Chapter 45
Chapter
Forty-Five
After forty-five minutes, the Nevins discovered that their fancy Rolls-Royce had flat tires when they tried to get into it. Brenda and Emerson were carrying the unconscious Tim and put him in the backseat of one of the other cars.
Javi couldn’t stop scowling. He’d barely tasted any blood during this little mission, and his wolf was prowling under his skin, ready for more of a fight.
He didn’t trust these witches at all.
He expected that the second they got out of sight, they would turn right back around and cause more trouble. They didn’t waste time starting up their cars and peeling out onto the road.
“I want to follow them out of town,” Javi squared his shoulders toward Cole. He wouldn’t feel safe until he knew they were beyond the county line and not the Southern Basin Pack’s problem anymore.
Cole considered him for a moment. Javi tried to keep still, but he was bouncing on his feet. He had too much energy and no outlet for it.
“I’ll go with him,” a soft voice said behind him. Javi almost smiled, and his wolf perked up.
He turned around to see straight black hair falling in front of rich brown eyes on an intense witch’s face.
She was a full head shorter than him, straight-backed and serious, with a dark green jacket zipped tight to her sternum.
Little Aya. Oh, he wouldn’t mind that at all.
Aya — the ally, if Cole’s words were true, and his alpha didn’t lie.
“We’ll be back,” Javi rocked forward onto the balls of his feet and jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the parking area, “but you shouldn’t wait up for us.”
Aya made a disgusted sound behind him, and Javi shot her a playful grin. “What, I can’t show a nice girl a night on the town?”
“Say one more word, and I revoke my cooperation.”
He made a dismissive sound and waved a hand at her. They got into his car. It was an older sedan with a dent in the rear quarter panel and mud caked along the wheel wells; the interior was a mess of crumpled receipts and a half-crushed water bottle rolling around the passenger footwell.
Javi hadn’t exactly cleaned up or even noticed the gym bag he’d tossed in the back before the battle.
Aya glared at the food wrapper, but she only nudged it with her foot until it was out of the way.
Her seatbelt was barely fastened when Javi sped out of the parking area and down the road after the fleeing witches.
Aya reached for the bar above the door and held on for dear life. “Speed limits exist for a reason,” she braced her other hand flat against the dashboard and scowled, but Javi only smiled and sped up.
Wallace Grove had to know he was coming after them. He zoomed around a car, which only made Aya yell again.
“Do you even know what the two yellow lines mean? If you crash this car and I die, I am making sure you come with me.”
That startled a laugh out of him.
The little witch had some fire in her. Javi stayed in his lane. He could see the two Wallace Grove cars up ahead. Their taillights glowed red in the dark about a quarter mile down the two-lane road. They didn’t show signs of slowing down.
He stayed about ten over the speed limit, but Aya didn’t yell again. They kept driving for twenty minutes until they passed over the Stewart County line and kept going until they watched the two cars get onto the interstate.
“Do you think they’ll stay away?” Aya released her grip on the overhead bar and flexed her fingers.
Javi shrugged. “You’re the witch, shouldn’t you know?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m a witch. I’m not fucking psychic.”
“Language,” he said, and Aya groaned. “What?” he asked. “Come on, tell me. I can tell you’re thinking something.”
She glared at him. “Just wishing I had the powers of teleportation. Has anyone ever told you that you’re very annoying?”
He grinned and stuck his tongue out at her.