I didn't have a chance to ask him what exactly I should hold on to in his tiny sports car before he gunned the gas pedal and tore off down the street in the middle of downtown Portland. It was Friday night in the city and people and cars were everywhere. My feet planted firmly on the floor of the car. One hand pressed against the door and the other hand had found its way to Preston's bicep.
He wove in and out of traffic, breaking a few laws, I was sure, and managed to avoid hitting any of the pedestrians I alerted him to with my screams. Either he was used to driving with a woman yelling at him in the passenger seat, or he was doing a bang-up job ignoring me. Regardless, my heart rate was through the roof and I was getting tired of being thrust from side to side as he flung his Lotus around corners and through parking lots, all in an effort to lose the person who was following him. Eventually, he managed to get the car turned so it was heading north and I started to relax as we made our way from the area of town full of bars and nightlife, entering the part that was more industrial.
I turned and saw the car was still behind us, even after all that fancy driving, and I looked to Preston.
"He's still there. What are you going to do?" I‘d never been in a car chase before. In all the movies I'd seen, the car being followed either lost the other car, or it crashed. We hadn't achieved the former and I hoped to avoid the latter.
"Just hang on tight," he said again, making my eyes roll. I resumed my hold on the door and his arm.
He pulled into an empty warehouse parking lot, luring the other car into it behind him, then he gunned it, aiming his car for a small alley that ran along the back of the building. Even for such a small car as the Lotus, it was a tight squeeze, and I found myself closing my eyes in fear, my fingers gripping Preston's arm. Surely, the car following us couldn't make it through the same alley. I felt the car leave the ground, causing the same feeling in my stomach as when you hit the summit of a roller coaster and then quickly fall. Weightlessness. We were airborne. I let out a strangled cry, but was thrust back into silence when the car jolted back onto the pavement.
My eyes popped open, and I was relieved to see we were, indeed, on the ground and in one piece. I looked to Preston and his eyes were focused as he was driving. I turned quickly to look behind us, but didn't see the car any longer.
"I think you lost him," I whispered, the car silent aside from our heavy breaths.
Preston didn't respond immediately, but when he did, all he said was, "Hold on." Suddenly, I flew forward and to the side, only to feel Preston's arm swing out and press me back into my seat. Then we were still for just a second. His hand flew to the gear shift, putting the car in reverse. Preston placed his arm over the back of my seat and looked out the back windshield of the car, lurching backward down yet another alley. I closed my eyes tightly again, fearing we would crash.
Then we were still. The car was off, as were the headlights.
I opened my eyes and felt Preston's hands on my face, turning it toward him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes roaming over my face, inspecting me.
"Preston," I breathed. My voice was gone and his name was just air.
"Lena, baby," he said, pulling me into him, guiding my face into his neck, his arms wrapping around my shoulders. "It's okay. I'm sorry," he whispered. I breathed into him, trying really hard not to cry, the adrenaline making my heart race and eyes well with tears.
"I'm o-okay," I stammered. Then the car lit up and he pulled away from me. Two headlights were beaming right into the car and I was frozen, aside from the trembling, not knowing what was going on. Preston grabbed my face again and looked at me, speaking clearly and quickly.
"I'll handle this, Lena. Don't get out of the car, okay?"
I nodded, his hands still on my cheeks. Then he pressed a very quick kiss to my lips and went to open his door. He was halfway out when I heard a man's voice.
"Not so fast, Reid. Get back in the car and roll the window down." The headlights went off, shrouding us in darkness again. Preston folded himself inside the car and rolled the window down as asked.
"Shit," he mumbled under his breath. He reached over and gave my knee a quick squeeze. "Everything's going to be fine. I promise," he said quietly.
I heard footsteps coming closer to the car, and even though Preston no longer seemed threatened, I was still trembling and scared. Looking for the person who had chased us, my eyes darted through the darkness. Finally, the outline of a man appeared, coming closer to us with steady, unhurried steps. He was a tall, round man. Easily three hundred pounds, perhaps six-feet tall. He was lucky he'd chased us in his car, because Preston could effortlessly beat him in a foot race.
