Conquer Your Love (18 page)

No answer.

Seriously?

I frowned. That wasn’t quite the response I expected. I had never seen
him this quiet. Something was wrong with him.

“Do you want me to switch on the music?” I asked.

He changed gears and the car sped forward. My heart began to hammer in
my chest. Even though traffic was slow, a few oncoming cars passed us by, some
barely managing to stay on their side of the road.

The muscles in Jett’s arms strained to hold on to the steering wheel
while his eyes remained focused on the road.

“Slow down!” Maybe he was into dangerous driving but I wasn’t.

“It’s okay, baby,” Jett said calmly.

“What? No! Slow down. What the hell’s going on?”

A brief pause, then, “I don’t want to scare you, but I think someone’s
chasing us.” His words echoed in my mind.

“What do you mean? We’re in a car.”

“Yes, and someone’s following us,” Jett said slowly. I squirmed in my
seat. “No. Don’t turn around.”

“Okay.” The tremble in my voice betrayed the sudden unease gripping my heart.
My attention moved to the passenger side mirror and my heart raced in my chest,
speeding faster than the car.

There was a vehicle behind us but it wasn’t driving too close—not
like you see in action movies. It wasn’t possible that anyone was chasing us.
We were in Italy, and not in a Hollywood movie.

“Are you sure it’s not just heading the same way?”

“I’m ninety-nine percent sure. I’ve taken several turns, passed several
villages, and it’s still behind us.” He checked the rearview mirror again. “Can
you note down the license plate?”

His calm tone, which I suspected was supposed to comfort me, only
managed to make me even more nervous.

I fished my phone out of my handbag and typed in the numbers and letters
I could decipher from the rearview mirror, damning my phone for having small
buttons that made typing with trembling fingers a nightmare.

“Should I call for help?” I asked, figuring even if I knew the emergency
number, I didn’t speak a word Italian.

“I’ve got this,” Jett said. “Just get the plate.”

As I made sure to save the registration number, the car behind neared us
with full speed, closing in.
A hundred feet, thirty, twenty,
ten, three—all in a matter of seconds.

“Oh my god, Jett. Watch out!” I screamed a moment before the car bumped
ours, giving us enough of a nudge to send me forward in my seat. The engine
roared as our pursuers pushed to overtake us. For a second, they were almost
driving next to us, the side windows so dark I couldn’t see inside.

“Shit!” Jett hit the gas pedal and sped past them. My fingers buried in
the armrest, I stifled a scream as the car behind us bumped us again, trying to
steer us off the road.

“They’re going to kill us.” My breath came in labored heaps. It wasn’t
fear talking; it was knowledge. I just
knew
we were about to die.

 
“Not happening!” Jett
floored the gas pedal, putting some distance between our pursuers and us.

We reached the narrow roads winding up the mountains. Jett slowed down a
little as we entered the first bend.

“Go, go, go!” I screeched as the other car picked up in speed again,
trying to close in on us. Any hope that
we
might not
be
a target dissipated into thin air
.

“What are you going to do?” My breath came shallow.

“Are you wearing your seatbelt?” Jett’s eyes narrowed on the road as we
drove higher up the mountain. The car behind us didn’t seem deterred by the
poor road conditions,
nor
the steep stony wall on the
driver’s side and the edge followed by a plummeting abyss on my side.

“Yes.” I held my breath.

“Then hold on tighter.”

The road ahead seemed to narrow and merge into one lane. At our speed,
the bends appeared to twist like menacing snakes. I completely forgot about
those. But what worried me more was the one-way road that barely provided
enough space for one car, let alone two. I grit my teeth and pressed my hand to
my heart, praying no oncoming car would head our way, in which case we couldn’t
possibly halt on time. We’d collide, we’d crash, and we’d die.

Please dear Lord
,
keep us safe
.

A scream formed in the back of my throat, but the sound never made its
way out. Fear grabbed me, strangled me, until I could do nothing but hold on
for dear life.

“Oh god, oh god,” I chanted to myself as Jett maneuvered the bends, each
time jerking the wheel to the max, each time sending my body through hell as we
neared the edge on my side of the road. I couldn’t even look behind, because
each time I glanced in the mirror, all I could focus on was the abyss below. If
the other car collided with ours, we’d plummet hundreds of feet into whatever
was down there. Or we’d crash against the mountain cliff.

“You okay, baby?” Jett’s voice was surprisingly calm in the midst of the
storm. “We’ll make it out of this.”

How? They’re still behind us,
I wanted to
scream, but all that came out of my throat was a whimper. Fear held me
paralyzed and it was nothing like in the movies. I was sweating, the
car was roaring excessively, and were
those holes beneath
our tires? I could feel each bump; I could feel the gravity of the car; and
there was no way one could stay composed, relaxed, and cool.

The car was driving at a high speed—fast enough to send us over
the edge if Jett lost control of the wheel even for a nanosecond or didn’t slow
down enough at the right time. Yet he maneuvered expertly through each
nightmare turn. There was no way on earth somebody with normal driving skills
could ever do that.

Already I could see two officers knocking on my mother’s door, relaying
the news that I was dead, the headline reading ‘speeding couple crashing on
picturesque Italian vacation’ followed by the words ‘tragic accident.’ Poor
Sylvie would blame herself. Knowing her, she’d probably blame Jett, too,
thinking he tried to kill me on purpose. Life was so unfair I wanted to scream.

“Hold on,” Jett said. I opened my eyes, only now noticing I must have
closed them at some point. We were nearing another bend on the wicked road to
hell, after which the road seemed to decline.

We had reached the top of the mountain and now we were heading back
down.

This is it. My life ends here—but
not before he knows my feelings.

