His father may have had the car returned from the airstrip, but Aaron still had a copy of the keys.

  "Sir, I'm going to have to advise you against leaving," a guard shouted at them.

  "Tell my father I'll be back in a few days, maybe a week, and not to worry!" Aaron didn't waste a minute, unlocking the car. They both climbed into the front, Lorelei in the passenger seat. "Buckle up," he said. Locking the doors, buckling his seatbelt and roaring the engine.

  In the rearview mirror he caught sight of the guard speaking into an intercom and running toward another vehicle in pursuit of them. Why couldn't they take the hint? Aaron didn't want to be followed. He'd lose them, just as he had the last time.

  Aaron drove a manual transmission, rolling the gears out as the engine roared. He hit the accelerator, speeding farther from the palace, the guard trailing behind.

  * * * * *

  It hadn't been too difficult to lose the guard. Though Aaron knew the car likely had a tracker and at some point, they'd run into the guards again. Unless they ditched the vehicle fast.

  Where could he trade his vehicle in for another model? Unlike another era where car dealers existed at every street corner, in Brayleigh very few had rides and none as luxurious as Aaron's convertible. He hated the thought of trading it in. Perhaps he could pay to borrow someone's vehicle, offer them a few dollars for their ride and promise to return with it. What crazy soul would loan a vehicle let alone have one? Aaron knew it helped to be of royal blood. No one would be stupid enough to turn the offer down.

  They drove into the early hours of the morning, searching for a workable vehicle that would be safe and drivable. Too many cars were broken down or needed fuel, making them archaic. Aaron didn't have any trouble struggling to stay awake. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, constantly glancing in the rearview mirror.

  In the distance, headlights glimmered from behind. Could it be more guards from the palace chasing after him, insisting he return home? Would they run him off the road or block him from traveling any farther?

  "Slow down," Lorelei said, warning Aaron as they turned onto a dirt road through an abandoned subdivision.

  A few houses looked as though they might harbor families, with ragged sheets covering the windows and dim lights on inside.

  Aaron slowed through the darkened street, examining the lots of old battered homes, looking for a vehicle. Not all the communities in Brayleigh were poor, but traveling into the wealthy communes would draw suspicion. Besides, the rebels he searched for wouldn't be caught anywhere near the luxurious neighborhoods housed with surveillance cameras and drones to keep intruders trouble out.

  "Stop up there!" Lorelei pointed outside a rundown home. On the grass sat a motorcycle.

  "We can't take that." Aaron didn't dare admit he'd never rode one.

  "Why not? I can drive it."

  He pulled up beside the broken crumbled driveway, overgrown with weeds as the earth took over asphalt. "Are you sure you know how?" He turned the car off, shut off the headlights and stepped out, taking the keys with him. For a moment he contemplated leaving them on the dashboard for the owner of the house to have a new vehicle, but he doubted by morning it would still be sitting on the street.

  Lorelei approached the bike and climbed on, grabbing a helmet that rested on the seat, and retrieved the keys hidden inside the helmet. She fastened the clip and handed Aaron a second helmet, along with a gun. "Climb on. We don't have much time."

  "Where'd you get this?" he asked, staring at the metal pistol in his grip.

  "It was buried on the side door of the car. I snatched it, figured it might be useful."

  Aaron had long forgotten about the spare firearm he'd brought with him, for emergencies only. He'd only fired it at the shooting range. He'd never used it to kill anyone before.

  At the end of the street, the car that had been following from a distance made its way toward them.

  Aaron didn't waste a second. He straddled the bike, wrapping his arms around her waist, letting Lorelei drive, as he tucked the gun into his pants. She roared the engine and sped away.

  The vehicle that had followed them picked up pace after a moment, probably noticing the car had been abandoned.

  "You're going to have to lose them," Aaron said into the wind. He shut his eyes and hoped she had enough practice on a motorcycle to evade the guards.

  The road headed straight east and she roared the engine picking up speed. There still wasn't enough space between them and the guards from the palace. The guards were fast approaching, drawing closer to the bike.

