I cup her face and stare into the eyes that have been my undoing for so, so long. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Her lips part, her brows drawing together. “You were scared?”

“Promise me.” I press my forehead to hers. “Please, Carina.”

She blinks a few times. “I … I promise.”

The barbed wire that had wrapped around my heart when I saw her disappear into the club finally relents. I can breathe again. I canthink.

I glance around at the fogged-up windows and remember who’s inside the club. “We have to go. Now. And I want a full explanation on the way home. No bullshit.”

I step from the backseat and close the door, then pause and take a deep breath. I have to steel myself because if she tells me that she came to this club to hook up with Carson Falco, I’ll have his blood on my hands before the sun rises.

16

CARINA

Isit in the backseat, my body still buzzing with pleasure. I’m not sure what the hell that was, but a pressure I didn’t know was there had lifted off my whole body. When Gilly’s hand came down on my ass, I was livid, but as the slaps kept coming, I felt myself building to a release I didn’t know I needed.

The doors suddenly lock. I sit up straighter. Gilly is still standing outside the car. He pulls out his keys and hits the unlock button. The lock clicks open, but as quickly as it unlocked, it locks again. This time when he pushes the button, nothing happens.

“Carina,” he warns.

“It’s not me.” I hold my hands up to show him that I’m innocent. The car suddenly starts on its own.

“Carina!” he shouts.

“What do I do?” Ocean’s voice fills the speakers. “Should I like shoot around him? I’m still not great with the shooting thing. I haven’t had enough time to practice.”

“Don’t shoot!” I scream. Gilly pulls out his gun. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look more serious, and that’s saying a lot. “Unlock the car.” I see the drone down the alley.

“Done,” Magic says as the lock clicks back over. Gilly's arm stops before he can hit the window with the butt of his gun. He flips it in his hand and fires one shot. The drone falls from the sky.

“He shot me,” Ocean says in shock as Gilly opens the driver side door.

“The fuck is going on?” He throws the car into drive and peels out of the alley.

“He shot me,” Ocean says again.

“Carina?” He tries to hit the button on the screen of the center dashboard to turn the speakers off, but it’s not going to work. Not with Magic.

“You shot our drone,” I tell him as if that explains everything.

“Your drone?” Gilly grits out. I’m going to get another spanking.

“It’s okay, we have two more.” Magic’s voice comes over the speaker.

“He’s a better shot than you, Rebel.”

“He is not!” The hell?

“Okay, I take it back.” Ocean fights a laugh. She might be laughing, but Gilly is getting madder by the second. He’s used to having everything under control, and this is anything but that.

“Guys, I’m good. I’m heading home.”

“How do we know he’s not making you say that?” Magic chimes in.

“He’s my uncle.” I smirk at my little jab. Gilly shoots me a look that has it quickly dropping off my face. “Seriously, guys. I’m good. I’ll message you later.”