“Damn it,” Nora muttered, stepping on the gas.

The car sped through a yellow light, the tires splashing through the deep puddles on the highway.

“He’s trying to isolate us,” I said. “He wants to make sure we have no resources left to help Clara.”

“We still have the drive,” Nora said. “As long as we have this data, we have leverage.”

“Only if we live long enough to use it,” I said.

Behind us, the headlights of the black SUV appeared in the distance.

It was gaining on us, moving fast through the empty streets.

“Nora,” I said.

“I see him,” she said.

She gripped the steering wheel with both hands, her face tight with concentration.

“Hold on,” she said.

She jerked the wheel to the right, turning down a narrow, unlit side street.

The car fishtailed slightly on the wet asphalt before catching traction.

The darkness swallowed us as the streetlights disappeared.

I looked back.

The headlights of the SUV turned the corner behind us, their bright beams cutting through the rain.

My phone began to ring again.