Page 34 of The Cauldronball Run
"I love that you did that," he said against her lips."I love that you're exactly who I thought you were."
"What, criminally naive?"
"Fundamentally good."
They climbed out of the ambulance and walked toward the hotel entrance, where a harried-looking race official waited with a clipboard and the kind of expression that suggested this job wasn't what he'd signed up for.
"Team name?"he asked without looking up.
"Green Machine," J.J.replied.
"You're checked in."The official made a mark on his clipboard, then looked up with tired eyes."There's been a change to the race route.The finish line has been moved from Manhattan to a truck stop just outside the Holland Tunnel.Close enough to New York to count, but far enough from the city to avoid traffic and the NYPD."
Farrah felt J.J.tense beside her."Why the change?"
"Let's just say the authorities are taking an increased interest in our little event."The official handed them a map with the new route marked."You're currently in second place behind the dragons.The trolls are out—arrested somewhere in the desert—and Bondo's having transmission problems."
"When did the dragons leave?"
"Twenty minutes ago.But they're taking the 405 north, which is currently a parking lot thanks to an 'unrelated' police operation."The official's smile was grim."Your choice of route might determine who wins this thing."
After a quick bathroom stop and snack run, Farrah had worked through their options.The direct route would take them through the heart of LA traffic and whatever trap Sheriff Lawman had set.But she knew these roads, knew the alternatives that most people missed.
"I can get us out of here," she said, sliding back into the driver's seat."But it’s going to be a bumpy, ugly ride.”
J.J.buckled his seatbelt and grinned at her."Lead the way.”
Farrah started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, her confidence growing with every mile.For the first time in the race—maybe the first time in years—she wasn't following someone else's lead or trying to meet someone else's expectations.
She was driving.
Chapter Eleven
Farrah
Arizona
