Julian slammed the brakes. The SUV’s tires shrieked—loud enough to wake the dead. A black car shot out across the narrow street, cutting them off. No way to the safe house now.
“Everyone, get down!” Julian shouted.
Maya’s heart hammered so hard she thought it might break through her chest. Her fingers shook as she fumbled for the door handle. She wasn’t the Queen anymore. No blue fire to melt that car, no magic ice to freeze the road. Just a girl trapped in a metal box.
“Is it the Rossi Company?” Bianca’s voice was thin, almost squeaking from the back seat. She gripped Toby’s arm so tight her knuckles turned white.
David squinted through the windshield. “No,” he said. He pointed. The black car had no company logo, no Rossi seal—just a tiny silver sticker, shaped like an eye. “It’s the
