But her phone was either off or out of range—which was no doubt why Mom had told me to go.
Swearing softly, I shoved on my helmet and fired up the bike. The gates were barely open before I was through them. I rocketed up the streets, weaving in and out of traffic, pushing both the bike and my skills to their limits as I ignored traffic signals and left more than a few angry drivers in my wake.
Ilianna was the sister I'd never had. I wouldn't lose her. I couldn't.
Fear twisted through my gut but I tried to ignore it, concentrating on the road, on finding the best way through the traffic, on not stopping for anyone or anything.
The gods must have been on my side, because not one cop made an appearance, though I had no doubt—given the number of red-light cameras I ran—that a raft of fines would soon be making their way to my mailbox.
I turned left onto Abinger Street, my knee so close to the tarmac that it scraped a hole in Darci's jeans and took off a layer of skin. One replacement pair to be ordered, I thought absently, gunning the engine and speeding down the street. It seemed to take forever to reach the next street. I took a right, the tires all but screaming as they left a layer of rubber behind. I didn't slow until I neared the small single-fronted terrace that served as Mike's office.
I couldn't see Ilianna's car parked anywhere near, so she was either inside already or still on her way. We lived close enough to Mike's to walk, and the frequent bouts of rain wouldn't have deterred Ilianna. She liked getting wet—it soothed the wildness in her soul, apparently.
I glanced at my watch. Mike never ran anywhere close to his appointment times, so we'd fallen into the habit of arriving ten minutes later than he told us. The appointment was at two, and it was barely that now. Ilianna wouldn't be in there yet.
If she was walking, then she'd more than likely be cutting through the Mary Street lane and strolling across the park.
I spun the bike around, leaving another trail of rubber behind me, and gunned up to the park. I jumped up the curb and rode into the park itself, scattering pigeons and chewing up the lovely green grass.
But there was no one here.
I swore, dropped the bike, and ran for the lane at the back of the park.
And I smelled them—two of the shifters who'd attacked me earlier.
I slid to a stop, my heart going a million miles a minute as I scanned the laneway. Neither Ilianna nor the shifters were in sight, but the wind brought me the scent of both.
I clenched my fists but resisted the urge to charge in. I was downwind of the shifters, so although I was aware of them, they wouldn't have yet realized I was near.