Chapter 778
Chapter 778:
“Fly?” Alistair asked.
“A leap of faith,” Victoria insisted. “No hesitation p>
Alistair cleared his throat. The car went deathly quiet. Then, in a baritone that was rough around the edges but surprisingly calm, he began to sing.
“Wise men say… only fools rush in p>
Elvis. “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” He was singing to keep us calm. To keep me calm.
My breath hitched. It wasn’t perfect. It was raw. It was the sound of a man who didn’t do vulnerability stripping himself bare for the sake of distraction in the face of death.
Inside the car, I pressed my hand to the leather seat.
“Okay, okay!” Victoria was blushing furiously, or maybe it was the exertion. “You pass. Hang on p>
But while the engine roared, a shadow moved near the ridge of the canyon.
Ethan Vance watched them speed toward the narrowest point of the pass. His fingers tightened on the remote.
“Timing is everything,” he whispered, his eyes gleaming with manic focus. He wasn’t just a scorned relative anymore; he was a man consumed by the need to level the playing field, to destroy the icons of success that had always overshadowed him.
The SUV hit the ramp. Alistair stopped singing. His eyes scanned the ridge until they landed on the glint of a scope.
The air shifted. The amusement vanished from his face, replaced by a reverence for survival that made my knees weak.
“Skye,” he breathed. “Down p>
“You sang,” I said, a smile tugging at my lips as I ducked.
“I’d do worse,” he promised, reaching for the wheel to help Victoria stabilize.
Just then, the detonator clicked.
𝘐n𝘴t𝘢𝗇𝘁 𝗮𝘤𝖼еѕ𝘀 𝘰ո 𝘣𝗲.𝘤𝘰𝘮
My instincts, honed by months of running from the Architect, flared. I didn’t turn to look; I moved.
Ethan triggered the charges on the cliff face, the rocks raining down like grenades. He watched the landslide begin, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
“Skye!” Liam screamed.
I grabbed a tactical blanket from the kit and thrust it over my father.
Crash.
The rocks hit the roof with a deafening thud, denting the metal instantly. A few shards of glass flew wide, landing on the carpet, but the core of the car remained intact.
The vehicle lurched, skidding to a halt in a cloud of dust.
Ethan stood on the ridge, peering through the settling haze. His grin faltered. The car hadn’t been crushed. It had been battered, yes, but the reinforced chassis held. They were alive.
Alistair didn’t freeze. He moved like a blur. He kicked open the jammed door and grabbed his rifle, twisting his body to aim upward.
“You,” Alistair snarled, his voice dropping to a register that usually preceded violence. “You have a death wish p>