Page 18 of Exposé

My steering wheel shook as I hit ten over, and the vehicle swayed. Butterflies hit my belly as my hands gripped the wheel, my knuckles white and stiff.

Six cars ahead, the SUV darted around a slow-moving truck, then tucked back into the fast lane, their taillights becoming pinpricks in my vision.

Riiiiinnnng.

My foot let up as I reached for my phone, the corner getting stuck on the fabric as I tugged.

"Ugh,come on." I tugged harder, my breaths quickening.

The phone jerked forward and flew towards the dash, smashing my screen. Tiny spiderweb-like cracks spread across the glass, turning the corner of it black and an oily shade of blue.

"Are you kidding me right now?"

I removed my foot from the gas, my phone ringing on the floorboards.

Hoooooonnnnnkk.

"Alright, alright."

I flipped my blinker on and moved to the right, taking the next exit with an exasperated huff.

"Great job, Ava."

I wrinkled my nose, yanking the car to the side of the road. The seatbelt dug into my shoulder as I fumbled for my phone—my only lead… gone.

"Yeah?" I pressed the speaker button.

"I heard you were looking for a good time." The male laughed, grating on my nerves.

“Making obscene and lewd calls is illegal in this state, buddy.” I ended the call, and it rang again.

“Hello?” I hit the speaker, my stomach roiling.

“Saw your post. When do you want to meet up?”

“What post?” I frowned. “Who is this?”

“MeetPoint. The forum.”

“I never made a post, and you better let your asshole friends know that.” I hung it up and tossed it onto the seat beside me, my head hitting the headrest. Closing my eyes, I inhaled a deep breath through my nose and counted to four before releasing it.

What the hell is going on?

My sweat-slicked hand slid down the steering wheel and flicked the turn signal—my phone ringing like a death toll.

Pulling out onto the road, I made my way back to my safe haven, ignoring the obnoxious piece of technology as it rang on repeat.

“Earth to Ava…”

"What?" I tore my eyes from my computer screen, snapping out of my hours-long daze.

Aria stood at my cubicle with her arms crossed over her chest. "I said, I'm going home."

"Oh. Alright." I waved her off. "I'll just be here refreshing my email, hoping my FOIA comes through. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You put a Freedom of Information request in?" She raised a brow.

"Yeah. I'm hoping the DEA or any other agency will give me something I can work with."

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