Nodding, Finn stomps down on the gas more. We pass by cars in a blur as we zoom down the road with Drew and his lackeys hot on our tails. I have no idea where we’re heading or why they think they can arrive at a safe destination, but I prepare myself for the worst because that is how this will turn out. Ultimately, the car has to stop, and I’ll have to face the music—that a whisper has been put out on me. So, if Drew catches us, he’ll own my ass. It’s bye-bye academy, bye-bye future. What I don’t understand is how in the hell he discovered where I was. His crew doesn’t run southside Royal City, at least from what I’m aware of. Just like hardly anyone on northside does. So, how did I get spotted?
As Finn makes another jarring turn onto another road, my thoughts drift back to the cashier working at the café. She asked if she knew me. She didn’t look familiar, and even now, I’m positive I don’t know her. But if she has connections to northside, she could’ve heard about the whisper, connected the dots, and called up Drew.
“We’re almost there,” River says to no one in particular. “Hopefully, the scanner works quickly.”
“It should. I just cleaned off my window.” Finn downshifts as a towering building comes into view just ahead.
The exterior is reflective glass that blacks out what’s on the inside. Three massive metal doors line the front section, and Finn drives straight toward the middle one that has an automatic barricade in front of it.
Traffic is thinner on the road here, so Finn can drive faster without switching lanes.
His windshield wipers are on full speed. Even then, the rain is coming down so hard it’s concealing the view out the window. But occasionally, I get a good glimpse of how we’re racing toward the building. Fast. Too fast.
I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing for the worst. But suddenly, the car comes to a skidding halt. When I open my eyes, we’re stopped in front of the barricade, and Finn has turned off the wiper blades.
A light flickers from off one of the barricades, and then the bar begins to lift up. So does the middle door of the building.
When I look through the back window, I see Drew’s car approaching us at an alarming speed.
Finn drives through the open barricade but has to stop and wait for the door to open all the way. The barricade lowers, however, leaving it impossible for Drew to get his car into this section.
Drew’s car skids to a stop just outside of it, and he jumps out. But the door is open now, and Finn slams on the gas and peels forward as Drew barrels at us. I watch with my breath trapped in my chest as Drew attempts to run inside, but the door closes before he can.
Releasing a shaky exhale, I take in the surroundings. We’re in a parking garage, only a much nicer one than what I’m used to seeing on northside. This one is completely closed in, the ceilings are higher, and the area is enormous and has the occasional window that reveals the view of the buildings outside.
“Are you okay?” River asks me as he scoots forward in the seat and rests his arms on the middle console. His damp, dark hair is hanging in his eyes, and he smells like rain mixed with a trace of sweat.
I nod, even though I’m unsure if I am. “I’m fine. And, while I appreciate what you guys did, it won’t stop them. They’ll just sit out there and wait for me to come out.”
“There are other exits out of here.” Finn removes his hand from the shifter for the first time since he took off at that stoplight. “And we can access the security cameras to make sure they’re not lurking outside somewhere.”
“Oh.” I’m still attempting to process what happened, because they just helped me for no reason, with no strings attached. It makes no sense. At least to me. “Where are we exactly?”
“The Royal City Penthouse Complex,” River sets Finn’s phone in the tray below the stereo. “Our family has a place here, so we can hang out until …” His head cocks to the side as he looks at me. “Who are those guys, anyway?”
I owe them an explanation, but I wish I didn’t. “It’s a long story, but it has to do with the night you guys saw me in jail. Or, well, I guess that’s not even when this started.” No, this started with the curse of being born into my family.
River’s gaze dissects me. “Those were the guys that jumped you?”
I nod. “There were other people there, too, but Drew—the guy banging on the window—is like their ring leader. We used to kind of be friends when we were kids.”
“That guy used to be your friend?” Finn questions skeptically as he parks the car in an open space near the far back. Even the parking spaces here are bigger and are filled with luxury cars.
“He was until a few years ago. Then he started running with this group of people who deal drugs, and he turned into an asshole. Plus, I didn’t want to be associated with that kind of shit—I already have too much of that in my life.” Realizing I’m rambling, I bite down on my tongue. “But yeah, anyway.”
Finn studies me for a slamming heartbeat before pushing his door open. He climbs out, stretching out his long legs, and I follow suit, leaving the door open so River can hop out. He does so with a stretch, putting his arms above his head. Then he pops his neck and shoves the door shut. Finn pushes the key fob, and the car locks with abeepand a flash of the headlights. Then we start toward an elevator in the far-left corner.
“So, if that guy used to be your friend,” Finn asks as he pockets his key fob and phone, “then how in the hell did he endup so pissed off at you that he’d try to chase you down in the middle of the city?”
We arrive at the elevator, and beside the doors is a small screen, to which Finn swipes his thumb across. The screen illuminates, revealing a code box, and Finn punches in a few numbers. The elevator doors glide open with ading. And I’m left standing there with my jaw hanging to my knees.
Finn strolls into the elevator, and River takes a step forward, but when he notes my expression, he pauses.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“It’s nothing.” I feel so alarmingly out of place as I step onto the elevator that has marble floor and windowed walls.
“Clearly, it’s not nothing.” River gets onto the elevator, too, then slants against the back window that shows a view of a pool located in the center of a landscaped park trimmed with flourishing trees, the leaves crisp with autumn.
