AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fine.” He rolled his chair back and forced himself to add, “I’ll just call Finn and see if he wants to join us.” From the look on her face, that was definitely the wrong answer, but he pretended not to notice her disappointment.
“I was hoping—” Cora’s phone began to ring, cutting off whatever she was going to say, which was probably a good thing. She pulled it from her pocket and checked the screen. “Speak of the devil.” Throwing Liam a look, she answered on the third ring. “Hey, Finn. Were your ears burning? We were just—Where? Got it. We’ll be right behind you.” She got off the phone and checked to see if anyone in the pit was listening. Then she said in an excited rush, “It’s happening. Magnus got a text from that number and they’re meeting in ten minutes at the east parking lot of Providence Falls State Park.”
Liam jumped to his feet. “That’s almost thirty minutes away. We’ll take your car, but I’m driving.” To his relief, Cora didn’t argue. Usually, she insisted on taking the wheel because she said his driving gave her whiplash, but some occasions called for speed, and this was one of them.
“Finn said he was making arrangements with movers, so he didn’t see the text until just now,” Cora said a few minutes later as they peeled out of the parking lot. “But he’s a lot closer to the park than we are. If we’re lucky, he’ll at least get there in time to see who Magnus is working with.” She smacked her hand on the dashboard. “We’ll never make it in this traffic. If only we could fly.”
Liam gave her a devilish smirk. “Your wish is my command.” He punched the gas and swerved through traffic with expert precision, taking the shoulder of the on-ramp to zoom past cars until they were speeding west down the highway. They’d be even faster if they could use the siren, but that would draw too much attention. Magnus couldn’t suspect he was being followed.
Cora gripped the grab handle near the ceiling when Liam sped past three cars, broke through an opening in the middle lane, and shot ahead. “You really do drive like a maniac.”
“Admit that it’s thrilling,” Liam demanded with a laugh.
Her lips twitched. “Never.”
“Come now, it’s just the two of us here. You can be honest.”
“I refuse to encourage you, speed demon.” But her voice was tinged with amusement. “You’re far too cocky as it is.”
Liam switched lanes to bypass a truck and punched the gas as they made their way toward the mountains. Soon the wide, flat lanes of the open freeway became a narrower, tree-lined highway meandering through foothills dappled with sunlight. With every passing mile, it felt as if they were leaving the modern world behind and entering a place untouched by the passage of time. Liam had always loved the forest, and he understood why Cora enjoyed hiking in the area. Nothing could compare to the peaceful, steadfast presence of trees. It was comforting to know they’d stood timeless, sentinels over the earth, unbothered by the fleeting cares of mankind. By the time the sign for Providence Falls State Park appeared in the distance, he’d managed to shave off several minutes.
“There it is.” Cora checked her watch. “Magnus’s meetup should’ve happened by now. Finn’s sure to be here, but he isn’t answering my text messages.”
The east parking lot was empty, save for a minivan and one sports car. “That’s Magnus’s car,” Liam said, pointing to the silver sports car in the far corner. He slowed to a crawl before parking on the shoulder of the road, making sure they were hidden by an outcrop of tall shrubs.
“I didn’t see Finn’s car on the way here,” Cora said, checking her phone again. “He’s still not answering.”
“Maybe he parked on the other side of the lot and made his way on foot so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself.” Liam turned off the engine. “We should do the same. If we stick to the tree line, we can get closer without being noticed.”
“Wait,” Cora said, peering through the shrubs. “Something feels off. If Magnus was supposed to meet someone, where’s the other car?”
“There’s that minivan,” Liam said, pointing to the blue, boxy vehicle parked near the road.
She hummed in consideration. “No, I don’t think so. It’s on the other side of the lot. If you were meeting someone, why park so far away?”
“For appearances, perhaps. Maybe they don’t want to be seen with each other.”
“Let’s give it a few more minutes.” Cora unbuckled her seat belt and checked her phone again. “Finn will text back soon. In the meantime, we can keep an eye on Magnus and see what he does.”
Liam could just make out the back of Magnus’s head in the driver’s seat. “There’s no one else in the car with him. Maybe he’s on the phone.”
They waited for a few minutes in tense silence. Two ladies eventually appeared down the main road, their ponytails swinging as they laughed and talked. They were pushing jogging strollers with wide-eyed toddlers munching away on baby biscuits. The women strolled up to the blue minivan and began settling their kids in the vehicle and folding up the strollers.
“Rules that out,” Liam said. “Magnus’s accomplice must be running late.”
“Unless we missed their meeting altogether. But then, why is he still sitting there?”
The minivan pulled out of the lot and drove away, but Magnus stayed where he was. For the next thirty minutes, they continued watching his car in silence. Liam began to get antsy. “This is useless. He hasn’t even moved, and we’re wasting time. I say we stick to the tree line and make our way over there.”
“Agreed,” Cora said, frowning. “This whole thing doesn’t feel right, and I don’t like that Finn hasn’t responded.” She clicked a button on the side of her phone and reached for the door handle. “Turn your ringer off, so we don’t make noise.”
They skirted the car and used the trees to cover their approach as they made their way toward the far end of the lot. It was midday, and the humidity level was off the charts. Liam’s shirt clung to his body within seconds, and if it weren’t for the trees to provide shade, they would’ve been boiling. They followed a line of dense, flowering shrubs running along the edge of the parking lot. When they got within fifteen feet of Magnus’s car, Liam jerked to a stop with a grim realization. He tapped Cora’s shoulder to get her attention.
“I know what’s wrong,” Liam said, eyeing Magnus’s profile through the leaves. “Listen to the sound of the engine.”
Cora cocked her head, then stared at Liam in shock. “It’s not on.”
“Which means he’s not running the air conditioner. Now look at the windows. No one in their right mind sits in their car in the blazing heat for this long without rolling the windows—”
