Luckily, it only takes her a few more moments to get to the car. She swings open the door and nearly dives into the backseat with a relieved sigh.
I waste no time backing out of the parking space. For several tense minutes, everything is quiet. But in typical Seattle fashion, we’re balls deep in traffic and getting even a few blocks away takes more time than I’d like. Just as Addie releases a relieved sigh, convinced we’re in the clear, a cop car rings their sirens from a couple blocks down, followed by flashing lights.
“Shit,” I mutter, confident that we’re the target. We’re both trapped between cars, but already the other vehicles are starting to veer to the side to let the cop through.
That man did fucking recognize her. He must’ve called the police as soon as she left. And as luck would have it, an officer happens to be too fucking close.
“They might not know what car she got into,” Addie assures, yet her voice betrays her nerves.
Just as the words leave her mouth, the cop’s voice blares from their loudspeaker, naming my make and model and demanding I pull over.
“Okay, scratch that,” she says, her tone pitching with fear. I glance at her, noticing how she clenches her thighs again, her nipples hardening beneath her long-sleeved shirt. Fright is palpable on her face, sweat beading alongside her hairline.
Her body responds to fear like metal does to electricity. When she’s at the mercy of the currents, she comes alive.
I smirk but keep my mouth shut considering Sibby is in the backseat, and I have a cop about to ride up and raw dog my asshole. I need to focus, and I have a feeling Addie is going to test my discipline.
It’s not the first time I’ve been in a car chase, but it’s the first time I’ve had to worry about someone else’s life other than my own during one.
“Hold on, ladies,” I say. The cop car rushes right up on me, continuing to shout demands over the loudspeaker.
I take one second to look both ways before whipping my car into a U-turn and speeding off.
The police car quickly follows suit, almost bashing into oncoming traffic and narrowly missing an SUV.
“He sucks already,” Sibby comments, completely turned around as she watches our pursuer from the back window.
“I got in a car chase, too, you know that?”
“I do,” I say, gritting my teeth when I take a turn a tad too fast. My Mustang tilts on one side before dropping back down on all fours, causing Addie to gasp and dig her nails into my leather seat, followed by a little whimper in her throat.
This… this is actually Hell. If we were alone, I’d drive with one hand and reach over and take care of her with the other. I’m tempted to do it anyway, but I know Addie wouldn’t appreciate the little demon slayer in the back witnessing it.
I straighten the car and then take another turn down a side street. Soon, the entire city will be flooding with police cars, with my make, model, and license plate broadcasted across their radios.
I have an extremely small window not only to lose them but get back to Addie’s before I’m spotted again.
“It didn’t go very well,” Sibby shares, unbothered by our current situation.
“Mine didn’t either,” Addie grits out.
“You’re safe with me, little mouse,” I say, my attention snagged on a cop car barreling down a side street toward us.
My bloodstream is drowning in adrenaline, yet my muscles are languid and loose as I weave through traffic and take odd turns. Within minutes, several officers are coming at me from all directions.
I call out to Jay several times, but he doesn’t answer.
Just as I’m getting ready to lead the cops straight to his house, he comes onto the speaker. “I go take a shit for five minutes, and you’re in a high-speed car chase when I come back,” he says with exasperation.
“A man knocked into Sibby on her way out and recognized her. Called the cops, and here we are.”
I hear a flood of sirens in all directions, and my leather groans beneath Addie’s nails, her chest heaving. Her eyes are dilated with fear and pinging in every direction.
“I got a drone tracking you down now,” he says. “I’ll tell you where to turn.”
She shifts again, rubbing her thighs together and making throaty little noises.
Goddamn it.
“Addie, baby,” I say, glancing her way.
“Yeah?” she croaks, her wide eyes locked onto the road.
“I’m going to need you to stop distracting me.”
Her mouth parts, and she meets my flickering gaze, half of my attention on the road, the other half on my girl.