Page 14 of Twist of Fate

Holding.

When the driver hit the gas to speed through a yellow light, Luke grinned. “Hey, go ahead and let me off at the corner.”

He shoved a wad of cash through the divider, nodded a quick thanks to the driver, and bolted out of the car. He ran down the block and entered a shop on the corner. After checking the windows, Luke pulled off his backpack and plucked his beanie from the top. His hoodie followed, then a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. Within a minute, he’d switched up his look enough to hopefully give him some extra time to evade his followers.

Then he was back on the street, dodging traffic and getting onto the route to his drop-off point. He grabbed his phone and shot a quick text to his boss while he tried to blend into the crowd.

Luke: I’m being followed.

It was too bad he hadn’t let Connal the Bear come with him. He’d happily hide behind that guy any day of the week. Hopefully, Luke would be able to get out of his current mess and have a meet-up with Connal later. There was something really intriguing about him. Well, other than the fact that he was a giant behemoth of a man whose adorable confusion only added to his charms.

And dammit, his distraction almost cost him. His followers were definitely on his tail again. Either he’d lost his touch, or they’d gotten a lucky break. Luke darted between a group of teenagers in front of a display of comic books, then he turned the corner and slipped into the first shop he found.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a guy came around the corner, searching for a glimpse of Luke. Luke used the opportunity to make another quick change, stripping off his hoodie and beanie.

After quickly shoving them into his backpack, Luke glanced around the shop and plucked a long-sleeved T-shirt off a pile. He checked the window again and froze.

The guy lifted his head and—was he smelling the air? Luke ducked down behind the display and pretended to tie his shoe. The guy moved on, but way too slowly for Luke’s peace of mind. Surely he hadn’t actually been—no. He’d been watching way too many of those fantasy shows with Gomez. They’d gone to his head.

Luke darted to the counter and put enough cash by the register to cover the shirt plus some. “Would you mind if I went out the back?” he asked the elderly cashier.

He glanced nervously at the door, then bit his lip.

The older lady frowned in concern. “You okay?”

“Just a little nervous. Maybe it’s nothing?” Luke’s indecision seemed to convince the woman he needed some assistance.

“I’ll let you out through the back. It’ll put you in the alley, though, so be careful.”

“Thanks.”

Luke followed her through the door marked “Employees Only,” then through a second door that led him into the alley.

“You be careful.” The bell above the front door chimed, and she glanced over her shoulder. “Go on.”

Dark shadows filled the small lane behind the shop. Dumpsters, boxes, and pallets provided opportunities for cover, but there were limited exits. It wasn’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, Luke’s instincts spiked again. Had he walked right into their trap?

Too late now. The door had been closed and locked behind him; he couldn’t go back. A quick check to his phone confirmed that he hadn’t received a reply yet from his boss. Probably in a meeting. Luke should have texted Patrick. Too late now. Luke hurried to the other end of the alley, making sure to move between the piles of debris. If he needed to take cover, he would only have a second or two to hide before he’d be spotted.

His nerves spiked, and Luke dove behind a dumpster a moment before a shadowy figure appeared. Dammit. He looked up, hoping for a random fire escape he could climb, but no such luck. The back door of the shop burst open, and suddenly Luke found himself trapped between two of his followers. Nowhere to go but out, so Luke chose the closest exit point.

He didn’t waste a precious second. Scrambling out from his hiding spot, Luke ran for the alley exit. When one guy moved forward to stop him, Luke pivoted, used the wall as a recovery point, and bounced safely out of the way of the attacker’s grasping hands.

Luke picked up speed, ignoring the shouts behind him. A sudden jolt stopped him cold. Somehow, the guy behind him had moved fast enough to get a hand on his backpack. Luke maintained his balance—barely—then clicked the quick-release straps. As the bag fell, Luke spun a roundhouse kick straight to his attacker’s midsection.

“Ooof.”

His attacker’s grunt of pain was his only reaction.

Not good.

At least Luke regained control of his bag. Unfortunately, the delay gave the other guy enough time to catch up—and damn, was he fast.

Too fast.

Something about the way he moved let Luke know in no uncertain terms that he was in trouble. He took a few steps back, waiting for one of them to make another move.

Focus.