Page 73 of Evidence of a Folktale

“Make this right,” Eamon said, impressed with how the mortal sheriff handled the vehicle.

“Where to now?” Griffin asked as he followed his directions.

“There.” Eamon pointed to the side of the road. “Up ahead.”

“Why is the GPS taking you to the snow?” Griffin’s voice sounded how Eamon’s chest felt.

“Maybe she escaped” Eamon leaped out of the truck before it even skidded to a stop and raced over the deep snow, nausea fighting for control of his body, especially when he saw the rectangle hole in the drifts. “No.” He snatched Bel’s cell from the white, but there was no mistaking it was hers. He’d bought this model, and Cerberus’s meaty face grinned up at him from the lock screen. The Wolf must have tossed it so the police couldn’t track her, but there was one silver lining. The phone’s location had onlyjuststopped moving, meaning they were close, but with every passing second, Bel slipped further and further from his grasp.

“Get out.” Eamon seized the sheriff and hauled him out of the driver’s seat. “I’m driving.”

“This is my truck,” Griffin protested.

“And Isobel just angered The Wolf.” Eamon slid behind the steering wheel, barely pausing long enough for Griffin to scramble to the passenger side. “He threw her phone out of the car, which means I can’t track her. We’re close, though, so the only way we’ll find them is if I drive. You don’t have the reflexes for this.” He hit the gas pedal, and Griffin’s head bounced off the headrest before smacking the window.

“Put on your seatbelt,” Eamon ordered as their speed increased to a dangerous acceleration. “It’s only going to get worse.”

Bel glancedout the rearview mirror as they left Bajka behind in favor of the lonely tree-lined roadsthat woundthrough the surrounding forests. Between the multitude of side streets and the highway entrance, Eamon wouldn’t be able to predict which route they’d taken. He couldn’tscentthem locked away inside the vehicle. He couldn’t track them without her phone. But he’d answered her call, so he’d heard her pointed questions. He was coming for them. Shejustneeded to delay their trip long enough to allow him time to catch up.

Bel scanned the back seat, but there was nothing she could use as a weapon besides herself… and a crash. The Wolf was armed with both her Glock and a bomb, but he was also preoccupied. As the car sped through the snowy woods, his focus was divided between his captives and the poorly plowed roads. Driving at this speed took concentration, and he’d be slow going for the gun. His distraction was the only advantage she had, and she’d lose it the minute they parked.

Bel slid her fingers between the door and the front seat to hide her movement and tapped Taron’s arm.

“Seatbelt,” she mouthed when the actress met her gaze in the rearview mirror, and Taron nonchalantly buckled the strap into place. The moment she was locked in, Bel lunged sideways, curled her legs against her chest, and kicked. Her heel connected with the driver’s skull, the car swerving wildly as he lost his grip on the steering wheel, and she dove forward. The pitching vehicle almost knocked her to the floor, but with a growl birthed from a primal need to survive, she jammed her fingers against his seatbelt’s release button. The lock gave way, and she seized the loose belt like a garrote, wrapping it around The Wolf’s throat as he fought to regain control of their speed.

“What the—?” he shouted as the seatbelt cut off his oxygen supply. Bel threw herself into the back seat, planted her heels against his chair, and heaved. He choked as the belt strangled him, and instinct forced him to release the steering wheel in favor of freeing himself. Bel grinned at her good luck and opened her mouth to order Taron to steady the swerving car, but they hit an ice patch before she uttered a single syllable. The vehicle veered sideways as The Wolf clawed at his throat for air, tilting dangerously, and Taron screamed. As if she read Bel’s mind, she lunged across the center console to grab the wheel, but she miscalculated. She over-corrected in her panic, and the car slid for the snow bank at an alarming speed.

It happened so fast, yet Bel witnessed every second as if time had stopped just for her horror. She saw the car aim for the sky. She saw the world outside invert as they flipped with nauseating speed, and she braced for the impact. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, but she refused to let go of the belt choking The Wolf. He wasn’t getting away on her watch. If he survived the crash, he’d shoot them both. So she wedged her legs against the front seat, praying the position would save her neck from snapping, and then waited for the pain.

The vehicle hit the ground with a cacophony of violence. Glass shattered. Metal groaned. Asphalt shrieked, and the mangled wreck skidded onto the cushion of unblemished snow.The world was alive with chaos, and then Bel was on the car’s roof,thepast few seconds erased from her memory as the air fell eerily silent.

“Bel!” Taronwas screaming, and Bel blinked at the upside-down woman. They weren’t dead. Not yet, at least. They’d survived her suicide of a plan.

“Bel, wake up!” the actress shouted from where she hung, and Bel realized she must have blacked out.

“Can you undo your seatbelt?” she asked, her head thundering an uncomfortable rhythm.

“Oh thank god.” Taron started sobbing.

“Can you?” she repeated.

“I think so.”

“Brace yourself first so you don’t fall.”

“Okay.” Taron wedged her arms and legs against the dashboard and undid her belt. She plummeted to the roof despite her efforts, and Bel finally got a clear look at her. Besides the scrapes on her face from the broken glass, she wasn’t seriously injured. Bel, on the other hand? She couldn’t tell if it was merely an impact bruise or something worse.

The Wolf groaned as he woke, and Bel cursed. Her fear over her aching ribs would have to wait.

“Where’s my gun?” She scanned the wreckage for her weapon, but it was nowhere to be seen. “Taron, do you see my gun?”

“Um…” Taron’s eyes flitted about, an unhinged edge glazing her sight. “It probably flew outside when we crashed.”

“Can you climb out of that window?” Bel asked. She needed the actress out of the car before her panic escalated their already dangerous situation.

“I think so.”

“Go. Get out and find help.”

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