“Jett, I need to tell you something.” I tried to remain calm, which was
impossible with the shaking in my voice and the freezing sensation in my limbs.

“Not now, baby.” His voice oozed confidence and composure. We took the
turn, after which he hit the brake—hard. My head jerked forward and a
sharp pain shot through my neck.

“What are you doing?” I screamed when he unbuckled his seatbelt. The
other car was out of view, but I was sure it was still behind us. Everything
happened so fast, I doubted more than a few seconds passed. He placed his right
arm around my seat and turned to get a better view as he went into reverse in
full speed, swerving like a madman. Before I knew it, we were on a narrow
byroad I didn’t see before. It wasn’t asphalted, and barely more than a running
track with bushes scratching the sides of the car. Probably private
property—but who cared?

Jett stopped the car and switched off the lights, then signaled me to
stay quiet. I held my breath as I listened for any sounds. Eventually, I heard
an engine and then a car passed us by, oblivious to our hiding place.

We were alive!

But it didn’t feel like success.

I spun to Jett, my hands shaking so bad, I felt like crying. He leaned
over and brushed my cheek, composed. Except for the tense muscles and set jaw,
there was no indicator of any sort of nervousness, as though no one had trailed
us mere seconds ago. Searching for us. Trying to kill us.

“You’ll be okay, baby.” Jett’s lips pressed against mine in a tender
kiss, and then he pulled back and started the engine. “I know what I’m doing.”

Before I could ask him not to drive again, to just stay
hidden—because I couldn’t bear another rollercoaster ride—he
reversed and we returned to the main road, speeding off in the direction from which
we’d come.

“We’re staying at a hotel,” Jett said. “Better we stay together
tonight.”

“Okay,” I whispered, the sound barely making its way out of my throat.

I didn’t argue with him. I doubted I could even if I’d wanted. My body
was frozen from shock. Not even the bumpy road and Jett’s speeding managed to
wake me from my daze.

 
During the drive to the next
city, my eyes remained glued to the rearview mirror, always checking, always
praying no one was following us. Even when Jett parked in a hotel’s guest
parking lot, I couldn’t stop looking behind my shoulder. Jett had to lead me,
his gentle words not quite reaching my mind. Only after checking in, away from
the road and the twilight chasing scene, did I realize he’d saved my life.

***

Resting on the hotel bed, it seemed to take me forever to wake up from
my comatose stage, but eventually my heart and mind jolted back to life and
reality. Maybe it was because of Jett’s strong arms around me, soothing me,
breathing his strength into me as he gently kissed my forehead. He had booked
us a room for the night, and as usual, he chose to go for the most expensive
option available, claiming the security was better. I wasn’t convinced.

“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s over now. You’re safe, baby,” Jett
whispered and pushed a glass of water into my still trembling hands, silently
urging me to drink up. I forced myself to take tiny sips and swallow them down,
even though my throat still felt choked.

He took the half-full glass out of my hand and placed it on the bedside
table. “I need to find another parking spot for the car. Will you be okay if I
leave you alone for a few minutes?”

I nodded.

“Don’t leave the room and don’t answer if anyone knocks. I won’t be
long.” He stood but hesitated.

I shot him a fake reassuring smile. “Just go.” Truth was, I didn’t want
to be alone but Jett’s car wasn’t exactly standard. Our pursuers would be able
to spy it from a mile away.

He left reluctantly. I leaned back against the pillows but didn’t dare
close my eyes. My ears strained to listen for any strange sounds. Apart from
the ice vending machine in the hallway whirring once, everything remained as
quiet as a tomb. After what seemed like ages, Jett returned.

“We should call the police,” I said.

“No. We can’t. It’s too dangerous.” Lying down next to me, he pushed a
stray strand of hair back from my face and pulled me into his arms. Inhaling
his scent, I settled against his warm body.

I remembered that he thought the police were involved in the club,
consequently I agreed it might not be a good idea.

“Do you know who those people were?” I asked.

“I’ll try to find out tomorrow.”

He made it sound like there were many options, when the lead was pretty
obvious: I inherited a property that used to be a gathering place for weirdoes.
I just didn’t realize
their
way to
handle problems was killing the heir. Why couldn’t people just get together to
resolve problems through talking, preferably over coffee and cake—and not
behave like war seeking apes attempting to silence us by sending us into an
early grave?

I propped on one elbow and regarded Jett’s beautiful face. “It’s the
club, isn’t it?”

“
Mmh
.” He avoided my gaze.

“I have to call Sylvie.”

“Not happening.” His arm wrapped around my waist, holding me in place.
“In fact, switch off your phone.”

“I need to warn her.”

He shook his head. “People can track down a GPS. Keep it switched off.”

My chin shot up defiantly. Sylvie was my best friend. I had dragged her
into this mess. If something happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.

“Brooke, listen to me. They’re after you and if you reach out to her,
they might harm her to get to you.” His tone was grave, reinforcing the warning
in his words.

They.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Jett sat up and squatted in
front of me. His hands squeezed
mine and our gazes
interlocked
.

“I know you’re scared, Brooke,” he said calmly. ”But you have to trust
me. Sylvie will be okay. I’ll text her in your name so she knows you’re not
coming home. And I’m sending someone over to watch the house. We stay here just
this one night. Pretend nothing happened. And tomorrow I’ll take care of
things.”

How, I wanted to ask. He didn’t know who those people were. We had no
idea where to begin.

And pretend nothing happened? I snorted. Not likely. I could maybe
forget the car chasing us and be grateful that we were still alive. But as sure
as the sky’s blue, I couldn’t push the images of our various close encounters
with death out of my mind,
nor
the endless
possibilities of what could happen to us—or Sylvie.