AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hearing a boyish giggle, I glanced to my left to see a small kid pointing at the front window of a nearby Chevy while grinning up at the woman holding his hand. I suspected his source of amusement was thehugesplatter of bird shit on the glass.
I hopped into my car, brought the engine roaring to life, and then began making my way home. I was looking forward to getting there, excited to pull out and hang up my Halloween decorations.
In many ways, I was like my dad. But there were some instances where I took after my mom—like her, I regressed during Halloween. Poor Dax was about to find that out the hard way.
I wondered how he’d feel when I blurted out the news that, yes, we’d be welcoming trick or treaters to our door. Knowing Dax, he’d retreat upstairs to get some peace and quiet.
Not used to celebrating Halloween alone, I would have invited my sisters to the villa so I’d have some company, but Alicia had a date and Harri was attending a fancy dress gig. Likewise, Sabrina and Tamara had plans—they were heading to a spooky festival. I would have invited Ollie and Marleigh but he, much like our father, wasn’t a fan of the holiday.
As I eased my foot off the pedal to lower my speed, I glanced in my rearview mirror … and felt my brow furrow. A Chevy wasn’t too far behind me. A Chevy that had a big blob of bird shit on its front window. Huh.
Reaching a roundabout, I took the second turn-off. So did the Chevy. Shortly after, I reached a T junction and went right. So did the Chevy.
My scalp prickled. Either I was being paranoid or—
No, I was being paranoid. Totally.
But when I took the next left turn, the Chevy once again mimicked my move.
I shifted in my seat, uneasy. As I drove, I kept an eye on its movements. When I slowed, it slowed. When I sped up, it sped up. When I turned, it turned—whether I went left or right.
Okay, so I wasn’t being paranoid.
My stomach rolling, I used the car’s Bluetooth to call Dax.
His phone rang a few times before he answered, “Yes?”
“Something weird is going on.” I licked my lips. “I think I’m being followed. No, IknowI am.”
“Followed?” he echoed, his voice dropping.
“Yes.”
“How sure are you?”
“Positive,” I stated, firm. “When I was leaving my grandparents’ house, I noticed a bronze Chevy parked nearby. That same Chevy caught up with me and has been on my ass ever since. And I meanon my ass.”
A soft curse floated down the line. “Can you see the driver?” he asked, the sound of a door closing in the background—possibly our front door.
“Not very well. He’s male. Has a slim face and dark, scruffy hair. He’s kept enough of a distance between us that I can’t get a good look at him, but he doesn’t seem familiar.”
“Where are you?” Dax asked above thebleepof a car unlocking.
I gave him my location.
“You’re not far from CCC. Go there. Park in the lot. Stay in the car. Keep the doors locked.” A car engine began to purr. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay.”
He hung up without another word.
I exhaled heavily, flexing my hands around the steering wheel. And it occurred to me how instinctive it had been for me to reach out to Dax. Not my dad or Ollie or the cops. No, I’d sought Dax’s help without thought, wholly trusting that he’d know what to do; that he’d come to me no matter how busy he might be; that I could rely on him to keep me safe.
It was one thing to trust someone. It was another thing to feel that you could rely on them. It said a lot about how far he and I had come that I would so easily turn to him.
I flicked my rearview mirror another look. The Chevy was still close.
Who the hell would tail me?Whytail me? My movements wouldn’t be of interest to anyone. I highly doubted I had a stalker or anything like that.
