Page 68 of Throne of Secrets

“Sending you an address. Get here now.”

“On my way.”

CHAPTER17

Ethan tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched so hard it ached. The midday sun reflected off the asphalt, the heat distorting the air around them. The city bustled in the distance, oblivious to the monster they were hunting. Star was out there—somewhere—trapped by a man who had no intention of letting her live. They had the bastard’s location and were tracking him.

“Thor is out of surgery. I’ll keep you updated. I sent a car for the coffee lady,” Max announced.

“Thanks,” Ethan said, watching his father approach the vehicle with measured steps, Lycos’ expression unreadable behind his sunglasses. He’d gone for water. The long day was hotter than hell. Ethan could feel the weight of his father’s experience, and he thanked God for it in this situation.

His father was unshakable. He held the cool calculation and demeanor of a man who’d made life-and-death decisions more times than Ethan cared to count.

Max’s voice crackled through the comms. “Fuckwad was cleared to return to station for shift change.”

“Satellites?” Ethan asked. Max had been hopping from one to the next to keep them in coverage. Ethan had done it numerous times, but it could get dicey, especially when piggybacking on a spy satellite from another country.

“I’ve still got him in my crosshairs, Ethan. Let me worry about the coverage today.”

“Thanks,” Ethan said to Max and his father at the same time as his father handed him a cold and sweating bottle of water. He drank it in one go. “I’m fucking going insane.”

“Won’t be much longer. His shift is over soon,” Lycos said quietly.

Ethan glanced at his watch for the one millionth time that day. “She’s alone.” God, he could only imagine how scared she was. He knew how terrified he was that somehow the bastard would escape them. He knew it wouldn’t happen, but that specter of doubt was a knife that had been jabbing him in the gut all day.

Lycos nodded. “She’s alive. We know that. Being alone is a good thing right now.”

Thirty-five minutes later, Max’s voice broke the silence. “He’s moving.”

“You’re sure it’s him?” Lycos asked. Max had patched him into their comm channel when he’d arrived that morning.

“Facial recognition confirmed it, and I have no doubt. It’s him,” Max confirmed. “All right, Ethan, time to go.” After Max gave him the direction of travel, Ethan pulled out of the parking lot. It was about fucking time. If he’d had to wait any longer, he would’ve gone insane.

Ethan tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he maneuvered through Manhattan’s chaotic traffic. Horns blared, pedestrians darted across intersections, and delivery bikes weaved recklessly between lanes. The city’s relentless energy pressed in on them, but his focus was razor-sharp. They had their target.

His father sat in the passenger seat, silent, but his presence was a force of its own. His sunglasses hid his expression, but Ethan knew he was already five steps ahead, calculating contingencies. His brain raced as they changed lanes and speed. The plan was set, at least up to the point where they’d confront the bastard. Getting Star out was his mission, his priority. His father would handle the fucker who took her.

He lost sight of the man’s small cross-over SUV. “Max, where’s he at?” Ethan asked, voice tight.

Max’s voice crackled in his ear. “He’s just ahead. He took the tunnel exit toward Jersey City. Looks like he’s taking a direct route to wherever he’s keeping her. He missed the turn for his apartment. You guys need to keep your distance. Don’t spook him. I’ll pick him up when he comes out of the tunnel.”

Ethan exhaled sharply. They reached the approach to the Holland Tunnel, and just as expected, traffic was a fucking nightmare. A crawl. Cars stacked up, bumper to bumper, moving in contorted intervals, sometimes just inches at a time. When they started to move, a taxi cut in front of them without warning, forcing Ethan to slam on the brakes.

Lycos remained unfazed, fingers drumming lightly on his knee. “Don’t lose patience,” he murmured. “If we push too hard, we’ll make mistakes.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. “I know.” He did, but damn it, he had to get to Star. He’d been there for her from the moment they’d met, and he’d be damned if he’d lose her now. Not after they’d finally started a relationship. She was his, damn it. Fate couldn’t fucking take her away from him. Not without one hell of a fight. And he could and would kill to keep her safe. That was a given.

Inside the tunnel, movement was a crawl. Traffic inch-wormed forward, the air thick with exhaust fumes. The dim yellow glow of overhead lights cast eerie shadows, making the damn cement hole feel even more claustrophobic. Ethan flicked a glance at the vehicle’s clock. Every second that clicked past felt like a lifetime. The bastard was getting closer to Star. Son of a bitch.Move traffic!

The road widened when they exited on the other side of the tunnel. Traffic lights and intersections still slowed their tail. Ethan’s mind worked the route the cop was taking. Maybe it was fucking luck, but the son of a bitch had chosen his route well. They couldn’t pick up their speed or get too close. As traffic smoothed out, Ethan kept three cars between them, watching the taillights ahead. The trick was staying close enough to track him but not so close he’d suspect a tail. He made it through a stoplight that caught them. “Max, keep eyes on him,” Ethan muttered.

“You fucking know it,” Max replied. “He’s staying off the main highway. He just turned down a side street in Harrison.”

Lycos studied the map on his phone. “He’s avoiding cameras.”

Ethan adjusted course, following a parallel street. The warehouses and old industrial buildings of New Jersey’s outskirts replaced Manhattan’s skyscrapers. The roads there were wider, but they came with their own problems. Semi-trucks and delivery vehicles pulled in and out of the main road, creating moving obstacles.

Ethan navigated around a slow-moving eighteen-wheeler, watching for the turn the cop had just taken. His pulse hammered in his ears. They were getting closer.

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