Page 49 of Finn
“Think we lost him?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Not yet,” Gabriel replied, his eyes sharp as he scanned the rearview mirror. “He’s relentless.”
I focused on the road, weaving through side streets and keeping an eye on the mirror.
Part of me felt exhilarated, almost thrilled by the danger.
But that thrill was dampened by the ache in my chest, the guilt and fear twisting together.
I’d given up my life for this, betrayed the Guild, and now we were running.
But then Gabriel’s hand rested on my shoulder, grounding me, reminding me of what was really at stake here.
Not the Guild’s rules, not my past, but him. Us.
“Take the next exit,” he said, his voice calm but urgent.
I nodded, and we veered off the main road, the city lights fading as we merged onto a dark, winding road.
Finally, the tension seemed to ease, and I allowed myself to breathe a little more freely.
Gabriel leaned back, his eyes still scanning the surroundings.
“We’ll need to stop somewhere secluded before morning. Somewhere they wouldn’t think to look,” Gabriel said.
“We’ll find it,” I said, my own resolve hardening. “We’re not stopping until we do.”
We drove in silence for a while, both of us too tense to speak. The road stretched out before us, dark and endless.
The city lights had finally faded in the distance, and a new quiet had settled over us.
It was only broken by the hum of the engine and the occasional rush of wind through the half-cracked windows.
I kept my hands steady on the wheel, focusing on every turn, every shadow that moved across the empty highway.
When I risked a glance at Gabriel, he was looking out the window, his face barely lit by the glow of the dashboard.
I could see the tension slowly draining from his expression, though his shoulders still held that stiffness, like he was ready to spring into action if he had to.
Eventually, we spotted an old gas station on the side of the road, its lights flickering weakly in the dark.
We hadn’t seen any sign of Gael or anyone else trailing us for a while, and I knew we both needed a break.
I pulled off the highway, driving around to the back where a line of thick trees provided some cover.
As soon as the engine cut, silence washed over us like a heavy wave. I exhaled, my shoulders relaxing for the first time in hours.
Gabriel didn’t move at first. He just stared at his hands for a long moment, then turned to look at me.
His eyes were deep and dark, holding a weight I couldn’t quite read.
But then he smiled, just a small, weary lift of his lips, and I felt my own heartbeat slow.
“We did it,” he murmured, almost as if he didn’t believe it himself. “We got out.”
I nodded, feeling the reality of what we’d just done sink in. “Yeah. We really did.”
He let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair.
