The Highway’s Forbidden Toll - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
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They had Ethan cornered, demanding some outrageous sum. At this point, whether he crawled out of this mess or not was none of my business.
My thumb hovered over Connor's contact. After a long moment, I locked my phone with a decisive click.
Morning came, and I shuffled into my sandals, heading for the guesthouse's third-floor breakfast buffet.
The elevator doors nearly closed when Ethan's hand shot through the gap. I stared straight ahead as if he were invisible, ignoring his desperate pleas. Forgiveness wasn't on the menu today.
Back in my room, I scrolled through tour group options when sharp raps interrupted me.
Ethan stood there, swaying slightly, a bottle of cheap merlot and two glasses in hand. Without invitation, he shouldered past me.
I stayed planted in the doorway, arms crossed.
"Still giving me the cold shoulder, babe?" That pet name—once sweet, now turned my stomach.
He popped the cork with his teeth, sloshing wine into a glass. The stench of booze rolled off him in waves.
"Ethan," I snapped, pinching my nose, "we're over. Get out."
Deaf to my words, he shoved the glass toward me. Just to hurry this along, I reached for it—
A hand snatched it away.
Connor.
Before I could process his sudden appearance, he hauled Ethan into the hallway with terrifying efficiency. One sharp kick to the knees, and Ethan went down howling.
Connor's grip on Ethan's collar turned his knuckles white. "Touch her again," he growled, "and I'll snap your leg like a twig."
As I trembled in the doorway, Connor shot me a quick wink, mouthing "Close it." The lock clicked just as Ethan's pained shouts faded down the hall.
My back pressed against the door, heart hammering against my ribs.
My phone buzzed—Connor's text: "6 AM. Parking lot. Lhasa."
I froze.
I'd only mentioned the Potala Palace in passing during check-in. He remembered.
Dawn painted the sky in pale hues when I found Connor leaning against his car, cigarette dangling from his lips. The ember glowed as he took a drag.
Spotting me bundled in my windbreaker, he crushed the cigarette and pulled me against him.
"All these layers?" His calloused hand slipped beneath my clothes, fingers tracing my waist. "Miss me that much last night?"
I pushed back, but he caught my backpack strap, yanking me flush against him. The cold car door bit into my back as his knee nudged my legs apart.
"Running?" His tobacco-rough voice sent shivers down my spine. "Think I'll eat you alive?"
The metal buckle of his belt dug into my stomach as I turned from his smoky breath. "You're really taking me to Lhasa?"
"Course I am." His low laugh vibrated through me as his thumb brushed a bruise on my collarbone. "But the Extraterrestrial Highway's a long ride...gotta charge for gas."
Should've known.
I twisted free, only for his arm to snake around my waist, pulling me back against his hard frame. "Nowhere to run, sweetheart," he murmured against my ear.
My thumb hovered over Connor's contact. After a long moment, I locked my phone with a decisive click.
Morning came, and I shuffled into my sandals, heading for the guesthouse's third-floor breakfast buffet.
The elevator doors nearly closed when Ethan's hand shot through the gap. I stared straight ahead as if he were invisible, ignoring his desperate pleas. Forgiveness wasn't on the menu today.
Back in my room, I scrolled through tour group options when sharp raps interrupted me.
Ethan stood there, swaying slightly, a bottle of cheap merlot and two glasses in hand. Without invitation, he shouldered past me.
I stayed planted in the doorway, arms crossed.
"Still giving me the cold shoulder, babe?" That pet name—once sweet, now turned my stomach.
He popped the cork with his teeth, sloshing wine into a glass. The stench of booze rolled off him in waves.
"Ethan," I snapped, pinching my nose, "we're over. Get out."
Deaf to my words, he shoved the glass toward me. Just to hurry this along, I reached for it—
A hand snatched it away.
Connor.
Before I could process his sudden appearance, he hauled Ethan into the hallway with terrifying efficiency. One sharp kick to the knees, and Ethan went down howling.
Connor's grip on Ethan's collar turned his knuckles white. "Touch her again," he growled, "and I'll snap your leg like a twig."
As I trembled in the doorway, Connor shot me a quick wink, mouthing "Close it." The lock clicked just as Ethan's pained shouts faded down the hall.
My back pressed against the door, heart hammering against my ribs.
My phone buzzed—Connor's text: "6 AM. Parking lot. Lhasa."
I froze.
I'd only mentioned the Potala Palace in passing during check-in. He remembered.
Dawn painted the sky in pale hues when I found Connor leaning against his car, cigarette dangling from his lips. The ember glowed as he took a drag.
Spotting me bundled in my windbreaker, he crushed the cigarette and pulled me against him.
"All these layers?" His calloused hand slipped beneath my clothes, fingers tracing my waist. "Miss me that much last night?"
I pushed back, but he caught my backpack strap, yanking me flush against him. The cold car door bit into my back as his knee nudged my legs apart.
"Running?" His tobacco-rough voice sent shivers down my spine. "Think I'll eat you alive?"
The metal buckle of his belt dug into my stomach as I turned from his smoky breath. "You're really taking me to Lhasa?"
"Course I am." His low laugh vibrated through me as his thumb brushed a bruise on my collarbone. "But the Extraterrestrial Highway's a long ride...gotta charge for gas."
Should've known.
I twisted free, only for his arm to snake around my waist, pulling me back against his hard frame. "Nowhere to run, sweetheart," he murmured against my ear.
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