He side-eyed me.
“Okay, I was doing some recon. Since it didn’t seem like we were getting anything useful out of Phelan.”
“You could’ve gotten hurt, Keira.”
“But I didn’t. And I learned something.” I told him about the brief conversation I’d overheard. “The guy mentioned someone named Ryan. Like this Ryan is in charge. Maybe the late shipment is just supplements or coaching workbooks,but I don’t think so. There’s something weird going on there.”
Dean tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “Could be. Did they see you? These men you heard talking?”
“Well, yes. But I noticed an odd ring one guy was wearing. I took a picture of it. I’m sure I’ve seen something like it before.” I held up my phone, showing him the picture on my screen. Dean glanced quickly at it.
“You’ve seen it before? Where?”
“That’s what I’m trying to remember. It was recent.” The memory itched at the back of my mind, so close I could almost grasp it. “It could’ve been?—”
As I was thinking, my eyes wandered over to the right-side mirror on Dean’s truck.
Huh. Another vehicle was on the highway a good distance behind us. It hadn’t been there before, but now it seemed to be keeping our exact speed.
It was black and boxy. Like the SUVs that had been parked outside Phelan’s home.
“Dean. I could be wrong, but we might have a tail.”
He cursed, checking the rearview. “Maybe they’re just making sure we leave the area.” With his eyes on the rearview mirror, Dean accelerated. The SUV matched our speed.
Then started to gain on us.
“Shit. It’s possible we pissed them off more than we realized. I’ll get rid of them. Hold on. This might get bumpy.”
“Okay.” I did my best to brace myself as we raced out of the valley, and the road started to curve.
The SUV kept gaining on us, closing the distance with alarming speed.
Just a few minutes ago, poking that hornet’s nest had seemed like a good idea.
The highway climbed, the road narrowing as it woundthrough towering pines. Around the next curve, a cliffside appeared to the right of the guardrails, and the ground below dropped away into a ravine that seemed to go down forever.
“They’re getting closer,” I said, gripping the door handle.
Dean’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “I see them.”
The dark SUV surged, its engine roaring. It pulled up alongside us, and that’s when I saw him.
The driver was wearing a demonic mask.
“Dean,” I breathed, my voice tight with fear. “That’s him. That’s one of them.”
“Hold on.”
The SUV swerved toward us, trying to force us off the road and over the guardrails. Dean’s truck tires screamed as we skidded closer to the edge of the ravine. Gravel sprayed out from under our wheels.
“Too close,” I gasped.
Dean yanked us back onto the pavement just as the SUV came at us again. This time Dean was ready. He accelerated hard, pulling ahead just enough to avoid the impact.
The road curved sharply to the left, hugging the mountainside. Dean took it fast, the truck leaning as we careened around the bend. The SUV followed, staying right on our tail.
“There’s a straightaway coming up,” Dean said, his eyes scanning the road ahead. “When we hit it, I’m going to brake hard. Be ready.”
