Burned by Kaylea Cross Page B

this was the fourth turn he’d made into a quiet residential neighborhood and that pickup had just turned onto the same street, he knew this was no mere coincidence. He picked up the radio and contacted Hunter. “We’ve got company.”
    “Where are you?”
    Sean relayed their current position. Their best bet was to lose their shadow on the highway. Get on, dodge through the lanes of traffic and duck onto an exit before they could follow.
    “Copy,” Hunter said. “We’ll get in the truck and head your way. Keep me updated.”
    “Roger that.” He made another left turn and hit the gas. The sound of the engine revving filled the otherwise silent interior. He didn’t have to look at Zahra to know she was afraid. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” he told her. “Just sit back and make sure your seatbelt is locked tight.” He didn’t waste time explaining that he had advanced defensive driving training because he doubted it would make her feel any better. She jerked on the strap and sat rigid in her seat.
    Keeping most of his focus on the road, he glanced back at their tail every few seconds. The driver had given up all pretense of caution now and was getting closer in the mirror. Sean was already doing well over eighty in a forty zone, so whoever it was, they were flying.
    There were no other cars on this stretch of road. He knew the general vicinity where they were but didn’t know any of the streets. Up ahead the next traffic light was a stale red. He kept his foot on the accelerator as they approached, saw a car pull to a stop on the other side and then one drove through the intersection. Their tail kept coming, showed no signs of slowing at all. He pressed down harder on the gas pedal, counting on the light to change by the time they got there.
    Zahra grabbed the edge of her seat and cried out. “Sean!”
    Ignoring her, focused on getting them as far away from that silver pickup as fast as possible, he headed straight for the intersection. At the last moment the light changed. He flew through it at well over double the speed limit and didn’t let up. Checking in the mirror he saw the truck fly through a late yellow light. “Hang on,” he said grimly. He had to get them off this road and back on the highway.
    Waiting until the last possible moment, he hit the brakes and cranked the wheel hard right. The tires screeched as the back end swung out. Zahra cried out and gripped the dashboard with one hand. “Just close your eyes while I get us out of here,” he suggested, bringing the vehicle back under control to hit the gas again. A flashing red light down the street signaled a four-way stop. This section of town was more crowded; he couldn’t maintain this speed without serious risk of killing someone in a collision.
    The pickup was only a block behind them. He jammed on the brakes and took a sharp left, cursing under his breath when he had to bring them to a plunging stop to keep from plowing into the back of a minivan.
    Zahra sucked in a breath. “Sean—”
    “Just close your eyes,” he snapped, and jerked the wheel to weave around the slower vehicle. The street was filled with parked cars, increasing the danger that he might hit someone if they didn’t see him coming and stepped out onto the road. Silently raging at himself for picking the wrong goddamn escape route, he wound his way through the traffic amidst blasts of horns from pissed off drivers, narrowly avoiding another two collisions before he finally managed to get them onto a clear street.
    The screech of tires and more horns alerted him that the truck was still coming even before it turned the corner. Sean was already making a hard right at the next intersection when the headlights appeared in the rearview mirror. Having the advantage for the moment and knowing they’d hit an on-ramp sooner or later on this road, he raced on. Only a few oncoming cars passed them and the next light was way off in the distance. The lights behind him