"This will get us to Redondo Beach without running into those dark mages," she said, taking a hard right into what looked like a dead end but opened onto a service road that paralleled the coast.
"How do you know about these roads?"
"I lived in LA for two years after college."Farrah checked her mirrors, relieved to see no flashing lights behind them."Derek got a job with a tech startup in Santa Monica.Before the divorce, before everything fell apart, I used to drive all over the city for work.You learn the shortcuts when you're running emergency calls."
"Were you happy here?"
The question caught her off guard.She thought about it as they cruised through a quiet neighborhood, palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze.
"I thought I was," she said."But I think I was just happy to be somewhere Derek couldn't criticize everything I did.It turns out geographical distance doesn't fix a broken relationship."
"What broke it?"
Farrah felt her magic spark around her fingers as she remembered."He wanted me to stop being a paramedic.Said it was beneath my potential and made him look bad at company parties.He wanted me to get a corporate job, working corporate magic, and making corporate money.Something respectable that didn't involve me coming home with other people's blood on my clothes."
"He wanted you to stop saving lives?"
"He wanted me to stop being me."The admission hurt, even after all this time."And for a while, I almost let him."
J.J.'s hand tightened shoulder.Through the bond, she felt his anger on her behalf—not the explosive rage he'd shown toward Sheriff Lawman, but a deeper, quieter fury at anyone who'd tried to make her smaller than she was.
"I'm glad you didn't," he said, and the sincerity in his voice made her throat tight.
The radio was filled with confused chatter from various teams reporting their positions and obstacles.Most were stuck in traffic or dealing with police roadblocks on the major highways, exactly as Farrah had predicted.
Then a different voice cut through the chaos.
"Um, this is Deputy Smokie Lawman to any available units.”
He was on the Cauldronball Run’s secret channel. How did he get there? Had the dark witches broken into the radio frequency?
“I'm lost and my GPS isn't working.Mr.Snuggles is getting worried.Has anyone seen my daddy?He’s going to be super mad at me.We got separated near Barstow and I took a wrong turn following a tumbleweed that looked like it knew where it was going."
"Don’t answer him," J.J.said."It could be a trap."
But Farrah was already reaching for the radio.The deputy sounded genuinely distressed, and there was something in his voice that tugged at her heart, a lost quality that reminded her of patients' families in hospital waiting rooms, looking for anyone who could help. She didn’t sense any of the dark magic from him or his message.
"Deputy Smokie, this is a concerned citizen," she said."What's your current location?"
"Oh thank goodness, someone answered.I'm at the intersection of...um...Desert View Road and something called Jackrabbit Trail.There's a gas station with a giant dinosaur statue, and Mr.Snuggles says it's staring at us."
Farrah glanced at J.J., who was shaking his head.
"Farrah, no.His father is trying to arrest us.This could give us an advantage.If Lawman is out looking for his son, he won’t be after us."
"He's not his father," she said firmly, then keyed the radio again."Deputy, you're about thirty miles east of where you want to be.Take Jackrabbit Trail north until you hit Route 58, then head west.That'll bring you back to the main highway."
"Really?Oh, Mr.Snuggles is so relieved.Thank you so much, concerned citizen.You're very kind for a—I mean, thank you for helping a lost deputy and his teddy bear husband."
J.J.was staring at her."Why did you do that?"
"Because he needed help."Farrah merged onto Pacific Coast Highway, the Portofino Inn visible ahead."Because helping people is what we do."
"Even when it could cost us the race?"
"It won’t."She pulled into the hotel parking lot, where several other racing vehicles were already gathered."If we win this race by abandoning our principles, what have we really won?"
In his expression, surprise gave way to something deeper, warmer.He leaned across the center console and kissed her, quick and fierce.