Page 54 of Damon

I made it out of the house, momentarily falling to my knees on the back step. That fucker had hit me hard. Most likely hoping it would look like a defensive blow. The victim was slumped in a chair though, so it didn’t make sense. Not that the cops would care about any of that. They would see a dead man and assume the worst.

I knew better than to return to my SUV. The police would be looking for it. Instead, I did my best to cling to the shadows. Trying to be calculating and careful as I made my way out of the neighborhood. I didn’t want to move too quickly and expose myself. I also had to be mindful of those with doorbell cameras and any other surveillance equipment.

I would have to leave town. I didn’t see any other way around this situation. Hell I may have to leave the country. They would be looking for me everywhere. The thought of fleeing and leaving Athena behind made me sick. How could I possibly do that?

She deserved to live her life without this bullshit. She had a great job lined up. A possible career. As selfish as I was, I wouldn’t take that from her.

Maybe it would be better for me to leave town without telling her. To simply disappear. Noah could deliver a letter from me explaining everything. Telling her how fucking sorry I was about all of this.

With my head pounding and my ears ringing, I dragged myself from block to block. I wasn’t even sure where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get away. Once I found a safe place to hunker down for a bit, I would use my burner phone to call Noah.

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the burner buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to find the number of his burner phone on the screen. Thank fuck.

“Dude, where the hell are you? I’m in the area, but I don’t see you anywhere.” Noah’s voice came out with a tinge of panic, something I didn’t often hear from him.

“Probably because I’m sitting between two garbage cans in the back alley,” I muttered. “You have impeccable timing, my friend. I need to get the hell out of here fast.”

Moments later I was diving into the back seat of Noah’s car. I never expected to find Athena there.

Right away, she reached to touch the cut on my head. “What happened?”

“I was set up. It’s bad news, creampuff. I have to get out of town.” To Noah I said, “We need a safe place where the cops won’t find us until I can get out of town. Probably out of the country.”

Noah swore softly. “Jesus, Damon, what happened in there?”

Ducking down low in the seat, I bit back the swell of rage that filled me. “Just drive. I don’t have much time.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

ATHENA

Everything happened so fast. Damon dove into the car and immediately gave Noah and me some of the worst news I’d ever heard. Leave the country? I couldn’t possibly be hearing this correctly.

Noah drove us carefully across town, everyone watching for police cars. When they were sure we weren’t being followed, we ended up at a motel on the edge of the city. Dominik booked a room under a fake name while the rest of us waited in the car. Once we were inside the room, the chaotic energy only escalated.

Frantically pacing from one end of the small room to the other, Damon whipped out his burner phone. He stared hard at the screen. “Noah, do you still have the contact information for Jimmy Traeger?”

“Pretty sure I do.” Noah began to search through the contacts on his own phone while Dom stood watch near the curtain covered window.

“Traeger?” Dom repeated. “Isn’t that the guy that specializes in fake passports and IDs?”

With a nod, Noah read out the number to Damon who started to punch it into his phone. I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“You’re getting a fake ID? What about me? You can’t just leave me here.” My heart had been pounding since we went in search of Damon. Now it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

He paused, lowering the phone. Caressing a hand over my cheek, he said, “I’m so fucking sorry, Athena. The last thing I want to do is leave you. Those guys set me up. The cops know that I was there. They think I killed the guy, even though I didn’t do it. I have to get out of town. I don’t expect you to uproot your entire life for me. You belong here.”

I placed my hand over his, my eyes welling with tears. “No I don’t. I belong with you. Wherever you happen to be. Please don’t leave me.”

Noah shifted uncomfortably before going to stand with Dom. The motel room was too small to really give us any privacy. I didn’t care if they heard this conversation. My heart was on the line here.

“I have no choice. I have to take off. If they catch me, I’ll spend the rest of my life behind bars.” Damon’s voice softened as he leaned in to kiss me. His lips gently grazing mine.

A tear slipped from my eye, rolling down my cheek. He caught it with his thumb, smoothing it away. I’d never felt so desperate or confused in my years on this earth. Damon Price had changed the entire trajectory of my life. He’d come in like a storm and destroyed everything I’d known, forcing me to rebuild it around him. Making it better. Stronger.

I refused to go back to life without him. Yet I also knew that life behind bars would be no good for either of us. I had only one option.

“Take me with you,” I said, pulling back to peer into his eyes. Needing him to see how deadly serious I was.