Page 118 of Don't Say a Word

I pulled away from the curb and in my side-view mirror noticed a car pulling out of a driveway.

It was the damn 4Runner again. IknewI was being followed.

No way could I take Angie home without losing this guy first. If I was alone, I would confront him. With Angie, I couldn’t risk a potentially violent confrontation.

“What’s wrong?” Angie asked.

I thought I’d masked my concern.

“Someone has been following me.” Who the hell was this guy? Where had I picked him up? I thought back... I noticed him pulling into the O’Reilly neighborhood, but he could have started following me from my office downtown. I hadn’t seen him there, he hadn’t been in our small parking lot, but there was ample street parking and only one exit out of our lot, which turned onto a one-way street. It would have been easy to wait until I exited and follow from there. With all the traffic downtown, I wouldn’t have immediately seen him.

That made the most sense, which told me he knew who I was. He could have confronted me at least twice before now. Was he just tracking me? Could he be a cop?

Or maybe he was one of the people who’d picked up where Coach Bradford left off.

“What are you going to do?” Angie asked, her voice tight with nervous energy.

“Lose him,” I muttered, glancing over to make sure she had her seat belt on. She was gripping the edge of her seat, her eyes flicking nervously to the rearview mirror.

“That black car?”

“Yeah.

I focused on the road ahead, my hands steady on the wheel,even as the adrenaline started to kick in. The guy tailing us wasn’t new to this game—he knew what he was doing. But so did I.

I pushed the gas pedal down, taking the corner on Dunlap with more speed than usual, trying to throw him off. I glanced in the mirror. He copied my move—right turn, just like I’d predicted.

I kept my foot on the gas, heading south, past familiar landmarks, not slowing down. Then, I took a sharp right, onto a narrow side street. He turned sharply as well, a little too eager. He was still on me, but this was where the game got interesting.

If Angie weren’t in the car, I would try and trap him, close him in, identify him. But I wouldn’t risk her getting hurt, so losing the bastard was the only option.

I swerved right again toward Highway 17, crossing over the freeway through a yellow light like I had nothing to lose. My eyes flicked to the rearview again. He was still there—he must have run a red light to follow me. I was getting a little worried—earlier, I thought he was just following me, trying to figure out where I was going, what I was doing.

Now I wondered if he meant to do me harm.

I took a sharp left onto Twenty-Ninth Avenue, cutting through a narrow neighborhood. The houses here were packed tight, the streets like a labyrinth. Perfect for a ghosting maneuver. I stomped on the gas and made a right onto the first street—sharp and sudden.

He was three cars back, but he could still see me turning onto Twenty-Ninth. He probably thought he had me cornered. But I had one move left.

I threw the wheel hard to the right as soon as I could, disappearing around a bend that curved around the block. He’d lose sight of me for just a few seconds—but it’d be enough.

I looped back, pulling into a small side road and stopping behind a parked car. I held my breath. There was a break in the sound of my engine, the quiet before the storm. I waited, eyes locked on the end of the street, my gun within reach.

There. He came flying down Twenty-Ninth, too fast for the neighborhood, his car bouncing on the uneven pavement. Not even bothering to slow down for the curve. He didn’t know I was already gone.

Score one for the PI.

I let him pass, watching him zoom by, oblivious. By now, he must have known he’d lost me, and I couldn’t afford to have him backtrack and search the neighborhood. I counted to three after he passed, then hit the gas and merged back onto Twenty-Ninth, heading back the way I’d come. I scanned the rearview mirror for any sign of him. Nothing. I’d lost him.

I crossed back over the freeway, still no sign of him. I kept my speed steady, my Jeep humming.

He was gone.

For now.

“Who was it?” Angie asked.

“Don’t know. I’m going to take you home. If you see that 4Runner again, call me, do not engage. Go somewhere safe. A library, a police station, fire station, anyplace where there are people.”