The gunshot still echoed in Rose’s skull, long after the glass shards stopped raining down. The night air whipped into the SUV through the shattered rear window, carrying with it the acrid tang of burnt gunpowder.
Her hands trembled against the seatbelt. Every instinct screamed at her to scream again, to curl up, to vanish—but all she could do was stare at Daniel’s reflection in the rearview mirror. His face was carved from stone, eyes fixed forward, expression unshaken.
How is he so calm?
A second flash lit the night. Another shot cracked, this time sparking off the back bumper. The pursuing headlights surged closer, the beams slicing through the trees.
“Down!” Daniel barked.
Rose ducked instinctively, her breath catching in her throat. Daniel’s friend in the passenger seat was alrea
