Page 32 of The Cauldronball Run
“Damn straight.”
The certainty in her voice made him want to believe everything would work out.But J.J.had learned long ago that wanting something too much was the surest way to lose it.
And he wanted Farrah more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life.
Chapter Ten
Farrah
Eastern California, approaching Los Angeles
Farrah had the pedal to the metal as they drove through the Mojave Desert toward Los Angeles.J.J.'s custom engine purred and they were making good time.She'd insisted on driving the last stretch, partly to give him a break after eight hours behind the wheel, and partly because her intuition was screaming that they were heading into trouble.
"Flame Rider to all teams," Torch's voice came through the radio."Coming up on LA.Cops are everywhere between here and the checkpoint at the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach."
Farrah frowned.A hotel seemed like an odd choice for a racing checkpoint, but then again, everything about this race defied logic.Through the windshield, she could see the LA skyline emerging from the haze, but her witch senses were picking up something else.There was a web of hostile intent stretching across the city like a net.
"Something's wrong," she said, easing off the accelerator.
J.J.snorted awake."Huh?What kind of wrong?"
"I can feel something malevolent stalking us.I can’t explain it.It feels like ants crawling all over me."She took the next exit without signaling, following an instinct she'd learned to trust.
"Where are you going?"
"Surface streets.The 405 feels like a trap waiting to spring."Farrah navigated through industrial areas and residential neighborhoods, her enhanced intuition guiding her away from main arteries where the hostile energy was strongest."I think Sheriff Lawman has dark witches positioned on the highways.I can sense them."
J.J.was quiet for a moment, then reached over to rest his hand on her shoulder.The contact sent warmth through the partial bond between them, along with his support and complete, absolute trust in her judgment.
"Lead the way," he said.
The confidence in his voice made her soul sing.When was the last time anyone had trusted her instincts without question?Derek had spent five years undermining every decision she made, every intuitive leap, every moment of magical insight.But J.J.was looking at her like she was his compass, his guide through dangerous territory.
Don't let him down, she told herself, and pressed harder on the accelerator.
They wound through back streets and residential areas, Farrah following the paths where the hostile energy was weakest.Her magic sense painted the city in colors only she could see—bright red danger zones around major intersections, sickly yellow caution areas near police stations, and thin blue threads of safety through neighborhoods that Sheriff Lawman's magical net hadn't reached.
