Page 10 of Dangerous Rhythm

Blood drained from Curtis’ face. “But I did nothing to her son.”

Lina reached out to squeeze his arm. “We know. But a mother’s grief might just push her over the edge.”

“Serafina’s deranged to begin with,” Marcus said.

Lina was aware of Serafina’s cutthroat erasure of the faction that wanted to steal power from her when her husband died. She’d seen Serafina’s picture. She might look like a harmless socialite from Long Island, but she’d showed them who actually ran the show.

Before Marcus scarred Curtis with further details, she asked, “Where can we go?”

“I’ll arrange a plane to take you out of the country within the hour,” Marcus said. “Get to—”

“Wait,” Curtis cut in, anxiety seeping from his voice. “If I disappear, won’t they just go after my family?”

Lina sharply eyed her passenger. “That’s unlikely.”

“How can you be sure? I watchedThe Godfather, for fuck’s sake. We can’t leave my parents. They could be in danger, too.”

“I’ll get someone to secure your parents,” Marcus assured.

“No, they’re not staying here as sitting ducks while I’m hiding.” Curtis focused his eyes on Lina, his gaze determined. “We’re getting my parents.”

“Curtis, our priority is your safety,” Marcus started.

“They’re stubborn people. They won’t listen to you. I need to get them,” Curtis insisted.

Lina blew a breath as she made a quick decision. “Where are they?”

“Princeton.”

Stifling a groan as she calculated her moves, she made a sudden lane change into an exit. “Marcus, change of plan.”

The traffic-ridden trip out of Manhattan into Jersey felt like a breeze with Lina at the wheel. Curtis watched her maneuver the car from one lane to another, finding space to keep them moving forward with precision. Sure, she got some honks here and there, but everybody honked in New York.

They were now on Route 1 in Jersey and less than ten miles from his parents’ house. The almost-two-hour ride felt like forever, despite Lina’s skillful driving and assurance that all would be fine. Her voice was confident, but his musically trained ears detected the micro timbre of distress.

Lina Cheung was unshakeable, and Curtis wouldn’t want anyone else covering his ass in this situation. If not for their unusual first meeting, he doubted he’d recognize her anxious tell at all. He was actually surprised he was still attuned to her vibe. When she’d worked the tour with his band, he’d learned to listen to her instructions and watch her body language. Nothing serious had ever happened, but preventing incidents had been her priority.

One time, he’d ignored her specific directives at a summer music festival and had gone out into the general crowd without an escort. They’d been between soundcheck and their headlining show that night, so he’d thought he’d see what the rest of the festival had to offer. After a few harmless chats with friendly fans, unfortunately, he’d gotten mobbed. He didn’t know how,but Lina had come to his rescue and gotten him out with a misdirection tactic. But boy, the death-stare she’d given him afterward had made sure he followed her every word.

Curtis’ eyes narrowed at how Lina’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He glanced at her face and saw her eyes systematically checking the rearview mirrors. Her jaw was set in concentration. Something was up.

“We’ve got a tail,” she answered his unuttered suspicion.

“We do?”

“Don’t turn around,” she warned. “Use the mirror. Older year black Blazer, a few cars back.”

“How do you know they’re following us?” He checked the side mirror, and saw the unremarkable SUV. “Like this car, there are a bunch of old Blazers on the road.”

“Not with a dent on its front right bumper and cheesy white dice hanging from its rearview mirror. They’ve been with us since we got on the turnpike. At least, that’s when I spotted them.”

Curtis turned to her, amazed that she noticed the minor details.

“You know the back roads around here?” she asked.

“Like the back of my hand.”

“We don’t want to lead them to your parents’ house,” she said. “Did they answer the text?”

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