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“He doesn’t even stay in the same country for long before moving on,” Theo continued. “He makes his plays quick, dirty and efficient.”
“And what better way,” I gritted out, “than to do so in Europe, when each country is a hop, skip, and lollipop away.”
Theo tossed a quick glance my way, and if my eyes weren’t glued straight ahead of us, I would’ve noted the flash of respect. “Your phone has told me, and history proves he won’t be here for long—forty-eight hours tops—so we have to get moving, find his lackey, and follow the trail that hopefully leads to Trace.”
“Would—” I had to stop to swallow the saliva quickly building up in my mouth. “Aren’t we able to track him through bank statements or some sort of deposit? Something tells me his connections aren’t only on foot.”
Another glance to the left. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.” I cleared my throat and commanded my spine to relax. “Are we in a rush?”
“Less than forty-eight hours to find at the very least, my brother’s last footprints before he disappears again into thin air. I’d say we’re in a hurry.”
I couldn’t handle it anymore. I closed my eyes. “What was on my phone?”
“A mistake. The Saxons are rare with them and for the most part, they’re buried almost as soon as they happen, but not this time. Trace messaged Neri from a burner phone, a few hours before you landed on theHatari, and Neri must have forgotten to delete it.”
“How’d you know it was Trace? He wouldn’t have used his signature in the text.”
“The nickname Neri had for him,” Theo said. “Nylon. Something Trace is … known for … in our inner circles, regarding the women he consorts with.”
“I—” Dear Lord, Theo rammed the gas again, the trees and fields flashing by like a Wonderland nightmare as I fell down a deep, dark hole. “Can you slow down?”
“Why?”
The motor rose in sound, a beast purring out of slumber.
“Is it bothering you?” Theo asked.
The question wasn’t out of concern. It was our usual spar, coupled with the unquenchable urge to win, even during a pointless episode such as this. And how could I be mad at it? It was exactly how I would’ve approached any weakness on his part.
“Not at all,” I replied, but my voice vibrated right along with the engine.
“Good.” Theo smiled through the windshield. “Because I’m only driving at half-speed.”
The road gently curved, but as soon as we made the turn, there was nothing but straight, flat tar.
My heart plummeted at the exact moment the engine roared, the beast fully awake and flexing its muscles.
“Get ready, Miss Rhodes,” Theo said, his arms relaxed, his fingers calmly curved on the wheel. “Maybe bite the seatbelt if you feel the urge to scream.”
My shoulder blades smacked against the seat, my butt pressing into the leather exactly like it was on the plane, except we were on a road, with plenty of unknown obstacles, unlike in the air where the greatest risk was hitting a cloud.
“Theo, stop.”
It was a whisper. He couldn’t hear it over the car, the wind, his own cackle.
“Jesus, this is fucking freeing,” he said, his lips wide. “Have you ever done donuts in a vehicle like this?”
Any other time, I would’ve been fascinated by the kid in him coming through, the wall he so carefully cemented together coming down brick by brick, all because of a fast car. Typical male bravado. I would’ve laughed. Shaken my head. Rolled my eyes.
I wasn’t laughing.
“Stop. Please stop.”
He flicked his focus up to the rearview mirror. “No one behind us, no one in front of us. I’m fucking doing it.”
My knuckles were white. Nails cut into my palms and were slippery with blood. The backs of my thighs were sticky, but not for the initial reasons I thought. Fear equaled sweat. Hurt turned into blood.
