𝓦𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼

❃ Chapter Thirty - So Much

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Zoe
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Something was off.

And it wasn't just now that I figured it, it had been from when we left Dean's that I felt an odd vibe from Jer. He hadn't acted differently, no, he just... seemed colder in the presence of the two men. But I didn't put much thought into it, seeing he and Dean weren't actually friends.

However, now as he tapped his finger on the wheel and continuously threw glances in the rearview mirrors, I knew something was up.

I've been driven by the man too many times not to learn his behavior while he did so. He wasn't usually as stiff as he was now, he rarely pulled his cap lower at intersections and he never - but ever - kept his hand in his coat. I knew he was reaching for his gun, just in case he needed to act on it, I was sure of it.

In the beginning I looked back as well, checking the mirror from the passenger's seat, seeing the side rearview mirror showed only me. And every time I saw random cars pulling up or driving in other directions or simply keeping our road. No suspicious black SUVs or minivans or anything.

But then I snapped out of whatever belief that Jerome could be paranoid and told myself he was being prudent. Or maybe he saw something that I didn't. He was more experienced, after all.

"What is it?" I spoke over the dim radio, looking closely at him.

Probably feeling I caught his stress, he relaxed himself with an exhale and a shake of his head, "I just," he glanced in the rearview mirror again, furrowing his brows under his cap, "I keep seeing this damned white Ford. I can't fucking lose them..."

He took his hand out of his jacket and put it on the gear, changing the speed as he turned another intersection. Sighing through the black mask he'd required I wore, I placed my gloved hand on top of his and squeezed.

The assurance was spoken through the little gesture, my stare raising the mirror from above me. Dimly, I noticed a white car as well, but the thing didn't seem suspicious at all. I couldn't catch the shadows inside, nor the license plate number since it was too far and my eyes were not all that great.

I nodded to the right, "Take it through here. We'll lose him through the buildings."

Having already told me the address, I obviously knew the street from traveling the city every time I got the chance. He followed my lead and took the right in a hurry. After a few more quick turns, we noticed the Ford was actually on our tracks the first two turns. But after going through the buildings we managed to lose them smoothly.

A little later Jerome parked the car in an underground parking lot that belonged to the building where we'd be staying. As we waited in the elevator, I glanced into the mirror at my reflection.

It was another thing I could add on the qualities list when it came to Jerome. He really knew how to estimate and match clothes. He'd gotten me a white turtleneck made of cashmere, a pair of blue jeans and some sneakers. Not to forget about the black parka and the Victoria's Secret underwear.

The turtleneck was my exact size, the pants a little baggy, but still great. Everything suited me perfectly. The only thing I disagreed with were the sneakers. My feet, even with the socks I wore, were freezing. Kinda made me wonder how Xen handled the ballerina flats.

Once the elevator stopped, Jerome led the way, taking us to the second door - just in front of the other one - down a long hallway. The space in question wasn't narrow or poorly looking. It wasn't exactly royalty material, but it wasn't your casual ratty hallway with cracks in the walls and mice running around. It was... hotel-like. With a beige carpet on the ground and orange walls and turned off LEDs, it appeared as if it were exactly a hotel hallway.