Page 7 of Fury

The Royce pulled up and an attendant held open the door. She noticed Bongani wasn’t driving. Instead, Isayus was behind the wheel. He was their secondary driver, but . . . strange to have them switch on the same night.

“Where’s Bongani?” she asked, situating herself on the seat beside her parents.

Isayus’s gaze lifted to the rearview mirror. “Started feeling ill and called for a replacement driver.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Poor thing,” Mum cooed. “I do hope it’s short-lived.”

Hollyn’s body swayed as Isayus started to pull away from the Etihad out onto the curved driveway toward the main road. Drained from the evening, Hollyn allowed herself to slump in her seat as she looked out the window.

Suddenly, Leila stepped off the curb, waving her hand. The headlights washed over her, and Isayus had to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. Several people in the crowd around the outside of the building instinctively drew back in surprise.

“Oh!” Mum gasped as they lurched forward with the momentum.

Isayus made no attempt to hide his irritation as Hollyn’s friend walked around the car and rapped on the window.

“Leila.” Hollyn shook her head as she lowered the glass. “What’re you trying to do? Get killed?”

“Aww, come on.” Her model-esque friend flashed a teasing grin toward their driver. “You know Bongani wouldn’t hit me. Oh, oops. Not Bongani.” She shrugged. “I blame the tinted windows. Hello, Isayus.” She jokingly winked.

Their driver murmured something under his breath.

Leila laughed, completely unfazed.

“Did you need something, sweetie?” Mum asked gently. “We’re blocking traffic.”

Hollyn looked out the back window. A line was forming behind their stopped car, unable to go around due to the candy-red Drako GTE parked next to them.

Leila’s.

“I tried to catch you before you left,” Leila said, her eyes bright with mischief. “I had a brilliant idea.”

Oh no. Those were never good.

“I’ve come to whisk you away on a weekend ski trip. The Swiss Alps are calling!”

“What? Right now?”

“No time like the present, right? Archie’s coming too, and some of the others.”

Byothers, Leila could only mean her posse of equally extravagant friends. Hollyn was already conjuring a dozen reasons she couldn’t go. “I can’t. There’s still a lot of work to do.”

“You mean on the project you already finished and got recognized for tonight?”

Hollyn sighed. There was no denying she’d love to go. But she couldn’t just leave spur of the moment. She was a planner. Last-minute things made her anxious. Plus, she could be getting a really solid jump on her next project.

“The lab will always be there,” Dad unnecessarily pointed out. “And Switzerlandisthe most beautiful country, if I do say so myself.”

Hollyn was aware. They’d vacationed in Dad’s hometown several times over the years. But that wasn’t the point. She tried to send him a look that conveyed she’d rather stay behind, but it only earned a grin from him.

“See? He gets it. Come on!” Leila looked at her for an answer.

Hollyn thought. No use saying she didn’t have her passport with her. The tiny booklet was tucked away in her jeweled clutch. Dad had drilled it into her to carry the document at all times, and Leila knew it.

“You never know when you’ll need to get out of the country quickly,”he always told her.

“I don’t have any extra clothes with me.”

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