THIRTEEN

My heart pounded frantically as the car screeched to an abrupt halt.

“What happened?” I asked, gripping the seatbelt tightly as if it was my lifeline.

“Checking the tire pressure,” Damien muttered, his brow furrowed. “Looks like we’ve got a flat tire.”

Before I could respond, he flung open the door and hopped out. I watched him inspect the rear tire, his hands moving with anxious precision.

When he finally returned, his expression was grave. He pulled out his phone and dialed. “Lewis, we’ve got a flat tire on Oak Street. We need another car, ASAP.”

He ended the call abruptly and dialed again.

“We’ve got a problem!”

He said, glancing at me, and from his tone, I could tell it was Gabriel on the line.

“We’ll be on our way once Lewis brings another car. I just wanted to keep you in the loop about the setback.”

Their conversation dragged on for a while with bantering in between, and he finally ended the call.

I leaned back against my seat, letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

“This day j