Page 66 of Her Sloth

I speed the Mustang in reverse gear down the one-way.

Three of the tail she brought follow me, two her.

I slap the intercom. We’re driving on both sides of the bridge, and I can see her between the beams and parked construction vehicles.

“Cass,” I say, “Let them come close; keep the speed, not faster. I’ll drift in between you and the tail as we did it in our first race. Keep your speed, stay on the right; I need some space to get her around. Whatever happens, do not break.”

“You won’t make that,” she says. “That crossing is too tight.”

“Cass,” I say. “Shut up and do what I tell you.”

And for once in her life, she does what I tell her.

I can see her pulling to the right.

The cops following her are at roughly four car lengths distance.

It will be a fucking close call, but I am pumped enough with adrenaline right now to give it my best try.

I rip the wheel around; the Mustang breaks loose with its front. I use its horsepower to spin it 180 degrees as I cross under the bridge sideways with my chest compressing from the forceful movement.

Its ass swirls onto the road Cass is on; I almost hit her.

There is no thought or feeling left in me, except for focus. I pull the Mustang straight, and the moment I catch her, I press the red NOS button at the exact moment where the cops following her crash into the ones following me.

“You are completely insane,” she says in a tone of complete disbelief.

“I have been told, yes,” I say as more adrenaline flushes my system and my hands get sweaty. Luckily, I am still wearing the gloves from the climb; otherwise, it would be hard to steer.

I fucking pulled that off, I realize in my mind.

A laugh escapes me because I can’t believe it's actually worse.

“Let’s get lost; you’ll follow my lead this time,” I tell Cass.

“No, I won’t,” she says, and I’m close to losing my mind. “We’ll have to disappear. And I know where.”

I roll my eyes, but follow her.

She leads me to Harlem. There, she turns into a warehouse block and speeds into a massive brick wall warehouse through a rolling gate that closes behind us.

We come to a halt in the empty hall.

I breathe in and out for a second before I pull off the mask.

Holy shit.

Goosebumps appear on my arms.

We fucking did it. We got out. It was so fucking close because of her fucking stubbornness.

I am relieved we made it, but I am so fucking mad at her. Mad for her solo, mad for trying to make it about her, mad about her territorial peeing.

I am so mad at her that I jump out of the car and attack her.

Maybe I have lost my mind, maybe it’s the pumped-up adrenaline body, maybe it’s just her.

“You are such a territorial dumbfucker!” I shout at her as I push her back. She’s at my throat immediately.