Her accusatory tone caught me off guard.
All I was thinking was that we would be back late from the suburbs, and with my recent sleepiness, having an extra person around would be reassuring.
I never expected such a volatile reaction from Rachel.
A flicker of unease went through me. “Rachel, I’m just trying not to make things awkward for Tess. Why are you so worked up?”
For a moment, Rachel’s expression froze. Then she let go of Tess’s arm. “Why would I be worked up? Fine, she can come!”
With that, she slid into the back seat right next to me. Resigned, Tess took the front passenger seat.
I glanced forward casually. The male driver was wearing a mask and sunglasses, obscuring his face.
The long morning had left me feeling drained.
Rachel was turned away from me, tapping on her phone as if messaging someone. The car moved smoothly, and it wasn’t long before I started to feel drowsy. A few minutes later, I was fast asleep.
I don’t know how much time passed, but I was jolted awake by the screech of brakes. The seatbelt held me in place, though my body lurched forward.
My eyes were wide open, but my mind was still foggy. “What happened?”
I looked out the window. We were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desolate fields with no buildings in sight.
Tess turned to the driver. “Why did you suddenly stop?”
Rachel leaned forward to look around. “This isn’t where I wanted to go. I paid you in full, so get moving.”
The driver ignored them, calmly picking up a bottle of water and taking a sip.
The second he pulled down his mask, I saw a scar, about an inch long, on his cheek. I froze.

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