"Reid, nice evening for a leisurely drive." The man was just outside the driver's side of the car now, looking in at Preston.
"Edgar, I'd say it was a pleasure to see you, but I'd be lying."
I swallowed hard, freaking out a little bit that Preston was mouthing off to the man who had us trapped in an alley.
"You know I like it when you call me Eddie," the man said, placing one hand on the door and leaning down so his head was in view. His face matched his body, round and full.
"What do you want, Eddie?" Preston's voice was low and angry.
"I'm just checking on my assets." Eddie's eyes fell on me. "Hello there, Lena, darling. I hope our little car chase didn't frighten you too badly."
I saw a muscle in Preston's jaw twitch and his grip on the steering wheel tightened.
"Again, what do you want?" His voice was even lower now, nearly a growl.
"I just want to make sure you've thought through all your actions, Reid." Eddie's eyes traveled to me again. "Some of us are starting to doubt your decision-making capabilities."
"I don't answer to you, Eddie, but even if I did, all I'd say is that I am just doing my job."
Eddie chuckled, then sighed. "You've got balls, Reid. I'll give you that." Eddie stood up and thumped his hand on the roof of the car. "This job doesn't go right, you're going to lose a lot more than just your balls, Reid. Don't say I didn't warn you." With those parting words, Eddie walked back to his car. After a moment, his headlights came on, flooding the Lotus with light again, then he backed up and drove away.
Chapter Two
I exhaled heavily when his car was out of sight, then turned to Preston, who was still gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. "What the hell was that all about?" Preston's hands finally loosened on the wheel, but instead of answering me, he just started the car again and put the gear shift in drive. He pulled out of the alley and started driving back into the city. "Preston, why did that guy chase you all over the city and then just walk away like that?"
He let out an aggravated sigh. "Eddie is someone I work with. He was just trying to scare me. I don't want you worried about it."
"How did he know my name?"
"Like I said, I work with him."
"I thought you said you were in the business of secrets. I don't understand why he needs to know my name." Something was off about the way Eddie approached Preston. It made me nervous, as if somehow I was involved in something I didn't want to be a part of and I'd gotten in over my head.
"Listen, he doesn't know why you hired me. He doesn't even know the specifics of the case. Hell, he might not have even known I was working with you until he saw you-you're not exactly unrecognizable."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, anyone who's anyone in this town would see your face and know your name. You're Lena fucking Bellows, for Christ's sake." He was shouting now, his voice angry and agitated. His hand slammed down on the steering wheel as he yelled, "Fuck!" He took another hard right turn then pulled over on the side of the road. He threw the car in park and then turned in his seat to face me. "Listen, I never intended for you to get involved this way. When I took this job, I thought it would be a slam dunk. I'd be in and out in a matter of days and then move along, just like I always have." His voice softened as he spoke, his eyes imploring me to listen and understand.
"I wasn't expecting to be this drawn to you, Lena. I couldn't have prepared myself for the attraction I felt when we first met. I should have turned the job down, should have walked away, but I'm not that strong." His voice had lost all its roughness and anger from earlier and was now like silk.
Thinking about him walking away caused a sudden and unexpected panic in me. Surely, if on that first day he'd turned me down and left that bar without taking the job, I would have simply found someone else. But after the small amount of time we'd spent together, knowing the way he could make me feel, the power he had over my body, and the promise of something more to come, the thought of him ending whatever it was between us was terrifying. I didn't want him walking away, but I also didn't want to be a part of these strange and dramatic scenes, either. Sexual escapades in closets and car chases weren't my idea of a good time. I wanted quiet movie nights cuddled up by a warm fire. I wanted inside jokes and silly notes left in obscure places. I wasn't sure Preston Reid was the man to give me what I wanted.