19. The Chase.

Run.

Faster.

Keep running.

Nicolette dashed into the busy road, running as fast as she could. Pain crawled from every part of her body, but she didn't stop. Cars honked at her as she sped onto the busy road, the wind slapping against her face.

"What are you doing?"

"Get out of the way!"

Drivers yelled at her, but that didn't faze her at all. She was only concerned about getting away from those hefty men.

Her heart slammed against her ribs, her breath was short, uneven. When she glanced behind her, she was surprised to see that one of the men was still following her.

Think, Nicolette!

Quickly, Nicolette threw herself off the road, landing in front of a Mercedes, which slammed its brakes sharply to avoid hitting her.

"What is wrong with you?" The driver asked, but she didn't hear any of that.

She ran, heading into the pavement that led to the residential areas. Without looking behind her, she dashed down the hills, running as quick as her legs could take her, adrenaline surging through her, numbing her pain just a little.

Left or right?

She went right, storming ahead. When she realized she was close to a park, it gave her more confidence to run faster.

She ran into a crowd, knocking over their things. "Sorry," she apologized but she still didn't stop.

She found its garage, which was more full than the park itself. When she saw two booths next to each other, she hid in their middle trying to catch her breath.

"Fuck," she gasped, her voice hoarse form breathlessness.

She placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. Her muscles burned, her lungs ached. God, it felt like her heart would pop out of her body.

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she had gone from losing everything, to fighting back, to… this.

Her father was insane and judging from the way she had handled the past few hours, well, it looked like the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Her hands trembled when she touched her elbow.

"Fuck!" she whispered, realizing she had injured herself. Her skin was slimy with sweat and blood, but before she could think about her wounds, she heard their voices.

"She must be here!"

"Find her!"

Both men sounded angry and she knew if they found her, that would be it. She dropped to her feet, hiding properly in between the booths.

When her knees touched the asphalt, a groan escaped her mouth but she immediately covered her mouth.

What was she going to do?

Surrender? Move forward?

She couldn't surrender.

Not now, and definitely not after all of this. She had escaped twice from her father's sick plans, and deep down she knew she would never get that lucky again.

If Ronald found her, it was over.

Her mind drifted to Suzie and Walter and she hoped they were okay. She hoped Alaric had helped and that Ronald couldn't get them again.

"Search between the cars! Look everywhere!" One of the men ordered.

Nicolette's heart tightened. She had no phone, nothing to defend herself with, and she could hear them closing in on her.

Quickly, without thinking, Nicolette shot to her feet, and ran blindly to the road ahead.

"There! There!"

One of the men spotted her, but she didn't wait to see if he would catch up to her or not.

Adrenaline rushed inside her, filling her unexpectedly as she ran out of the park and into the parking lot of a grocery store.

Who could help?

She scanned around quickly until her eyes settled on an older woman who was loading the truck of her car with groceries.

Nicolette rushed to her, running into her car without permission.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The older woman demanded, her voice filled with shock and fear.

Pain raced inside Nicolette's chest as she bent in the small space. "Please," she pleaded, her voice almost inaudible. "Help me."

The woman looked at her, and for a brief second, Nicolette saw the hesitation in her eyes before she gave in to it.

"Hide properly," the woman said, glancing over her shoulders. She picked her grocery bags and blocked Nicolette completely from view.

Nicolette exhaled, resting her head against the car door. Her heart pounded faster and she covered her mouth, afraid the men might hear her breathing so loud.

Was this it?

Was that all over?

"Where is she?" She heard a man's voice as they got closer to the car. "Ma'am, did you see a young woman running towards this direction?"

Nicolette's pulse roared louder in her ears as she waited for the woman's reply.

"No, no. I saw no one," the woman replied, although she didn't sound so convincing. Even Nicolette could tell she was afraid.

She waited until the man said, "Okay," and she heard the shuffle of feet.

"They are gone now," the woman said, her voice wobbling as shut her car trunk.

