Chapter 58

The evening breeze whispered across the barren site, carrying with it fine grains of sand that crackled softly against the steel framework.

Brinley stood at the highest rise of the project site, a laser distance meter balanced firmly in her hand.

The sinking sun stretched her shadow long across the dirt, mirroring the weight of her tangled thoughts.

Instead of joining the team in their well-earned celebration, she had chosen solitude, burying herself in numbers and measurements.

Work had always been her refuge when her mind felt like a storm she couldn't quiet.

Even now, she couldn't explain why she was so frustrated.

Her fingers tapped swiftly across her tablet as she uploaded the last set of data, the bluish glow casting a sharp light on her concentrated face.

Once she snapped the case of her equipment shut, movement in the distance caught her eye. Two figures lingered at the edge of a dirt road, their posture hesitant and suspicious.

This place was desolate-construction crews had long since left for the day. At this hour, no one had any reason to be here. And yet, they were.

Brinley's brows furrowed, her breath catching. Something wasn't right.

Off to the side sat a black car, parked like a predator lying in wait. No license plate, windows dark as ink-it stood out starkly in the empty wasteland.

Were they just passersby?

She eased the tablet into her backpack, her fingertips grazing the reassuring weight.of her car keys in her pocket. The rugged terrain had been the reason she'd driven a SUV out here in the first place.

Turning toward her white SUV, she slowed her stride deliberately, her eyes catching the reflection of the black car in the glossy side panels.

Her hand gripped the door handle-right then, the other vehicle's engine growled to life, low and menacing.The headlights stayed dead, yet the car shifted, its nose angling straight at her.

Brinley's chest tightened-these men weren't passersby; they were hunting her.

She yanked open the car door and slipped inside, her hands moving with desperate speed.

The engine roared to life, and before her seatbelt even clicked, she had shoved the gear into drive and slammed her foot down.

The vehicle leapt forward, tires spitting yellow sand in a furious spray.

Through the rearview mirror, a dark shape surged after her. The black car swung in hard, closing the distance fast, its headlights still off but its intent unmistakable. They wanted to cut her off.

"Damn it!" she muttered under her breath, knuckles whitening around the steering wheel.

This stretch of land offered no safe options-only one paved road out to the main highway,while the rest were narrow, broken industrial lanes that twisted into dead ends.

If something went wrong here, there'd be zero chance of reaching anyone.

Brinley veered away from the straight cement road.

When the road split, she jerked the wheel, tires shrieking as the car skidded hard onto the gravel path to the right.

In the mirror, the black car swung after her without a flicker of hesitation.

The engine's thunder reverberated between the narrow warehouse walls, chasing her with relentless intent.

Her eyes narrowed, a glint sparking in the gloom. Fine-she'd show them how the game was played.

The calm, accommodating woman vanished, and in her place emerged Rosara-the fearless racer who once owned every track she touched.

A prickling rush coursed along her spine as her hands gripped the wheel with lethal precision,each motion sharp as a blade's edge.

The vehicle slashed through the maze of deserted warehouses, her path weaving with fluid, practiced control.

Even though Brinley had stepped away from racing years ago, the instincts never dulled.

She hurled the SUV through two sharp ninety-degree turns, barely easing off the gas. The chassis leaned hard, brushing past crumbling walls as the tires shrieked across the surface.

Within the mirror's frame, she noticed the black sedan lost the corner, fishtailing until it nearly slammed the concrete.

For a moment it lagged behind, but the driver steadied the wheel and pressed on, closing the gap again.

"Relentless, aren't you?" Brinley muttered with a tight sneer, eyes flicking ahead.

The road ended at a T-junction: left toward a dead end, right into a skinny lane.

At the far side of that path, a heavy iron gate emerged from the weeds, its frame nearly swallowed by the wild growth.

She remembered spotting it that the other day during her survey-the hinges slack, the gate left slightly open, concealing the stretch of abandoned warehouses beyond.

Drawing in a steadying breath, Brinley shot toward the junction, slammed the brakes, and yanked the handbrake, the wheel spinning under her grip.

Tires screamed across the pavement as the car slid in a flawless arc, its frame cutting across most of the lane, forcing the black car behind to slam on its brakes.Using that brief hesitation, she dropped the handbrake and twisted the wheel shaply, sending the vehicle lunging into the narrow right lane like a released arrow.

By the time the pursuers adjusted, her SUV had gained nearly a hundred meters of distance.

She barreled through the loosened gate, which groaned faintly on its rusted hinges, and the view burst open to a sprawling field of warehouses.

The ground was jagged, littered with rusted beams and corroded steel plates that gleamed dully under the fading light.

She guided the SUV through the chaos with unflinching precision-accelerating hard one moment,tapping the brakes lightly the next.

Each evasive swerve threaded her vehicle through danger with a racer's intuition.

The black sedan burst through the gate seconds later, the engine bellowing with fury,its hunt undeterred.

Determination flickered in Brinley's eyes, steady andunyielding.

She twisted the wheel again, hurling the SUV toward a ninety-degree corner at the farthest edge of the warehouse sprawl.

Rows of rusted containers flanked the outer curve, leaving just a sliver of space wide enough for a single vehicle to squeeze through.

The maneuver was dangerous, but it was the only opening she had.

Caught off guard by Brinley's reckless gamble, the black car faltered for a breath, swerving toward the broader inner road instead.

Her chance had come!

As the bend loomed, Brinley slammed her foot on the accelerator instead of easing off.