I hear a scuffle just outside the car before it peels off.
I shut my eyes as I’m bound and gagged.
I finally let the tears fall.
Please forgive me Noah.
We managed to shave off ten minutes of travel time with the police escort but we’re still thirty minutes out.
I wanted to drive but both Lieutenant Keaton and Agent Walker forced me into the backseat like a suspect. Garrett Keaton is a friend of mine from Washington, where I worked as a CSI and he’s been helping us gather evidence on Penelope. He flew in today with some local intel to help present to the court but then shit went down.
The second we heard about her escape, we hauled ass, not bothering to wait for direction from our superiors. Ben made transport arrangements over the phone while Garrett talked me out of shooting everyone on sight who got in my way.
Ben tossed Garrett the keys to drive while he finished setting up the safe house we were sending Ria and Adrian to.
I clench my jaw to stop another row of expletives from falling out of my mouth. This is no one’s fault but my own, because like a rookie, I ignored my instincts.
I fucking knew it.
I knew in my gut this morning-- something felt off.
The universe was telling me not to leave my family, but I still did.
Right before we got in the car, we got word that Judge Nolan was found dead in his quarters, right before Penelope’s transport got hijacked and she escaped.
It looked like Penelope learned a few tricks from her father, and she definitely had some common connections. She wasn’t as useless as he made her out to be.
Ben cracks his neck, his eyes fixed on the side mirror. Luckily, he was also able to secure backup for us in case we got ambushed, and they were following us to the new safe house.
His phone starts ringing, and with an eye still trained on our tail, he answers it absent mindedly.
Then he stills, almost comically turning back to look at me with wide eyes, his mouth agape.
A tremor shoots up my back.
I know what he’s going to say before he even says it.
My heart speeds up violently against my chest, sweat beading around my forehead and neck.
I scream out her name before Ben can even speak.
“Ria!”
Ihear her before I see her.
The unmistakable sound of her laughter.
Back when I lived with her, it grated on my nerves because it usually meant she was either throwing another rager or bringing home strays. Both usually meaning drugs and alcohol.
It’s no secret we never got along but the antagonism was always one sided. I never hated her. In fact, I didn’t feel anything but sadness when it came to her. I wanted us to be friends, given our mothers were close and friendships for me were hard. I craved that connection with her and when it was clear I would never get it from her, I did my best to stay away. But it never worked. She would find a way to antagonize me like it was her job.
She would purposely have parties when she knew I worked or had class early the next day.
Every single time I headed out the door for work or school, she would wave her fingers at me, smirking in a way that clearly said she knew what she was doing.
The kitchen was always trashed and emptied out by her friends so after a while, I knew I had to make daily trips to the grocery store by the café if I ever wanted to eat.
Things got a little better when I moved into the master bedroom and I could soundproof the room. Now knowing what I do about Penelope and how deep her hatred for me really went, I can say for certain that she had always been out to get me. The only thing stopping her was her father’s wrath but once he was gone, there was no one to protect me and stop her from doing what she’s always wanted: to get rid of me.