pent up breath even as she pushed her hand against the door to keep from swinging with a sharp turn. “But don’t you think you should slow down?”
“Not right now.” He pressed on the accelerator as they sped through Rome’s streets.
This was insane. Was he trying to get them killed? With her heels, she pushed along the floorboard. Her right hand groped for the door’s handle. “But you’re driving like a madman.”
“There are no brakes on your side of the car.” Luke glanced again at the rearview mirror. “If police or laws concern you, it is late. Streets are empty.”
“Doesn’t mean you don’t have to obey traffic laws.”
“Italians interpret laws more loosely than Americans.”
“Judging by your accent, you’re not Italian, you’re a Brit. Besides,” she held onto the sides of her seat as he swerved down a side street, “I was hoping to live past tonight.” They raced out of city scenery and onto an unfamiliar narrow neighborhood street. Why the detour? Luke’s apartment was located within the city center. “This looks like a quiet neighborhood. Where are we going?”
“Taking a detour.” He switched from accelerator to brake to accelerator.
“At three AM?” She took a deep breath and leaned forward, bracing herself against the dashboard. “Can you slow down? I think I’m going to be sick.”
“What did Monica say to you?”
“Monica?” He wanted to talk about Monica now? Before she could protest his driving further, Luke slowed the Audi and carefully took the road’s curves.
Savannah leaned back and brushed her hair from her face with a shaky hand. “She’s, um, different.” She laughed awkwardly, suddenly embarrassed to tell him she found his friends frightening. “You have strange friends.”
“Monica is not a friend.”
“Oh.” Why had Monica told her she knew Luke well then? “Okay, your friend who isn’t a friend told me if things didn’t work with you to give her a call.” Savannah removed a card from her purse.
He raised a brow. “Did you tell her you would?”
She frowned. “No. For one, I’m not interested in women and two, she may be gorgeous, but she’s also creepy. There’s something seriously wrong with her.”
Luke stilled abruptly then threw his head back and laughed. The unexpected reaction took her off guard. “It seems you are quite sure of your opinion.” His lips twisted into a smirk which showcased a lone dimple on his right cheek.
Caught up with the joy on his face, she let several seconds pass before she answered. “I am.” She turned toward the window, trying to focus her thoughts on something other than him. Last thing she needed was a building attraction to her temporary employer. It couldn’t possibly lead anywhere, but she didn’t need the complication. She had to keep her mind on her dreams.
“Bloody hell.”
At his words, her heartbeat, which had recently reached a normal pace, skyrocketed. “What?”
He glanced at the rearview mirror again.
“Why do you keep looking behind us? Is something going on?” She swung forward in her seat as he made a sharp right, heading along a curvy country road. Where the hell were they?
“We have a bit of company. They followed us from Blood Bar.”
“Why?” She turned around in her seat. A black sedan tailed them. This couldn’t be good. “What are you involved in?” He had mentioned taking care of business. Scenes from The Godfather spun through her mind. “You’re not mafia, are you?”
“Do not be absurd. I am a Brit, remember? Besides, your eyes were on me all night. Did you see me do anything questionable?”
Heat rose to her face. So he’d noticed her staring. “James Bond was British. An agent, right? Was the ad a ploy?” She could feel herself rambling illogically but somehow her mouth wouldn’t heed her mind. “My friends told me this was a bad idea, I should have listened.”
“Not an agent,” he gritted out from between clenched teeth as he maneuvered the vehicle back onto a city street. “And I highly doubt James Bond went searching for his Bond girls through newspaper ads. I hope you are not always this irrational when you panic.”
The black sedan behind them thrust forward, plowing into their bumper.
“Rational, you want to see rational at a time like this?” Her earlier assumption was correct. The man was insane.
He frowned as if she’d said she’d spotted aliens. “It would help, yes.”
Damned if she would spend her last minutes alive pleasing another. Savannah braced herself to keep from smacking the dashboard. “I don’t want to die, not like this.” She hadn’t spent two years fighting to live only to have it end in a high speed car chase. What was it with her and cars?
“You will not die.” Then a whisper. “Not like this.”
Though she wanted to question his words, she couldn’t concentrate beyond trying to keep upright in her seat.
Luke slammed the accelerator then split from the main street onto an access road. Somehow they made their way back into the city. She had no idea how he drove so fast on such narrow streets, but at least he appeared in control. After hitting his first left, he raced down a narrow alley and turned down a ramp into an underground garage. The tires squealed along the smooth surface.
Savannah blinked, trying to adjust to the lack of light. “There are no lights down here. It’s abandoned. How will we see anything?”
“Leave seeing to me.” He brought the car to a stop. “I know my way around. I will park the car here. We will take the rest on foot. I have a friend who owns a hotel nearby.” He shut off the ignition and exited the Audi.
Without headlights on, the garage was pitch black. Silent, except for Luke’s shuffling around and her rapid breaths. The car released occasional pops as it cooled. Images of crushed metal and broken glass flashed in her mind. Pain, there had been so much pain. Why had Ben left her alone? She could have died. He’d said he loved her, but now she knew the truth. Love didn’t mean anything.
“Savannah. Savannah, snap out of it. Listen to me. We need to go now.” Arms of steel slipped around her waist and pulled her from the passenger’s side. He’d come back for her.
“You came back,” she mumbled. Ben? No, not Ben. Luke.
“What are you talking about? I never left. Can you walk or do you need me to carry you?” Luke asked.
“Of course I can walk.” Did he think her a child? She swallowed, her throat dry. “Why wouldn’t I be able to?” A moment of terror set in but once her feet hit the ground, she breathed a long sigh.
“You said you could not see.” He intertwined his fingers with hers, tugged her along. “There you go, love. Keep going.”
Love?
