43. Phoenix #2
I stay back in the space between the cars behind the SUV, waiting for the red light to turn green.
“Oh yeah, they know we’re following them, and they’re not happy.” Zephyr reports back.
The light changes, and his engine roars as he rolls in front of the SUV so it’s sandwiched between us.
In a few blocks, Zephyr pulls off to the side, lets the SUV pass, and then rides next to me again.
We get away from the downtown busy inner-city center, and traffic changes direction, so the roads are much more open.
“I wonder if Honey knows we’re with her. I mean, she’s got to know we’re following too, right?” I push out to the side of the SUV, looking in the side mirror, trying to see into the vehicle itself. The black-tinted windows keep me from being able to do that.
“Get up next to the SUV to see if you can look in. She should be on the passenger side.” Zephyr slows down while I speed up.
Showing off, since this is the most boring car chase of all time, I pop a wheelie and speed ahead. No way she fuckin’ missed that. I ride right along the passenger side, knowing that I’m in the blind spot but risking it anyway.
The SUV takes a sharp left turn away from me. Zephyr’s bike accelerates faster than I can, and it takes me half a second to catch up in the turn.
“What the fuck?” Zephyr maneuvers, quickly following the SUV as it picks up the pace, now speeding through side streets.
While the SUV has nowhere near the handling of our sports bikes, it’s darting around corners like it’s designed differently.
“I’m calling Salem, stay tight with them.” Zephyr orders, putting me on hold while I ride as close to the SUV as comfortable.
There’s no way they’ll outrun us, but they’re clearly trying.
We’re zigzagging our way through a quiet community when the SUV accelerates through a red light up toward the freeway. The light turns green as I approach, and I zip up the freeway entrance ramp right after them.
We are flying. The SUV darts around traffic on a mission to lose me, but my bike is barely hitting half of its performance power.
Zephyr’s engine roars as he pulls up beside me before dodging over. We stay out of the blind spot, letting the SUV run as much as it can toward wherever it thinks it’ll go.
“Surely that thing will run out of fuel at that rate.” Zephyr laughs, taking me off hold, as he lazily passes a car on the left.
“One thing is for sure, I’m not willing to drive up next to it now.” I wince as the SUV cuts off another car, and it slams on its horn in an angry honk.
“No, roadkill isn’t on the menu today.” Zephyr agrees. “Techno is tracking us electronically and is alerting the club to follow. Since they upped the aggression game, we’re the best option to stay on them. There won’t be an opportunity for Salem to follow them quietly.”
“Heard.” I hate it, but we’re in this, chasing them to who knows what, until the end.
A sporty economy car pulls up alongside my bike, and instinctively, I look over.
An omega is waving at me. Her blonde hair blows in the breeze as she offers a slip of paper out to me.
This has happened before, omegas throwing themselves at Zephyr and me.
The sports bikes, the MC cuts, and the ‘bad boy’ attitude give every omega looking to piss her parents or prospective pack off an opportunity to chase danger.
But it’s never been at this high of speeds down an interstate.
I live dangerously, but not that dangerously. I step on the gas, pulling out of her reach and racing toward the SUV, getting up close on their tail again.
As Zephyr suspected, the SUV leans into the lane I’m in like it’s planning to knock me over. But the freeway we’re on turns to a highway soon. The lanes are narrowing, and we won’t have the luxury of four lanes to play pass in.
“What is that, up ahead?”
Zephyr’s question has me scanning the road ahead. Off the next exit is a whole slew of vehicles parked on the off-ramp.
“Trouble? Probably.” For the second time in an hour, I wish I had my helmet.
My shadow pulls up from where it’s been riding in the shade of my bike and gets ready to fling itself into action at a moment’s notice.
This is going to hurt.
The phone call disconnects, and I know it’s because Zephyr is calling for backup.
The SUV doesn’t slow down as it takes the exit, and the various parked cars all start to move around the SUV and try to drive with it away from us.
We can handle this. It’s just more vehicles to follow them through. My joy is cut short as a bullet whizzes past me, taking a swatch of my black sweatshirt with it.
My bike wobbles as I’m taken off guard, but my shadow rights us, keeping me vertical and throwing itself up as a shield to deflect any more coming gunfire.
I take stock and see Zephyr’s pulling up his shadow and doing the same.
Heavy gunfire rains down on us. Bullets plink off the ground, but there’s enough room for us to get between the two cars.
As long as our shadows hold, there is no reason we can’t blow past this obstacle.
The front wheel of my tire makes it through between the two cars before one of them brakes, clipping my bike and pinning it and Zephyr.
The abrupt stop and the momentum have me startled. Unfocused, I hurdle over the handlebars, headed for the ground.
My shadow tries pulling on the bike and catching me, but it’s a second too late, and my head connects with the pavement.