. My foot goes flat against the floor again, and I stare down the ass end of the SUV.

Coming for you, fucker.

“Maybe it’s something to do with the inheritance?” Evelyn sits up, bracing herself against the dash board. “You know, how Tanner has that trust from your parents? It’s only a fraction of their wealth, but to anyone else, it would look like a bloody fortune. Maybe something to do with that?”

“That makes sense.”

I’m actually cursing myself now. I forgot my own flesh and blood had a nice little price tag around his neck. I should have been more careful.

How could I forget something like that? Risk management is essential in a soldier’s life. I feel like I’ve fucked up badly on many levels.

I push the car even harder. I’m going to fix all of that when I get this prick.

“Not many people know about it, though. The only one who knows about the trust is James…” Evelyn trails off, face pale with horror. “He’s the only one who knows. I was afraid of this exact situation. I kept it so quiet, even my family doesn’t know. And James wouldn’t do this.”

She looks up at the black SUV bouncing in front of us. He’s not gaining ground, but neither are we.

“I didn’t see him at the wedding…did you?” She looks into her lap, face falling.

I shake my head, focused only on the road.

“He wasn’t there…” she looks up at the SUV again.

I look over quickly, and I can see by her face that her emotions are tearing her apart. I take my attention off the car for two seconds, reaching over to squeeze her hand, and we catch each other’s eyes briefly before I look back at the road.

“Hey, babe, don’t do this.” I wish I could comfort her, hold her. I wish I could take a second to calm her down and pour some cold reason on this inferno of doubt and despair.

But I can’t. I can’t stop. All I have are my words.

“Don’t do this, Evelyn, don’t. Don’t start questioning everyone and everything. Trust me. It only leads to questioning yourself.”

I look away from the road quickly. She’s slumped in the corner, staring forlornly out the windscreen.

“James couldn’t do this…do you hear me? There’s no way. I know him. He fought by my side. He looked after you and cared for you all this time. It can’t be him.”

She shakes her head slowly. The momentum of the car, the urgency of the situation—all these things fall away from her. She is a desolate, still place in a whirlwind of turmoil.

“Nothing else makes sense. I don’t know…why he would do it. I can’t imagine. And if it’s not him…who?”

The SUV slows down, making a turn onto a very quiet, unmarked country lane. I speed up, but he’s got the upper hand and starts to pull away. In another few yards, the road evens out. I might be able to catch up to them there.

“It could have something to do with me,” I say grimly. I grip the wheel, forcing the car to take the bad road faster than she was built to. The shocks are getting fucked to hell. “There are always people looking to punish the military. I’m a prime target for a hit.”

The more I think about this, the stupider I feel. I should have been by my son’s side the whole time! I did it—I fucking let myself relax.

I believed in this easy, bright world where people aren’t blown away by bombs every day. I fell for it.

The biggest lie society has for you: you are safe.

What a fucking croc. No one is safe. Not ever.

If I never forgot that, maybe my son wouldn’t be paying for it right now.

“You’re right. Of course, you’re right.” Evelyn sits forward, grabbing the dash again. “It could be anything. There’s no point trying to work out who or why. We just need to get our baby back.”

I can see the panic lurking around her, but she pushes it away—far more bravely than some men I’ve seen, the first time they hit combat action. My wife. My strong, amazing wife.

How I wish I had been at her side every moment of my life. With her next to me, anything is possible.

The SUV hits the smoother paved road and floors it. For a couple of seconds, he pulls away.

It’s a long stretch of very slick tar. I can see the SUV’s wheels skimming, just slightly. I know exactly what’s going to happen when my flashy little beast hits that black top.

A fully satisfied grin sweeps across my face as my front tires hit the freshly laid road. My little car hugs the asphalt and accelerates. Evelyn shrieks as she’s thrown back into the corner again.

It’s just me and him now.

There’s another stretch of dirty, unpaved road coming up. But I’m going to catch him before he gets to it.

My small, light car takes the slick, fresh tar easily, gripping to the road base and accelerating. The SUV with its higher center of gravity can’t stay at full speed without swishing.

I’m so close now, so close. I only need a couple more seconds. Then I’ll nip out to the side and ram the fucker.

My hands grip the wheel, ready to make my move.

To my horror, the SUV’s red brake lights suddenly flare bright. I know what’s going to happen. I can’t believe it. This cunt has balls.

There’s no time to react. No time to brace or yell a warning to Evelyn. No time for anything.

The SUV halts so quickly, it’s impossible to see it from our perspective. The nose of my car smashes through the back window, bucking upwards as the wheels try to crawl up the back bumper. I feel a jolt as I realize the prick has also thrown it into reverse.

We’re going too fucking fast. All the aspects of the small, light car I now curse as she starts to flip.

The view through the windscreen starts to turn topsy-turvy. I grip the wheel, waiting. All I can hear is Evelyn screaming as a mighty crack brings darkness to my eyes.