  "Ever shoot at a moving target?" Lorelei asked. "You still have that gun."

  Had she lost her mind? He wasn't going to kill any of the guards. He may have wanted to escape the palace, but his life didn't seem to be in mortal danger.

  "We're not shooting anyone," Aaron said, his voice stern. Had she felt that way when she'd pulled the trigger on Celeste? He'd thought Lorelei had done it out of fear, trying to protect herself. Then again he'd seen the flash in her eyes, the darkness before she shot Grady. Aaron felt the shooting justified given her explanation. How had she learned to shoot? Did Grady teach her and if so, why? Aaron had a dozen questions but he couldn't ask them now.

  The vehicle inched closer, nearly on their rear tire, the headlights bright and blinding from behind.

  "Well then we need to do something," she said, swerving the vehicle.

  Would the guards put his life in danger to take him back to the palace? He didn't think his father would approve, then again he'd disobeyed the king. Perhaps they thought if he returned banged and bruised he'd think twice before trying another disappearing act.

  "Shut off the lights," Aaron said, his voice rough and demanding as he gripped her tighter.

  "How's that going to help?" The headlights vanished making it impossible to see what lay ahead of them.

  They needed to lose the guards and the only chance of that on a flat road was to blend into the darkness. "Hit the gas, as hard as you can, then veer slightly right, off the road."

  "You're crazy," she said.

  His heart pounded erratically in his chest. The roar of the motorcycle deafening as she pulled farther away and onto the grassy road.

  Aaron glanced over his shoulder, the vehicle from behind flipped on their high beams, brightening the path. Once they could get completely out of sight, they'd be free. Without the tracker, his father wouldn't have any idea where to look for the prince.

  "Head right," Aaron said, instructing Lorelei off the road.

  They couldn't travel as fast on the grass and dirt. The ground marred with bumps and rocks, jolting them with every inch forward.

  "Can I turn the headlights back on?" Her voice sounded filled with anxiety.

  "Not yet." Aaron knew enough of the area to know there were no cliffs or rivers they'd run into, at least for a few hours. "I think we're far enough. Kill the engine," he said.

  "Gladly." She stopped the motorcycle and halted the bike to a standstill, dropping her legs to the ground to steady the bike.

  Turning around, Aaron could just make out the image of the deserted highway and the guards vehicle blowing right past them. "Shit it worked!"

  Lorelei laughed under her breath. "You sound so surprised."

  He smiled. "Sure am. Didn't think it'd be that easy. Flip the headlights on and stay on this road. Hopefully we can double back when it's safe."

  The drive together remained silent as Lorelei focused on the grassy path.

  "How are we going to find the girls?" Lorelei asked. "I don't think they came this way."

  "I know one of the rendezvous points," Aaron said. "It's just hoping the rebels are still there. It's been more than twenty-four hours since we were supposed to meet up."

  In the glimmer of the headlights, Aaron pointed toward an abandoned and overgrown road. "Turn left," he said. "We can follow the old highway from out here."

  Lorelei slowed the engine and took a sharp left, gliding into the turn. "What's the plan?" she asked. "If your friends aren't where we're going?"

  "We wait for them," Aaron said. He knew it was a shitty plan. It could be another month until they arrived and neither of them could sit on a dusty old road and wait that long.

  Lorelei didn't answer. Did she know it was a horrible idea, or was she just going along with whatever Aaron wanted?

  The wind blew and Aaron pressed his cheek against her back, shutting his eyes. Would it be so terrible if he never returned back to the palace? His father would worry, but he wanted to experience that freedom, the ability to do as he desired without constantly looking over his shoulder.

  Soon dawn would break across the night sky.

  Lorelei rode along the abandoned asphalt, the headlights blazing just a few feet ahead. Without warning, a set of metal spikes lined the road. In haste, she swung the bike to the left, hard and fast but it didn't matter. The two wheels caught the edge of the spikes, blowing out both tires. The vehicle puttered to a pathetic stop. She cut the engine and the lights.

