Chapter 98

Lauren's POV

Whatever. I was already tired — tired of sitting in the back of the cab, tired of the endless waiting, tired of the fact that no matter how long I sat here, the outcome of tonight wasn’t going to magically change. Sitting there wasn’t going to alter reality, wasn’t going to transform my nerves into confidence or smooth over the uneasy knot twisting in my stomach.

It was time to move, to stop wasting time. The cab driver glanced at me in the mirror, as though silently asking if I intended to get out or continue sulking in silence.

With a quiet breath, I finally reached for the handle. Just as I was about to push the door open and step down, another car pulled up right beside me, its engine purring like a well-fed predator. The timing was ridiculous. I froze, hand still resting on the handle, irritation immediately burning in my chest.

Didn’t the driver see I was about to get out? The nerve. If I’d actually swung the door open a se