Her hand pressed down hard on my shoulder.
She leaned in, her voice a chilling whisper.
“Don’t refuse this time.”
<
5
Twenty minutes later, Sarah returned.
I was sitting with Jessica, chatting amicably.
Sarah paused, then gave me an approving
smile.
“Lisa, the car’s out front. Plate number
XXX151.”
“Ms. Miller, so sorry for the wait. I just
freshened up the car for you.‘
دو
Sarah offered Jessica a bottle of water. “Here
you go. For the road.”
I glanced at the bottle, then quickly looked
away.
Sarah walked us to the car, watching as we
buckled our seatbelts. Satisfied, she stepped back, gesturing for us to leave.
I started the engine, looking at her.
If it weren’t for Lily, I would have run this
bitch down right there.
But…
<
I took a deep breath, pressed the gas pedal,
and sped out of the dealership.
In my past life, mindful of Jessica’s
pregnancy, I’d kept the speed around 25 mph,
prioritizing a smooth ride.
Now, hitting the main road, I floored it, hitting
- 60.
If they were forcing me into this, my first
priority was outrunning death.
Jessica’s face paled. “Ms. Evans, isn’t this a
little fast?!”
I grabbed the water bottle from her hand,
then thrust a piece of paper at her, prepared
while Sarah was away.
The first line read: “There’s a listening device.
Don’t scream if you want to live. Cooperate.”
The second: “Someone is trying to kill us
both. I have proof. Trust me.‘
“”
While she read, I casually said, “Ms. Miller,
this car has incredible performance. I’m
demonstrating its acceleration capabilities
right now.”
“Smooth and quick, right?”
Jessica reacted fast. Scanning the note, she
replied, “Yes, absolutely. I feel perfectly fine.”
I remembered that in my past life, Sarah and
her accomplices had been clever. The
dealership was out of town, minimal traffic,
but the test drive route passed a construction
site with frequent truck traffic.
The car had “malfunctioned” on that stretch
of road.
As I drove, I typed on my phone, showing
Jessica: “Water’s tainted.”
Holding the bottle to the light, Jessica
spotted the pinhole.
That explained why, in my previous life,
Jessica hadn’t warned me about the truck.
She must have been drugged too.
Judging by the timing, the dosage must have
<
been strong.
This time, neither of us had taken a sip. And
the tainted water corroborated my note.
Quick–thinking, Jessica crinkled the bottle
loudly.
Driving fast, we reached the scene of the
past accident fifteen minutes early.
Pulling over, I told Jessica, “Ms. Miller, let me
show you the braking system.”
I parked. Jessica chimed in, “Perfect timing. I
need to get out and stretch. The baby’s been
kicking up a storm.”
وو
Unbuckling my seatbelt, I kept my hands
moving, forcing a smile. “These are the best
times, aren’t they?”
6
As soon as we got out, Vivian, my childhood
best friend, rushed towards me.
In my past life, when everyone turned against
me, only my parents and Vivian believed I was
innocent.
