A short silence elapsed before Angus said, “Thanks for coming over, and I really am sorry for being an arsehole about Shannon. I know you’re still in love with her. I just worry she’ll mess you around, and you’ll go back to—"
“That’s never going to happen. I’m not going back. I promise you.”
“You better mean it.”
We sat and talked for a little while before Angus kicked me out because he needed to go to bed. The next morning, I’d just turned the corner onto Shannon’s street, Isla driving behind me, when I spotted her outside. Shannon stood close to her gate, right near the kerb, picking up what appeared to be a bunch of litter. What the hell? Had someone dumped all that in front of her house? My initial thought was that her meddling neighbours had decided to get their own back for me insinuating they were perverts, but then the squeal of tires assaulted my ears as a black car peeled down the road. My hands gripped the steering wheel, my pulse starting to race when I realised the car wasn’t just speeding, it was heading directly for Shannon.
My stomach twisted as the car swerved towards her, about to run her over, and with dawning horror, I knew I couldn’t stop it. I was too far away to save her.
“Shannon!” I shouted futilely from inside my car, but she couldn’t hear me.
She jumped, falling back against her garden gate as the car swung in an arc at the very last second, narrowly missing her. I had just enough time to see the driver wearing large, dark sunglasses and a baseball cap as they sped past me and down the end of the road.
Both Isla and I pulled to a stop at the same time. I jumped out to check on Shannon while Isla was busy holding up her phone to get a shot of the number plate. Red hot fury ran through my veins when I saw how Shannon was cowering and shaking.
My hands were everywhere, frantic but careful, tracing her arms, shoulders, legs, searching for cuts, blood, anything. I lifted strands of her hair with my fingertips, checking her head, making sure she hadn’t hit it when she’d fallen.
“Are you okay?” I demanded, voice sharp, even as she kept saying she was.
“I’m fine!” she gasped, but it didn’t register. My adrenaline was screaming louder than her words. I couldn’t stand the thought that someone had tried to hurt her. Had tried to fucking run her over.
Finally, when I’d scanned her from head to toe and found no injuries, I pulled her into my arms. Her head rested against my chest, and I could feel her tremble against me, my own heart racing in tandem with the panic and relief flooding through me at once. She was safe. She was here.
I pulled her tighter into my arms. A chill crept over me as I thought about the person driving that car. Whoever they were, they had to be the catfish, and they’d just targeted Shannon.
Which meant I was about to turn things up and find out who they were. They’d better hope my dad found them first because if it were me, I feared what I might do.
14.
Shannon
Everything happened so fast. One minute, I was crouched near the gate, picking up the litter that had been left outside my house, and the next, a black car was swerving toward me at speed. They had to have been drunk. A sober person wouldn’t drive like that.
“I’m okay, really,” I repeated, though my hands were still trembling. “Just a little shaken.”
“I’m going to fucking kill whoever that was,” Jace fumed, pulling me tight against his chest. His arms were solid around me, his warmth seeping into my skin and grounding me in a way I hadn’t realised I needed. I could feel the erratic thud of his heart beneath my cheek, the anger still coiled tight in him, and it made my own knees feel weak with a strange mix of fear and relief.
Isla approached, a phone pressed to her ear, her voice low and serious. When she hung up, she stepped closer, giving me a careful once-over. “Are you hurt, Shannon?”
I shook my head, and Jace’s arms tightened instinctively as if he were afraid I might disappear if he loosened his hold. I knew I should step away, should give everyone some space, but after the fright I’d just experienced, I needed him there, holding me upright, reminding me I was safe.
Isla turned her attention to Jace. “I had my contact run the plates. The car was stolen late last night.”
“Fuck,” Jace swore. “Do you think it was them?”
I glanced up at him. “Think it was who?”
He looked down at me, perturbed. “The catfish.”
Unease crept over me as I refused to entertain the notion. “No. Surely this was random. If they stole the car, they were probably drunk or high.”
Jace’s expression softened. “They drove right towards you, Shannon. It was targeted. They were trying to frighten you.”
My brow creased into a frown, mouth set in a tight line. Why would anyone want to frighten me? I hadn’t gotten a proper look at the driver. All I’d seen was a face obscured by sunglasses and a peaked cap.
I’d come downstairs this morning, about to make a start on Zara’s breakfast, when I’d noticed all the rubbish that had been dumped outside my front gate. I thought maybe it had fallen off the back of a collection truck or something, because that had happened a few times before.
A chill tiptoed down my spine and a sinking feeling filled me when I noticed Viola standing at her door, arms folded as she surveyed the scene. Her expression was flat, and she didn’t look shocked. She looked judgemental. Was she seriously judging me for almost getting run over? Meeting my gaze, she shook her head and tutted. “The company you keep, Miss Guerin.”
