A Covert Affair (Deadly Ops #5)(14)
She’d made an excuse about a work emergency and needing to take care of it herself. Iker had been understanding, even offering to come with her—which had made her feel even guiltier. She rarely lied and wasn’t one to hang on to guilt for nonsensical things she had no control over, but she actually felt bad about lying to him. She really wanted to finish that conversation with Maria, though. Especially since her friend seemed to know more about Danita.
The way Danita had just up and quit had been odd. Amelia had even tried calling her, but her cell phone had been disconnected. She’d e-mailed too, but with no response. Not exactly strange, since she hadn’t put in her two weeks’ notice; maybe she’d been too embarrassed to talk to Amelia after that.
As Amelia turned down a street that would get her to the center faster, she noticed the same car that had been on her tail since a couple of blocks away from the auction following her once again. It was possible the driver had followed her the entire way and she just hadn’t noticed. She was so used to paying attention to her surroundings, but she’d been distracted as she left the auction.
Not caring if she was being paranoid, she made a sharp right turn, barely slowing down as she did it. Her tires squealed before she righted the wheel.
The car followed, gaining speed.
A low-grade panic hummed through her veins. She knew the streets of Miami like the back of her hand, but she was in a dicey area. She needed help, but the only people she saw on the streets now were homeless, hookers, or dealers. Freaking great.
She gunned the engine. The nearest police station was fifteen minutes away and she didn’t want to head to Bayside. She couldn’t lead whoever was behind her there.
There was a red light ahead. Damn it.
Her heart in her throat, she flicked her gaze to the rearview mirror again. The vehicle was almost on her now. Her fingers tightened around the wheel. Suddenly the brights flooded her mirror, making her instinctively flinch away. She twisted the mirror to the side so the glare wouldn’t blind her.
Her Jeep jerked forward as the driver rammed into her. Her seat belt locked hard against her chest, making her gasp. Jeeps were made sturdy, so she didn’t feel a huge impact. She snapped her hand back to the wheel, holding it steady as she pressed on the gas. Red light or no, she had to run it.
The driver gained more speed in a burst, slamming into her again, propelling her through the light. She held tight as her Jeep swerved to the right. Unable to keep it steady, she braced herself as she careened into an IHOP parking lot. Narrowly missing a Pontiac that had to be forty years old pulling out of the entrance, she hit the brakes to slow but didn’t stop.
Heart racing, she continued through the brightly lit, packed parking lot, ignoring the two guys who shot her the bird for nearly clipping them. As she passed them, she twisted her rearview mirror back into place. The car wasn’t there. No one was following her. The two guys were now making obscene gestures to her, but she ignored them and steered to the second entrance to the twenty-four/seven pancake place.
As she pulled up to the entrance, she saw no one coming from either direction, so she tore out into the four-lane road, making a left. She wasn’t stopping at this place, not at this time of night. It might be more dangerous here. Her palms were damp as she drove, but she kept an eye on the rearview mirror, taking the most efficient route to the community center.
She was almost positive no one had tailed her. And there was no sense in heading to the police station now. Whoever had been following her wasn’t anymore and she had literally no information on what the driver or car looked like. She didn’t have a make, model, or even color. It had been a dark color, maybe black or blue, but she couldn’t say for sure. She couldn’t say anything for certain. She knew how the legal system worked and she sure as hell wasn’t wasting her time down at one of the police stations where she’d have to wait to talk to someone and then fill out paperwork that wouldn’t amount to anything tonight.
No, thank you.
She’d drop by when it was convenient for her and make a report for insurance, but that was it.
When she made it to the community center, she was thankful to see Maria’s vehicle in the side parking lot through one of the gates. She started to call Maria, but the gate automatically opened for her. That was when she saw the headlights of Maria’s car flash twice.
She must have a remote control to the security system. Whatever it was, Amelia was glad she didn’t have to wait to be let in. As soon as she steered through, the gate started to close.
Relief speared through her as it did. She parked next to Maria and walked to the back of her Jeep as Maria got out of hers.
“You made good time,” her friend said, walking toward her.
“Yeah.” Surprising, considering her detour. She winced when she walked around the back and got her first look at the damage to her bumper. Her shoulders and neck were stiff, but she figured she’d be fine in the morning. Sleep and a glass of red wine sounded perfect, but first she needed to hear what was going on.
Maria’s eyes widened. “What happened?”
“Someone rammed into me on the way here. Twice.” Instinctively she looked over her shoulder, glancing around the community center parking lot. There weren’t any other vehicles around and the security fences were high enough that they’d hear someone trying to scale them. Still, she wanted to get inside. After the night she’d had, her nerves were completely shot.