Page 124 of The Forbidden Note

I wince, bracing myself for impact.

At the last possible second, Zane shifts gears, slams the brakes and hauls on the steering wheel. The car drifts to the right, screaming over the highway.

My heart is pounding and I chew so hard on my bottom lip I taste blood. We finally gain some ground and Zane punches it, taking advantage. Our car speeds away, putting distance between us and our tail.

“Grey, you alright?” Zane asks, breathing hard and glancing over at me.

I nod, swallowing the blood in my mouth. If not for Zane’s evasive maneuver, I wouldn’t just be tasting blood. I’d be drowning in it.

“I snapped a picture,” Finn says, his voice so devoid of emotion that it sends a shudder down my spine. “But there was no license plate.”

“Dammit,” Zane grumbles.

“This is insane,” I say breathlessly. “Why would someone try to kill us?”

Finn remains quiet, but his face is hard.

“We’ve got plenty of takers. Dad, for one.”

“Dad isn’t this sloppy,” Finn says. “And he likes to gloat.”

“It could be Hall.” Zane arches an eyebrow at me and I feel myself bristling. “I thought he was too quiet after I put him in the hospital.”

“Or it could be someone who knows about my investigation.”

The car falls silent.

I lift my attention to the woods on either side. Danger is breathing down my neck and it makes me wonder if I made the right choice coming to Redwood.

This is all starting to feel like too much.

I press a hand to my chest, feeling the thumping. Adrenaline is still shooting through my blood and it doesn’t stop even when we get closer to home.

It’s funny.

No one mentions going to the police.

Neither do I.

This world is so twisted, so dark, that even when my safety is threatened, it feels useless to rely on anyone—even those sworn to protect and uphold the peace. The cops didn’t do that for Sloane. Why assume they would for me?

The garage door rises and Zane drives in.

I frown, noticing a shiny convertible. “That car wasn’t there before.”

Zane’s voice holds a hellish chill. “It’s him.”

“Who?”

Blue eyes drill into mine. “Dad. He’s home.”

* * *

Jarod Cross insists we eat out. I kind of wish we’d stayed at home.

Not just because we were almost killed on the mountain tonight.

The atmosphere around this table is so toxic I’m slightly nauseous. It feels like, at any moment, a fight will break out.

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