  Who else knew they were traveling? Could it have been an accident that the spikes had been left behind?

  "What the hell just happened?" Aaron asked, cautiously pulling the gun from his belt. The night air oddly silent.

  Adjusting to the darkness without the headlights, there were two tents, both set up at opposite sides of the roadway.

  The zipper on the tent nearest the motorcycle began to unzip.

  Without hesitation, Aaron lifted the gun. His hands shook as adrenaline coursed through his veins, his heart pumping wildly with fear. Did he have it in him to pull the trigger?

  "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," a voice across the road said. The second tent flapped open in the wind. They'd been much more quiet about sneaking out.

  Aaron spun around to see four men striding toward them, guns drawn.

  He and Lorelei were outnumbered.

  "What do you want?" Aaron asked. He wasn't sure he wanted an honest answer. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, stranding two people, it wasn't anything good they wanted.

  "Just your lovely lady," the man stepping out from the tent said, standing up and towering over Lorelei. "She comes with me." He reached for her arm, his hand wrapped around her wrist.

  "No, she doesn't! I demand you at once to release her. You will let both of us pass freely through Brayleigh," Aaron said. He held the tone of a scorned prince.

  A second man stepped out from the tent in front of Aaron. The bearded forty-something man latched eyes on the prince. "Cease him at once!" His shout echoed through the empty expanse of land. "He's worth a hell of a lot in ransom."

  "Shit," Aaron muttered. He couldn't run, not without risking Lorelei's life in the process. With only one choice, he fired the gun at the man holding Lorelei, slamming the bullet into the man's chest. His hold on the young woman dropped and together they took off on foot, gripping hands as they scurried farther from the road.

  Across the stretch of land, an old house towered over the empty lot. Neither said a word, for fear of the traders coming after them. Without a doubt, Aaron understood who these men were. Some traded in courtesans, but not all men had access to such powerful and sophisticated ladies. Others would take whoever they could find off the street, kidnap them at night, and ransom them by morning.

  The darkness helped them run but it wasn't enough to keep them safe.

  Aaron glanced back over his shoulder. One of the men helped the injured bandit that he'd shot. Four other men were chasing them and gaining way. He didn't know his way around this land, not with any significant place to hide. Unlike evading the guards in a vehicle, Aaron knew with time, someone would get tired. He hoped it was the four men chasing after them.

  He wasn't so lucky.

  Lorelei tripped, her shoes catching a thin veil of fabric from the dress. Aaron caught her arm, keeping her from falling over. It did nothing to help their lead, the pursuers coming up right behind them.

  He had no choice but to lift the gun again.

  "Give it to me," Lorelei said.

  Aaron didn't listen to her. Even if she was a better shot, he'd sworn to protect her and he wasn't going to have her shooting at armed men, making her protect him. It was ludicrous!

  "Run again," the man on the far right said, firing off a warning shot. It whizzed beside Lorelei's ear, barely missing her.

  The prince dropped the gun, he had no other choice, and shoved the red-head behind him, doing everything he could to protect her. "Let Lorelei go. You can have me." He glanced back at her, ever so briefly. "Run." He wanted her to be free. He knew she'd been a slave once and he would never allow her to be taken back, not while he was still alive.

  The sun began to rise along the horizon.

  Lorelei bent down, lifting the gun, trying to protect Aaron. "No!"

  "What makes you think there's anything you have to leverage for? We could shoot you both in the foot, make it impossible for you to get away." A man with two missing front teeth said. His eyes were the grayest blue Aaron had ever seen, and his hair a salty silver.

  One of the men shoved a bag over Aaron's head and bound his arms behind his back. He assumed they'd done the same to Lorelei. She screamed and fought the traders. Even though he couldn't see anything, he could hear her refuse to give in.

  "Get off me!" She stomped hard against the ground and there was a shuffling of feet before a gun went off.

