Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Hello 460

+25 BONUS

As I stepped out of the holding room, Steve's desperate shouts were still ringing in my ears.

Jace wasn't wrong-Steve's emotions were a mess. One second he was frantic, the next totally defeated. But his last words stuck with me the most: "Rea, I can't stay here. I'm innocent." It broke my heart.

The moment I stepped outside, Jace was already heading my way. He took one look at me and reached out, steadying me. "You look pale. Did Steve say something?" Thinking about Steve's warning, I said, "Let's get in the car. I'll explain on the way."

Steve had told me to leave as soon as possible, and I got why-Quartz Cue probably had eyes on us. was scared someone would see me, and I'd be next in line for trouble. Jace rushed me into the car, handing me a bottle of water. "Take a second."

He

I ignored the water and said, "Steve says he's being framed." I ran through everything Steve had told me, ending with, "He said these people are ruthless. We might not be safe here either-" Before I could finish, headlights suddenly blazed through the windshield, blinding us. The car swerved hard, and the driver cursed under his breath.

already had a tight grip on me, his eyes darting around,

barely stepped away from Steve, and already, they were coming for us. Whoever they were, they wanted to

I blurted, panic creeping in as my hand

he barked orders at the

in the back-buckle

my seatbelt into place just as the car jerked

a breath, Jace pulled me into his arms, shielding me from the chaos. "Don't look. It'll be

scare tactic. They weren't messing around-they wanted us

couldn't see anything with Jace covering me, but I could feel it all-the car swerving, the sharp turns, and the sickening crunch of metal every time we got rammed. Jace held me tight, his grip like steel, but I could feel the tension in his body: He was staying calm, directing the driver, but I could sense it-he was on edge. Then-Bang! Bang! Two hard crashes and the car

yelled at the

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Chapter 460