The Chase

“You’re a crazy son of a bitch,” Seth remarked with total admiration.

“Got a better idea?”

“Nope.” He grabbed on to the door handle. “Just don’t mind my ass puckered in the seat over here.”

“I know how to drive, asshole. You can unclench.”

“Said one control freak to the other,” Seth muttered. He might even have laughed if he hadn’t been strung so tightly.

When he checked her location again, he realized they were almost on Heavenly’s ass. But would they find her alone…or Pike forcing a gun in her ribs and forcing her to go somewhere isolated so he could rape and murder her?

“Are we close?” Beck asked.

“Yeah. Get back over. She should be less than fifty yards ahead.” And thank fuck Beck was in a convertible because Seth flung off his seat belt and stood, grabbing on to the frame to get a better vantage point.

“See her?”

He scanned the multiple fucking lanes of traffic. How was it possible this city had so much road and yet was still so snarled with cars all the damn time? Lack of mass transit, backward fuckers. New York knew how it was done…

Finally, he spotted his SUV because his Empire Gold license plate stood out in the sea of California white. “Two lanes left, three cars up. Get there.”

“How the fuck…” Beck sighed. “Is she alone?”

“I can’t tell.”

“I hope so.”

No shit.

“Sit your ass down, daredevil, before we get pulled over and I lose her.”

Seth glared. “Oh, because your sidewalk stunt was totally legal.”

“Hey,” Beck yelled. “We caught up to her, didn’t we?”

“Almost. Get your ass over two lanes.”

“I’m trying.” The surgeon darted in front of another car and managed to squeeze in an empty pocket on his left. “I see her now.”

“Fucking sun. It’s blinding me. I can’t tell who’s in the car.”

The truck directly in their path wanted over in the right lane. Beck motioned at him, and they switched places.

Now they were one car behind Heavenly.

Beck honked at the vehicle in front of him, who shot him an obscene finger gesture and turned left at the next green light.

Now they were directly on Heavenly’s bumper.

“Looks like she’s alone.” Seth let out a sigh of relief.

At least he could rule out death or kidnapping…but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a whole lot of explaining to do. His palm began to itch.

When they stopped at the next light, just before the entry to Beck’s subdivision, she glanced in the rearview mirror. Seth saw the exact moment she realized they were on her ass. She froze, and when the light turned green, people behind them had to honk before she found the gas pedal.

For a moment, he wondered if she’d try to make a run for it. But she did them all a favor—especially her ass—and turned like a good girl into their neighborhood, heading straight for Beck’s house.

She pulled into the driveway and exited the car just as Beck squealed to a stop next to her. “I can explain.”