  "Lorelei!" Aaron screamed, desperately attempting to remove the mask from his face. Leaning his head forward, hoping it would fall off. Several additional shots echoed through the early morning air. The bullets fired all around him. Instinctively he ducked, praying they both would survive.

  "We don't have much time. There's still one more assailant on the loose," Lorelei said. She helped remove the mask and then untied his hands.

  He breathed a sigh of relief, hearing her voice and seeing her beautiful red tangles again.

  Aaron glanced at the pistol in her grip. She'd used it to kill the four men that were attacking them. "Give me the gun," he said, holding out his hand for the weapon.

  "Seriously? I just stopped the four men from making us slaves and the first thing you say is that you want the gun back?"

  "Thank you for saving both of our lives," Aaron said, trying to reason with her. "Now can I have my gun back?"

  Lorelei rolled her eyes and carefully handed him the barrel of the gun. "There are two shots left. Don't waste them."

  He pocketed the gun into his pants. "Come on," he said, offering her his hand once again. They needed to keep moving. There was at least one more assailant that could go after them, assuming he didn't bring back reinforcements. The moment word got out that the prince was nearby, all the slave traders would come searching, including those with drones. Aaron hated those pesky beasts that roamed the sky, providing not even a hint of privacy. How long could they be gone until they were seen? He needed to find the rebels and fast, time was running out.

  Chapter Nine

  Aaron's legs grew tired, and his eyes were thick with slumber.

  "How much farther?" Lorelei asked.

  There hadn't been another soul for hours and except for the bandits Lorelei had killed, the last people they'd seen were the guards, more than twelve hours ago.

  The sun stretched across the sky and Aaron grew thirsty. In the distance, a shimmer of crimson reflected and glistened.

  "What do you think is out there?" she asked, her voice parched.

  They both were in dire need of water and a hot shower. "Hopefully the rebels we're looking for. Come on," he said, taking her hand once again, encouraging her with him. A short burst of energy rippled through him like a volt of electricity as they trotted toward the building.

  "A barn?" Lorelei said, glancing at Aaron.

  "Don't worry, there's no farm animals. The place was abandoned decades ago. The rebels use it to store food and basic supplies. It's one of the meeting points."

  She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. We're here."

  "We're almost there," he said, leading her up the grassy lawn toward the barn. He stalked up to the door, not sure what he was expecting to find. The door had been left unlocked. Aaron pushed the creaky wood door, stepping inside the shelter. Bales of straw lined the walls.

  Lorelei dropped his hand and walked toward the hay bales. "I thought you said this place wasn't for farming. Why's there hay?"

  Aaron closed the door behind them to warrant off any unwanted attention and visitors. Though it appeared secluded, he couldn't be too careful.

  "No. What I said was that there weren't any animals. There's plenty of hay for sleeping and there's also food growing around the other side of the yard."

  She sat down, shifting her dress to keep the golden straw from itching her bottom. "When will your friends show up?"

  "Can't say for certain." Aaron had hoped they'd be there upon their arrival. By now, word had to have traveled that Aaron left the palace and the king was in search of him. Which meant the rebels knew, the slave trade knew, as did the bandits.

  "You mentioned food?" Her stomach grumbled aloud.

  "Stay in the shade. I'll bring it to you," Aaron said.

  "Thanks." Lorelei smiled weakly, her eyes on the door.

  The prince headed out the wooden door and wandered around back. Bending down, his fingers trailed through the plant, picking plump red strawberries. His dry mouth found a hint of moisture as he plucked the fruit and shoved it between his lips sucking the juices right out of it. The sweetness forced his stomach to ache and his hands to tremble. His body craved more. Quickly, he pulled strawberry after strawberry from the plant, bringing handfuls back with him into the barn.

  "Try one of these," he said, insisting she take a bite as he pressed the swollen red berry to her lips. Aaron sat down beside her, handing Lorelei another strawberry to taste. The moment his rear hit the hay, he made a face, uncomfortable from the itchy straw. "I don't know how you sit on that." He stood, his legs sore but it seemed the better option for the moment.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10