Shoving away my emotions, I put on a pair of pants, a snug tank top, and boots. As soon as I was clothed, I went to the bathroom, staring down at the needle-nose pliers. Ignoring them for the moment, I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail and then grabbed them. I slipped into the bedroom and walked out onto the balcony, arranging my clothes on it.
Steeling my strength, I used the pliers to remove my back tooth, where the tracking device was implanted. Smothering the scream of pain, I spat out the blood before dropping the molar on the pile of discarded clothing.
Peering at my watch, I jumped on the railing and leaped down, landing on my feet. I hit the ground running, pumping my legs as hard as they would go. When my hands gripped the fence, I projected my body over it, never slowing down until I rounded the rock formation just beyond the property line.
I skidded to a halt as a dark figure stepped from the shadows, grabbing me and teleporting me a mile away, snatching my hand to slice through it. My blood dripped onto the ground, and I smiled coldly, darting around the male to run the next leg of the Journey.
Another male grabbed me, and then another, moving space and time to put distance between myself and the estate I was leaving. Stopping suddenly on a cliff, I snatched the climbing gear, shimmying into it before I propelled down the sheer cliffside, ensuring my blood was covering the rope. Once my feet were back on land, I allowed the next man to transport me to the waiting car.
A smile twisted my lips as I approached the Bugatti that had been taken from outside the funeral, right beneath Kieran’s nose. Sliding into the driver’s seat, I started the sleek beast up, inhaling the owner’s enticing scent deeply. The engine revved to life, and I had a moment of regret about what I was going to do.
Starting forward, I pushed my foot against the gas pedal, smiling while it raced ahead. Rounding the curve at the end of the straightaway, I stopped, opening the door to exit the car as one of my accomplices turned, grinning at me. He hefted a corpse that matched my body mass, size, and bone structure into the seat and maneuvered it toward the canyon’s edge.
“Such a waste.” I actually felt bad for sending Kieran’s sleek, expensive thirteen million-dollar car into the canyon. But only a little. He deserved it for his part in my pain.
The man pushed it from behind, and it toppled over the cliffs of the canyon. He grabbed my healed hand, and we appeared in a room bathed in light. Axton smirked, sliding his gaze down my frame before he spoke.
“You’re certain you wish to do this?” he asked, his stare searching mine with understanding, then he nodded. “You know he will hunt you down. Kieran won’t give up if he claimed you, Xariana.”
“I’m just Ana now, Axton. There’s no part of that girl left in this body. My father named me, and that life isn’t mine anymore. As of today, I am Ana Hunter.” I smiled, which was the first real one I’d given in days. Exhaling, I spun as Onyx and Kaderyn entered the room, staring at me.
Chapter Thirty-Five
I stared at Onyx and Kaderyn, waiting for them to speak. Kaderyn moved closer, smiling with a swollen cheek, presumably from removing her tracker. I’d instructed them through the dark web about what to do and where to meet me before I’d sensed Kieran slinking outside my room. Xavier had pocketed my phone, but I’d had one hidden on my person. No one knew about it other than Noah, my closest friends, and Axton, who had been implemented into my escape plan since before my dad had gone missing.
If nothing else, he had instilled the need to survive in me, no matter what I had to do to achieve it. He’d taught me to blend in to avoid detection. He had done that right, and I intended to use every single tool he’d handed me to run from him and this town tonight.
“You both removed the trackers?” I needed to ensure everything was unfolding as planned.
“Of course,” Onyx stated, flipping her hair. “Not an amateur.”
“Are you going to tell us what is happening?” Kaderyn asked, noting how my expression crumpled. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“From where I see it, yes. You guys aren’t required to come with me. I need you both to know that. I can do this on my own.”
“Is it about who murdered your father?” she continued, scrubbing her hand over her face. “Don’t answer that,” she amended, sliding her attention to Axton, who hiked a dark brow at her as if he was offended.
“I’ll explain it all once we are safe and away from this town. I promise you I didn’t decide on this course of action easily or without the right mindset to begin an escape strategy. We can only use it once, though, and if it fails, the backup plan will include the sewers.”
“We weren’t noticed leaving, and the alerts went off when our trackers went dead. They’ll think we died or left willingly. We’ve now entered dangerous territory. They’re searching for us, and we are in the center of town,” Onyx pointed out, narrowing her eyes at the tears pooling in mine.
“Yeah, we’re borrowing Axton’s car, and they’ll be following us until we reach the border. They expect us to be in the woods, on foot. My jeep is in the compound, still damaged from the initial attack, so they’ll assume we’re without transportation. No vehicles from the hunters’ guild are missing. The Bugatti is at the bottom of the canyon, which they’ll trace back to me by the amount of blood I left inside. The trackers sent to find us will count on it. Noah is buying us time. He will have the pack of hellhounds he’s been running with alerted to the blood trail. The guild will need their assistance to get the car and body out of the ravine.”
“Body?” Kaderyn asked, flinching as I snorted.
“I had one on ice that I killed a year ago. Once a year, I pick a hunt where the perpetrator has a similar bone structure to me and could pass as a sibling. It will take them time to confirm that it’s not me inside that car, dead from crashing into the ravine. I plan to drive right by them. They’re expecting us to do what our training has taught us, which is to go into the thick forest. If they don’t buy the body theory, they will think we’re running into the mountains. We’re doing the last thing they’d anticipate. We are leaving town while they watch us. I believe the convoy that Micah was sent out in should only be a few hours ahead of us. Axton’s Humvee holds enough gas that we can catch up to them before needing to refuel. He’s also agreed to be the distraction, helping us to appear as a bunch of bimbos he’s taking home to bang.”
Both women snorted, rolling their eyes at Axton, who smirked. We all knew he was an insufferable playboy and horribly vain. That was one of the reasons I liked him, along with his unapologetic attitude toward the world.
“It’s been a pleasure, Ana. But I suggest we get moving. The morning is coming, and with it, more chances of your plan going awry. I already placed the belonging you stored here into the car. Shall we?” he asked, and I slowly approached him, peering up into his amber eyes.
“Thank you for not being the bad guy,” I whispered.
“I’m not the good guy either,” he countered, forcing me to smile.
“Sometimes it isn’t the good guy we need. It’s the right guy at the right time,” I returned, as his eyes sparkled with amusement.