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“We will make time. Luca is right.” Jay’s rewarded with a sunshine smile. “But maybe keep the talk of murder on the down-low, okay?”

They both roll their eyes, and Rowan scoffs. “Yeah, good idea.”

When they finally exit the highway onto the side streets headed toward the coast, Jay can still see Gideon in his rearview mirror.

He can almost taste the Cigar City beer he’s going to enjoy on the balcony overlooking the bay. They had been fortunate that their rental faced the water and the gorgeous marina, according to Finn.

Fifteen minutes out, Jay turns into a roundabout, and a large white van comes up on their right side.

“Hey!” Rowan shouts, rolling down the window. “Too fucking close, jackass!” follows, because the van is preventing them from making his exit.

He expects the white van to make a turn, but it follows them around on the outside, edging inwards and forcing their vehicle to over-correct or hit the center median.

The unpredictable behavior puts Jay’s wolf on guard. Taking it for the warning it is, Jay lets his protective irritation surge, heightening his instincts, making it easy to evaluate the whole scene in his mind.

This van is a definite threat, but Nix is sending something intense and galvanizing along his bond, and it bolsters him enough to have a moment of clarity.

When he brakes suddenly, the white van tries to follow suit, forcing their vehicle to nick the back end as they take the next exit at a higher speed than Jay would normally prefer, but still the white van—and thankfully, Gideon—follow suit.

“Rowan, find me the closest police station. Nix, get Leo on the phone, please. You okay there, Baby?”

He checks Luca in the rearview mirror and feels his warm hand on his neck.

“A-ok.”

“Good boy.”

“Next left,” Rowan says, a gravel in his tone that Jay rarely hears, and it’s followed by the ominous sound of his mate’s claws gouging into the plastic dash.

Following Rowan’s instructions, they take the next right, with the white van still in between them and Gideon’s vehicle.

He hears the call connect on Nix’s phone, but no one speaks for a moment.

“Leo?”

“What the fuck is going on?”

His normally unflappable Leo sounds freaked out, and it unsettles Luca even further.

In the rearview mirror, Nix grits his jaw, pressing Luca’s face into his neck. He’s trying to soothe their sensitive beta, but the burnt coffee smell still burns Jay’s nose.

The slick roads make for treacherous driving conditions, especially with the SUV traveling at 50 mph on the city’s side streets, but he can’t risk slowing down.

“Fuck if I know. Stay back, though. I don’t want them to decide they’d rather take you instead.”

There’s a growl in response, and Jay knows Gideon has no intention of backing off. Jay can’t say he’s surprised.

Like the other driver can sense Jay’s momentarily worried distraction, the van pulls up close behind them, as if they are trying to get enough guts to either pass against traffic or hit them from behind.

The van’s occupants don’t seem to want to harm them—maybe just intimidate them and force them onto the shoulder or into a driveway.

Still, time seems to slow down as the van hits them from behind. But Jay holds firm and presses down on the accelerator, increasing the distance between them in an effort to break away.

It doesn’t deter them, and they hit them harder a second time, causing Luca to squeak and Nix to take up growling.

There’s that eerie blue glow illuminating the interior of the SUV.

“Whatever you’re thinking, Nix, the answer is no.”