Page 92 of Gem Warfare

Steam rose from the engine and I stepped back. I privately agreed with Garrett’s sentiment. The car had narrowly avoided flipping. Even luckier, with the almost empty lane of traffic and a long stretch of empty road on the other side, we hadn’t hit anyone.

Stooping next to the flat tire, I examined it. The valve cap was missing. Just to be sure, I checked the next nearest tire. “This was deliberate,” I said. “The valve caps are gone. Someone wanted us out of the way.”

“Or me.”

Or me, I thought, but I didn’t want to hog my brother’s moment of being in the perpetrator’s crosshairs. “Where did you park the car before we met?” I asked.

“In MPD’s secure lot like I usually do but there’s no way it would take that long for the tires to go flat. They’d deflate long before we got to the prison. No, this was done either at the prison or after we left.”

“The gas station,” I said. “Anyone could have accessed the car there. The prison lot could only be accessed by someone who’d gone through the checkpoint. No one else knew we were going there so I don’t see how anyone could arrange to follow us inside. You only got the go ahead shortly before making plans and I didn’t know exactly where we were going until I was in the car.”

“Yeah. Damn it. We must have been inside the gas station for two minutes.” Garrett shook his head, frowning again. “I didn’t even clock a tail. I looked out of habit but… Huh.” He moved towards the trunk, then stopped.

“What?” I asked, wondering if this were a good time to mention how I’d been looking over my shoulder recently. Yet I’d also been remiss. I hadn’t checked for a tail on leaving the prison either.

“Why did you look at me funny just now?”

“What do you mean?”

“When I said tail?”

“I might have been a little on edge, looking for tails of my own. I just have the weird feeling someone’s been watching me.”

Garrett stilled. “Now?”

“No. Not now. I don’t feel it.”

“What does it feel like when you think you’re being watched?”

“Oily. It makes my skin prickle. But I haven’t seen anyone. I might just be paranoid.”

“Don’t discount the feeling. We have instincts for a reason.They’re there to keep us safe. When did you last get the feeling?”

“Outside the police station before I knew Gideon Black might be in town.”

“And since?” he asked.

“Not since, and not at the gas station either.” I sank into the grass and hugged my knees. Garrett stood over me, his hands on his hips. “What if it were just some stupid punks messing around?” I asked.

“And they happened to mess with our car andonlyour car?” he asked skeptically. “I’m not ruling it out entirely but I don’t buy it. Damn it. I’m going to have to take a look at the gas station’s camera footage. I noticed cameras over the door and inside. But before we do that…” He stepped towards the car, skidding slightly on the bank. He crouched down, moving around the car, then disappeared around the other side.

“What are you doing?” I called.

Garrett stood up, holding a small box. “Confirming another theory. We weren’t being followed. We were being tracked,” he said.

“Who by?”

“Good question.” He walked around the car to pass me a small, metal box. I opened it, looking at a tiny blinking device inside. “The box is magnetic. All you have to do is reach under the car and stick it onto a bit of metal. Plenty of options on that pile of junk.”

“Why does anyone want to know where we’re going? Or is it to know where we are?”

“Both is my guess. It does mean we’re on the right track. No one would bother about our whereabouts if we weren’t following the right leads.”

“Then my car is probably bugged too. Here’s the cavalry!” I raised a hand as a black SUV slowed and pulled to a stop beside us. I’d called Solomon as soon as we’d calmed down after veeringoff the road and he’d simply said he was on his way. I scrambled up the bank as the window rolled down, relieved to see him.

“Can I give you both a lift?” asked Solomon. He pushed his sunglasses up onto his head and surveyed us, then the scene. “I see you’re in satisfactory condition.”

I grinned. “That would be helpful but you have to work on your smooth talk.”

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