Page 161 of Riches and Romance

“It looks that way on social media, and that’s all that matters to my mum and sister.” She was quiet for a moment. “I’m surprised you’re not on social media more often.”

“I can’t stand it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a page to keep up with people I was friendly with in high school and college, but I almost never post. Half the time I don’t have Internet access. I don’t think anyone wants to see pics of me sweaty and covered in grease. That’s pretty much my existence when I’m on a rig.” He realized he wasn’t even doing the speed limit, which here was seventy-five. He was trying to drag out their time together. It wasn’t fair to her since they had to be up and on a plane in the morning, and she would likely stay up doing her prep work. He forced himself to ramp up the speed.

Nina snorted, an oddly sweet sound. “Sure. The Internet would hate pictures of your sweaty muscles. Everyone would be disgusted. I bet we could make a calendar of you on oil rigs and it would sell like crazy.”

“Then I could give the profits to green causes and make my dad insane.” He wouldn’t mind as long as she was his photographer.

“You really are exploring sustainable energy?”

“Absolutely,” he replied, though he needed to be completely honest with her. He wasn’t some vegan, spare-the-earth type. He had practical reasons for what he was doing. “I’m working with the king of Loa Mali. Don’t think I’m doing it to save the earth or anything, though. I’m doing it because if I don’t someone else will, and they’ll be the ones making money off it. Though acleaner earth wouldn’t be so bad. I like clean air as much as the next guy. Maybe more since I grew up with so much of it.”

She relaxed back. “I liked your family quite a bit. They’re oddly down to earth for a group of billionaires.”

“That’s my mom and dad. I think it’s because the ranch has always been so important. The ranch is how the Malones originally made our money, so even though it isn’t important to us financially now, it is the bedrock of who we are. And if it means anything, they liked you, too. My mother in particular, and she’s the one who can be hard to convince.” He stared out at the twin lights illuminating the road in front of him. This was a lonely two-lane road that led to the wider highway. He glanced in the rearview out of habit. There wasn’t a moon to illuminate the fields around him, but he would have sworn he could see a shadow behind him, just on the edge of the light from the back of the truck.

Was someone following them? He felt every muscle tense. Something was about to happen. Something wasn’t right.

“What’s going on?” Nina had sat right back up and she was looking his way now, a concerned expression on her face.

“I don’t know.” He looked in the rearview mirror, trying to catch that glimpse again. Something lurked right outside his vision. He was almost sure of it. “I’m probably being paranoid.”

He didn’t think so, but he didn’t trust his own instincts when it came to this. He’d spent the whole evening thinking someone was watching him. He’d sat at dinner and talked to people he’d known for years, wondering the whole time if he or she was the one intent on betraying the company.

Nina turned in her seat. “You think someone’s following us?”

He didn’t want to scare her. Damn it. Maybe his brother was right about a few things. She needed to know what he’d seen. Or not seen. “I thought I caught sight of a shadow. I don’t know.It’s really dark, and this kind of darkness can play tricks on a person.”

They were far enough from the ranch that there was zero light that didn’t come from his headlights or the stars above them. The Malones owned all this land and it wasn’t developed. He could remember all the times he and his brother and their friends would camp out and stare up at the stars.

It was a new moon, and now all he could see were shadows.

“I don’t see anything,” Nina said, looking in her passenger-side mirror. “No. There it is. JT, I need you to stay calm.”

That was the moment he felt the whole truck jolt forward as something hit them hard from behind. It took everything he had to go against his instinct, which was to slow down and pull over. He couldn’t do that. This wasn’t some drunk asshole who’d forgotten to turn on his lights.

His heart rate jumped because there was zero way that hit had been an accident. Someone had followed them and was purposefully trying to run them off the road.

Whoever was in that vehicle would likely then make sure he or she finished them off.

Someone was trying to kill him.

He put the pedal to the metal. “We’re not far from the main highway. We won’t be alone there.”

He had to keep them on the road. He hadn’t asked Nina if she was carrying. He wasn’t sure if it would matter at all if he lost control. They could be sitting ducks.

“Can you see a license plate?” Nina’s voice was perfectly calm. She twisted in her seat again, trying to look behind them.

He could barely see the road in front of him. He looked in the rearview, but the shark that was following them had gone underwater again. He knew the predator was there, waiting to take another bite. But he couldn’t see past the darkness. “It’s too dark.”

The truck was hit again, jerking him forward. He was already pushing eighty. The road on either side sloped off here. He had to be very careful or they would roll and end up like a turtle on its back.

He had to be careful or he could kill Nina. Someone was trying to kill him, and they could get Nina instead.

His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Could he outrun the asshole? Or would more speed make things worse? He didn’t see a way to ditch the other truck until they made it to the main highway. There were no side roads to disappear down. There were no handy cops working the night shift who might see them go by and join in the chase.

They were alone, and Nina’s life was in his hands.

“Try to keep things steady,” Nina was saying, and she had something in her hand. “I’m going to see if I can get a picture of the car.”

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