Page 25 of Pulse

“No threats. Just facts.”

“I won’t do it.”

For the first time, a flicker of irritation crossed his face along with something else. Something darker and more sinister. It had her fighting to keep from squirming in her chair.

“I’m sure we can convince you,” he said, and with that bomb, he slipped from her office. A few moments later, the familiar screech alerted her he’d ventured out in the night.

Talia sat in her office for a long time, staring at her empty doorway and replaying the shit show she’d just taken part in.

The DEA had orchestrated Pulse’s arrest so they could have a discreetchatwith him. Chat being a euphemism for blackmail. They asked him to spy on his club, or they’d jail him and reveal his past to Curly, which could end with him six feet under. Did they know her secrets? Is that what the agent meant whenhe said he could convince her to comply? Of course, they did. They were the federal government. Why wouldn’t they know her father had been Curly’s defense attorney back in the day? One who got rich as hell on that case while working behind the scenes to screw over the client he’d been hired to defend.

Talia slumped forward, letting her forehead thump against the desk. Would there ever come a time when she felt she’d made reparations for that debt, or would she spend the rest of her life doing self-appointed penance for her father’s sins?

“Go home,” she whispered against her desk. Nothing would be determined tonight. She was too tired and emotionally charged to make any rational and professional decisions about how to handle this situation.

She hauled her body upright and out of her chair with the heaviest of sighs. Then, she spent the next five minutes straightening her desk and gathering the rest of her belongings. Her heels echoed in the quiet hallway as she strode toward the exit she’d be sure to lock the next time she found herself alone in the office at night.

The drive home would take her about thirty minutes at this time of night. She lived further inland, past the suburbs but not quite in rural land. There weren’t gated communities, and the houses were spread out and older than those closer to town. Peace, quiet, and space were important to her. She’d rather have a longer commute and a large piece of property than live in a crowded area close to her office. Podcasts and audiobooks did wonders for making a drive fly by.

But not tonight. Tonight, as she cruised down the highway, she kept the car quiet. Her brain was whirring loud enough. Any additional noise would overwhelm her senses.

She flicked on her turn signal as she glanced in the rearview mirror. The car behind her was also taking the upcoming exit for the single-lane road leading her the rest of the way home.

Given the late hour, the miles flew by with ease. She couldn’t see any cars in front of her, and the only one behind was the vehicle that had exited after her.

“Dude, back off,” she muttered as she glanced in the rearview mirror again. The driver had crept up on her and was tailing close behind.

Too close.

She’d be rear-ended if a deer ran out and she needed to slam on her brakes.

“Jackass.” She huffed as she signaled right and drifted toward the shoulder lane so the car could pass. “What the hell…” They stayed right on her bumper, also shifting into the shoulder lane.

The same ill-at-ease gut feeling she’d had earlier in the evening flared with a vengeance.

They were following her on purpose.

“Shit.” Was it the agent? Some thug he’d sent after her toconvinceher as he’d threatened?

She wasn’t going to wait around to find out.

She jammed down on the gas pedal and shot forward, moving back to the center of the lane.

The car sped and stayed right on her ass. From what she could tell, the dark, plain vehicle seemed about the size of a sedan. Its headlights prevented her from getting a good view of the license plate. She couldn’t make out the state, and there was no way she could determine any of the numbers.

An engine rumbled louder. She spared another glance in the mirror. “Shit, shit, shit.”

He was even closer, practically kissing her taillights.

Talia zoomed past the turn she’d usually take to get home. No way in hell would she bring this asshole right to her house, even though they probably already knew where she lived.

Sweat coated her palms, making the steering wheel slick. She clenched the wheel tighter to keep her hands from sliding. Her knuckles ached from the force of her grip. Another glance behind her showed the car inching even closer. Heart in her throat, she pressed harder on the gas.

The speedometer snuck toward ninety.

Trees whipped by so fast they blurred.

They were in a fifty-five-mile-an-hour zone. Hell, she’d gladly take a whopper of a ticket if it meant a cop could end this.

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