Chapter 214 Chapter 214
Ichika
The sedan suddenly swerved sharply into the next lane, its brake lights flashing before it accelerated again.
“He knows we’re following him,” I said under my breath.
The driver’s knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. “Hang on, ma’am. We’re not losing him.”
He pressed harder on the gas. The engine roared.
My stomach lurched as the cab surged forward, the lights of the city blurring into streaks around us.
Reed took a hard right.
The driver cursed softly and followed, tires screeching as we made the turn. The force slammed me against the door, but I didn’t care. My eyes stayed glued to those taillights.
Reed was fast—far faster than I’d expected. Every time we gained on him, he slipped away again, cutting corners, switching lanes, using every trick in the book.
The wind howled through the barely-cracked window. The night blurred past—streetlights, alleys, flashes of headlights.
It felt like we were chasing a ghost.
Reed’s car darted through an intersection just as the light turned red. My driver didn’t hesitate; he followed, earning a chorus of angry honks as we narrowly avoided a collision with a passing truck.
My heart was in my throat.
“Careful!” I gasped.
“I thought you said not to lose him!” he shouted over the roar of the engine.
Fair enough.
The cab jolted violently as we hit a bump, and my phone nearly slipped from my hand.
I saw the sedan take another turn, this time onto a narrow side street filled with tightly packed cars.
The driver groaned. “That’s a tight squeeze!”
“Then squeeze!” I ordered.
He gritted his teeth and pushed forward. But Reed was like a phantom, slipping between two parked cars so quickly it was like watching smoke vanish through a crack.
The cab tried to follow, but the space was too narrow.
“Damn it,” the driver hissed, braking hard.
“Go! Don’t stop!”
“I can’t, lady! If I try to overtake here, we’ll crash and we might kill someone!”
I slammed my palm against the dashboard. “Please, just hold on, Amber,” I whispered, voice breaking. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them hurt you. I won’t…”
The cab finally rolled forward, trying to maneuver through the congested street. The driver muttered, “We’ll be back on the main road soon. Once we’re out, maybe we can spot him again.”
That small spark of hope flickered in my chest. Maybe we hadn’t lost them yet. Maybe—
But the moment we emerged onto the main road, the hope shattered.
There was no sign of the black sedan.
Not its lights, not its trail. Nothing.
Just empty streets stretching out ahead.
We slowed to a stop at a literal crossroad.
The cab driver leaned forward, squinting. “I… I didn’t see which way he turned.”
My heart plummeted.
“Take the left,” I said urgently. “Go left, quickly!”
He did, pressing the pedal and speeding down the street. My eyes scanned every passing car, every alley and every flicker of headlights.
But Reed was gone.
After several agonizing minutes of driving at the highest speed that's legal, I realized the truth.
We’d lost them. There was absolutely no sign of Reed's car and it became painfully obvious that we'd taken the wrong turn.
No! We should have gone right!
I slumped back in my seat, my throat tightening until it hurt to swallow. She had been right there.
Right in front of me.
And I’d lost her.
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. My body shook with quiet, helpless sobs. The driver glanced at me in the mirror, his expression softening. “Ma’am, are you alright?”
I couldn’t even answer. The words wouldn’t come out.
Then my phone rang.
Rayne.
I swiped to answer instantly. “Rayne!”
“Ichika?” His voice was tight and laced with panic. “What happened? I just saw your message.”
I explained everything down to the last detail. I told him about the bar, the syringe… and Reed. Even the chase and the way he vanished into the night.
When I finished, there was silence on the line for a heartbeat. Then Rayne spoke, voice low and steady, but trembling with emotion.
“You did the right thing, Ichika. You were brave—braver than most. You did everything you could.”
“I lost her,” I sobbed brokenly. “She was right there, Rayne, and I lost her. I—”
“You did not lose her,” he interrupted. “You followed her. You gave us the lead we needed. Now leave the rest to me and the professionals. I swear to you, I’ll find her. I’ll find both of them—my mate and my daughter—no matter what it takes.”
The conviction in his voice silenced my sobs.
For the first time since this nightmare began, I felt something steadying me again.
Hope.
When the call ended, I lowered my phone slowly and looked out at the empty road ahead. The night stretched endlessly before me so dark, uncertain and unforgiving.
I clasped my hands together and whispered into the silence, “Please, Moon Goddess… protect my darlings. Please bring them back home.”
The wind whispered through the open window, carrying my prayer into the night.