Page 106 of Coast

“No no no no no,” I cried, feeling the tire flop, then the car dragging hard as we started riding the rim.

“No!” I yelled, too hysterical to stop myself, to try to keep calm for Lainey.

Steering was getting harder with the car desperately pulling to the side, making me use all my grip strength to keep us moving straight.

I couldn’t ride a rim forever.

How long did I have?

A couple hundred yards?

A mile, max?

Sparks kept flicking up in my peripheral.

But all I could focus on was the car gaining on us more and more.

Useless tears flooded my eyes and poured down my cheeks before I could stop them.

If it was just me, I could pull over and run.

But it would take too long to get Lainey out of her seat.

All I could do was keep going until I couldn’t anymore.

Then I heard it.

The roar of motorcycles just as the road went from industrial to rural again.

Coast was coming.

He could fix this.

He would save us.

I knew that down to my marrow.

It was enough to keep me going even as the car objected, as the sparks flew, as I started to swerve as I lost more and more control of the steering.

Then there they were.

Eight, maybe ten, motorcycles. Fanning out to each side.

And behind them, an SUV.

Even through my tears, I could see Coast in the driver’s seat.

The rumble of the bikes roared in my ears as they moved between me and the other car, cutting them off.

The SUV parked in the middle of the road, so I kept moving until I was beside it.

Coast hopped out, whipping open my door.

“You’re okay. It’s alright. Listen to me,” he said as he dug around in the floorboard until he located my phone. “Drive up past the curve. Sass is coming for you. Get Lainey out and get in her car. Leave yours. I’ll deal with it.”

“Okay.”

“You’re going to be okay,” he assured me, then slammed my door and ran back to the SUV.

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