Taste Of Scotch // James Valdez

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My leg was screaming in agony, my hand squeezing my thigh like I was trying to wring out pain. This must be broken, or I'm just dramatic.

I glanced back, scanning both the streets and the sky. Only two cars away from our getaway van.

My heart was somewhere around my throat. What to do, what to do? My mind was on James, but my inner voice was yelling at me to ditch him and play smart.

I reached the van, clambering in like a one-legged pirate. Fumbling for the keys, I finally snagged them from the console, started the engine, and peeled out.

Keep it cool, Elena. Don't paint a target on your back.

I hit the escape routes James outlined. Passed fifteen cops and my heart nearly called it quits. Spotting my phone in the passenger seat, I snatched it up, dialed James, praying he was still free.

"Where are you?" I demanded before he could speak.

"I'm on a trolley, northbound on McKinney. You okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm coming for you."

"No, Elena, it's a cop fest out here. Don't be an idiot, take the ramp to the warehouse."

*Click.*

He hung up. Fine. I sighed, knowing he was right. But as I pulled up to a red light, gripping the wheel...

I can't just leave him. If I do, he might get nabbed. If I go back, we could both end up cuffed.

He's probably been in worse scrapes, Elena. He knows how to slip out.

But I can't. I swung a U-turn, ignoring the honks and the spotlight I was now shining on myself.

I scoured the signs, found the right one, and there came the trolley. Honking three times like a secret signal, I scanned the windows, then edged past until... there he was, hood up, walking towards me.

"That was dumb. I told you to—"

"Save it." I cut him off, pulling away as soon as he was in.

James glanced back, "Just us." He murmured, finally relaxing enough to pull his hood down. His eyes met mine.

I took the off-ramp, merging onto the freeway, heading back to the warehouse.

The warehouse. Do I even want to go back there now? After near-death, possible bone shattering, and this whole fiasco?

No, the answer to that was no. I didn't want to go back, I didn't want to be near all that. I needed some air, I needed some time away from that place. My nerves where all over the place I couldn't calm down, my heart was still pounding.

I take a exit off the freeway and then pull into a parking lot right outside a small dinner. "What are you doing?" James asks me once I put the car in park.

"I need air, James." I say then step out of the car. My foot was throbbing but I didn't care I couldn't be in a small space right now, especially with him. I hear the other car door open and close. I move my eyes from the passing cars to look over at him.

"You turned around." James's eyes lock onto mine, an unspoken question swirling in his gaze. "Why'd you turn around?"

"I used the time I could see to get you out of the cave." I retort, arms folding across my chest in defiance. He opens his mouth to reply, but his phone's ring interrupts, no doubt Camila.

I huff, limping past him, every step a silent declaration. I'm done.

Before I make it more than a few feet, he ends the call, his grip on my wrist spinning me back. "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but back to this circus with you, James."

I turn, ready to storm off, but his hand snatches my wrist again. In a heartbeat, I'm pressed against him, his lips capturing mine in a fierce kiss before I can protest. Shock roots me to the spot, my brain a whirlwind of confusion.

His hands cup my face, the world tilting. Emotions riot within me, a tempest of desire and frustration. My fingers clench his shirt, body melding against his, betraying my resolve.

I tilt my head, deepening the kiss, breaths mingling, tongues dancing in a forbidden waltz. His hand slides from my neck to my waist, spinning and pinning me against the car in one fluid motion.

Then, reality crashes through the fog. My hand moves on instinct, a sharp slap echoing in the air. His head snaps to the side, the force breaking our connection. He steps back, shock painted across his features.

My heart's a wild drum, emotions a tangled mess.

He kissed me. The insufferable asshole actually kissed me.