Chapter 110
Elara’s pov
58:48 vouchers
Elara pulled out of the garage and onto the street, her hands steady on the wheel. The morning traffic was lighter than usual, which was good since she was still getting used to navigating the city on her own.
She headed toward Mimi’s apartment in Brooklyn, taking the route she’d practiced dozens of times over the past week. Left turn out of the building, merge onto the main road, follow it for about twenty minutes until the neighborhood started to change.
Her phone buzzed in the cup holder. She glanced down quickly and saw Mimi’s name on the screen. Probably asking where she was or if she wanted anything from the store.
Elara ignored it immediately and kept her eyes on the road driving. She’d call back when she got there.
The city passed by in a blur of buildings and people. Elara found herself relaxing slightly behind the wheel, the familiar motions of driving giving her something to focus on besides the disaster her life had
become.
She stopped at a red light and checked her rearview mirror out of habit. A black SUV sat two cars behind her. Nothing unusual about that. Half the cars in New York were black SUVs.
The light turned green and she accelerated, merging into the left lane to avoid a double-parked delivery truck. The SUV followed, staying a consistent distance behind her.
Elara frowned slightly but kept driving. She was probably being paranoid. Nobody was following her.
She made another turn, heading down a side street that would cut through to Mimi’s neighborhood faster. The SUV made the same turn.
Her heart started beating faster. She told herself it meant nothing. People took this route all the time. It was a shortcut.
But when she made another turn, one that definitely wasn’t on the main route to anywhere, and the SUV followed again, she knew.
Someone was following her.
Elara’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Her mind raced through possibilities. Paparazzi? Unlikely, she wasn’t famous enough for that. A private investigator hired by Penelope? Maybe. Her father looking for money? Possibly.
She needed to lose them.
Elara took a sudden right turn without signaling, cutting into a narrow street lined with parked cars. The SUV followed, closer now.
Her phone buzzed again. This time she grabbed it without thinking, swiping to answer while keeping one hand on the wheel.
“Mimi, I think someone’s following me.”
Mon, May
Chapter 110
“What? Where are you?”
“I don’t know, some street near your place. There’s a black SUV that’s been behind me for like ten minutes and it keeps making every turn I make.”
“Elara, get to a public place, Now. Don’t go to my apartment, don’t lead them to anywhere you actually want to be. Find a coffee shop or a store or something with people.”
“Okay. Okay, I’m looking.”
She scanned the street ahead and saw a shopping center coming up on the right. Lots of cars in the parking lot, lots of people going in and out of stores.
Elara pulled into the parking lot faster than she should have, her tires squealing slightly. She found a spot near the entrance of a Target, parked, and killed the engine.
The black SUV pulled into the lot behind her. But instead of parking, it drove slowly past her car, then out the other exit and disappeared.
Elara sat there breathing hard, her hands shaking on the steering wheel.
“Elara? You still there?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m here. They just drove past and left.”
“Did you see who was driving?”
“No, the windows were tinted.”
“Shit. Okay, stay where you are. I’m coming to you. What shopping center are you at?”
Elara looked around and spotted the street sign. She told Mimi the location.
“Twenty minutes. Do not leave that parking lot until I get there, you hear me?”
“I hear you.”
Elara hung up and sat in her car, watching the parking lot entrance like a hawk. Her heart was still racing, adrenaline pumping through her system.
This was real. Whatever Penelope and Luca were planning, it wasn’t just about the contract anymore. They were actively following her now, watching her movements, learning her patterns.
She pulled out her phone again and scrolled to Marcus’s number. Her finger hovered over the call button.
He was still angry at her. Still barely speaking to her. Would he even answer if she called?
But he deserved to know. If people were following her, if she was in potential danger, he needed to know.
Elara pressed call.
It rang once. Twice. Three times.
Then voicemail.
Chapter 110
“You’ve reached Marcus Thorne. Leave a message.”
55 valetals
The beep sounded and Elara opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. What was she supposed to say? That she’d been followed by an SUV that might have been nothing? That she was scared and wanted him to care?
She hung up without leaving a message.
A knock on her window made her jump, her hand flying to her chest. But it was just Mimi, standing outside the car looking worried.
Elara unlocked the doors and Mimi climbed into the passenger seat.
“You good?” Mimi asked immediately, her eyes scanning Elara’s face.
“Yeah. Just shaken up.”
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
Elara recounted the whole thing while Mimi listened, her expression getting more serious with each detail.
“We need to tell Marcus,” Mimi said when she finished.
“I tried calling him. He didn’t answer.”
Mimi’s face softened. “He’s still not talking to you?”
“Barely. We’re back to how it was in the beginning. Maybe worse.”
“This is bigger than your fight with him, El. If someone’s following you, if you’re in danger, he needs to know. Try again.”
Elara looked down at her phone, then back at Mimi.
“What if he doesn’t care anymore?”
15:06 Mon, May 11
