her mind, though. Instead of slowing down, she nudged the front tire left. She couldn’t afford to slow down, not this early, at least. She needed all the time she could get.
She held her breath as she hit the gas harder, sending the Honda surging forward. She managed to catch a glimpse of the driver of the flat-bed as she rocketed toward him. His jaw was slack as he stared at her. At the last second, he remembered his horn and laid on it, hard. Ava flinched at the noise.
She held her breath, heart hammering in her chest, as she split the two large vehicles and zipped between them. The panel truck slowed, as though the driver was unsure if he was the one being honked at and why.
The side mirror of the Honda nearly scraped the dirty, scarred side of the panel truck. Ava had mere inches to spare. She squeezed her eyes shut at the last second as she hurtled out from between the two huge vehicles, remaining unscathed. The panel truck skidded to a stop behind her but she left him in the dust as she sped toward the highway.
Evening traffic was rough, though. The highway was nearly bumper to bumper with people just getting off work. Ava revved her Honda’s engine impatiently, waiting for another light cycle. She snatched her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen.
She was still more than halfway to her destination, and the clock was still ticking away. She now had less than twenty minutes. She shoved the phone back into her pocket and yanked on the bike’s handlebars. She squeezed past a Toyota and up onto the sidewalk. Behind her, someone shouted angrily.
Ava paid them no attention as she sped down the mostly empty sidewalk toward the intersection up ahead. She dodged a sidewalk sign and took a sharp right at the corner. The side street was far less crowded.
The front wheel of her bike slammed back down onto the pavement and she took to the road again, weaving in between cars. There was a neighborhood on the other side of the highway. She could pass through it on her way across town.
Two more turns and she was farther away from the city’s center. Office buildings gave way to two-story houses with decent sized lots, a neighborhood nicer than her own. She gunned the engine and tore through the neighborhood. No one was home yet in this little burg.
Or so she thought.
She’d kicked the Honda up to almost 50 miles per hour, well above the posted speed limit, to shave off precious seconds. Halfway through to the other side, a large SUV backed out of its driveway, catching Ava off guard.
She swerved instantly to avoid being run over. This time her mirror did connect. It crunched against a car parked on the other side of the street. Ava barely heard plastic and glass shatter through her helmet. She risked a split second look down and saw her side mirror hanging limply. Spider cracks covered the once reflective surface.
Ignoring it, and the driver of the SUV who was now laying on the horn, Ava threaded her way through the sleepy subdivision, a bit slower in light of the circumstances. Her heart slammed into her chest and she felt almost dizzy. Street racing was dangerous; she’d never done it. She wouldn’t have risked it. Blood roared in her ears as she forced the needle of her Honda’s speedometer back up.
She cursed herself. And Clint. And the fucking Buzzards.
She sailed over a second set of railroad tracks that served as an unofficial barrier between this neighborhood and the next. As Ava sped along, homes got smaller, grass got taller.
She slowed, briefly, to check the phone again. She was three streets from her destination. She found the street easily and spotted the address, which was a run-down house with weeds that came up to her knees.
She parked the bike, hefted the bag onto her shoulder and sprinted for the front steps. A broken screen door leaned drunkenly on its hinges. Ava flung it open and banged on the heavy wooden front door.
No one answered so she knocked again, more forcefully this
She held her breath as she hit the gas harder, sending the Honda surging forward. She managed to catch a glimpse of the driver of the flat-bed as she rocketed toward him. His jaw was slack as he stared at her. At the last second, he remembered his horn and laid on it, hard. Ava flinched at the noise.
She held her breath, heart hammering in her chest, as she split the two large vehicles and zipped between them. The panel truck slowed, as though the driver was unsure if he was the one being honked at and why.
The side mirror of the Honda nearly scraped the dirty, scarred side of the panel truck. Ava had mere inches to spare. She squeezed her eyes shut at the last second as she hurtled out from between the two huge vehicles, remaining unscathed. The panel truck skidded to a stop behind her but she left him in the dust as she sped toward the highway.
Evening traffic was rough, though. The highway was nearly bumper to bumper with people just getting off work. Ava revved her Honda’s engine impatiently, waiting for another light cycle. She snatched her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen.
She was still more than halfway to her destination, and the clock was still ticking away. She now had less than twenty minutes. She shoved the phone back into her pocket and yanked on the bike’s handlebars. She squeezed past a Toyota and up onto the sidewalk. Behind her, someone shouted angrily.
Ava paid them no attention as she sped down the mostly empty sidewalk toward the intersection up ahead. She dodged a sidewalk sign and took a sharp right at the corner. The side street was far less crowded.
The front wheel of her bike slammed back down onto the pavement and she took to the road again, weaving in between cars. There was a neighborhood on the other side of the highway. She could pass through it on her way across town.
Two more turns and she was farther away from the city’s center. Office buildings gave way to two-story houses with decent sized lots, a neighborhood nicer than her own. She gunned the engine and tore through the neighborhood. No one was home yet in this little burg.
Or so she thought.
She’d kicked the Honda up to almost 50 miles per hour, well above the posted speed limit, to shave off precious seconds. Halfway through to the other side, a large SUV backed out of its driveway, catching Ava off guard.
She swerved instantly to avoid being run over. This time her mirror did connect. It crunched against a car parked on the other side of the street. Ava barely heard plastic and glass shatter through her helmet. She risked a split second look down and saw her side mirror hanging limply. Spider cracks covered the once reflective surface.
Ignoring it, and the driver of the SUV who was now laying on the horn, Ava threaded her way through the sleepy subdivision, a bit slower in light of the circumstances. Her heart slammed into her chest and she felt almost dizzy. Street racing was dangerous; she’d never done it. She wouldn’t have risked it. Blood roared in her ears as she forced the needle of her Honda’s speedometer back up.
She cursed herself. And Clint. And the fucking Buzzards.
She sailed over a second set of railroad tracks that served as an unofficial barrier between this neighborhood and the next. As Ava sped along, homes got smaller, grass got taller.
She slowed, briefly, to check the phone again. She was three streets from her destination. She found the street easily and spotted the address, which was a run-down house with weeds that came up to her knees.
She parked the bike, hefted the bag onto her shoulder and sprinted for the front steps. A broken screen door leaned drunkenly on its hinges. Ava flung it open and banged on the heavy wooden front door.
No one answered so she knocked again, more forcefully this
Similar Books
