The Camry shot out of the alley like it had something to prove — tires screaming, engine protesting every ounce of abuse it was taking. For a car built for grocery runs and carpool lanes, it was currently auditioning for Fast & Furious: Budget Edition.

Riley clung to the seatbelt, knuckles white. “This car doesn’t even have sport mode!”

Kade didn’t answer — just flicked the steering wheel and sent the car swerving onto a main road. Headlights from the pursuing SUVs flared in the mirrors. The roar of engines behind them was too close, too real.

“Three hostiles on your six,” Mia’s voice crackled through the comm. “And Kade? You’ve got about thirty seconds before they box you in.”

“Copy.”

Riley’s eyes darted between Kade and the windshield. “Copy what? Copy what?! Are we, like, copying their tactics or copying our wills before impact—”

“Seatbelt tight?” Kade interrupted.

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “That’s not the kind of reassurance I need right now!”

The Camry took a hard right, sliding across slick asphalt. Riley screamed. A trash can exploded into a storm of garbage behind them as the rear bumper clipped it.

“I just wanted an interview!” she yelled over the engine. “A normal day! With coffee, maybe a croissant, and definitely not car-mounted artillery!”

A round of bullets pinged against the side mirror. She yelped and ducked.

“Okay, cool! They’re shooting! Love that for us! Should’ve just stayed unemployed!”

“Left or right?” Kade barked.

“Excuse me?”

He nodded toward the intersection up ahead — two routes, both bad. “Left or right?”

“Oh, sure! Let’s let the civilian with zero combat training pick our doom! Left! Wait—no! Right! I—oh God, I panicked!”

Kade swerved right without hesitation. Riley nearly slammed into the door. “Are you trying to kill me, or does that just happen naturally?”

“Still alive,” he said flatly.

“Barely!”

Mia cut back in. “You’re heading toward the bridge. If you can make it across, there’s an underpass you can lose them in. But you’ll need to improvise, Kade.”

“Always do.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s comforting for you!” Riley muttered, voice shaking.

They tore down the street — headlights flashing, horns blaring, the city blurring into streaks of light and rain-slicked pavement. One of the SUVs behind them fishtailed, trying to block their path. Kade shifted gears and accelerated.

Riley peeked out the back window and nearly fainted. “They’re still coming! What are they, zombies? Do they not believe in giving up?!”

“Lean right,” Kade said suddenly.

“What—why?”

“Just do it.”

She leaned — and the Camry skimmed past the SUV by inches, scraping against a dumpster. Sparks flew. Riley screamed again.

“I hate this! I hate you! I hate adrenaline!”

The Camry burst onto the bridge — the city skyline flickering through the cracked windshield. The river below caught the reflection of flashing lights like a broken mirror.

Mia’s voice came through, crisp and urgent. “Two clicks to the extraction point. You need to lose visual before then, or they’ll follow you all the way in.”

“Understood.”

Riley threw her arms up. “Oh, yeah, sure, great plan! Let’s just lose the people with guns and armored vehicles in our glorified commuter car! That’s genius, love that confidence, keep it up!”

“Can you yell quieter?” Kade asked.

“CAN YOU DRIVE SAFER?”

Another SUV rammed their back bumper. The Camry jolted violently, sending Riley forward. She smacked the seat with her palms. “You know what? I’m done! If I survive this, I’m writing a one-star review!”

“Noted,” Kade said, voice completely dry.

The bridge loomed ahead — and at the far end, a blockade of headlights began to form.

Riley’s voice went small. “Uh… Kade? Please tell me you see that.”

“I see it.”

“Cool. And… plan?”

His jaw tightened. “Working on it.”

Mia’s voice broke in again — calm but strained. “You’re outnumbered. Reroute to the old freight tunnels. I’m sending the coordinates—”

The GPS on the dash flickered, then displayed a pulsing blue route veering sharply left — off the bridge.

Riley blinked at the screen. “That’s not a road.”

Kade’s eyes narrowed. “It is now.”

“Oh, no. Don’t you dare—”

He yanked the wheel.

The Camry smashed through the guardrail.

Riley’s scream could’ve cracked glass.