Wish you were mine

21. Tangled Fate

PENELOPE

The gunshot echoed, deafening in the silence of the night. I froze, my body locking up, refusing to move. My mind screamed at me to do something, to react, but I just sat there, my chest tight with fear. My breath hitched, and the tremor began. First in my hands, then spreading through my entire body.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, blurring my vision. Don't cry. Not now. But I was shaking, my hands gripping the seat so hard my nails bit into the leather. I couldn't stop it, couldn't control the fear that was crawling through me like ice, freezing me from the inside out.
"Adrian," I whispered, though it came out as barely more than a breath.

His eyes flicked to mine for a second, quick but filled with something that looked like regret. "Stay down," he ordered, his voice tight and urgent.

The car jerked violently, the tires screeching as he swerved to dodge another bullet. The sound of it whizzing past the window made me flinch, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might explode. The car felt like it was going too fast, like we could lose control at any second. But I couldn't think about that. All I could think about was the flashing headlights behind us, the bullets slicing through the air, and the sharp, gnawing terror in my chest.

The tears spilled over. I couldn't stop them now. My breath came in quick, shallow bursts, and I felt like I was drowning.

"We're not going to make it," I stammered, the words barely audible as my throat tightened. I glanced behind us and saw the pursuing car, the headlights glaring in the darkness like the eyes of a predator. It's too close. We weren't going to get away.

Adrian cursed under his breath, his grip on the wheel tightening as he took another sharp turn. "Hold on," he snapped. "We're losing them."

I wasn't sure if I believed him. Every turn we made, they followed. Every move we tried, they seemed to predict. My stomach churned with fear. I never meant for this to happen. This wasn't supposed to go this far. I just wanted to hurt Sean, to make him jealous by going out with Adrian, his enemy. I never expected... this.

Another sharp turn, and then, out of nowhere, a flicker of movement caught my eye. Headlights, cutting through the darkness, barreling straight toward us from a side street.

For a second, I panicked. Another one?
But then I saw it-a familiar sleek, black Mercedes. My heart leapt into my throat. Sean.

I blinked, unsure if I was imagining things. But no-there was no mistaking it. It was Sean. He must've seen us.

Sean's car sped toward the attackers, cutting them off just as they were gaining on us again. The headlights of his Mercedes gleamed cold and unforgiving as he veered in front of them, forcing them to slam on their brakes. Adrian took the opportunity and sped ahead, gaining distance as Sean's car blocked their path.

"What the hell-" Adrian muttered under his breath, glancing in the rearview mirror.

"It's Sean," I breathed, my voice still shaky, but a glimmer of hope lit inside me.

Adrian's eyes flickered with something unreadable, but he said nothing, his focus returning to the road as he pushed the car harder, faster. The streets blurred around us, and for a second, I dared to believe we might actually escape.

Behind us, I watched as Sean's car danced in and out of the attackers' path, cutting them off every time they tried to swerve past him. He was relentless, controlling the chase like he had done it a hundred times before. I had no idea what drove him-was it anger? Guilt? But right now, I didn't care.

All that mattered was that Sean was saving us.

The pursuing car tried one last desperate move, swerving around to cut us off, but Sean was quicker. He rammed his Mercedes into their side, sending them spinning out into the curb. I heard the screech of metal on metal, the unmistakable crash, but we didn't stop. Adrian didn't slow down.