Kill Switch (Devil's Night 3)

Or did that intimate look between her and Damon’s father I’d seen when I was a little girl finally make sense?

My mother had an affair with him, didn’t she? Perhaps it wasn’t only fear that controlled her.

And despite what they were willing to endure, I wouldn’t let them make that decision for me.

“We could get married,” Ethan said, his usually light and playful voice, low with a sultry tone.

And despite my nerves, I snorted. “That won’t stop him. It won’t even give him pause.”

Having a husband wouldn’t even protect me from Damon Torrance.

“Ah, shit,” Ethan breathed out.

“What?”

“Cops. Behind me.”

Cops? We’d only been driving a few minutes. I hadn’t felt the turn onto the highway yet, so we were still on my country road. There were never cops out here. I knew that, because how many times had my sister sped up and down this road as a teenager with me in the car and never gotten caught?

“Are their lights on?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“We’re still on Shadow Point?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t stop.” I shook my head. “You weren’t speeding. They have no reason to pull us over.”

“I have to stop.”

He wasn’t worried, but I slid my hands into the center pocket of my hoodie, fisting them. The only time cops were out here was when they were called. Something was wrong.

“Please don’t stop,” I begged.

“It’s okay, babe.” I felt the car slow down. “We’re adults, and we’re not doing anything wrong. We’re not in trouble.”

Reaching over, I felt for the knob I knew would be there and turned off the radio, my ears trained on any sound coming from outside. Gravel crackled under the tires, and I knew Ethan was veering off to the side of the road. He pressed the brake, my body lurched forward a little, and I planted my hands on the dash to steady myself as he shifted the car into Park.

Shit. I’d only been in a car that was pulled over once before in my entire life, and now, tonight of all nights…

A car door slammed shut, and a quiet motor hummed, telling me Ethan was rolling down his window. His shallow breathing filled the car. He was nervous, too.

“Good evening,” a male voice said. “How are you tonight?”

I recognized the voice. Small town, limited cops, but I didn’t mix with him enough to remember the name.

“Hey, yeah, we’re good,” Ethan told him, shifting in his leather seat. “Is anything wrong? I don’t think I was speeding, was I?”

There was silence, and I imagined the officer bending down to peer through Ethan’s window. I remained still.

“Kind of late to be out, isn’t it?” he finally said, ignoring the question.

The hair on my arms stood up. What did he care?

Ethan let out a nervous laugh. “Come on, man. You sound like my mom.”

“Winter?” The cop spoke up. “Everything okay?”