Page 77 of The Scenic Route
Finn’s right wrist hung, limp and useless, but he grabbed at her with his left as she kicked again, catching her boot in his hand. She’d seen it coming but had already committed to the kick, so she used his grip to push off as she hammered him with her other boot heel, right in the bridge of his nose.
There was a loud crack of breaking bone as he dropped, releasing her right foot. Felicity fell back, cringing in anticipation of her full weight landing on her bound hands, crushing them. Pulling in her knees at the last moment, she managed to tuck her body and land on her shoulders and the back of her head. The additional thump on her skull didn’t feel great, but at least she spared her hands.
Using her momentum, she finished her backward roll and popped into a crouch. The van floor lurched beneath her feet,and she thought her concussion was acting up for a second but then realized the uneven bumping was because one of the rear tires was flat. She grinned. Bennett had done her job for her—a little later than ideal, but she’d take it.
Clint swore as he struggled to steer the lurching van with his left hand, his right scrambling for the gun Finn had dropped by his seat. An unconscious Finn slumped sideways off his seat, blocking Clint’s reach. Felicity launched herself toward the gun.
Abandoning the steering wheel completely, Clint shoved Finn out of the way and grabbed the gun just a fraction of a second before Felicity. She switched gears, scrambling back to get in a position to kick it out of his hands, but the van veered off the road and bumped over a large rock, the bounce knocking her off balance.
She managed not to fall, but the effort took time she didn’t have, and Clint grabbed a handful of her shirt, yanking her toward him. Flipping her around, he ripped the tape from her mouth in one cruel motion while his other hand pressed the gun to her temple. Even though she went still, he wrapped his free arm around her throat.
“Interfering bitch,” he snarled. “The trouble you’ve caused me… I’m going to enjoy hearing you scream as I kill you.”
“What trouble?” It was hard to get the words out with the pressure he was putting on her trachea, especially with the van tossing them around as it slowly decelerated over the rough ground, but she was determined. She’d always really hated being blamed for things she didn’t do. “I wasn’t even after you. You don’t have any warrants.”Yet. After tonight, he’ll be racking upa whole slew of them.“Why’d you even bring Dino with you to Vegas if you didn’t want me coming after you?”
“The Vegas buyer likes him,” he admitted before stiffening behind her. “None of your business. You’re going to help me get away from your PI out there, and then I’m going to kill you…slowly.”
“That’s not a great motivator for me,” she muttered, but he wasn’t listening.
Releasing her throat, he reached over to open the driver’s door without moving the gun from her head. The van hit an extra-big bump, and the jounce tossed Felicity forward. She caught the side of Finn’s seat back with her shoulder, which kept her from landing on his unconscious body. Turning in the same motion, she hoped to take Clint down with a well-placed kick now that the gun wasn’t pressed against her temple. He’d recovered too quickly, however, and was aiming the pistol at her face. Deciding a face shot wasn’t any better than a temple shot, she reluctantly kept her feet on the ground.
With an annoyed grunt, Clint twisted so he could stomp on the brake, bringing the van to a lurching halt before he slammed it into park and turned off the ignition, keeping the gun pointed at her the whole time.
Fear twisted inside her, but she mashed it down, knowing it would take over if she let it. When fear was in charge, there was no making smart decisions, so she just told herself she’d gotten out of worse situations before, ignoring the tiny voice inside her brain that insistedthiswas probably the worst situation she’d been in.
So after I survive today, I’ll usethisas my worst situation I’ve survived before, she shot back, ignoring the fact that she was once again arguing with herself.
Clint pushed open the door and stepped out of the van, the gun continuously trained on her. “Get out.”
She shot a quick glance at the dark form of a still-unmoving Finn. “Are you just leaving your buddy?”
“He was a traitor anyway.”
“You’re really good at tossing your own guys under the bus, aren’t you?” she muttered.
“No, just the…” He caught himself. “None of your business. Get out. You should be glad anyway. He’s the one who tipped me off about you, and he got his cousin to kick you out of her motel.”
“Finn’s cousin…” Her hazy thoughts were working against her again, and it took a moment for her to make the connections. “Marian?”
“Of course, Marian,” he scoffed. “You get kicked out of some other motel too? Now move!”
It was a struggle to maneuver around the driver’s seat without the use of her hands, but she somehow managed to get her feet on the ground. Immediately, Clint grabbed her again, turning her away from him so he could wrap one arm around her neck and rest the muzzle of his gun right above her ear.
There was full darkness now, only a hint of moonlight keeping the inky blackness from being impenetrable. Felicity looked around as well as she could without being able to move her head, but she didn’t see any sign of Bennett, which sent a surgeof relief through her. The wind had died down for a moment, so the only sounds were the ticking of the van engine as it cooled and the sigh of the breeze as it rippled softly through the trees’ branches.
She realized in that moment that she was glad to be the one with the gun pointed at her head if it meant Bennett was safe. Felicity blinked, processing the thought. The only other people she’d ever felt that way about were her sisters.
So I guess I do love him?
She stiffened in Clint’s hold, and his arm tightened around her neck.
“What? What is it? You see something?”
“I just realized I love my husband.”
There was a long beat of silence before he asked, “You’re married?”
“Is that really important right now?”
