Page 82 of Shifting Gears

I flew past AJ, who had come to a stop outside of the alleyway that led from the back entrance.

I knew I couldn’t pick him up. He would probably attempt to stop me if he knew what I was really going to do tonight. I had to have faith that a guy like AJ could get away from the police without a vehicle. And if he didn’t? Then I’d bail him out … somehow.

I raced after Kaito. Within minutes, the sky opened, and it began to rain. Which made the roads slick after a week of nice weather. I felt AJ’s car’s tires grip the street and was thankful he drove a car built for these kinds of high speeds around corners.

Kaito was surprisingly good at driving for a man who was driven everywhere he went. Looked like he was full of surprises. I’d have to be extra careful tonight. Make sure he didn’t get the upper hand at all.

I wasn’t even sure if he was aware he was being followed the first ten minutes, but then he picked up the pace, choosing to go up a narrow road that went through heavily wooded streets. I kept up with him as our speeds increased. My heart pounded with the raindrops splattering against my windshield as I turned the wipers up higher.

He slammed on his brakes, and I swerved just in time. I stepped on mine as he made a ninety-degree turn onto another street.

“Dammit!” I snarled as I reversed the car and turned onto the street.

He had gotten a bit of a lead, but I could stilljustsee his taillights as he rounded a corner. I had to be careful. There were no lights on this road. It was an incline, and the rain was coming down harder now.

“Go faster!” I shouted as I pressed down on the gas, the car leaping forward under me.

I couldn’t hesitate and be as careful as I normally was. I had to catch back up to Kaito. I couldn’t let him get away. I had hoped he would be shot by the police when they came in, but the bouncer giving them away wasn’t something I’d expected.

Now it was on me. I was going to make all the wrongs he had done right.

I was closing in when he veered back onto a road to go back into the city. I touched the crossbody purse as I closed in.

I was nervous. What if I couldn’t do it? What if, when I was face-to-face with Kaito finally, I couldn’t pull the trigger?

I shook my head and gripped the wheel tighter.

“I will. Raven was always brave. Now it’s my turn,” I said to myself.

As we kept our breakneck speeds down the road, it was becoming clearer that he was now trying to get back to his estate. No doubt because he had a team of guards waiting for him when he arrived. I had to stop him before he got there. By any means necessary.

We exited a corner and entered a stretch of road that was straight and wide. I pressed my foot all the way to the floor, catching up to his car’s back bumper. I said a prayer and steeled myself.

Please, sister, protect me.

I yanked the steering wheel, and my front bumper smacked against his passenger-side rear tire.

His car swayed wildly, but remained straight. I went in for a second time. This time, I hit him so hard that Kaito’s car flung sideways, and I slammed on the brakes.

It was like watching a movie in slow motion as both of our cars spun out of control on the road. My car slid to a stop as his car kept spinning, sparks flying everywhere, before it collidedwith a pole on the side of the road. The sound of metal crunching together was sickening, and I knew there was no way he would drive away from this.

I slowly drove my car over to the side of the road, taking care to avoid the shrapnel littering the street. The red glow of his car’s taillights poured into my car, and I took a deep breath as I put the car in park. I turned the car off, and then I reached into my purse. Grabbing the gun, I carefully pulled it out and set it on my lap.

There’s no way he survived that. But I still need to make sure.

The rain was lightening up a bit, and a soft drizzle shrouded the road in silence as I stepped out of the car. I stood there, looking at the wreck that had unfolded before my eyes. I gripped the gun tight as I took my first step.

The sound of the passenger door creaking open from the inside stopped me in my tracks. A groan echoed through the open door as my stomach dropped.

The door only opened a few inches. It must have been damaged from the crash. I walked over, each of my footsteps feeling like they were dragging a hundred pounds behind them.

I heard a few ragged coughs come from the car as I reached the back bumper. I peeked over at the driver’s side. The driver’s door had slightly wrapped around the pole, but otherwise, the car looked mostly intact.

“Who’s there?” Kaito’s voice snapped.

I could tell he was in pain as he spoke.

Good. I hope he is suffering a thousand times more than anything he ever inflicted on anyone else.

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