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Julian sits back and sighs. He stares out the window, his jaw set hard. He’s in a bad mood. I fear what he might do if I cause any more problems, so I try to shrink into myself and remain quiet.
I keep looking in the rearview and side mirrors, praying that I’ll see Cole’s truck. Or maybe a police officer. But as mile after mile goes past and that doesn’t happen, I begin to despair.
It’s starting to look like Julian might just succeed in taking me out of the country. That idea fills me with nameless dread. Oddly, the thing that bothers me the most about being out of the country is the chance that my father’s health takes a turn for the worse. I really want to be there for him and my mom.
I run my hand down my face and check the mirrors again. No sign of Cole or the cops, just the same nondescript white utility van…
That’s been following us for quite a while. My heart leaps in my chest. I try to calm myself. It could just be a coincidence. We are on a major thoroughfare after all.
I remember the things Cole taught me, how to tell if a car really is following you. I observe and wait, trying to mitigate my hopes. When Banner changes lanes and passes a slow moving vehicle, the van does the same, staying behind us.
My hopes soar, but I keep watch, praying the van does not exit or otherwise disappear.
“Hey,” Julian says, messing with his phone. “My Copfinder app says that there’s a checkpoint up ahead. We need to get off the freeway.”
“Find me an alternate route.”
“All right. Here, I’ll Bluetooth it to your GPS.”
A melodious ding sounds, and the GPS screen on the dashboard lights up with a map.
“This is a mountain road, Lovejoy. Super curvy with no guardrails for most of it.”
“So? It’s better than getting pinched isn’t it?”
Banner sits in silence for a moment before replying.
“Okay,” he says in an agreeable tone.
Banner takes the exit. I wait with bated breath, hoping the van will follow.
To my immense relief, it does just that. Unless they are also using the cop finder app, the driver of the van is almost certainly following us.
But who could it be? Cole? Someone else from Platinum Security?
Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who notices the van.
“Hey, Lovejoy,” Banner says, his eyes narrowed to mere slits. “I think this van might be following us.”
Lovejoy’s head whips around–I smirk, because Cole taught me not to do that–and he gapes in shock.
“Fuck. You might be right.”
He checks his phone, frantically swiping.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for alternate routes, and I think I just found one. There’s an old logging road up here on the left. It connects to the highway on the other side. If they follow us down that, they’re definitely on our tail.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then we get a slightly more bumpy, but also more scenic ride. What are you worried about? The plane’s not going anywhere without me to pilot it. Unless the Surgeon fit some time into taking pilot lessons while he’s been out.”
Banner sighs. “Fine. But if this turns out to be Cole Drake, we’re screwed.”
“We are not.”
Julian pats his side, and I see the telltale lump of a pistol beneath his shirt. Probably in that ostrich leather shoulder holster he was so fond of when we were dating. I hated that stupid thing. He always acted more like an ass when he wore it.
