TITLE:RUNAWAY BRIDE

Chapter 2: IN HIS CAR

The car door shut behind me with a soft *thud*.

Silence.

The smell of leather and expensive cologne filled the space. Alex Smith.

I sat on the edge of the seat, soaking wet, trying to make myself small. My wedding dress was a mess.

He didn’t drive.

Alex just stared straight ahead. Rain ran down the windshield. His hands were on the steering wheel, but he wasn’t moving.

"They’re coming," he said finally. His voice was calm. Too calm.

I looked back. Three black SUVs were turning into the church gate.

My fiancé was in the first one.

I gasped. "Drive!"

Alex turned to me slowly. Those cold eyes studied me. From my ruined dress to my bare feet.

"You ran from your wedding," he said. It wasn’t a question.

"Please," I whispered. "Don’t take me back to him."

For a second, I thought he’d say no.

Then his jaw tightened. He slammed the car into drive.

The car shot forward, tires screaming on the wet road.

I gripped the seat. "Where are we going?"

Alex didn’t look at me. "Somewhere he can’t find you."

"And after that?"

"After that," he said, "you owe me."

My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"

He finally glanced at me. One corner of his mouth lifted. It wasn’t a smile.

"It means, Runaway Bride... you’re mine now."

The city lights blurred past us.

And I realized I might have escaped one monster... only to get into a car with another.