Page 99 of Prickly Romance

Where did she go?

My eyes widen and my body jumps into instant panic mode, complete with internal alarm bells and a frantic leap into ‘worst-case scenario’ imageries.

“Niko?” I look to my left.

The sidewalk stretches on into darkness for miles. I dig my fingers into my purse, struggling to breathe as my brain overloads with anxiety.

“Niko?” To my right, there are brightly lit shops and a few people strolling leisurely.

Yaya sees my freaked out face and starts looking around too. Then she slaps my back and points.

Niko.

She’s darting into the street, chasing her balloon.

Relief pours through my veins when I see that she’s not vanished into thin air like a ghost. But that relief quickly turns into ice when I notice a car roaring down the street at warp speed.

My heart starts pounding harder when I realize that Niko isn’t paying attention and can’t hear it.

I don’t think.

I just move.

Pumping my arms, I race straight into the path of the oncoming car. Niko grabs her balloon by the string just as the car starts flashing its signals. Her head twists around. She sees the car and her mouth falls open in shock.

I push my body to the limits, my heart exploding.

The driver slams his hand on the horn, blasting the air with his outrage. He’s not slowing down fast enough.

My arms close around Niko’s body, twisting her so she lands on top of me when I fling us out of the car’s way.

My shoulder slams into the ground. Hard.

I hear a thud as my head ricochets against tarmac.

Pain rattles my knees and back, but it’s nothing compared to the joy I feel when I look at Niko.

She’s okay.

My arms tighten around her when I see the tears gathering in her eyes.

“It’s okay.” I smooth my uninjured hand down her head. “You’re okay.”

A door slams.

The driver sprints around the car. “Are you crazy? Why the hell would you let your kid dart into the road like that!”

“Niko!” Sazuki’s voice cuts through the night. Moments later, he’s beside us. I have no idea how he got here so fast. He must have teleported.

Niko makes a sound of distress. She wraps her arms around her father’s shoulders and hugs him tight. Her body is trembling like she’d been dunked in ice.

Sazuki’s eyes meet mine and he leans over, a hand extended to me. I’m about to take it when Yaya runs to my side. She digs her fingers around my waist and helps me to my feet.

I hiss in pain.

She’s watching me closely and sees the anguish that skips over my expression.

“Are you okay?” the driver asks, looking at me. “You don’t need to go to the hospital, right? I’m not paying out no insurance fees.”

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