“He’s behind us.” Sonny’s voice came out tight, his fear bleeding through despite trying to control it. “On a motorcycle.”
Reese’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles going white. “I see him.”
The motorcycle stayed several car lengths back, not trying to hide its presence. Just following. Watching. Waiting for an opportunity. Fear flooded Sonny, making his bunny panic and bounce around.
They were being hunted.
The hyena was hunting them.
There was nowhere to run in a truck on a public road.
Reese turned onto a side street, his driving steady despite the speed. The motorcycle followed.
Another turn, this one faster.
The truck’s tires squealed slightly against the pavement. In the backseat, the dogs whimpered, their fear adding to Sonny’s own.
The residential area gave way to something more industrial, buildings spaced farther apart. Fewer cars on the road. Fewer witnesses. Sonny’s stomach dropped. This was bad. This was really bad. The hyena could do anything out here, and no one would see.
The motorcycle accelerated, pulling up alongside the truck. Sonny could see the rider clearly now through the window. Definitely the hyena from yesterday. He made a gesture, pointing at them, then at the side of the road. Demanding they pull over. Demanding they stop.
Reese didn’t stop. His foot pressed down on the accelerator, the truck surging forward. The motorcycle kept pace easily, its smaller size and maneuverability giving it an advantage. The hyena swerved closer, too close, trying to force them toward the shoulder.
Sonny grabbed the handle above the door, his other hand bracing against the dashboard. In the backseat, the dogs were sliding across the leather, their claws scrabbling for purchase. Delilah yelped when she hit the door, her injured leg taking the impact. The sound went through Sonny like a knife.
The road curved up ahead, a bend that wouldn’t normally be dangerous. But the motorcycle was on their ass, crowding them toward the edge. Sonny’s eyes widen when he saw the sheer drop on the other side of the metal guardrail.
That was it. A flimsy railing between them and kissing their butts goodbye.
Sonny screamed as they drew closer to the edge. “Reese!”
The truck swerved, tires hitting the shoulder. Gravel sprayed up, pinging against the undercarriage. Sonny’s body jerked against the seatbelt, his head hitting the window hard enough to make his vision blur. The dogs were barking now, high and panicked. The truck fishtailed, back end losing grip.
Reese yanked the wheel hard, preventing them from careening over the steep embankment.
Then tires kissed road, Reese’s hands steady. The truck straightened out, accelerating hard. Behind them, the motorcycle had fallen back, the hyena apparently satisfied with proving his point.
He could reach them whenever he wanted.
He could force them off the road.
He had all the power here.
Sonny was trembling so badly he feared he would shake apart. He was gasping for breath, his bunny trying to force its way out. The only thing stopping it was Sonny’s refusal to turn small and furry, taking away the dogs’ comfort from his presence.
The rest of the drive passed in tense silence. The motorcycle didn’t follow them back into the residential area, disappearing after nearly killing them. His entire focus was on breathing, on keeping himself together, on not completely falling apart in the passenger seat as the dogs whimpered.
Reese pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. For a long moment, neither of them moved. The house sat in front of them, but Sonny couldn’t make his limbs move.
He tried to kill us.
The sanctuary he’d been trying to build crumbled under the weight of that reality.
“We’re okay.” Reese’s voice was rough, talking as if he was trying to convince himself instead of his passengers. “Everyone’s okay.”
“I think I peed my pants,” Sonny whispered.
In the backseat, Delilah was softly whining, her injured leg probably hurting from the impact. Hercules was panting hard, eyes wide, frozen in place like he’d just experienced the worst roller coaster ride of his life.
