Coffee {Jaya AU}

Chapter 16

***This book is like "make me longer, make me longer"! And I'm like, "BRUH, YOU'RE ALREADY ALMOST 30,000 WORDS!" Now, most of my books are 40,000-50,000 words (minus INK, WPWT, and Compatible, which are 70,000, 140,000, and 25,000, respectively), but this one really wasn't supposed to be so long LOL***

***(Nya's POV)***

"How did you get here?" I swallow against fear.

He gives a low chuckle. "I've kept tabs on you the past two years. Climb in the driver's seat, please."

I swallow hard, doing as the Ignacian police chief says. I mean, I really don't want to end up dead here.

Once I complete the task he gave me, he says in a disturbingly low tone, "Turn on the vehicle, pull out of the parking lot, and make a left."

"If you knew where I've been for the past two years," I force out through the dry feeling in my throat, "why didn't you come after me earlier?" I take deep breaths, willing myself not to jump out of the car and run. That'd be a stupid move right now if I want to avoid being shot.

It'd also be a stupid move to drive out of the parking lot like the police chief just told me to. I'm sure he intends to kill me or something.

He laughs slightly. "Are you joking? Why would I have gone after you if you were right where I wanted you – too afraid of me to talk to anyone and reveal the truth about my deeds? You weren't a threat until today, just a loose end that had tied herself up. Unfortunately, the knot wasn't quite perfect. Now I have to deal with you all over again." He sighs. "Start the car, please." He presses the gun into my neck harder.

I chew my bottom lip. "No. Shoot me now." I clench my eyes shut. Oh, gosh, that took a lot of courage to say. If the police find a dead body in Jay's car, though, they'll definitely know something was up.

My eyes drift to the rearview mirror to reveal that the police chief is dressed in all black, complete with gloves and a ski mask. His eyes, though, are visible through his mask, and they make my blood run cold.

"Your eyes," I choke out, voice cracking. "You have his eyes." I...didn't know. I vaguely recognize the police chief from my interaction with him two years ago, but I was so unfocused and jittery from the Dark Matter back then, I guess it was hard for me to pay attention to his appearance. My memory from that time is just a blur.

His icy gray depths harden in the mirror. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He cocks the gun behind my head. "Get moving."

I inhale deeply. "You can't shoot me in this car. Someone would have that much more evidence as to your wrongdoings – Jay would. You're not going to shoot me."

He bites out a curse, and for a moment I think his trigger finger will tense and send a bullet into the back of my head. However, he keeps his hold on his weapon entirely controlled. "Then I'll shoot that guy with you – Jay, you called him – if you don't cooperate. I'll make the world believe you shot him."

My blood runs cold. "I don't own a weapon to shoot anyone with. I couldn't get my concealed carry or any sort of a license after I ran because I didn't want that much interaction with the authorities. Your gun could be linked back to you, and that's another loose end." I'm trying to argue coherently with this guy, but I have a feeling all that's coming out of my mouth is distressed babbling.

"Maybe you owned a gun illegally," the chief suggests. "There are all kinds of ways to write this story. Now drive, or I'll shoot Jay before he even has time to know I'm in here."