“Let’s go home,” he said. “I don’t trust that she was here by happenstance.”
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought she’d kept eyes on us, that Thorin might somehow be surveilling us. We strode toward the car, and even when I settled into the passenger seat, the sense of foreboding still lingered.
“So, did we have enough flashes from our past today?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’d be happy to never see that flash from the past again,” Cillian growled as he turned on the engine and peeled out of the parking spot. The tension radiated through the cab of the car, the disruptions from the outside world reminding me we were anything but simple. The afternoon sun was turning golden in hue, careening closer to night, and the car zipped down the street as we headed back in the direction of the Spires.
We drove for a few minutes in loaded silence before Cillian glanced in his rearview mirror.
“Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” Before the words finished leaving my lips, I whipped around. A black sports car trailed behind us, closing the space with increasing quickness. The way they drove felt erratic, determined, and my intuition was shouting at me.
“Should I bother trying to spoon feed you a lie?” he asked as he pressed harder on the gas, and we shot forward.
“Considering your reaction and the expensive car behind us, no,” I responded, my heart thrumming hard.
“Let’s just say this isn’t the first time I’ve been followed while outside the Spires.” Cillian’s tone was light, but his words landed with deadly impact. My pulse sped as I turned around to stare at the black sedan keeping close to us. What could they want? Wasthis one of Thorin’s cronies? Someone Olivia had tipped off? The questions multiplied at the same rapid pace as my pulse.
“What’s their aim?” I asked. “Intimidation?”
“I wish it were that simple,” Cillian murmured, letting out a sharp breath. “Sit down in your seat. I’m going to attempt to shake him.”
We slowed at the light, and even though he’d made the demand and I sat forward again, I kept an eye in my side-view mirror. The black sedan was almost on top of us with how close it had stopped, and it revved its engines. Fuck. That wasn’t a good sign.
The danger that surrounded Cillian was beyond anything I’d experienced in my simple life before I’d arrived at the Spires. Car chases weren’t even in the realm of possibility.
I gripped the door handle, mostly for something to distract myself with, and sucked in a sharp breath.
The light turned green.
Cillian zipped forward, his engine roaring. The car vaulted forward at top speed, blasting past the limit as we traveled down one of the narrow streets of Peregrine City.
Cillian hunched forward, his body poised for action, his grip tight on the steering wheel. With no signaling, he made the first right down an alleyway between two large, looming buildings. His car barely fit, but he zipped along the bumpy road. The jolting shuddered my bones, and my palms broke into a sweat.
The black sedan followed with a smoothness that unnerved me. These weren’t novices at tailing—no, they were practiced.
They might not just be following us either. What if they wanted to get rid of us completely? A chill rippled down my spine.
“Want some getaway music?” I asked, needing to break the silence somehow. Needing to distract myself from the fact that an unknown driver was chasing us through Peregrine City.
“Sure,” he murmured, and I was rewarded by the slightest twitch of his lips. I flipped through his streaming service, picking a French rap artist I liked to listen to. My fingers trembled slightly. The smooth strains poured through the speakers, even though they didn’t quite deflate the tension circulating through the car.
We burst out of the alley and onto another larger street, and Cillian made a right. He zipped down a wide, bustling main street, weaving from one lane to the other as he passed a few cars. A couple honked at him from the fast lanes, but he quickly glided past them. I’d consider the driving reckless on a normal day, but given our situation—necessary.
I glanced in the mirror. The black sedan zoomed behind us at the same breakneck pace. Fuck. We hadn’t ditched it. Somehow, the car continued to follow close behind us.
I chewed on my lower lip, my heart thumping a bit harder. The bright neon signs and some of the tall domed buildings signaled we were closer to the Casino District. Nearer to the Spires. Yet Thorin’s place, Spectacle, was here too. Would any other cars join in the chase? How many had Thorin sent to follow us? The French rap glided through the speakers, smooth and effortless, a contrast to the way my internal alarms jangled.
No, I wouldn’t take a deep breath until we were back in the Spires.
“Don’t worry,” Cillian said, making another sharp turn, the car tires squealing with the effort. We darted down another narrow street, the shadows sloping here, the squeeze seeming impossible. Would we scrape the buildings? “This isn’t my first car chase.”
“I don’t know whether I should be reassured by that or not,” I murmured, leaning back in the seat in a pitiful attempt to pretend my body wasn’t tense. The riotous thump of my heartgrew louder by the second, and I gripped the door handle a bit tighter, my palm slick.
The black sedan was almost on top of us again.
Cillian hopped onto the I-90, one of the busier roads close to the Spires, and then slammed on the gas again. We rocketed farther ahead, surrounded by cars on both sides, all moving at a rapid pace. However, when I glanced to my right, the black sedan was no longer driving behind us.
