BOOK 2
Trapped within the iron grip of the notorious Morroto family, Veronica Garcia's fate hangs precariously in the balance. Days bleed into nights in the suffocating darkness of her prison, where despair threatens to consume her spirit. Each pass...
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MYKNUCKLESTURN white as I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, fingers digging so deep I can feel the leather bending beneath them. The engine roars in response to my foot slamming down harder on the gas. Everything outside the windshield becomes a blur—the city lights, the faces of people, the noise of the world—none of it matters. I'm moving too fast to care, too focused on getting there to notice the chaos I'm leaving behind.
I hear horns blaring in the distance, tires screeching, the faint sound of metal crashing behind me, but none of it registers until I feel Felix's hand clamp down on my shoulder, pulling me from my single-minded focus.
"Calm down!" he shouts, his voice cutting through my haze. His face is pale, panic written across every feature. "We won't make it there if you keep driving like a fucking madman!"
My head snaps back to the road, Felix's words barely sinking in. The tension in my chest doesn't ease, and the adrenaline rushing through my veins only fuels the fire, but I ease off the gas just enough to keep us from flying off the edge. My grip on the wheel doesn't loosen, though. Not yet.
"We're not stopping," I growl under my breath. "Not until we find her."
"Turn right... here!" Gianna squeaks, voice barely above a whisper.
Without hesitating, I yank the wheel to the right with so much force it feels like we're drifting in a Fast & Furious movie. The tires scream, and the car spins violently into the turn. Felix, sitting behind me, gets flung across the backseat like a rag doll, face-first into the opposite window.
THUD.
"Are you serious?!" Felix groans, rubbing his forehead. "Are you trying to save Veronica or audition for the next Mission: Impossible?"
"Shut up," I snap, gripping the wheel tighter. "Quit whining. You're fine."
"Fine?!" He leans forward, still holding his head. "I just kissed the window! If I get a concussion, I'm suing."
"We're almost there." I grit out.
Felix lets out a pained chuckle, still slumped against the door. "If we survive you, remind me to send Tom Cruise your résumé."
Gianna, barely holding on in the passenger seat, mutters, "I'd prefer not to die in a car crash before we even get to the bad guys."
I shoot her a glance, foot pressing harder on the pedal. "We're not dying today. Not until I get her back, besides; I have a plan."
Felix scoffs. "Yeah, and that plan involves giving me permanent brain damage?"
I grip the wheel harder, ignoring his sarcastic quip. "Veronica's waiting, and if you keep complaining, I'll make sure you wait for an ambulance."