Chapter 64

Sebastian 's POV

The location I’m sent is in the middle of nowhere. I’ve never even heard of the area. “Who’d have thought of coming all the way out here?” I wonder to myself.

My truck grumbles on the dirt road once I’ve turned, lights from the street fading in the rearview window. Now most of the light I’m seeing comes from the stars.

A beep comes from my phone, indicating that I’ve arrived at the location sent to me. Dusty Crops.

I don’t see anyone around, but there is a dark car somewhat hidden in the tall grass.

Another text comes in from the same person. I look around, straining to see in the dark. But it’s no use.

Sighing, I read the message.

“Your instructions: race that car to the finish line location that I’ll be sending to you.”

“Where is Evelyn?!” I scream at my phone like it’ll answer me. But perhaps they can hear me, because another text comes in very quickly.

“The keys are on the hood of the car. And your precious girlfriend is cuffed in the passenger seat.”

My skin flushes with anxiety, and I shove open my door to my truck. Rushing to the car, I can see Evelyn inside with a blindfold over her eyes, unmoving.

Another beep.

“The only way to get her out is to get to the end. Oh, and for added drama, there’s a bomb hidden in the car meant for the two of you.”

My eyes widen in horror, staring at Evelyn through the windshield with my heart pounding against my chest. I rush to the driver side, struggling to stop my shaking. I have to get her out of here now.

Once inside the car, my phone goes off again.

“If you don’t make it past the finish line before time is up, I’ll detonate the bomb. And, even if you choose to run from the challenge, there is nothing you can do to save her.”

I take the blindfold off of Evelyn, but she’s clearly passed out. Her breathing is normal, but her arms and legs are all bound together. She’s chained not just to the seat, but to the backseat, the driver seat, and the door.

This person’s right—how would I be able to save her?

“Princess wake up, it’s me.”

She doesn’t respond or even move.

My phone beeps with another message. “Better get on the road, Sebastian. Your timer starts now. Enjoy the worst race for your life. It could very much be your last.”

A location comes through, and the only other words that show up are “Your twenty minutes start now.”

My stomach leaping into my throat and bile forming, I immediately allow my instincts to kick in. This was designed to torture me. Evelyn is just in the line of fire. And I don’t have any time to waste.

The key goes into the ignition, and without taking a second to study the GPS or check my surroundings, I peel the car out of the tall grass and whiz past my truck, abandoning it while I get back to the road.

As I take the first violent right turn, Evelyn is pushed up against the door, and she jolts awake next to me.

“What the fuck?” She exclaims before looking out the windshield. “What the fuck!”

I want to check on her, make sure she’s alright. But all I can see in my vision is a fiery explosion, the sound of Eve’s screams filling the air as this car burns.

The GPS takes me through a parking lot, forcing me to avoid civilians, other cars, and honestly, probably a cop or two.

“Sebastian, slow down!” Eve calls out. “You’re gonna get us killed!”

The terrible irony of that sentence. I see the next turn up ahead, but the light turns yellow. Knowing I can’t waste even a minute, I step harder on the gas pedal.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Evelyn cries. She covers her face as best she can as the car flies through the yellow before the red light can appear.

The bumpy roads we go down are not much better than the running of a near red light. We’re both bouncing up and down. I can hear Evelyn crying as she keeps saying, “We’re gonna die.”

“Doing my best, babe!” I finally yell over the outside noise.

“I don’t even know what that means!” She replies back as I take another sharp right turn, throwing Eve against the door of the car. “Oof, fuck.”

“I love you, and I’m just trying to keep you safe!”

“I don’t know how acting like this is a F1 race with no consequences is going to keep me safe!”

I shake my head as another text comes in. “Ten to go.”

“Shit!” I push down even harder on gas pedal.

Evelyn may be strapped in with all the chains, but at least she has on her seatbelt. Thank God for small favors.

I tell myself to get lost in the directions, pretending I’m on the track and that the stakes aren’t as high as life or death.

“Sebastian, please! I don’t understand, what are you doing, where are we?”

“We’re trying to save your life.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

And then, suddenly, the ground cuts out from underneath us. We float above the dirt for just two seconds, and both let out absolutely horrid screams before the car lands back down with a loud THUD.

My chest constricts, though I’m not even sure if it’s to do with our car flying, or the impact of the vehicle almost breaking apart. This is insane, this is ludicrous!

Another text again, and this one tells me to do a few different tricks. Donuts, perfect turns, and another stupid drop.

I’m so close to getting the key to free her, but my anxiety just grows higher.

“Sebastian!” Eve screams out. But there’s nothing left to say. I have to finish this race or I’m about to lose the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.

And that’s when I realize I’m only a few miles away from where they sent me on this wild goose chase. I step on the gas even harder than before to speed up this last stretch.

My eyes don’t leave the road, I hold my breath as tightly as possible, and I hit over 100 on the speedometer. Evelyn is just screaming in horror at what she’s witnessing.

It’s when I cross the predetermined finish line with two minutes to spare that I finally lean back in the chair. I feel sick to my stomach. I slow the car back down before stopping in the middle of another field.

I’m too young to be feeling this level of anxiety.

The text comes in. “The key is sitting in the cigarette lighter. Congrats, you both get to live another day. But this isn’t over yet. Sleep with one eye open, Sebastian.”

I check the cigarette lighter and, sure enough the key is waiting inside. I carefully take out the metal object and lean over to Evelyn.

“Why the hell am I even tied up?” Eve protests as I cut her free of her shackles. She grabs me and pulls me into a tight hug. “I don’t even know where we are.”

My eyebrows go up as I hold the woman I love against my anxiety-ridden body. “You don’t know who grabbed you?”

She shakes her head against me before pulling away with tears in her eyes. “No. I barely had time to comprehend anything. I’m not sure what’s happened.”

I start searching the car for the bomb. “It’s a lot, honestly.”

“Why did you even go through with that reckless driving? You could have killed us both!”

I shake my head, pressing my eyes against the palms of my hands. “There’s a bomb somewhere in this car.”

She blanches. “No there isn’t.”

“There has to be. That’s the only reason I drove this car here. To keep you from exploding.”

“Where’s the bomb then?” She questions.

“Help me look. I have no idea.”

But there is no bomb. There’s nothing. After ten minutes of silence, the next text of the night comes in after we’ve taken apart most of the car.

“Next time, there’s going to be a real bomb.”

My eyes whip to Evelyn as she’s inspecting the trunk.

“It was a ruse,” I groan.

“There’s no bomb? What the fuck?”

“I don’t even understand why this happened tonight,” I reply with a shake of my head.

That’s when the final text comes in. “It’s a lot more entertaining to watch you scramble. See you both very soon.”

Then, an emoji comes through with a smiley face.

I gulp the acid gorming in my throat.

Good lord. How the hell am I going to keep Evelyn safe if I can’t tell the difference between fake and real danger?