Page 128 of Forsaken Oath

“You got all that fromhey?” Amusement lifts the corner of my mouth.

“I’m your sister.” She says it so matter-of-factly, like that explains everything.

“Okay,” I say with a sigh. “What’s up? Vivie okay? Nate isn’t around, is he?”

My stomach clenches at the idea. I haven’t spoken to or seen him since he insinuated I was a whore. I don’t even know how he would know that I broke it off with Beau, but I guess I assumed he’d check in or something.

It’s better that he didn’t. I don’t know what I would’ve done had I seen him in the last few days.

“We’re fine. I’m calling to deliver an epic pep talk, because frankly, you need it,” Margot drolls.

“Alright,” I say with a small chuckle. “Hit me with it.”

Margot clears her throat dramatically before launching into her pep talk. “Okay, listen up, Louie, because I need you to hear me when I say you are a goddamn force of nature. You’ve been through hell and back, and you’ve come out stronger every single time. You’ve beaten the odds at every single turn, and you’ve never given up.”

I let my sister's words wash over me, willing them to sink into my bones and push out the doubt and heartache that's been weighing me down.

“You are Eloise fucking Hawthorne,” Margot continues, her voice fierce with conviction. “You’ve been driving circles around asshole guys since you were sixteen years old. You’ve got more guts, more heart, and more skill than any of them. And tonight? You’re going to show them exactly what you’re made of. Fuckin’ crush ’em, Louie.”

I feel a smile tugging at my lips as Margot’s words wash over me, igniting a spark of determination in my chest.

“Eyes forward, pedal down, no limits. Remember who the fuck you are,” she whispers, her voice fierce and unbending.

I whistle, my adrenaline perking up a little. “Damn, Margot. Did you justclear eyes, full hearts, can’t loseme?”

“You bet your sweet ass I did, Louie. Now get it together. We’ve got a Gauntlet to win.”

I laugh, my mood lifting with my sister’s fierce encouragement. “Alright, alright. I hear you. And . . . thank you. I needed that.”

“I know you did. I got you, sis,” Margot says, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “Now go kick some ass. I love you.”

“Love you too,” I murmur before ending the call.

I think I love her a little bit more because she didn’t bring up Beau. She’s been sliding him into every conversation possible, but I shut it down before it goes anywhere.

I take a deep breath, letting Margot’s words settle into my bones, pushing back against the ache in my chest that’s taken up permanent residence since I shattered my own heart. I know what I have to do tonight.

I reach the coordinates texted to me last night, and throw my car into park. There are only five drivers in the last race, but no one else is here.

Which means it’s one of those races where we’re all starting at different locations. My gut cramps with anxiety, and it takes three deep breaths to ease the sharp pain.

My phone buzzes with an incoming text.

Unknown Number: Turn your radio to 88.9 FM

I flick my radio on, tuning it to the right station. Static crackles through the speakers before a robotic voice cuts in, cold and precise.

“Welcome to the Gauntlet. Congratulations on advancing to the final race. The race starts in five minutes. In the next minute, your GPS device will turn red with the predetermined route, including checkpoints. Keep this device in your car at all times. This is your guide and tracking system. Tampering will result in disqualification. Attaching it to another vehicle will result in disqualification. Attempting to hack it will result in disqualification. The first driver to hit every checkpoint and complete the forty-mile maze will advance. This message will repeat once.”

The voice pauses, and I swear I can hear the faintest hint of snark in its monotone delivery. “May the odds ever be in your favor.”

I turn down the volume and mutter, “Alright. Let’s fucking do this.”

A red light blinks to life on my GPS, the screen illuminating with a route inside Black Hollow. The radio crackles again, and the same voice begins the countdown.

“Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”

My hands gripthe wheel so tight my knuckles ache, the tension bleeding up my arms and into my chest. The growl of the engine vibrates through me, a low hum that would normally calm my nerves, but tonight feels like a countdown to disaster. The dark presses in from all sides, the dense trees looming like silent spectators to whatever chaos is about to unfold.

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