Relief poured over Nicolette, the adrenaline that had kept her going faded fast, leaving behind a sore body.

She had escaped!

Now it was time to plan ahead.

The woman opened the driver's side, and entered the car, Nicolette stood up from the small space and sat on the seat.

When the woman started the engine, driving away from the parking lot, Nicolette sighed, grateful for the smallest sliver of hope. She was free. She was done with Lucian and her father.

"What was that about? What happened?" The woman asked, her voice soft with concern, as her hands gripped the wheel.

"It's a long story," she replied, sinking into the chair. "It's complicated."

How was she supposed to explain all of that? She couldn't wait to be done with the nonsense.

The woman only nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. "Where are you going now?"

The question sent shivers down her spine as she tried to think. Her house was out of it. Her father's house was out of it, as well as Suzie's.

Alaric's house would have been a better option but she didn't know how to get there. She knew nobody's number by heart she could call.

Think, Think.

Finally a thought came through, "Can you take me to The Allens House?"

Nicolette saw the woman stiffened with hesitation and quickly added, "I will pay you for your troubles, please."

The woman looked at her from the rearview mirror and sighed, "Fine."

Just when Nicolette thought she finally had a moment to relax—

A car honked.

Once.

Twice.

A long one the third time.

Nicolette sat up straight, her stomach knotting with terror.

No.

No, no.

A car sped up to their side and Nicolette looked out the window. Her eyes met one of the bodyguards and her heart dropped.

"They found us," she whispered.

The woman screamed. "What do I do?"

Nicolette panicked, she couldn't implicate an innocent woman. Knowing that the men had found her, she was certain they wouldn't let her out of their sight again.

Think!

The car sped down the road. "I have never been in a car chase before!" The woman yelled and Nicolette could tell she was crying.

Without thinking, she blurted out. "Stop the car!"

The woman blinked. "What?"

"Stop the car," she repeated. "It is me they want, when I'm out of the car, they will leave you alone."

The woman didn't wait to be told twice before hitting the brakes.

"Thank you so much!" Nicolette said, as she pushed the door open.

The men didn't expect the twist as they struggled to steady their car. The car skidded violently, turning sharply in the other direction.

When Nicolette was sure they were now following her and not the woman, she ran, her pulse hammering in her chest.

Faster.

She bolted into the street, searching for a crowd to disappear into.

Her chest hurt, her legs burned, her mind was racing but she didn't stop.

How was she supposed to escape these men when they were right on her tail?

She glanced back for a second, but realized she wasn't followed.

Wasn't followed or they haven't caught up to her yet?

She didn't have time to argue with herself, but she slowed her pace when she turned the corner. Her eyes fell on the big motel sign across the street, and she rushed inside.

The reception smelled of cigarettes and booze, and mixed with the scent of her sweat, Nicolette wanted to puke.

She controlled herself, clenching her fists together.

"How can I help you?" The receptionist leaned forward, a cigarette sat at the corner of her mouth.

Nicolette's breath was heavy. "I'm being chased. I need help, please."

The receptionist frowned. "This is not a police station, nor a charity organization."

A police station! Why hasn't she thought of asking the authorities for help?

She leaned in, glancing briefly over her shoulders. Luckily for her, the men hadn't found her—yet. "Please."

"500 hundred pounds," the receptionist said, taking a puff of her cigarette.

"For a room? I don't—"

"For help," The receptionist interrupted. "It's 67.35 for a room."

Nicolette blinked, "How is that more—"

She cocked her head. "You need the help or not?"

Nicolette bit her lip. "I have no—"

She didn't even let her finish. "Please leave."

Panic surged through Nicolette. "Please, I will pay—"

"When you go through our back door," the receptionist gestured. "It leads to a homeless shelter. I'm sure they can—"

Before she could finish, Nicolette saw the men outside.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed as she left the reception.

The receptionist stood up. "You can't—"

But it was too late, Nicolette had dashed towards the stairs leading to a back door.

Another chase began.

And this time, she wasn't sure she could escape these men again.