Page 49 of Elven Prince

For what seemed like an agonizingly long time, the only sound cutting through the constant roar of the engine were Maxwell’s sporadic growls and the whisper of flesh against leather as he clenched and unclenched deadly tight grips with both hands around the steering wheel.

Rebecca couldn’t get out of her own head.

Blue Hells, how had they been soclueless?

How had she let herself be so blind?

She hadn’t put the pieces together quickly enough, and because of that, there was little to no likelihood of this team or any other reaching those locations before the bastards behind the attacks got there first.

But they had to try.

The startling vibration of an incoming text nearly made her throw her phone through the front windshield before she fumbled to turn on the screen instead and check the message.

It was from Rick—the complete list of all other locations where Shade conducted business for its daily operations.

She glanced at the time. Sure enough, Rick’s estimate had been eerily accurate. She’d ended the call only five minutes ago.

After scrolling through the list, Rebecca recognized a few names, mapping out every location in her mind relative to where she and her team were now.

Then she got to the bottom and hissed. “Shit. Hannigan, you’re taking the next left.”

“No I’m not. The freeway takes us all the way out to—”

“Change of plans! Rick just sent me the list, and you’re taking the next left!”

“Only if you shoot me in the head and take the wheel,” he snarled. “Turning left takes usawayfrom Bubble-U.”

“Forget the laundromat! We’re six minutes away from Bruce Urholder’s place. If you keep driving with a death wish, he’smuchcloser. Which gives us an actual chance to reach him in time, so take a—Right there! Left! Make the turn!”

Snarling furiously, Maxwell slammed on the brakes and cranked the wheel like he was dumping a venomous snake out of a bucket.

More squealing tires and another violent lurch as the vehicle swerved and banked in an almost complete U-turn. Somehow, it still hit that left turn right on target.

Tig and Lerrick yelped and cursed in the back seat before the vehicle fishtailed out of the drift and put on another burst of speed.

Maxwell didn’t stop snarling after that, but at least Rebecca didn’t have to call his bluff and take more drastic measures just to change course.

As they careened down the side road, drawing closer to their new destination by the second, Rebecca reminded herself that they were already doing everything in their power to mitigate the damage. If they were lucky.

Plus hoping all the other teams got out to all the other locations on Rick’s list in time too.

At this moment, last-minute hope was all they had.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be dozens of magicals in Chicago taken out of the picture simultaneously in one fell swoop. Those civilians were just collateral damage to this new enemy picking them off.

If Shade’s teams couldn’t stop the carnage around the city, things would get a whole lot worse for the task force too.

And at that point, even Rebecca would be entirely powerless to stop it.

13

“Right there at the end.” It wasn’t necessary, but Rebecca pointed anyway. “That’s his spot.”

Maxwell slammed on the brakes a dozen yards from the bungalow house at the end of the street, jerking everyone else violently forward against their seatbelts before snarling, “I know where he lives.”

“Oh, so you stalk all our new business contacts, too?” she snapped.

With another low, warning growl, the shifter slowly turned his head to meet her gaze and said nothing.

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