“Go,” she said the second the traffic light turned green.
“What?” Talia asked, confused.
“I said,go,” Emily repeated louder. “We’re being followed. You have to lose them.”
Both Talia and Valentina’s gazes darted to the mirrors. Sure enough, the vehicle clung to their tail.
“Fucking hell. What is up with today?” Talia spat, slamming her foot down. The car jolted forward, pinning Emily and Valentina against the seat backs.
“Is this really happening?” Valentina’s voice shook.
Talia whipped the wheel into a sharp turn.
The black car mirrored them.
Emily’s fingers twitched for her phone, torn between calling Nicolas or Chelsea. Before she could decide headlights glared at them.
“Hold on!” Talia barked.
Her manager swerved hard into a lane, tires screeching. The pursuer followed, but she didn’t let up. She cut across two other lanes, narrowly missing a delivery truck, then shot down an alley barely wide enough for their car.
The black SUV ground to a halt.
Emily’s breath came in ragged bursts.
Valentina clutched the car handle above.
Only their loud breathing filled the car until Talia spoke, “Well,” she said, a shaky grin tugging at her lips, “guess me watching all those action movies finally paid off.”
Emily’s pulsedidn’t ease until they pulled into the mansion’s driveway. Her panic spiked again when she spotted a black vehicle parked at the front. The SUV from earlier.
“H-How?” she whispered, stumbling as she got out of their car.
“Let’s get you inside,” Talia said.
Valentina shook her head, taking out her phone. “No! That’s a terrible idea. What if the culprit is inside? We should call the police.”
Before anything else could be said, David came out the front door. His eyes melted in relief at the sight of them. “Thank God you’re here. Mr. Re was about to blow the roof off the place.”
“What? Why?”
“Go inside and you’ll see.”
Valentina grasped her hand when Emily went to make a move. “Are you sure about this? Do you honestly trust this guy?” She spoke as if David wasn’t hearing every word coming out of her mouth.
Talia turned to Emily. “I’ll go first, then you come once I shout whether or not it’s safe.”
When David turned to go back with them, Valentina blocked him.
“Oh, hell no,” she said with a wave of her finger, then glanced down at her phone, where 911 was already pulled up on the screen. “You’re going to stay right where you are, mister. No funny business.”
His lips twitched. “If you insist. I was only heading back to see his reaction, but I guess yours is more entertaining.”
“Excuse me?” Emily heard Valentina squeak as Talia flanked her, escorting her toward the door.
Inside, Nicolas’s voice thundered through the foyer. She froze, wondering if she was in the right house. He’d never raised his voice like that before.
“Youlosther? You had one job—one! To keep her in sight and make sure nothing happened!”
